Overview of the J.J. Pickle Research
Campus
William Powers, Jr.
President
The University of Texas at Austin
November 10, 2011
Academic Affairs Committee
The History of the J.J. Pickle Research Campus
• During WWII: Plant to produce magnesium from ore mined in Texas.
• September 21, 1946: Contract between U. T. Austin and the War
Assets Administration for a 20 year lease with an option to purchase.
• Lease contract value of $14,754,936 to be made “in performance of
research for the public good.” The facility is named the “Off Campus
Research Center” (OCRC) by President T. S. Painter.
• On December 20, 1949, U. T. Austin exercises its option to buy the
property.
• On May 1953, Judge James Hart (first U. T. System Chancellor)
renames the OCRC the “Balcones Research Center” (BRC).
• In 1974, U. T. Austin purchased 83 additional acres west of Mopac
and built facilities for U. T. Austin-Industry projects and the
Microelectronics Computer Corporation (MCC).
• On March 30, 1994, the BRC is renamed the J.J. Pickle Research
Campus (PRC), after Congressman J.J. “Jake” Pickle.
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Research & Development (R&D) Awards to PRC Units
Over the Last Five Years
(in Thousands of Dollars)
Applied Research Laboratories
Bureau of Economic Geology
Texas Advanced Computing Center
Institute for Advanced Technology
Center for Electromechanics
Center for Energy and Environmental Resources
Center for Space Research
IC2 Institute
Microelectronics Research Center
Construction Industry Institute
Center for Research in Water Resources
Nuclear Engineering Teaching Laboratory
Ferguson Structural Engineering Laboratory
Institute for Classical Archaeology
Imaging Research Center
117,268
16,132
33,724
16,506
9,681
5,226
4,167
6,482
4,783
5,706
2,508
1,568
2,042
2,181
0
82,914
25,487
15,860
20,129
13,302
8,285
8,958
6,148
9,173
6,319
4,024
1,418
736
2,671
0
129,761
37,755
14,475
21,955
7,582
6,199
8,692
6,515
8,034
6,950
3,446
7,561
2,007
1,500
273
106,197
44,974
29,716
9,597
10,486
12,639
9,370
9,256
6,468
6,309
4,113
2,020
3,466
1,052
4,248
52,001
31,318
5,890
7,641
7,038
7,196
6,997
7,844
7,586
6,660
4,023
2,131
1,452
1,395
2,293
488,141
155,666
99,666
75,828
48,089
39,545
38,184
36,245
36,044
31,944
18,114
14,698
9,703
8,799
6,814
Total Awards
227,974
205,424
262,705
259,911
151,465
1,107,480
3
Federal and Industry R&D Expenditures at Universities
WITHOUT a Medical School for FY 2009
(in Thousand of Dollars)
Ranked By Federal Funding
Rank Institution
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
Federal
MA Institute of Technology
GA Tech (all campuses)
U. T. Austin
CA Institute of Technology
Scripps Research Institute
U. IL Urbana-Champaign
U. CA, Berkeley
TX A&M University
U. MD College Park
CO State University
UT M.D. Anderson
Purdue (all campuses)
Carnegie Mellon University
Rutgers (all campuses)
VA Polytechnic
NC State University
AZ State University
Princeton University
Woods Hole
Oregon State University
532,618
322,452
309,125
305,682
288,388
288,013
262,069
261,491
246,985
211,890
194,633
175,302
170,260
161,877
148,411
135,318
134,598
128,876
127,378
118,252
Ranked By Industry Funding
Rank Institution
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
MA Institute of Technology
SUNY Albany
U. CA, Berkeley
Purdue (all campuses)
U. T. Austin
GA Tech (all campuses)
UT M.D. Anderson
NC State University
TX A&M University
Scripps Research Institute
VA Polytechnic
U. IL Urbana-Champaign
Carnegie Mellon
CO State University
AZ State University
IA State University
U. CA, Santa Barbara
Clemson University
Rutgers (all campuses)
U. MD College Park
Industry
102,894
77,442
71,386
66,631
49,059
43,885
43,689
40,531
34,622
23,563
20,444
19,312
19,254
19,090
17,696
15,805
15,522
14,821
12,647
11,235
SOURCE: National Science Foundation/Division of Science Resources Statistics,
Survey of Research and Development Expenditures at Universities and Colleges, FY 2009.
4
The Impact of a Medical School
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
U. MI all campuses
U. WA
MA Institute of Technology
U. CA, San Diego
U. WI Madison
U. CO all campuses
U. PA
U. CA, San Francisco
Columbia U.
Stanford U.
U. CA, Los Angeles
U. Pittsburgh all campuses
PA State U. all campuses
Duke U.
U. NC Chapel Hill
Washington U. St. Louis
U. MN all campuses
Harvard U.
Yale U.
U. Southern CA
Cornell U. all campuses
OH State U. all campuses
Vanderbilt U.
GA Tech (all campuses)
Case Western Reserve U.
U. T. Austin
CA Institute of Technology
U. Chicago
Northwestern U.
636,216
619,353
532,618
511,428
507,898
500,123
499,498
483,667
483,111
477,507
467,505
463,192
439,193
438,767
431,837
414,045
390,602
385,704
378,914
375,024
363,144
339,820
336,405
322,452
313,044
309,125
305,682
301,159
300,619
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
OH State U. all campuses
MA Institute of Technology
PA State U. all campuses
SUNY Albany
U. WA
U. Southern CA
U. CA, Berkeley
Purdue U. all campuses
U. CA, San Francisco
U. CA, San Diego
Stanford U.
