Penn State recently released its annual research report and, in contrast to almost everything else these days, the numbers are trending up.

According to the report, Penn State has seen a 74% increase in research expenditures since 2000 and last year totaled a record $765 million cold hard clams for research purposes. Federal agencies contribute $445 million which is a 95% increase since entering into the new millennium.

The numbers have fallen slightly in terms of industry funded research, which the report blames on the bad economy, but Penn State is still ranked #3 nationally in that category. The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania contributes exactly $83,765,000 to Penn State’s research funds.

The number of applicants to Penn State’s Graduate School hit the highest number it has reached in the last 10 years with 17,071 applicants in 2009. This is compared to the only 13,101 who applied in 2000.

Another part of the report included an article on the study of turning waste water into a renewable form of hydrogen. Possibly an area Penn State would want to research, the waste water into hydrogen system apparently uses a rather complicated chain of events involving bacteria, energy, and consumed organic material in the waste water. It seems like a worthwhile venture to me, but I had to have my Biology major roommate explain the process to me like a 5-year-old.

The increase in research funding at Penn State just goes to show we have some very smart people here putting to use a wealth of money for a greater wealth of knowledge.