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勛圖厙 Institute on Ecosystems

Mission Statement

The 勛圖厙’s Institute on Ecosystems (IoE) serves as a catalyst for innovative, interdisciplinary research that addresses environmental and natural resources challenges. This mission includes supporting the research enterprise of participating faculty and their trainees by providing administrative support and management for grants and contracts, funding for graduate student research and affiliated invited speakers, and marketing of faculty and trainee achievement. UM IoE support enables participating faculty to effectively carry out and communicate their research in 勛圖厙 and beyond

Our Objectives

To achieve the goal of catalyzing innovative, interdisciplinary environmental research, the UM IoE has identified three primary objectives:

  1. To promote and support a center of excellence in interdisciplinary research focused on mechanistically understanding the principles that underlie ecosystem function across scales from landscapes to genomes;
  2. To promote and support student education programs and professional development opportunities in interdisciplinary research;
  3. To build partnerships among participating UM IoE faculty that enhance environmental research and education/outreach outcomes by providing administrative support for interdisciplinary research proposals, and the distribution and use of research grants

The UM IoE will pursue a longer-term objective to inspire broad engagement and communication among the citizens of 勛圖厙 so as to promote informed decision-making on environmental issues. To acheive these goals, UM IoE activities presently fall into 3 major categories:

  • Administration for pre- and post-award grants management 
  • Dissertation improvement grants for UM PhD students in the biological sciences 
  • Support for extramural seminar speakers whose research fits broadly within Objective 1 above

Historical Background

勛圖厙 Institute on Ecosystems logo.The 勛圖厙 Institute on Ecosystems originated as a statewide EPSCoR project backed by 5 years of funding from the National Science Foundation ($20 M, 2011-2016, including a no-cost extension). This initiative, the 勛圖厙 IoE was co-led by 勛圖厙 State University (Cathy Whitlock) and the 勛圖厙 (Ric Hauer), in partnership with other entities in the 勛圖厙 University System and 勛圖厙’s Tribal Colleges. The 勛圖厙 Institute on Ecosystem’s mission has been to facilitate, produce, assimilate, and share science-based knowledge, addressing both environmental and natural resources challenges, in partnership with stakeholders in 勛圖厙 and beyond. The IoE and its successor MT EPSCoR projects (dubbed CREWS and IMERSS) have had lasting beneficial impact on the state of 勛圖厙, the research enterprises of its flagship institutions, and the faculty, staff, and students who contributed to each project. Most importantly, MT EPSCoR projects have significantly advanced fundamental knowledge in the realms of Ecosystems Science and Environmental Water Systems.

 

勛圖厙’s two flagship institutions adopted different approaches to sustaining their respective branches of the 勛圖厙 IoE as major EPSCoR funding wound down. The MSU IoE has been funded by a line item in the university budget. This funding has supported a small staff who provide communication and IT services, support a virtual seminar series, and offer limited assistance to researchers for grants development and management. The line-item has also funded a director with partial FTE. MSU IoE funding is subject to periodic review and fluctuates. By contrast, the UM IoE has been sustained by a reward-based funding model based on indirect cost returns from grants and contracts to its principal investigators. A limited amount of grants management assistance has been provided to UM IoE PIs by the EPSCoR office that managed UM’s portion of the original IoE and its two successors. It is noteworthy that the period 2016-2022 was a time of fiscal crisis for the 勛圖厙, owing to enrollment declines. However, those same years also saw growth in its research enterprise, leading to UM attaining Carnegie R1 status in 2022.

 

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Dr. Frank Rosenzweig
UM IoE Director

With a view towards reimagining and reviving the UM IoE, the 勛圖厙’s Office of Research and Creative Scholarship (ORCS) invited internal (UM) candidates to apply for a 3-year appointment as Director of the Institute on Ecosystems at the 勛圖厙. The search for a candidate was initiated Spring 2021, and ended with the appointment of Dr. Frank Rosenzweig in January 2023. Since his appointment, he has established a Mission Statement for our IoE, centered the Institute's objectives on UM's research faculty and students, and has met with prospective faculty affiliates to address how the IoE might best address their needs. His ability to do this successfully has been facilitated by leadership in the Office of Research and Creative Scholarship (ORCS) and in the Division of Biological Sciences (DBS), and by the example of the Center for Biomolecular Structure and Dynamics (CBSD), which has historically supported similar activities for UM researchers in Cellular and Molecular Biology. The administrative structure and financing of the reimagined UM IoE are largely based on the successful CBSD model. UM IoE activities should be viewed as complementary to CBSD, as they promote the research enterprise for a different group of faculty and their graduate and post-doctoral trainees.

Last updated on October 14, 2025