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Three stimulus grants strengthen Maine INBRE with $2.6M, continued
The Workforce Development stimulus initiative will also support a new short course. Molecular Mechanisms of Human Disease will provide a new laboratory training class for medical students from Northeastern INBRE states Vermont and New Hampshire, in partnership with Dartmouth Medical School and the University of Vermont Medical School (UVM). First year medical students often have limited exposure to laboratory research and lack the opportunity to delve into specific scientific topics in great detail. The course will give students an insight into fundamental elements underlying the molecular mechanisms of disease, and strengthen their ability to apply this knowledge to future research and clinical applications.
“The course will provide Vermont Medical Students important cross-training in laboratory techniques,” says Robert Low, PhD, Interim Senior Associate Dean of Medical Education at UVM, “and will expose the students to comparative models not available at medical school.”
Cyberinfrastructure A second stimulus grant of $1.7 million dollars will significantly expand cyberinfrastructure in Maine dedicated to research and education, and enable the expansion of regional and national collaborations. Although improvements have been made in the last few years, a lack of redundant and expansive bandwidth still impedes resource sharing and collaborative research programs among distant institutions. Under the grant, INBRE will create two new fiber-optic routes with Dense Wave Division Multiplexing (DWDM) network equipment. One route will connect the University of Maine (UMaine) campuses in Bangor and Presque Isle with multiple 10Gbps wavelengths, positioning Maine to establish a connection across the Canadian border to Canada’s research and education backbone network, CANARIE. The second will close a redundant ring between Portland and Ellsworth to increase network reliability serving research and education institutions in Maine.
In addition the cyberinfrastructure grant provides funding to support a new staff position of Biostatistician. To meet the need for additional statistical expertise to assist with analysis of large datasets from research projects using high throughput experimental technologies, INBRE has hired Benjamin King, M.S. He will work with collaborators from Maine, Delaware and Vermont to increase the pace of sequencing of the dogfish shark and skate genomes, among other projects.
Core facility improvements $617 thousand dollars of
stimulus funding will be used to improve core facilities at MDI Biological Laboratory. Maine INBRE will benefit from additional staff support to meet the increased need for services for four new INBRE laboratory training courses. The DNA Sequencing and Analysis Center will get some new
equipment to better serve the needs of the scientific community,
including a Shimadzu microchip electrophoresis system and software for DNA/RNA analysis.
In addition, funds will augment the infrastructure of MDIBL’s zebrafish facility, doubling the holding capacity of the colony to 8,000 fish. Staff support for this facility will also be increased with the hiring of a new animal care technician. Zebrafish are being used in research by six current and former INBRE scientists, and have become an increasingly popular model organism for studies in
toxicology, developmental biology, stem cell and regenerative biology and genetics. Several INBRE lab training courses have used zebrafish, but use has been limited by the status of the current facility. Core facility development will greatly expand availability of zebrafish for teaching, adding an important model organism to the training experience of many undergraduates.
We are very grateful to NCRR, NIH for this supplemental funding. (back to news)
Written by Hand, continued
Our annual External Advisory Committee (EAC) meeting at Southern Maine Community College (SMCC) in September was a
wonderful gathering, and provided opportunities for new Investigators, Mentors and Steering Committee members to get to know our EAC, share their program progress, and brainstorm with colleagues about potential challenges in their work.
The meeting also provided a wonderful opportunity for participants from around the state to tour the facilities at SMCC, our newest INBRE partner. Outreach coordinators Charlie Wray and Mike McKernan also traveled to SMCC last month to meet with students and faculty, and reported a high level of enthusiasm and motivation to
participate in upcoming INBRE
programs.
As the academic year began, we held our first laboratory training course of the year with students from the University of Maine-Fort Kent and University of Maine-Presque Isle. As you’ll read on the next page, participants greatly appreciated the opportunity and expanded their skills and knowledge tremendously.
Finally, in October we welcomed a review panel from the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) who will be helping us to meet our goals over the next five years. The panelists spent two days meeting with members of our staff, core directors and Steering Committee members to get to know our
program, and help us assess where there may be challenges or obstacles to our progress. We’re looking
forward to their recommendations, and to using their expertise as a resource as we move forward.
Our new INBRE network is off to a great start, and I’m very
grateful to all our partners for their hard work. I’m looking forward to
continuing our efforts to support biomedical research and training in Maine.
Best wishes,
Patricia Hand, Principal Investigator (back to news)
UMaine Presque Isle & UMaine Fort Kent Laboratory Training Course, continued
Guest lecturers included Denry Sato, PhD, and Markus Davis, PhD.
Students were amazed with their lab experience. As one student wrote “The experiments helped me understand my genetics course much better than before. The course solidified my understanding of different concepts and methods, and really closed up all of my gaps in knowledge. I feel extremely confident in being able to explain these methods and concepts to other due to this course.”
Another student also remarked on the increased self-assurance the course provided noting that “the hands-on experience with the tools and instruments combined with learning to follow a protocol has greatly increased my lab confidence which will be invaluable as I continue to pursue a career as a physician.”
(back to news)
EAC member pens column for the Huffington Post, continued
Dr. Gentile has indicated that his motivation for doing this is his belief that it is "the responsibility of all scientists to inform the general public (including legislators and other decision-makers) about issues in science that can affect society and, importantly, attempt to change attitudes and perspectives about science for the betterment of all."
His recent column topics have included:
* Tackling the Threat to U.S. Scientific
Competitiveness
* Young Science USA
* Transformational Science and the U.S. Economy
* Improving Science Teaching in America's Schools
Read more at: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/james-m-gentile (back to news)
June 2009 (PDF, 1 MB)
March 2009 (PDF, 1 MB)
Fall 2008 (PDF, 1.05 MB)
February 2008 (PDF, 924 KB)
Fall 2007 (PDF, 975KB)
Summer 2007 (PDF, 800KB)
Spring 2007 (PDF, 743 KB)
Winter 2006 (PDF, 616 KB)
Fall 2006 (PDF, 3 MB)
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