Professor awarded with grant

A rare federal grant amounting to potentially $5 million spanning 10 years has recently been awarded to IU biology professor Carl Bauer. The Method to Extend Research in Time award was presented by the National Institute of General Medical Science to fund Bauer's research on how bacteria and oxygen levels relate. \n"Well it's flattering is the best way to put it," Bauer said. "It is more than anything else a stamp of approval of the work we are doing and confidence in the future that we will continue (the research)."\nAccording to a press release, the MERIT award is presented to researchers who have successful track records and will allow them the freedom to focus on important questions related to human health and biology. \nProviding that Bauer satisfies the conditions of renewal for the award in five years, the government will fund his research until 2016, with the $5 million coming in during the span of the decade.\nWhile most college faculty researchers have to worry about the common saying, "publish or perish," meaning they must submit research papers in order to gain funding, Bauer said the MERIT award will allow him to conduct the research he wants without having to be concerned about how he will receive more funding. \n"The problem with fund raising is that you are basically on a treadmill constantly and rapidly putting out papers to ensure you have a high probability of receiving funding," Bauer said. "This grant will allow me to step back off the treadmill, pause, take risks and have stable long-term funds."\nBauer added most scientists are hesitant to conduct high-risk but high-reward research as they fear losing funding if their research does not go as planned. Thus, most choose instead to pursue less risky work to ensure they will be able to receive more grants. \n"High risk work is actually what they encourage," Bauer said. "The director (of the agency) wants us to take risks that may or may not pay off but we will still have the funding if it doesn't. We can take these risk instead of playing it safe, as there is no pressure and more freedom to pursue our work."\nOnly a very limited number of the MERIT awards are given out each year and Bauer is only the ninth recipient from IU to receive the prestigious grant. \n"Dr. Bauer's highly successful efforts demonstrate the importance of bringing multiple, innovative, experimental approaches to bear on difficult problems fundamental to biomedical science," said James Anderson of the National Institute of General Medical Sciences in a statement. "The MERIT award was designed to allow proven creative and productive scientists the leeway to pursue their interests over a longer term than most grant recipients. NIGMS is delighted to make this award."\nBauer said he will use the grant to fund his research to understand how bacteria thrive under low oxygen conditions and how that affects their growth. He said the practical implications of this can be very important as it can help explain how some infectious diseases survive outside the body and for how long they can do so. He added it could also help study how food is processed and how beer and wine are created. \n"This is award is something that is very nice (for my research) and is something that can lead to some very interesting things with science," he said.