COSAM News Articles 2019 January Letter from the Dean – R1: Doctoral Universities – Highest Research Activity

Letter from the Dean – R1: Doctoral Universities – Highest Research Activity

Published: 01/07/2019

Dear Auburn Family,

Our institution received further affirmation of Auburn’s drive for excellence by being elevated to “R1” by the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education. The R1 designation is reserved for doctoral universities with the highest levels of research activity. This achievement is a testament to the outstanding work of our faculty and students and exemplifies our steadfast commitment to inspiring life-changing research.

Through their work and commitment, both faculty and students from the College of Sciences and Mathematics (COSAM) make significant contributions to Auburn’s life-changing research. COSAM faculty members continue to receive numerous grants for groundbreaking research including multiple faculty being selected for the prestigious National Science Foundation (NSF) CAREER Awards. Faculty also consistently represent the university with their research being featured on covers of respected international journals. COSAM students excel with research-based opportunities including three students receiving 2018 NSF Graduate Research Fellowships.

As we look to carry this momentum throughout 2019, I would like to share with you one of our newest and most prominent research programs, Auburn University's Presidential Awards for Interdisciplinary Research, or PAIR. By fostering new collaborations among our faculty and government and corporate partners, Auburn is demonstrating our real-world impact that I am confident will lead to even more investment in groundbreaking discoveries across our STEM and non-STEM areas.

With the support of our campus and the leadership of our president - who was recently named one of seven new members of the National Science Board - we are advancing our reputation as a go-to university that provides solutions to real-world problems. This R-1 designation further elevates Auburn’s profile as a world-class institution, strengthens the prestige of an Auburn degree, and enhances Auburn’s critical role in making impactful discoveries and improving lives.

Auburn is on the move, and I am grateful for your support and efforts as we strive to inspire, innovate, and transform in our community and beyond.

War Eagle!

Sincerely,

Dean Nicholas J. Giordano
College of Sciences and Mathematics

Auburn University has been elevated to an “R1” institution by the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education.

Dr. Monika Raj, the recipient of a $650,000 National Science Foundation (NSF) Faculty Early Career Development Program (CAREER) Award for Secondary Amine Selective Petasis, for research to develop a new method to detect protein modifications impacting diseases such as cancer.

Dr. Rita Graze, the recipient of a $1,092,468 National Science Foundation (NSF) Faculty Early Career Development Program (CAREER) Award: Uncovering mechanisms that shape variation in how males and females differ in their gene expression, discussing research with her students in her lab.