Oklahoma has received $110 million in research funds since 1979 from The Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research.

Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research, or EPSCoR, is a program that funds science research projects for states that have historically not been as competitive for federal funding, Frank Waxman, Oklahoma EPSCoR director, said.

Twenty five states currently participate in EPSCoR, James Wicksted, Oklahoma EPSCoR associate director, said in an e-mail.

“Because of these programs, researchers at institutions like OU and OSU and [Tulsa University] have been able to obtain more federal grant funding through individual grant competitions,” Wicksted said.

Universities as well as other institutions collaborate on proposals, he said.

Researchers submit their proposals to EPSCoR which reviews them and chooses the best ones to send to affiliated federal agencies: the National Institute of Health, the Department of Defense, National Aeronautics and Space Administration, National Science Foundation or the Department of Energy, he said.

EPSCoR consists of representatives from the state government and educators and is chaired by the state chancellor for higher education, Waxman said.

Typically, it takes three to four weeks for the committee to hear the proposals, then two more to review them, he said.

In August 2007, NASA granted OU $1.9 million for three EPSCoR research proposals to study lightning, according to its web site.

The research began in September 2007, but the first successes came in May 2008 and researchers are continuing to work, William Beasley, meteorology professor, said.

The research is comprised of three parts, Beasley said. The first is to provide ground data for NASA, he said.

Oklahoma researchers will study low orbit satellites during storms to provide data for more effective weather forecasts, Beasley said.

The second part consists of analyzing what goes on between the cloud and the ground, he said. The third part of the research is lightning safety, Beasley said.

Researchers are working to find out how quickly you can warn people about lightning without causing false alarm, Beasley said.

“A very important part of this research is knowing when you can go back to work,” Beasley said. “Airlines could be delayed too short of a time or too long of a time. You could potentially gain money if you study and understand it with more precision.”

The research took a month to prepare and will take six more weeks to be approved, Beasley said.

“We were elated, as you can imagine,” he said.

There is currently another EPSCoR research grant competition due March 19, Victoria Snowden, NASA space grant consortium, said. Snowden said she is very optimistic because of the thorough proposals that they’ve had in the past.