Hopefully, Gov. Sam Brownback and any state legislators who question the contribution of state universities in Kansas were paying attention to the news on Monday.

The Journal-World had a story on its front page about Michael Detamore, a Kansas University engineering professor who specializes in tissue engineering and is working on ways to use 3-D printing technology to replace certain body parts such as jaws and sections of skulls. Brian Andrews, a craniofacial surgeon at KU Hospital, said of Detamore, “He’s someone who is really going to change medicine someday, without being a medical doctor.”

Also on Monday, Kansas State University announced that a group of its researchers has received a U.S. patent on a new technology that detects cancer in its early stages, even before physical symptoms appear. Results from the test are produced in about 30 minutes and have been 95 percent effective in detecting cancers as early as stage 1.

These university research projects are just two of perhaps hundreds of efforts focused on human health and drug development. And that is only one portion of the ongoing research being conducted at state universities in Kansas. Wichita State University is a leader in aeronautical research, K-State is a center for agriculture and animal health, and KU has other areas of excellence such as life-span studies and special education, in addition to cancer and other medical research efforts at the KU Medical Center.

This research attracts hundreds of millions of dollars to state universities. As illustrated by K-State’s latest patent, many university research advancements also have the potential to drive new business ventures in the state, creating jobs that can keep state university graduates in Kansas.

Providing higher education opportunities for Kansas young people is a key mission for the state university system, but the significant research accomplishments of these universities also should make Kansans proud. They help feed the state’s economic success and deserve more respect than they often receive from state lawmakers.