OTHER VOICES:

The Desert Research Institute is a Silver State gem; don’t hide it away

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Charles Creigh

Thu, Oct 8, 2015 (2 a.m.)

This year, Nevada made historic investments to advance its beleaguered education system. Yet, the state should not forsake its long-standing high performers in education.

At a time when politicians continually ask our governments to model the private sector, we should recognize Nevada’s Desert Research Institute, which for decades has applied business practices toward high-quality scientific research at a high return on investment for taxpayer dollars.

The trustees of the DRI Foundation thank Gov. Brian Sandoval, legislative leadership and the Nevada System of Higher Education (NSHE) board for advancing Nevada’s education efforts. Furthermore, we also thank NSHE Chairman Rick Trachok for his drive to improve Nevada’s higher education system.

Yet, at a time when higher education leaders implore our universities to conduct more research, they should remember the treasures they can find in their own backyard.

In a recent editorial, Trachok encouraged the universities to increase their research grants tenfold to over $400 million. We would like to note that Desert Research Institute faculty has attracted nearly $500 million in research funding since 2000 by leveraging $100 million in state support since 2000 — a more than 4-to-1 return on Nevada’s investment.

The institute also performs exceptionally well on the national stage. When compared with the National Science Foundation’s National Center for Science and Engineering benchmark institutions, the Desert Research Institute ranks in the top tier in federally sponsored research in environmental sciences.

In the Desert Research Institute, Nevada has a globally marketable asset. Our scientists are renowned worldwide. When Nevada’s economic development experts travel abroad in search of business prospects, they recognize the Desert Research Institute’s expertise.

This expertise helps job-creating ventures in Nevada. In recent years, the Desert Research Institute has critically supported the Governor’s Office of Economic Development. Whether it’s attracting business investment or developing a world-class workforce, the institute provides support to develop applied science in the technology and water sectors.

With a record like this, the Desert Research Institute should be the model for innovation and investment in Nevada. And consider this: Our faculty are nontenured, entrepreneurial and responsible for their own salaries from external grants.

Desert Research Institute scientists also support and train graduate students, producing both globally recognized research and an advanced STEM workforce at its Reno and Las Vegas campuses. In fact, the institute annually invests more than $1.5 million of nonstate funding in UNR and UNLV graduate students pursuing environmental science degrees. Institute faculty teach numerous courses at both universities, as well as Nevada State College and Truckee Meadows Community College.

When Gov. Sandoval laid out in his vision for a New Nevada earlier this year, he envisioned a Nevada of higher-paying jobs with a robust education-to-workforce pipeline. The Desert Research Institute is the New Nevada.

The institute employs about 500 people, of which nearly one-third are Ph.D.-level researchers. It runs more than 60 specialized laboratories and facilities.

Behind all of this, the Desert Research Institute runs a trim, efficient administration that has been reduced by 17 percent since 2008. Compared with peer research institutions across the U.S., the Desert Research Institute handles more business operations per administrative employee.

The Desert Research Institute should not be Nevada’s hidden gem! Our institution must be seen as an integral part of the system, not as an ad-hoc add-on. As a partner to industry, a magnet for research and a world-renowned higher education institute, it deserves nothing less.

Charles Creigh Jr. is chairman of the board of the DRI Foundation, a private-sector foundation supporting the Desert Research Institute.

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