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FAU CHARLES E. SCHMIDT COLLEGE OF SCIENCE RECEIVED $4 MILLION SCORE GRANT FROM THE NIH

BOCA RATON, FL (June 13, 2005) - Florida Atlantic University's (FAU) Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, part of the Charles E. Schmidt College of Science (CESCoS), has been awarded a Support of Continuous Research Excellence (SCORE) grant, totaling $4 million over the next four years from the National Institute of Health (NIH) Minority Biomedical Research Support (MBRS) program. The announcement was made today by FAU officials.

The agreement between FAU and NIH covers an overall SCORE grant program with funds allocated for the research projects of six specific scientists. Under the terms of the grant, NIH offers the opportunity for other research scientists at CESCoS to submit their project for funding under the university's overall SCORE program. This provides the prospect of both extending the length in 4-year increments and augmenting the funding of the original grant program with each additional approved project.

"The SCORE grant is especially significant as it will afford women and minority faculty and students in the Charles E. Schmidt College of Science support for their research," said FAU President Frank T. Brogan. "FAU's diverse community mirrors the community we serve and this grant will expand our research opportunities and open more doors for our deserving faculty and students."

Florida Atlantic University is the most ethnically diverse institution in the State University System of Florida with more than 26,000 students. Presently, minorities encompass 35% of FAU's enrollment. In addition, FAU's 1,400 faculty members are one of the most ethnically diverse among America's doctoral granting universities, with minorities comprising 26% of both faculty and administrators.

"What is very important for the college is that this funding will make it possible to expedite a number of promising complex research projects conceived by these talented scientists, that have the potential to produce groundbreaking and lifesaving results in the near future," said Dr. Gregg Fields, a cancer drug developer specializing in melanoma, who is chair of the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry and Program Director for the SCORE grant. He is also affiliated with the Center for Excellence in Biomedical and Marine Biotechnology within CESCoS.

"This grant is a direct result of the Center's work and our pledge to leverage the State's initial $10 million investment in the Center of Excellence in Biomedicine and Marine Biotechnology," said Dr. Larry F. Lemanski, FAU vice president of research and graduate studies. "To be awarded this grant from the NIH on their first submission, is a great accomplishment by this team of scientists."

The individual 4-year grants awarded to FAU CESCoS faculty under the SCORE program are designed to encourage competition, promote collaboration in these projects, and encourage participation by and training of minorities and women to become researchers. They have been awarded in two categories:

I. Pilot Project ($300,000): Awarded to first time faculty members who are new to the institution. They have submitted promising research ideas, but their work has not yet produced defined results, they have no other grants experience, and the project is not related to a doctoral thesis. These grants are also designed to encourage scientists in various disciplines to collaborate. After two years, with demonstrated significant data or results, the scientist may apply for an additional grant at the Sub-Project level (see II).

II. Sub-Project ($750,000): Awarded to full-time faculty early in their careers who have demonstrated ability and produced data on their research. The investigator must show how the proposed research will meet the individual's professional development goals and contribute to achieving institutional and department goals.

The administrator and six principal investigators receiving grants and the focus of each of
their projects are:

"We look forward to a long and productive relationship with the SCORE program under which FAU will be able to aggressively pursue our goals to develop new ways to help people live longer, have healthier lives and provide new means to fight and prevent disease," said Dr. Fields. "In fact, we have submitted a number of additional projects to the SCORE program for consideration."

FAU'S Charles E. Schmidt College of Science is comprised of seven departments and six specialized research centers - Biological Sciences, Biomedical Sciences, Chemistry and Biochemistry, Geosciences, Mathematical Sciences, Physics, Psychology, Center for Geo-Information Sciences, Florida Center for Environmental Studies, Center for Complex Systems and Brain Sciences, Center for Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, Center of Excellence in Biomedical and Marine Biotechnology, and the Center for Cryptology and Information Security.

-FAU-

Florida Atlantic University opened its doors in 1964 as the fifth public university in Florida. Today, the university serves 26,000 undergraduate and graduate students on seven campuses strategically located along 150 miles of Florida's southeastern coastline. Building on its rich tradition as a teaching university, with a world-class faculty FAU hosts eight colleges -- Charles E. Schmidt College of Science, Christine E. Lynn College of Nursing, the Harriet L. Wilkes Honors College, the College of Business, Education, Engineering & Computer Science, and Architecture, Urban & Public Affairs. The University is observing its 40th anniversary this year.