IN
THIS ISSUE . . .
April 25, 2008
From the MORE Director: Introducing MORE Undergraduates to Research
Funding Opportunities/Research Administration News
- NIH Diversity Supplements
- Native American Research Centers for Health
- NSF Network Grants
- Upcoming Receipt Dates
Meetings
The NIGMS Division of Minority Opportunities in Research (MORE) administers research and research training programs aimed at increasing the number of minority biomedical and behavioral scientists. For more information about the Division, see http://www.nigms.nih.gov/minority.
NIGMS is one of the National Institutes of Health in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. By supporting basic biomedical research and training nationwide, NIGMS lays the foundation for advances in disease diagnosis, treatment, and prevention.
All MORE grantees and T32 program directors are automatically subscribed to this e-newsletter; other interested individuals are encouraged to subscribe. To subscribe, change subscription options, or unsubscribe, visit the Minority Programs Update subscription page at https://list.nih.gov/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=nigms-mpu-newsletter&A=1.
Subscribe to the RSS version of Minority Programs Update by selecting this XML link and following your news reader's instructions for adding a feed.
Got MORE news to share? Contact Susan Athey or Jilliene Mitchell at 301-496-7301.
From the MORE Director: Introducing More Undergraduates to Research
Several studies have revealed the benefits that students receive when afforded the opportunity to work in a research laboratory. When students have lab exposure at the undergraduate level, it helps spark their interest in research and often encourages them to go on and pursue research careers. However, the opportunities available to work in funded laboratories are limited. In the Fall 2001 edition of the Minority Programs Update, I mentioned the notion of creating research-oriented lab courses that would aid in developing student interest and skills. Since that time, papers describing such group learning activities have been posted on the MORE Web site (see http://www.nigms.nih.gov/Minority/MOREResMaterial.htm).
The genomics revolution has provided a number of student research opportunities at a single site or at multiple settings. Projects such as the one at the Hughes Undergraduate Research Laboratory at UC Santa Cruz may provide important models of instruction/interaction that could transform the way science is taught.
A quick Web search led me to examples of projects in which students have been engaged in sophisticated research that has sometimes even led to co-authorship on publications. A good example is the UCLA Undergraduate Research Consortium in Functional Genomics. This project produced a publication with 140 undergraduate student authors!
Yet another example is the Howard Hughes Medical Institute Science Education Alliance. In this initiative, a dozen institutions are participating in a nationwide phage genomics course, a research-based laboratory course for beginning college students.
These examples may be only the tip of a large iceberg of activities that have been developed in recent years. I encourage all MORE-supported institutions to look for ways to extend the reach of their highly dedicated and committed faculties so more students can be exposed to the real way scientists work.
As always, I welcome your comments.
Clifton A. Poodry
Director, MORE Division
National Institute of General Medical Sciences
301-594-3900
MORE News
Revamped MORE Web Site
The MORE Division Web site has a new format and structure that make it easier for users to access information about our programs. We kept as many URLs the same as possible, but a few have changed, so update your bookmarks if necessary. To view the new site, visit http://www.nigms.nih.gov/minority.
Two Long-Time MORE Program Directors Mourned
The MORE Division mourns the loss of Wilveria Bass Atkinson and Myer M. Fishman. MORE Director Clifton Poodry remembered the two fondly, citing their “commitment and intense dedication to minority students and MORE programs.”
Atkinson was the MBRS program director at Winston-Salem State
University from 1972-1997. She also served on an MBRS review
committee and for many years managed an NIGMS grant that supported
the National Minority Research Symposium. An obituary on Atkinson
is available at http://www.newsargus.com/
obituaries/archives/2008/03/06/dr_wilveria_b_atkinson/index.shtml.
Fishman directed the MARC and MBRS programs at the City University of New York, City College, from 1978-2002. A memorial tribute to Fishman is available at http://forum.sci.ccny.cuny.edu/news-events/news/myer-fishman/remembering-myer-fishman.
Visit Findings Online
The March 2008 issue of Findings magazine is available at the publication's new and improved Web site, http://publications.nigms.nih.gov/findings/. The site offers multimedia and interactive features that extend and enrich the content of the printed publication.
Order
a printed copy
Other free
NIGMS publications
Funding Opportunities/Research Administration News
NIH Diversity Supplements
Diversity supplements encourage research participation by—and
mentoring of—individuals from underrepresented racial
and ethnic groups; individuals with disabilities; and individuals
from socially, culturally, economically, or educationally
disadvantaged backgrounds. Principal investigators may request
supplements to support high school, undergraduate, and graduate
students; postdoctoral fellows; and faculty. We welcome more
than one supplement per parent grant. For more information,
see http://www.nigms.nih.gov/Research/Mechanisms/
PromoteDiversity.htm
or contact John Whitmarsh,
301-451-6446.
Native American Research Centers for Health
NIGMS and the Indian Health Service have reannounced the Native American Research Centers for Health program. This program links the Native American community with organizations that conduct health research and encourages research on diseases relevant to American Indians and Alaska Natives while also preparing Native American scientists and health professionals to compete for NIH funding. For more information, see http://www.ihs.gov/MedicalPrograms/Research/narch.cfm.
NSF Network Grants
The National Science Foundation (NSF) encourages and fosters interactions among scientists to create new research directions or advance a field through Research Coordination Networks in Biological Sciences. NSF’s newest network grant supports biology and education researchers seeking positive changes in biology education. The program, Research Coordination Networks – Undergraduate Biology Education, is the result of a series of outreach meetings NSF conducted over the past year. Clifton Poodry, Shiva Singh, and Shawn Drew represented the MORE Division at these outreach meetings. For more information about the program, see http://www.nsf.gov/pubs/2008/nsf08035/nsf08035.jsp.
Upcoming Receipt Dates
May 15—MBRS Research Initiative for Scientific Enhancement (R25)
May 16—Native American Research Centers for Health (NARCH)
May 25—MARC Undergraduate Student Training in Academic Research (U-STAR) (T34); MBRS Support of Competitive Research (SCORE) Research Advancement (SC1), Pilot Project (SC2), and Research Continuance (SC3)
June 1—MORE Faculty Development (K14)
August 13—NRSA Individual Predoctoral Fellowship to Promote Diversity in Health-Related Research (F31)
For more information on these programs, see the MORE Division Web page, http://www.nigms.nih.gov/minority.
Meetings
We look forward to seeing you at several upcoming NIGMS-supported meetings.
Understanding Interventions That Encourage Minorities to Pursue Research Careers
May 2-4, 2008, in Atlanta, GA
http://www.understandinginterventions.org
Society for Advancement of Chicanos and Native Americans in Science
October 9-12, 2008, in Salt Lake City, UT
http://www.sacnas.org
Annual Biomedical Research Conference for Minority Students
November 5-8, 2008, in Orlando, FL
http://www.abrcms.org