The National Science Foundation has awarded MU a $5.2 million grant that it will use over the next five years to create the Advancing Research and its Impact on Society Center, according to a news release from the MU News Bureau.
The virtual center is intended to help the public become more aware of research being done at MU and what it means to them. While the public can become aware of breakthroughs in prescription drugs, for example, it might not understand how the science of how those drugs relieve symptoms.
MU cited the drug Humira as an example. Humira alleviates pain for many people who suffer from arthritis, plaque psoriasis, Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis. The scientific breakthrough needed to create Humira was so profound that MU professor emeritus George Smith earned a Nobel Prize for it. Few people could explain the science behind the breakthrough and the research work Smith was doing, though.
The new center will help change that by focusing on educational outreach and community engagement with scientific research.
To read more, visit our partners at the Columbia Missourian.