Engineering takes major step up research ladder

Based on research spending, Mississippi State continues to improve its standing in the ranks of the nation's top 50 engineering colleges.

Figures released recently by the American Society for Engineering Education show the university's 1998-99 engineering research expenditures totaled $26.4 million, an almost 25 percent increase over the previous year.

The College of Engineering now is 42nd on the ASEE list, up from 49th and ahead of Arizona State and the University of Nebraska at Lincoln, among others. Among Southeastern Conference schools, it is second only to the University of Florida.

"To register an almost 25 percent increase in research dollars in just one year reflects the quality, dedication and hard work of our faculty and staff," said engineering dean Wayne Bennett. "This is a major accomplishment for the college."

Much of the scientific investigations are conducted at MSU's National Science Foundation Engineering Research Center, which accounted for $6.8 million of the total, and the Diagnostic Instrumentation and Analysis Laboratory, with $6.6 million. The balance was carried out in the various academic departments.

Because most of the expenditures are made in the state, engineering research programs have "a significant impact" on Mississippi's economy, Bennett added. Current projects range from new applications for remote sensing technology to biomedical investigations.

"An additional benefit is the hands-on experience our undergraduate and graduate students receive from involvement in the college's growing research program," Bennett said.

The American Society for Engineering Education is a 107-year-old organization of some 12,000 members, including college deans, faculty members, students, and industry representatives.

A university goal is to rank among the top 50 public research universities in the nation based on total institutional research expenditures reported by the National Science Foundation.

MSU currently ranks 59th on the NSF list of public universities, up from 66th last year. The current ranking is based on total reserach expenditures of $100.4 million in 1997-98, but that figure climbed to approximately $125 million for 1999-2000.