Research at the University of North Texas into the properties of something called bioactive glass is one of the reasons it is exciting to live in a college town.

As reported in Sunday’s paper by the Record-Chronicle’s Candace Carlisle, UNT researchers, funded by the National Science Foundation, are looking for ways to increase the strength, and therefore the versatility, of glass-based compounds used in reconstructive surgery.

Bioactive glass was developed during the Vietnam War as a means of reconstructing the crushed or shattered bones of soldiers wounded in combat. Pulverized glass, mixed with other substances such as powdered calcium, was used to fuse shattered bones. The calcium made the glass less susceptible to rejection by the patient and stimulated new bone growth.

The problem up to now with bioactive glass has been its inability to withstand the pressure in weight-bearing limbs. It is not yet possible to get good results with bioactive glass in such procedures as hip or knee replacements.

Professor Jinching Du and other UNT researchers will conduct experiments into the basic molecular structure of bioactive glass, dissolving it in solvents and superheating it to become more familiar with its properties. They will literally take the glass apart to see what makes it tick, looking for ways to make it stronger and more versatile.

They will construct computer models to predict how the material will act under a wide range of circumstances. Their research can then be used by other teams that are working on ways to strengthen the material and thus widen its applications.

Research into the properties of bioactive glass appear to have lagged in recent years as privately funded laboratories have shifted their focus to other, more lucrative pursuits. Du said research into the basic properties of the material has been going on for a long time, with little result.

The experiments at UNT could change that. The discoveries that these UNT scientists make, shared with other research teams around the world, could mean breakthroughs in both military and civilian applications of orthopedic surgery.

There are times when we don’t envy our state university officials their jobs. It sometimes seems they are drowning in a sea of superfluity, thumping the tub for football stadiums and lobbying fat cats and state legislators for money.

Then we see an exciting project like UNT’s research into the properties of bioactive glass, and we are reminded why all that lobbying and tub-thumping are necessary, and why they are worth it.

This is research that can save the lives of thousands of wounded soldiers and enrich the lives of millions of civilians.

The University of North Texas can take pride in being a part of it, and we, in turn, can take pride in UNT.