The past year challenged us, but we embraced our role as a 21st-century public university for the public good and launched FORWARD., a guiding strategy defined by action. We've identified 21 moments during 2020-21 that moved us forward and will continue to make us better. Each of these moments, or actions, are positioning Bowling Green State University and our students for success.

Moment No. 5 – we could research. As an anchor institution of our region, we continued to focus our research, scholarship and creative activities to support the vitality of our communities. Our research enhanced our communities through engagement, service and partnership - from research aimed at preventing coronaviruses, to the social impact of social distancing, to improving our water quality. BGSU answered critical questions when our communities needed it the most.

Dr. Xiaohong Tan, an assistant professor of chemistry at Bowling Green State University, launched a research initiative aimed at developing novel molecules that inhibit the coronavirus from infiltrating human cells, an idea that merited the National Science Foundation’s approval for a one-year, $200,000 grant to fund the research.

Read more about the research aimed at preventing the coronavirus ➔

Few had heard of "social distancing" as a public health measure before 2020 - but it quickly became part of our lives throughout the global pandemic. BGSU researchers received funding from the National Science Foundation (NSF) for a one-year, $200,000 Rapid Response Research grant to research compliance with pandemic guidelines.

Read more about the research to explore the impact of social distancing ➔

As the world turned its attention to a COVID-19 vaccine, BGSU public health experts and researchers worked rapidly on how to implement large-scale immunizations most efficiently, ahead of one of the all-time largest vaccination efforts.

Learn more about the vaccination clinic research ➔

BGSU researchers discovered a novel virus that could substantiate a hypothesis that viral infections led to a toxin release in the 2014 Toledo water crisis. What started as a call from the Collins Park Water Treatment Plant in Toledo turned into a short-notice study and a continued collaboration with a public partner.

Read more about the cyanobacterial harmful algal blooms (cHABs) and water quality research ➔

A team of BGSU scientists is part of the multi-organizational effort to help monitor wetlands in the state, a collaborative effort across departments, universities and state organizations.

Learn more about Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine’s H2Ohio Initiative, a comprehensive, data-driven approach to improving Ohio’s water quality ➔