INSIDE THIS ISSUE

Jeremy M. Berg Named NIGMS Director New Science Education Booklet Available NIGMS Minority Program Participant Becomes University President NIH Participates in Hispanic/Latino Community Consultation Meeting NIH Resources for Grant Applicants Profile: Dr. Roberto Fontera-Suau Research Highlight: Not Just for Gilling: Mesquite May Help Clean the Environment From the MORE Director: The Value of Questions News and Notes Recent Awards and Fellowships Student Presentations Recent Graduates Summer Research Student Awards Selected Publications Upcoming Meetings Acronyms Used in this Issue

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NIGMS Minority Program Participant Becomes University President
BY SUSAN ATHEY, NIGMS

Dr. LaVerne Ragster delivers her inaugural address to a crowd of students, alumni, faculty, and staff. Thousands more throughout the Virgin Islands watched the inauguration live on public television.

Firsts are definitely cause for celebration—first birthday, first job, first home. At NIGMS, there's another "first" to observe—for the first time, a former participant in one of the Institute's minority programs has become a university president.

Dr. LaVerne Ragster, who participated in NIGMS' Minority Biomedical Research Support (MBRS) program as a graduate student at San Diego State University, was inaugurated president of the University of the Virgin Islands (UVI) in March.

Ragster's inauguration capped a week-long celebration at UVI that included receptions for students, alumni, faculty, and staff; displays of Virgin Islands artwork; a public forum; and a faculty colloquium. In her inaugural address, Ragster emphasized the importance of partnerships and their role in developing UVI's academic and research programs.

"Every success story at UVI involves people working together and being positive about what can be gained…through our academic programs, research, and community outreach efforts," Ragster said.

MBRS has been a staple of UVI's research program since Ragster directed the first grant there in 1985. The program assists underrepresented minority students pursuing biomedical science careers by providing them with research opportunities and mentors. MBRS also supports faculty research and helps institutions to strengthen their biomedical research capacities.

A native of the U.S. Virgin Islands, Ragster started her college education at the University of Miami, where she earned a bachelor's degree in biology and chemistry in 1973. She went on to earn a master's degree in biology at San Diego State University in 1975 and a Ph.D. in biology at the University of California, San Diego, in 1980. Ragster then joined the teaching faculty at UVI, where she rose to the rank of professor of marine biology and chair of the Division of Science and Mathematics. Her most recent post before her selection as president was that of senior vice president and provost.

"Dr. Ragster is a great success story for the MBRS program," said Dr. Clifton Poodry, director of the NIGMS Division of Minority Opportunities in Research (MORE), home of the MBRS program.

"She is a notable example of how NIGMS' programs to increase the number and capabilities of minority biomedical scientists are bearing fruit. Like so many former program participants, Dr. Ragster is fulfilling her own promise while continuing to serve the minority community."