Recent news from area universities, research parks and business incubators evokes visions of a future Northwest Louisiana economy fueled largely by mindpower.

Faculty inventions at Louisiana Tech University, possibilities for the Cyber Innovation Center and its upcoming Cyber Awareness Summit, research findings at the LSU School of Medicine in Shreveport and Biomedical Research Center, and the pending bioinformatics collaborative program at LSUS — all these and more are evidence of the increasingly rapid translation of ideas into progress for area citizens.

More and more local and area scientists and entrepreneurs are turning science and research into commercial applications. As they do so, jobs and wealth accrues for our community and more researchers and visionaries are attracted to the area. Even in the shadow of the Haynesville Shale natural gas discovery, the potential for a knowledge-based economy looms large.

A few cases in point:

Louisiana Tech faculty researchers continue to innovate at a rate that is five times the national average. This past year it had 27 Reports of Invention, six new patents issued and 18 new patent applications. Its new research park will break ground next year.

The privately operated Cyber Innovation Center is at the forefront of the cyberspace industry, addressing cyberspace, infrastructure research, technology development and workforce issues. It is also poised for future collaboration with Barksdale Air Force Base and its cyber combat command initiative.

A pending collaborative university program to be offered by LSUS, the LSU School of Medicine in Shreveport and Tech promises to supply the Ph.D.-level bioinformatic professionals who will be needed to apply cutting-edge computer algorithms to massive sets of data.

Business incubators based on technologies licensed or available at area universities and research parks continue to grow, with several licensed technologies now reaching the marketplace and beginning to benefit the public.

Continued collaborations via the Consortium for Education Research and Training that involve all of North Louisiana's postsecondary institutions — public and private — to capitalize on university technology transfer, research commercialization, areawide and statewide networks and entrepreneurial opportunities.

The Biomedical Research Center, BioSpace 1 and other initiatives are important parts of the life sciences industry, which is expected to have the highest job growth in the next decade.

As northwest Louisiana continues to diversify its economy, we welcome the possibilities that will become realities here — thanks to the magic of mindpower.