The University of Nebraska-Lincoln is continuing to add to its federal stimulus haul, reporting Thursday its researchers have won $15.7 million through Sept. 30 to support a wide variety of projects.

As of that date, UNL researchers had been awarded 45 grants from federal agencies, mostly the National Institutes of Health and the National Science Foundation.

In all, through Sept. 30, UNL's scientists had submitted 147 stimulus funding proposals worth $196.5 million. Many of those proposals are still pending as federal agencies wade through submissions that have poured in from researchers across the country hoping to nab highly competitive economic recovery dollars.

Despite that stiff competition, UNL researchers are holding their own, said Prem Paul, vice chancellor for research and economic development.

"It shows that the talent that we have in Nebraska is exceptional," Paul said. "It demonstrates the investment the state has made in the university is paying big dividends.

"(Research) is the key to growing the Nebraska economy."

A spreadsheet of stimulus winners provided by Paul's office shows stimulus dollars are reaching virtually all corners of campus: chemistry, engineering, virology, plant science, psychology, nutrition, math and more.

Nearly all the stimulus grants awarded to UNL have resulted in jobs created or saved, Paul said. He wasn't able to provide exact figures but said it will be "just a matter of time" before UNL can produce a tally.

Rough estimates have shown every $1 million in research stimulus funding results in about 31 new or retained jobs, Paul said. But he cautioned it's too early to know whether that calculation will apply to UNL's winnings.

"This new investment in research funding is creating new jobs. I'm definite about that," he said.

For example, a team led by Andy Benson, a professor of food science and technology, has won a grant worth nearly $1 million that's allowed the team to add two part-time computer programmers, Benson said.

The team is working to better identify genes that contribute to "lifestyle" diseases like obesity, diabetes and inflammatory bowel disease. Better understanding those genes, Benson said, could lead to improved treatments.

The grant they won was among the most competitive. "It puts us on the map," Benson said.

A team led by Janos Zempleni, an associate professor of nutrition science, has won more than $535,000 for health-related research that could yield more knowledge about cancer prevention.

The grant allows the team to hire student workers, Zempleni said, and to retain a research technician who likely would have been lost without new funding.

And grants worth a combined $2 million to Charles Wood, director of the Nebraska Center for Virology, will allow junior faculty to develop new projects and the research teams to grow and recruit more students, Wood said.

Wood, a professor of biological sciences, is an internationally known leader in HIV/AIDS research. Among his projects is an effort to develop a vaccine for the herpes virus that causes Kaposi's sarcoma, a common cancer among AIDS patients.

Other stimulus-supported projects at UNL include:

• $2.7 million from the National Science Foundation's Office of Polar Programs, Antarctic Sciences Division, to Frank Rack, associate professor of geosciences. Rack is an executive director for ANDRILL, an Antarctic geological drilling program that aims to yield clues about past and future climate change. The grant will allow for ANDRILL's next phase of drilling and research.
• $1 million from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to Larry Rilett, professor of civil engineering and director of UNL's Nebraska Transportation Center. The grant will aid Rilett's team in retrofitting vehicles to reduce harmful diesel emissions.
• More than $533,000 from the National Institute of Drug Abuse, a part of the National Institutes of Health, to Rick Bevins, psychology professor, for his ongoing research on nicotine addiction.
• $376,000 from the NIH National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases to Robert Powers, associate professor of chemistry, for work Powers said could lead to new drugs and therapies for a variety of diseases.

Reach Melissa Lee at 473-2682 or mlee@journalstar.com.