Laying the groudwork for research milestones

by | Oct 30, 2024 | Big Ideas, Fall 2024 | 0 comments

Walter Copan

Walter Copan

2021-current

Stefanie Tompkins

Stefanie Tompkins

2018-2021

Tony Dean

Tony Dean

2015-2017

John Poate

John Poate

2006-2014

For 150 years, Mines has been a beacon of innovation and research excellence. To celebrate and reflect on the university’s research accomplishments during the institution’s anniversary year, Vice President for Research and Technology Transfer Walter Copan brought together the three former VPRTTs for a discussion about how research at Mines has grown and evolved over the years.

Here are some highlights from the conversation.

Walter Copan: John, without your work to establish a formalized office of research and tech transfer (RTT) at Mines, none of us would be here today. Can you tell us about how the RTT office’s initial goals have helped to lay the groundwork for research at Mines today? 

John Poate: I came to Mines in 2006, and the goal was to enhance research and tech transfer at Mines. I had a really enjoyable time getting to know the faculty and trying to analyze the school and where we were going. The goal of the office was to work with the faculty and identify the areas where we could play in the major leagues. We had our first big win in 2008 with a National Science Foundation materials science award. In 2012, we won the DOE hub for the Critical Materials Institute. In many ways, that put us on the national research map, but to my mind, the very important thing there was that it was proof to the faculty that we could play in the major leagues and win.

Walter Copan: Stefanie, a significant area of focus when you were VPRTT at Mines was the push toward greater external recognition for Mines as a top-choice partner for solving real-world problems. Can you give us some insight on your efforts to bring this message to a broader audience? 

Stefanie Tompkins: I spent a lot of time talking to faculty and asking what the barriers were for them to be able to take on much bigger projects, which is effectively the best way to communicate what Mines is capable of doing. We spent a lot of time concentrating on breaking down those barriers.

We also spent a lot of time talking to Congress. There are some really interesting rules in places like the Department of Energy that demand that universities provide cost share for federal funding that they win. We had to work with Congress and said this is fundamentally going against what the United States wants—you’re actually discouraging people from trying to do their best work because they can’t afford to, and that seemed like a fatal flaw in the system. We were able to get Colorado’s delegation to work together to actually suspend that requirement for universities and for nonprofit institute organizations.

Walter Copan: In addition to our very strong ties to industry and to other collaborators, we are dramatically growing our entrepreneurial and innovation ecosystem at the university. Tony, I’m curious for your thoughts on how building a cohesive research community enables advancement and how we cultivate the idea of innovation with impact at Mines. 

Tony Dean: Most of us, when we think of scientists and researchers, want to do two things: we want to understand things in a better way, but more importantly, we want to make an impact. I think that’s why we’re finding the growth of entrepreneurial things now—on some level, it’s just kind of a natural outgrowth of being in a position to improve society in one way, shape or form. I think that’s one of the critical roles of your office right now, having the luxury of being in the position where it’s become a well-oiled machine, and what better way to attract young faculty members and see they can come to a place to favorably impact society. It’s an absolute win-win situation. 

This story first appeared in the 2024 issue of the Mines Research Magazine.