November/December 2017
It's an honor to showcase "Inspired Discoveries," the University of Idaho’s Research Report for 2017. In this annual report, we celebrate the inspired, integrative and responsive research, scholarship and creative activities found at Idaho’s outstanding national research university. This report denotes some of the progress we’ve made toward our Strategic Plan goals on multiple levels – exciting progress made possible with collaborative and concerted effort across our research enterprise.
I encourage you to take time to peruse the pages and read about the profound Vandal impact on Idaho and the world. “Inspired Discoveries” shines a spotlight on some of the exciting developments at U of I over the past year. In this short report, we can’t capture every worthy endeavor, but we’ve tried to provide touchstone examples of the breadth and depth of Vandal excellence.
As well as the success stories, we also capture the U of I research activity and expenditures “by the numbers.” The charts highlight the solid year-over-year growth in research expenditures as reported to the National Science Foundation’s Higher Education Research and Development Survey (HERD). Funding breakdowns by source, agencies and across our colleges and units are detailed. The numbers help tell a story – a story of progress led by our talented faculty, staff and students. And although the numbers for next year haven’t been formally announced, our research community continues to make amazing progress.
On the cusp of a new calendar year, reflecting on and celebrating our achievements should give us all cause for optimism as we strive for continued success.
Go Vandals!
Janet E. Nelson
Vice President
Research and Economic Development

- CALS Student Studies Community Economic Resilience
- Civil Writings
- The Sound of Music
- Decreasing Traffic Fatalities through Psychology
- Reverse Engineering the Brain
Read more research news and features on the Office of Research website.