U. T. Austin
U. CA, Los Angeles
U. PA
U. MD Baltimore
GA Tech (all campuses)
UT M D. Anderson
U. MI all campuses
NC State U.
U. CO all campuses
Johns Hopkins U., Thea
U. FL
Washington U. St. Louis
U. CA, Davis
TX A&M U.
U. MN all campuses
U. HI Manoa
Cornell U. all campuses
U. Miami
119,600
102,894
102,871
77,442
76,834
72,815
71,386
66,631
65,069
62,081
58,491
49,059
47,329
46,886
45,471
43,885
43,689
41,182
40,531
40,385
37,113
35,839
35,730
35,383
34,622
32,559
29,758
27,481
24,686
5
The Texas Landscape
Ranked By Federal Funding
Ra
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
Institution
U. T. Austin
Baylor C. of Medicine
TX A&M U.
UT Southwestern
UT Health Science Ctr. Houston
UT Health Science Ctr. San Antonio
U. TX Medical Branch
U. Houston
U. TX El Paso
TX A&M Health Science Ctr.
U. TX San Antonio
U. TX Dallas
U. TX Arlington
TX Tech U.
U. North TX Health Science Ctr.
TX Tech U. Health Science Ctr.
U. North TX
TX A&M U. Corpus Christi
TX State U. San Marcos
TX A&M U. Kingsville
U. TX-Pan American
U. TX Brownsville
TX Southern U.
TX Christian U.
U. TX Tyler
West TX A&M U.
TX A&M International U.
TX Woman's U.
TX A&M U. Commerce
Ranked By Industry Funding
Federal
309,125
267,130
261,491
207,216
135,087
129,399
126,703
40,020
29,386
26,984
26,393
25,651
24,290
24,184
20,215
11,274
9,045
6,966
6,323
5,288
4,662
4,641
4,228
2,558
1,930
1,898
1,169
982
750
Ra
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
Institution
U. T. Austin
TX A&M U.
UT Southwestern
UT Health Science Ctr. San Antonio
Baylor C. of Medicine
U. TX Dallas
UT Health Science Ctr. Houston
TX Tech U.
U. TX Arlington
U. Houston
U. TX El Paso
U. TX Medical Branch
TX Tech U. Health Science Ctr.
TX Christian U.
U. North TX
U. North TX Health Science Ctr.
U. TX San Antonio
TX A&M Health Science Ctr.
West TX A&M U.
U. TX-Pan American
TX State U. San Marcos
TX A&M U. Kingsville
TX A&M U. Corpus Christi
TX A&M U. Commerce
U. TX Tyler
TX Woman's U.
U. TX Brownsville
TX Southern U.
TX A&M International U.
Industry
49,059
34,622
24,109
19,237
18,399
11,474
7,210
6,353
6,035
5,730
4,606
4,345
1,759
1,525
1,469
1,177
1,075
815
369
304
267
249
138
107
35
16
0
0
0
6
Research Drivers at PRC
Focus on:
– National and Regional Needs
– Large Scale Projects
– Collaborations with Industry and Academia
– Impact
(examples follow)
7
Applied Research Laboratories
Founded in 1945 and one of five of the U. S. Navy’s University
Affiliated Research Centers (others: John Hopkins, Penn State,
University of Washington, and University of Hawaii)
Technology Areas
– Submarine Sonar
– Undersea Surveillance
– Global Positioning System
– Mine Countermeasures
– Communications and Telemetry for Sensor Networks
– Waterside Security Systems
8
Center for Electromechanics
Primary Focus
– Designs, builds, and tests first-of-a-kind devices and
systems
– Provides technology and advice to the government
– Transfers products and technology to industry
Technology Areas
– Electric Power: Advanced generators, electric grid control,
electromagnetic launch
– Defense: Aircraft launcher, all electric ships
– Transportation: Advanced trains, active suspension
vehicles, intelligent highways
– Biotechnology: electromechanical cell manipulation
9
Bureau of Economic Geology
Oldest Organized Research Unit at U. T. Austin (founded in 1909)
Industry Partnerships:
• Industrial Affiliate Programs
• 10 basic research programs led by researchers with international reputations
• ~ 100 global companies as members providing $5 million of total annual
support
• Advanced Energy Consortium (AEC)
• Leading international program on pre-competitive research on micro- and
nano-sensors for oil and gas
• Collaborating and supporting 25 universities worldwide with over 100
students involved
• 10 major corporate members providing $10 million a year
• Gulf Coast Carbon Center
• Major integrated program studying geologic carbon sequestration
• Actual injection of more than 2 million tons of CO2 in several US sites
• $50 million federal funding and major industrial funding
• 25 international university and industrial partners
• Research involves student and Post Doc education
10
Center for Space Research
GRACE (Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment)
Makes detailed measurements of Earth's
gravity field, which lead to discoveries about
Earth's natural systems.
MAGIC (Mid-American Geospatial Information Center)
Monitors in real time wildfires, flashfloods,
tornadoes, dust storms, oil spills, red tide
outbreaks, and other natural and man-made
disasters that affect the region.
Three antennas at the Center for Space Research
provide downlink capability and deliver multiple
real-time remote sensing data to users.
11