September 13, 2006

Governor Granholm visits Dr. Drzal's lab. Left to right: Lawrence Drzal; Per Askeland (back); Evangeline Alocilja (front); Governor Granholm; Manjusri Misra; Steve Nartker.

Governor Jennifer Granholm visited the Engineering Building on September 13 to recognize MSU faculty who received 21st Century Jobs Fund awards. The jobs fund is a $2 billion initiative aimed at bolstering the state's economy, to help create businesses that will reshape Michigan's future. The four key sectors are:

• advanced manufacturing
• life sciences
• homeland security and defense
• alternative energy

More than 500 applications were submitted; 61 projects were funded. Of the 22 MSU proposals, 11 were funded, for a total of $13.1 million. Engineering faculty are involved in 9 of the 11 MSU projects.

"We're not just funding research--you all do that very well," Granholm said during her visit to MSU. "But what we're interested in is funding patents and ideas that can be commercialized.

"The building blocks for the bioeconomy are being crafted right here at MSU," Granholm said. "This is blockbuster research. It is a phenomenal example of how universities can be used to move an economy forward."