Six researchers to receive a total of $1.4 million
WASHINGTON – U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords today is welcoming $1.46 million in federal stimulus funds for biomedical research at the University of Arizona.
“The University of Arizona is a nationally recognized leader in biomedical research,” said Giffords, a member of the House Science and Technology Committee. “These funds will help make sure it remains at the cutting edge.”
Six biomedical researchers at the university will receive funding, which is being distributed through the National Institutes of Health. The awards range in size from $102,170 to $496,544.
Among the awards is $220,345 to study and improve the ways toxic pollutants are removed from Superfund sites. According to A. Jay Gandolfi, the director of the university’s Superfund Basic Research Program, the sites include contaminated areas in Tucson and Phoenix.
Another recipient is Georg Wondrak, a cancer researcher at the university’s Arizona Cancer Center. Wondrak will receive $175,489 for research he is conducting into fighting melanoma, the deadliest type of skin cancer.
The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act was passed by Congress earlier this year and signed into law by President Obama on Feb. 17, 2009. It provided immediate relief for American families and jump-started billions of dollars in projects to create jobs, improve infrastructure and strengthen local economies.