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Idaho IDeA Network of Biomedical Research Excellence
University of Idaho - Idaho State University - Boise State University - Albertson College of Idaho - Northwest Nazarene University - Lewis-Clark State College - Brigham Young University-Idaho - College of Southern Idaho - North Idaho College - Eastern Idaho Technical College - Boise VA Medical Center/MSTMRI
Aug.4, 2005
Editor’s note: Accompanying sidebars with photos that highlight some of this year’s INBRE participants are available at www.sci.uidaho.edu/inbre or from the media contacts below. Students and leaders of the network will be available to the media Aug. 8 at 1:30 p.m. in the Brandt Center lobby at Northwest Nazarene University in Nampa, during the conference poster session when students report on their projects.
Statewide Biomedical Research Network Draws 170 Scientists, Students to NNU
NAMPA – Biomedical research in Idaho will take center stage Aug. 7-9 as 170 scientists and students from colleges and universities from throughout the state gather in Nampa for the annual convention of a statewide program that is funded by a $16.1 million grant from the National Institutes of Health.
The IDeA Network of Biomedical Research Excellence, or INBRE, will meet at Northwest Nazarene University. The three-day event includes:
• Poster presentations by undergraduate students on research involving breast cancer, Parkinson’s disease, asthma, chemotherapeutic drugs, the structure of cartilage, effects of cadmium on rainbow trout, nematodes as a model to study host defenses against disease, E. coli and plague bacteria, and other topics.
• Seminar presentations from INBRE-funded researchers on bioinformatics and other topics.
• Workshops geared for teachers, faculty and graduate students, and undergraduates.
• A keynote address by Northwest Nazarene University President Richard A. Hagood during a Monday evening banquet at Nampa’s Hampton Inn. On Tuesday evening, outgoing INBRE director Mike Laskowski will speak on “Reflections on a Life in Science.”
• In addition, an INBRE scholars program is currently under way at Boise State University. The program brought 11 students from institutions from throughout the state to the BSU campus for two weeks of laboratory-based training in cancer biology.
INBRE institutions include the University of Idaho, Idaho State University, Boise State University, Brigham Young University-Idaho, College of Southern Idaho, Lewis-Clark State College, Albertson College of Idaho, North Idaho College, Eastern Idaho Technical College and NNU. The Boise Veterans Affairs Medical Center and Mountain States Tumor and Medical Research Institute are also participants.
“One of the key elements of the conference is the cooperation it shows among Idaho's universities to provide training and opportunities for students and researchers,” said Mike Laskowski, who directs the statewide program. “It puts aside individual interests for the good of the whole state, and it helps to prepare undergraduate students to join the workforce,” Laskowski added. He is also a professor of physiology at UI and previously led Idaho’s participation in the Washington, Wyoming, Alaska, Montana and Idaho regional medical education program.
“NIH funding to Idaho for the network enables students and faculty at all higher education institutions across our state to get involved in biomedical research,” added Carolyn Bohach, a UI professor of microbiology who serves as the network’s associate director.
The INBRE program was established in 2004 with a $16.1 million NIH grant that is the largest single NIH research and educational grant in state history. The five-year grant expands on an $8 million grant in 2001 that first drew together the University of Idaho, Boise State University and Idaho State University to establish the Biomedical Research Infrastructure Network.
The expanded program draws together 10 Idaho higher education institutions and two research centers. It is funded through the NIH’s Institutional Development Award (IDeA) program, an effort to enable states with smaller populations to compete for federal research grants.
INBRE focuses on building an interdisciplinary research network focused on cell signaling, increasing research partnerships, expanding outreach to other Idaho institutions and creating an educated workforce.
Among the beneficiaries of the INBRE program are undergraduate students from throughout Idaho, who receive $5,000 summer research fellowships to conduct biomedical research at Idaho research institutions. At the conference, the 70 INBRE fellows, interns and scholars for 2005 will discuss their research results as part of poster presentations scheduled for the afternoon of Aug. 8.
The convention will also feature presentations from INBRE researchers who altogether received INBRE funding for projects involving Parkinson’s disease, breast cancer, chemotherapeutic drugs, cartilage, and other areas. The program is an effort to give Idaho researchers support that will enable them to become competitive for federal grants.
The researchers include Boise State biology professors Cheryl Jorcyk and Troy Rohn, Boise State chemistry professor Henry Charlier, Albertson College of Idaho biology professor Art Ayers, and chemistry professors Peter Craig and Sara Heggland, and Northwest Nazarene professors Jennifer Chase and Ron Strohmeyer. The researchers collectively will receive nearly $4.4 million during the five-year grant program.
“I’m able to spend more time working on research papers and building collaborations with other scientists because of this grant,” said Boise State’s Jorcyk, who conducts studies involving breast cancer.“Each new endeavor builds on the last one to help strengthen my research program.”
The upcoming INBRE conference is part of Idaho’s “Summer of Science,” an effort by the State Office of Science and Technology to draw attention to the full slate of science and technology events now taking place across the state. Other events include the World Nuclear University Summer Institute at that Idaho National Laboratory that runs through Aug. 16, and Camp Invention, a summer camp for Treasure Valley youth sponsored in part by the Micron Foundation.
Karl Tueller, director of Idaho's Office of Science & Technology, noted that the INBRE conference is a great example of Idaho's growing research influence.
“Idaho wants to fill local tech jobs with Idaho students. Therefore, state leaders must continue to concentrate their support for our research institutions and foster collaboration. We need to intensify efforts, aligning research programs with the strengths of Idaho's science and technology industry,” said Tueller.
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Contacts: Janelle Brown, Boise State University, (208) 426-1790, jbrown2@boisestate.edu; Michael Laskowski, INBRE director, (208) 885-6696, mlaskow@uidaho.edu; Bill Loftus, University of Idaho, (208) 301-3566, bloftus@uidaho.edu; Andy Taylor, Idaho State University, (208) 282-3198, taylandy@isu.edu
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