Have you ever wondered how your data is protected when you shop online, who engineered the antibodies that will treat victims of any future anthrax attacks, or whether the Deepwater Horizon spill affects the fish you eat?
Many do not realize that countless innovations that started at Texas research universities are making a difference in their daily lives, writes Linda Hicke, dean of The College of Natural Sciences at The University of Texas at Austin and the chair of this Saturday's Explore UT event. Explore UT features up-close encounters with researchers and students, so Texans visiting campus for the day can get a sense for the exciting things happening at the University.
As public officials and the state and federal levels consider cuts in funding to public universities and to research, the new Texas Perspectives column urges weighing the potential impact. No one knows where the next transformative idea will come from—ideas that drive U.S. companies and ultimately the economy—but if history is any guide basic research at universities will be a part of the story.
As Dean Hicke writes:
Most people know that companies need universities to help prepare the people they hire for skilled jobs. Similarly, they lean on universities to provide those first seeds for research innovation.
Read the whole piece in The Dallas Morning News:
Why you should care about what happens with Texas research universities
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