Albany State University continues to make its presence known with the millions of dollars that it pumps into the local and regional area. The university had more than $59 million in research grants flow into the Albany and Southwest Georgia economy over the last several years.

Additionally, almost three times as much -- $141 million is the total economic impact that ASU has on the Albany region, according to a study released in 2014 by the University System of Georgia. The report also shows that Albany State created 1,816 jobs in the region, which includes Dougherty, Lee, Worth, Mitchell, Terrell, Colquitt, Baker, Sumter, Calhoun and Tift counties.

“At Albany State, we have outstanding, cutting-edge research and instruction taking place that reaches far beyond our laboratories and classrooms,” said Interim President Arthur N. Dunning. “We are proud that the research dollars we bring into this university are solving problems that will make life better for residents here in Southwest Georgia and far beyond our borders.”

Dunning said research dollars received by Albany State can be felt through public policy, economic development and the quality of life. He said that the university is continuously reviewing and where appropriate, revising its organizational infrastructure to ensure that ASU research and research dollars are having the highest possible impact on the service area. He cited a few examples of the way residents of Albany and Dougherty County benefit directly by having a university in their community:

Prostate cancer research at ASU analyzes altered strands of DNA, which are prevalent in prostate-cancer patients. The work being done by Amir Saheb, an Albany State researcher and professor of Natural and Forensic Science, could lead to a non-invasive screening tool for prostate cancer in African-American men, who are disproportionately affected by this malady. The research is part of a 10-year, $9-million project, with Saheb as the principal investigator and Mira Josowicz, as the senior research mentor from Georgia Institute of Technology.

Albany State has become a leader in agricultural and environmental research, a combination critical for the social and economic well-being of Southwest Georgia. In addition to conducting traditional academic research, Mark Masters, director of the Water Planning and Policy Center at ASU, said the university provides support to state and federal government agencies in the development of water policies and plans and in the facilitation of stakeholder-driven water resources planning and policy processes. 

“The ASU Center has developed an extensive network of water stakeholders across the southeastern U.S. and has many years of experience in policy-relevant environmental research, Masters said. “ASU also leads several projects aimed at increasing on-farm water conservation through education and technology transfer.”

The university has an HBCU-UP program designed to retain and graduate 84 students in STEM-related disciplines.  Seyed Roosta, associate professor of math and computer science, is the principal investigator for the program. “The economic impact is that the program will be used as a recruiting tool to attract out-of-area students and, as an incentive to keep local students interested in staying in Albany for their higher education,” Roosta said. The project provides students with partial tuition support and monthly stipends that are returned to the local economy through spending for food and other necessities.

Breast cancer and diet are the focus of research conducted by Ashok Jain professor of biology who has been at ASU for more than 10 years. His research is impacting policy and health, in general.

“If you cook meat at high temperatures, carcinogens like heterocyclic amines are formed. Studies by others show that there is a link [to diet] causing DNA damage, which eventually leads to breast cancer,” Jain said. “In Southwest Georgia, people consume a lot of barbecue; they enjoy it. While you can’t say don’t eat it, the question is then: ‘What can we do to help combat these dietary heterocyclic amines?’ ’’

Jain said with the $1.8-million Department of Defense grant, he has been studying such natural supplements and additives as ginger, vitamin C, lycopene in tomato, piperine in pepper and curcumin, which is found in turmeric to see if any of them can suppress the effects of the heterocyclic amines. The research shows that curcumin does inhibit the toxicity; he hopes his research from the cell line will lead to more collaborative animal and population research. His results have been published in the international journal, “Cancer Letters.”

“We are very proud of the significant contributions that Albany State University is making to the communities and the people who live here in Southwest Georgia,” Dunning said. “This university is so much more than bricks-and-mortar buildings that rise just east of the Flint River. We are a real part of Albany, training young minds, and utilizing the best and brightest researchers to make life better for us all.”