Long known for its excellence in technology-focused education, Drexel is gaining increased national recognition for our research activities. During the 2001-02 academic year, our faculty attracted more than $105 million in contract and grant awards for their groundbreaking projects. These awards, from organizations including the U.S. Department of Education, the National Institutes of Health, the National Science Foundation, the U.S. Department of Energy and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, support research ranging from nanotechnology and response to terrorist attacks to spinal cord injuries and the development of new industrial materials.

The University’s research successes are not limited to our faculty. Last month at Drexel’s fifth annual Research Day, students joined their professors in presenting 400 posters of their work. At the event’s awards dinner, six undergraduate and six graduate students and two post-doctoral fellows were honored for their submissions. Dr. Surya Kalidindi of the Department of Materials Science and Engineering, and Dr. Bill Bergman of Department of Microbiology and Immunology were also recognized with Research Achievement Awards. Congratulations.

Opportunities for Drexel students and faculty have grown along with the University’s commitment to expanding its research enterprise. In 1997-98, Drexel’s research expenditures were just $14 million; in 2001-02, this amount increased to $75 million. In addition to the University’s financial support, Provost Harvill Eaton, Vice Provost for Research and Graduate Studies Ken Blank, and the Office of Research and Graduate Studies have consistently offered the assistance and advice our researchers need to continue to conduct unique, cross-curricular projects that influence national programs.

Drexel’s Technology Commercialization Office, under the direction of Vice Provost and Vice President for Entrepreneurship and Technology Commercialization Anil Rastogi, works with our faculty members in facilitating technology transfer. The Office evaluates the commercial potential of

faculty inventions, and helps professors achieve their entrepreneurial goals by helping them form their own companies and pursue investors. The Office now manages a portfolio of 250 patents that it is marketing for licensing purposes to existing and start-up companies. Two of these faculty-operated companies, MacroArray Technologies, Inc. and Gelifex, Inc., recently received venture capital funding from BioAdvance, the Biotechnology Greenhouse of Southeastern Pennsylvania. Congratulations to our professors on this achievement.

The University takes pride in the research accomplishments of its students and faculty. Their successes have allowed us to attract more talented students and stronger faculty. Please join me in congratulating our researchers on their successes and in furthering the University’s commitment to excellence.

C.R. "Chuck" Pennoni Interim President