Keep Tennessee Beautiful – Memphis Flyer

U of M Sets (Another) Research Grant Record

University of Memphis faculty won a record-setting $50.2 million in research awards in the last fiscal year.

The new total beat last year’s record of $40.7 million, up 23.2 percent. Research award dollars have risen steadily at U of M since 2018.

Back then, about 20 percent of the school’s faculty were responsible for 75 percent of research proposals. In the 2021 fiscal year, 38 percent of the faculty brought in 75 percent of the research awards.

In 2018, U of M began a strategy to increase research awards. The new push hopes to earn the school Carnegie R1 status, the highest rank among institutes of higher education.

Federal grants have been the fastest-growing category in the U of M research mix. These grants have grown by 80 percent since 2019, up from $20 million to just over $35 million this year.

The top three federal contractors of U of M research last year were the National Science Foundation ($8.9 million), National Institutes of Health ($6.5 million), and the U.S. Department of Education ($5.1 million).

“We must celebrate the hard work of our research faculty across campus,” said Jasbir Dhaliwal, U of M executive vice president for research and innovation. “Federal research awards are nationally competitive so these achievements are truly remarkable. Our efforts to build a cutting-edge research culture are starting to pay off and this bodes well for the future.”

State-funded dollars rose here by 150 percent since last year. This figure was pushed largely by $5.6 million in grants from the Tennessee Department of Transportation. However, $4.9 million of that money was invested last year in the Keep Tennessee Beautiful program housed at the U of M. It was the single largest grant given to any U of M researcher in 2021.

To read more about the grants, check the school’s report here.

The Tennessee Department of Transportation, Tennessee Department of Environment & Conservation, and Keep Tennessee Beautiful announced a three-way partnership on Tuesday, August 18th. The partnership aims to reduce personal protective equipment litter and educate the public on proper PPE and single-use mask disposal.

“This partnership is a response to a rise in PPE litter, which TDOT has begun to notice on rights-of-way, and how we, as state agencies, can work together to share one impactful message,” TDOT Commissioner Clay Bright said.

TDOT Commissioner Clay Bright

Through the partnership, the groups will release a series of posts highlighting proper PPE disposal. Posts and additional messaging will be shared electronically by all three entities and made available through KTnB and their statewide network of affiliates. Proper PPE disposal has also been worked into TDOT’s “Nobody Trashes Tennessee” litter prevention campaign.

All social media posts will center around three main points:

Single-use masks, gloves, and wipes should not be placed into any recycling containers or disposed of on the ground. Improper disposal creates health and environmental hazards.
All PPE should be properly disposed of in a trash receptacle.
Wearing a reusable or cloth mask instead of single-use masks can reduce the amount of PPE waste going to landfills and help fight the spread of COVID-19.

“In these unusual times, unusual problems arise, and the litter of personal protective equipment is an example,” TDEC Commissioner David Salyers said. “We encourage all Tennesseans to be mindful of this issue and maintain their commitment to the beauty of our state. We are grateful to TDOT and Keep Tennessee Beautiful for their partnership in this effort.”

TDOT spends $15 million annually on litter pickup and prevention education. Through its efforts, the amount of roadside litter has decreased by 43 percent since 2006. Despite this, nearly 100 million pieces of litter occur on Tennessee roadsides at any given time.