Issue date: 11/18/02 Section: Front Page

A U.S. Senate vote next week could decide whether Texas A&M will become the first national center for homeland security, said A&M Vice President for Research Dr. Richard E. Ewing during his status report on research initiatives Friday.

"We really do have the inside track of being the first and initial national center for homeland security," Ewing said to an audience at Langford Architecture Center during his keynote address for the College of Architecture's fourth annual faculty symposium.

U.S. Representatives Joe Barton, Tom DeLay and Kevin Brady recently added wording to the Homeland Security Act of 2002 that would establish university-based homeland security centers, Ewing said.

"The new wording says there should be at least one university-based center that would guide research and development in this area," he said.

Ewing hopes A&M's newly established Integrated Center for Homeland Security will get the University appointed as a national center if the new wording is accepted by the Senate early next week. The House of Representatives passed the new version last Wednesday, he said.

In May, the A&M System Board of Regents created the Integrated System for Homeland Security in response to Sept. 11, Ewing said.

"We realized that in fact we had an enormous amount of expertise in bioterrorism," he said.

The new wording in the Homeland Security Act calls for the center to have capabilities in border and transportation security; emergency preparedness and response; chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear countermeasures; and information analysis and infrastructure protection, Ewing said.

Ewing said A&M is the only university in the world with these capabilities.

"We have enormous expertise in airplanes, trains, ports and waterways, highway systems and pipeline systems," he said in reference to border and transportation security.

A&M is also one of three universities in the nation that are touted as centers for bio-terrorism research, he said.

A&M has developed a cooperative plan among the four Texas university systems that will build bridges and make the center "a Texas center," Ewing said.

Ewing's keynote address also touched on other research projects within A&M and the distribution of research funding the University receives.

Another newly established program is the Technology Transfer and Commercialization Initiative, which looks to develop stronger ties with the corporate sector and receive more funding from industries, he said.

The program will also emphasize commercialization of technology, he said.

"It's very important that we look inwardly and see if we can develop resources from within at a much better fashion," Ewing said. "We can't expect the state to support us."

He said 23 entrepreneurs visited A&M last week regarding the new project. He added that A&M President Dr. Robert M. Gates is excited about changing the culture of the University.

"We're not taking away from the basic, core functions of the University," Ewing said. "We're just adding something new that expands the University and expands our potential."

At the heart of the program will be the Technology Commercialization Center (TCC), which will work with industries and venture capitalists to bring in funding, he said. The Center will also include a media group that informs outlets such as CNN and USA Today of the most recent technological advances, and will also take part in a worldwide technology exchange network, he said.

Last year, A&M research expenditures totaled $407 million. The 2000 figure of $397.3 million ranked the school 15th among the nation's universities, Ewing said.

In 2000, A&M ranked first in state research funding but a mere 33rd in federal funding, which Ewing referred to as a "serious problem."

He said A&M will continue to get funding from Available University Fund (AUF) to increase graduate student funding, initiate new programs and support new faculty. A&M intends to add 60 new faculty members over the next six years, he said.

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