Dedicated students, distinguished colleagues and dear friends,

Happy Friday!

Headlines of this summer portrayed a playbook of disruptions for scientists who labor in laboratories to discover new drugs, develop innovative devices and educate creative students: “NSF chemistry funding faces 75% cut,” “House appropriators propose 23% cut to NSF,” “NSF budget proposal slashes funding across the agency by 57%,” “NIH budget cuts threaten the future of biomedical research,” among many other stark and ominous headlines.

Accordingly, here at S&T, our research faculty were receiving notices of cancellations of their projects that, under ordinary circumstances, were considered certain. All at once, everything was uncertain. Faculty had ordered equipment and recruited students to perform laboratory experiments, to collect and analyze empirical data and to test their scientific hypotheses. Many were left without support on long-standing projects. And, to make matters worse, no one had any answers! In short, all of us — our faculty, administration, research scientists, experimentalists and students — were in the thick of it! Clouds of uncertainty had fogged our path forward at the most basic levels. Our people, however, never lost perspective!

Our research groups regrouped. Our collaborators, industry consortia and representatives reached out to program managers at the national funding organizations to ensure awareness – awareness of both the impact of successful research and education as well as the downside of disruption of research programs. The impact to advance manufacturing, biotechnology, critical mineral extraction and development, STEMM outreach educational programs and teacher training opportunities.

And then, after rigorous work and much hustle came hope. We started to hear from the same organizations who had earlier sounded cautious and pessimistic – this time with messages of hope and encouragement. Recognizing that hope is not strategy, our faculty revamped their proposals, teamed up with others and reengaged. The result? Many success stories. Including Dr. Shelley Minteer’s leading role in the establishment of the NSF Center for Synthetic Organic Electrochemistry to develop and “advance greener, safer and smarter chemical reactions using electricity.” Or Dr. Ron O’Malley, the principal investigator for Missouri S&T in the EPIXC program that resulted in a $70 million USA Manufacturing Institute award. The program will cost-effectively lower emissions, enhance energy efficiency, and expedite industrial decarbonization through the electrification of process heat – the single largest source of industrial emissions.

Similarly, our faculty’s effort in developing hypersonic materials for extreme temperature engineering, our recent success in attracting significant support for our Small Modular Reactor (SMR), our new Workforce Development for Advanced Manufacturing (MoExcels) and our continued successes at the national level in development of critical minerals, are all indicative that there are opportunities even in times of uncertainty.

To our students and faculty, I say thank you for resetting – resetting strategies, emotions and expectations – as we navigate the uncertainties of today. Thank you for seizing the day and not clinging to the way things used to be. We are in the moment and must seize the opportunities of right now. As the new paradigm of support for science and engineering jells, let us hope AND then hustle to turn our hope into real opportunities.

At the end of the day, in this new world order of disruptions, there will be action by those who make things happen, there will be motion by those who watch things happen, and there will be those who wake up and wonder what happened.

Let us delineate action and motion, and become rainmakers in this new world of ours.

Warmly,

-Mo.

Share your thoughts!

Read previous Friday morning messages.

Check out the latest news from S&T:

• S&T bringing high-tech, hands-on fun to Missouri State Fair
• Missouri S&T geologist selected as Fulbright Scholar
• Seeing the ear’s battery: S&T research targets hearing loss diagnosis, treatments

Mohammad Dehghani, PhD
Chancellor
mo@mst.edu | 573-341-4116

206 Parker Hall, 300 West 13th Street, Rolla, MO 65409-0910
chancellor.mst.edu