What We Do
Award programs address needs
Over its 90-plus-year history Research Corporation has endeavored to address critical issues that impact science. At the end of World War II Research Corporation initiated a research grant program that assisted scientists in their return to universities and colleges, and this program started the research careers of thirty Nobel Prize recipients. In the early 1970s Research Corporation started the Cottrell College Science Award program to further stimulate research in the undergraduate environment and careers in science. And in 1994, in order to stimulate excellent teaching practices at research universities, Research Corporation began its Cottrell Scholars program to recognize and reward early in their careers those faculty who excel in both research and teaching.
Recognizing that societal concerns of the teaching of science in precollege classrooms offered few remedies, Research Corporation began its Partners In Science program in 1987 to assist teachers to learn about the operations and intellectual stimulus afforded by research. During its thirteen-year history with Research Corporation, the Partners in Science program involved more than 500 teachers at more than 400 schools. They were mentored by, and received what for most are lifetime linkages with, more than 400 different faculty at 115 colleges and universities. In 2000 management of this program was transferred to the M. J. Murdock Charitable Trust, and Research Corporation continues to be involved.
Current programs
Major activities of Research Corporation are associated with grants activities operated through several programs including the Cottrell College Science Awards and Cottrell Scholar Awards. The first is directed to faculty at non-Ph.D. granting departments and the latter is for faculty in doctoral granting departments. In 2005 we received 433 proposals and made awards to 112. Grant totals amount to between five and six million dollars. Three program officers process and administer the grant programs with an equal number of support staff. However, their mission extends beyond office operations to being an active center for advice and assistance in faculty career development and institutional improvements in the environment for research in the sciences.
Foundation support of pivotal projects
Over the years Research Corporation has sought to meet national needs in science by direct involvement, committing resources appropriate to the task, even when these commitments had a major impact on endowment. In recent years the foundation’s activities with the Large Binocular Telescope exemplify this philosophy and this approach. In the early 1990s the Board of Directors responded deliberately and with considerable forethought to concerns that this breakthrough facility, using unique technology and offering a view of the universe not previously seen, would not be constructed. The commitment of the Board to underwrite its construction represented a considerable risk that was taken to advance the science, to provide viewing opportunities for insightful astronomers, and to maintain a critical technology in mirror casting. Over nearly a decade, Research Corporation has been involved in the allocation of its viewing time, the development of partnerships, and financing at critical stages of development for the LBT.
Partnerships with other foundations
Research Corporation seeks participation of other foundations and organizations when their involvement would add credibility and resources to a project. This philosophy is exemplified in a recently completed survey and conference that was focused on the environment for research in predominantly undergraduate institutions. Research Corporation sought and received the participation of four foundations to conduct this study: the Camille & Henry Dreyfus Foundation, the W. M. Keck Foundation, the M. J. Murdock Charitable Trust, and the Welch Foundation. Although this two-year study was carried out at Research Corporation’s offices, the intellectual and financial contributions of the participating foundations enhanced the project and its impact. (Ref.: The SourceBook, 539 pages of data, commentary and analyses representing 136 academic institutions and their nearly 3,000 faculty, Research Corporation, Tucson, Ariz., 2001.)
Publications
Research Corporation also has a longstanding publishing interest that is exemplified by its recent books referenced in this section. These operations do not duplicate the interests of commercial publishers but respond to issues that are of interest in science and science education. In some, like the proceedings of conferences associated with the Partners in Science program, they address public information about science and science literacy.