About Us: Oklahoma EPSCoR

Oklahoma NSF EPSCoR Research Infrastructure Improvement Award No. OIA-1946093

Oklahoma EPSCoR
415 Whitehurst Hall
Stillwater, OK 74078

Ph: 405.744.9964
Fax: 405.744.7688
Email: [email protected]

The Oklahoma Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (OK EPSCoR) was initiated by the National Science Foundation in 1985 to strengthen Oklahoma’s exploration and growth in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.

EPSCoR Jurisdictions
(Access EPSCoR State Websites)

Oklahoma EPSCoR’s central goal is to increase the state’s research competitiveness through strategic support of research instruments and facilities, research collaborations, and integrated education and research programs.

The national NSF EPSCoR program is designed to benefit states, including Oklahoma, that have historically received lesser amounts of competitive research and development funding. Twenty-eight states, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the Territory of Guam, and the United States Virgin Islands are currently eligible to participate.

EPSCoR provides support for key research areas at Oklahoma’s public universities, while also establishing partnerships with higher education, government, and industry to effect lasting progress in the state’s research infrastructure, research and development capacity, and R&D competitiveness. The goal is to stimulate lasting research infrastructure improvements in Oklahoma. Access the national NSF EPSCoR brochure

The National Science Foundation awarded Oklahoma EPSCoR $20 million in 2013 for the program’s Research Infrastructure and Improvement (RII) Plan: "Adapting Socio-ecological Systems to Increased Climate Variability." NSF grant award number IIA-1301789 began June 1, 2013 and concluded in 2018. Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education matched the NSF award with an additional $800,000/year to further support climate variability research and educational outreach programs throughout Oklahoma.

Oklahoma EPSCoR State Advisory Committee

In July 2000, the Oklahoma EPSCoR Advisory Committee was codified by statute as an advisory committee to the State Regents. The committee, chaired by the chancellor of the Oklahoma State System of Higher Education, is composed of esteemed members of business, government, and academia. The purpose of the committee is to promote cooperative research efforts among public and private universities in Oklahoma; promote private sector involvement in university research and encourage technology transfer; promote human resource development in science and engineering within the Oklahoma State System of Higher Education; recommend research projects when only a limited number may be submitted by the State of Oklahoma; and appoint the EPSCoR director.

Click here to access the list of committee members.

Oklahoma EPSCoR External Advisory Committee

The Oklahoma State EPSCoR Advisory Committee has appointed an External Advisory Committee (EAC) to support the Socially Sustainable Solutions for Water, Carbon, and Infrastructure Resilience in Oklahoma project (NSF award #OIA-1946093). The EAC is made up of discipline-specific experts who are also leaders in business, industry, and academia. The committee’s role is to provide project leadership recommendations to increase the effectiveness and integration of all program elements during the five-year NSF award (July 1, 2020, to June 30, 2025). To that end, the EAC will develop an annual program assessment to evaluate the project's progress toward established milestones.

External Advisory Committee members are:

Carrie Billy, J.D.
Former President & CEO
American Indian Higher Education Consortium (AIHEC)

Thomas Birkland, Ph.D.
Assoc. Dean for Research & Engagement, College of Humanities & Social Sciences
Professor, School of Public & International Affairs
North Carolina State University

Heather Johnston, M.Ed.

Vice President of Educational Programs
Science Museum Oklahoma

Jonna Kirschner

President, CNI Manufacturing LLC
Senior Vice President, Chickasaw Nation Industries, Inc.

Nancy Paiva, Ph.D.

Assoc. Professor of Chemistry
Dept. of Chemistry, Computer & Physical Science Chemistry
Medical Center of Southeastern Oklahoma Endowed Professor in Biomedical Sciences
Southeastern Oklahoma State University

Alonzo Peterson, Ph.D.
Dean
School of Arts & Sciences
Langston University

Charles Rice, Ph.D.
Distinguished Professor of Soil Microbiology
Dept. of Agronomy
Kansas State University