UMKC Leads in Innovation with MIDE and Tech Hubs Partnerships
UMKC is a leader in research, and several initiatives showcase our faculty and students’ ability to improve our communities through innovation
BY KRITHIKA SELVARAJOO
Noah Kramer operates an oscilloscope, signal generator and Gigahertz Transverse Electromagnetic (GTEM) cell. PHOTO / BRANDON PARIGO
The Missouri Institute for Defense and Energy
The Missouri Institute for Defense and Energy, also known as MIDE, aims to improve security and wellbeing by bridging research academia with industry.
The MIDE team is made up of more than 80 employees and includes students in undergraduate, graduate and post-doctoral programs, as well as professional staff and faculty on its team. The employees represent various academic disciplines including engineering, physics, education and history.
MIDE is housed in the Robert W. Plaster Free Enterprise and Research Center on UMKC’s Volker Campus. It is here that the team collaborates with prominent organizations including the Office of Naval Research, National Science Foundation and the Department of Defense in a variety of industries and federal contracts and grants.
In May 2024, UMKC was announced as the first university in the country to partner with the U.S. Cyber Command through a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement. This partnership will transform the landscape of artificial intelligence and cybersecurity through collaborative education and research. UMKC also entered into an Educational Partnership Agreement with the U.S. Cyber Command, which aims to enrich UMKC students' learning experiences by providing them with access to internships, guest lectures and state-of-the-art research facilities.
“This partnership represents a key milestone in demonstrating the technical relevance of UMKC and the Missouri Institute for Defense and Energy’s faculty, staff and students,” said Travis Fields, Ph.D., interim director of MIDE. “We are excited to work on research and development cyber solutions for the U.S. Cyber Command.”
U.S. Economic Development Administration Tech Hubs
In October 2023, the U.S. Economic Development Administration named the Kansas City region and Missouri “Tech Hubs” as part of a historic investment to strengthen the U.S. economy and national security.
The regional proposal, Kansas City Inclusive Biologics and Biomanufacturing Tech Hub, is led by BioNexus KC. UMKC and 60 other member organizations will increase life-saving vaccine production and preventative technologies to globally lead biomanufacturing and life sciences industries.
UMKC also helped earn another Tech Hub designation in the state.
The Critical Minerals and Materials for Advanced Energy Tech Hub, led by the University of Missouri System, aims to position south-central Missouri as a global leader in critical minerals processing to address the needs of U.S. advanced energy manufacturers, lessen reliance on foreign critical minerals and generate thousands of well-paying jobs.
Critical materials are elements including lithium, zinc and lead needed to manufacture semiconductor chips, batteries and other components that power technology in our everyday lives.
"The region possesses the natural resources, transportation infrastructure, workforce, workforce training, expertise and incumbent corporations necessary to build a thriving critical materials circular economy; the same is true of the foundational elements for biologics manufacturing," said Anthony Caruso, Ph.D., associate vice chancellor for research at UMKC. "In both cases, the impact is directed to the taxpayer and U.S. national and economic security."
Both Tech Hubs are expected to provide the UMKC community with vast research, technology and engineering opportunities.
"The new Tech Hubs designation provides great scope for innovation in Kansas City, and I can envision all the groundbreaking advancements to come as our UMKC students, faculty and staff work in collaboration with the many fantastic organizations in the greater Kansas City area,” Chancellor Mauli Agrawal said. "We at UMKC could not be more excited."
Tyler Murphy (left) and Peter Bland (right) work on a custom high voltage pulsed power system. PHOTO / BRANDON PARIGO
"The region possesses the natural resources, transportation infrastructure, workforce, workforce training, expertise and incumbent corporations necessary to build a thriving critical materials circular economy; the same is true of the foundational elements for biologics manufacturing,"
—Anthony Caruso, Ph.D., associate vice chancellor for research at UMKC
Spencer On uses a RF probe. PHOTO / BRANDON PARIGO
From Seed to Table
From Seed to Table, a pilot program between UMKC and the Veterans Community Project, a nonprofit organization focused on ending military veteran homelessness, is developing U.S. military veterans’ green thumbs as they learn how to use controlled-growth environments for crops such as basil and mushrooms.
The program is led by Angela Cottrell, Ed.D., director of research and institute programs for MIDE and adjunct instructor in the UMKC School of Education, Social Work and Psychological Sciences. It is funded by a three-year, $600,000 grant from the USDA and a $63,000 grant from the UMKC Entrepreneurship Innovation Program through the Kauffman Foundation.
The team recruits, selects and trains military veterans on container-farm processes, hydroponic systems, food safety and technological innovations combining farm and STEM for increased specialty crop production. Veterans also receive financial, marketing, entrepreneurship and private pesticide applicator training. The coalition’s overarching goal is to establish a pathway to economic viability and independence for veterans.
To date, the program has trained 53 veterans, exceeding the initial program goal of 50 veterans.
Veteran participants get to experience the process of building out a growing container from scratch and provide most of the labor to create this container, including epoxying floors, framing walls and installing paneling.
They are currently working with Juan Cabrera-Garcia, Ph.D., assistant research professor at UMKC and state vegetable specialist at the University of Missouri Extension, to install new growing systems for tomatoes, the third and final crop that the program will grow.
The USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture selected the program to host the India Ministry of Agriculture in Summer 2024. During the visit, the delegation was able to meet with the research team, hear directly from university leadership and nonprofit partners, as well as listen to the direct experiences of some of the veteran participants. The team also highlighted the uniqueness of their controlled-environment agriculture project versus traditional field farming projects.
The program has been a success so far, with 87% of veterans indicating they had plans to do something related to agricultural business or entrepreneurship after the program.
Angie Cottrell, Juan Cabrera-Garcia and Veterans Community Project CEO Bryan Meyer (B.A. ’11, J.D./MPA ’15) PHOTO / BRANDON PARIGO