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Headlines for this newsletter: FY2026 AR INBRE FOAs announced • AR INBRE Grant Writing Workshop • Register and submit abstracts for annual INBRE Research Conference • Congrats to May 1 Core Facility Voucher Recipients and so much more! |
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The Arkansas IDeA Network of Biomedical Research Excellence (AR INBRE) invites faculty with research interests in the biomedical sciences at Primarily Undergraduate Institutions (PUIs) to apply to the Arkansas INBRE Developmental Research Project Program (DRPP).
The DRPP will offer Pilot Project (PP) funding for up to 12 months with a direct cost budget not to exceed $50,000. Project Leaders will be required to commit 3-person months (25% annual effort) to the project during the award period with Letters of Support from Department Chairs or upper administration officials if needed. Project Leaders will be required to include a minimum of one undergraduate student in the project.
Eligible applicants include full-time permanent faculty members with an unmodified title at the rank of Assistant Professor, or higher, at the PUIs in Arkansas. Investigators from the Arkansas INBRE Lead Institutions, the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, and the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, are not eligible to apply.
🚨 Attendance at an Arkansas INBRE-sponsored Grant Writing Workshop is mandatory prior to any submission (see below). 🚨
The DRPP anticipates awarding six PPs to start May 2026.
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DRP Program: 2025 Grant Writing Workshop. The F26 FOA Grant Writing Workshop will be held on Mon, Sept 15, 1 to 4 pm CT, via Zoom. Workshop will include: How to write the Specific Aims Page
How to write the Significance and Innovations Sections
How to write the Research Strategy Section
Applying to INBRE – Required NIH Form Pages
A discussion and Q&A session will complete the day. More/register |
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Registration now open: 2025 annual AR INBRE Research Conference, Nov 7-8, Embassy Suites Northwest Arkansas in Rogers (Friday) and University of Arkansas, Fayetteville (Saturday). The Conference, sponsored by AR INBRE, involves participation from colleges and universities in Arkansas and surrounding states in biological sciences, physics and chemistry and biochemistry. It is hosted by the departments of Biological Sciences, Physics, and Chemistry and Biochemistry – Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences, University of Arkansas.
Registration for the Conference and submissions for poster presentations will close Sept 22 or sooner if the capacity is reached. Six students each (in biology, chemistry and physics) will be selected to give oral presentations on Friday afternoon. More |
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Congrats to our May 1 Core Facility Voucher recipients |
The Arkansas INBRE Research Technology Core provides three voucher opportunities to obtain paid access to UAMS and UAF Core Facilities. These opportunities are open to faculty and students at Arkansas primarily undergraduate institutions (PUIs). Applications are due Jan 1, May 1 and Sept 1. The May 1 recipients are:
Arkansas State University Gavin Brown, Undergrad (Mentor: Dr. Mohammad Abrar Alam) Kaylee Leddy, Undergrad (Mentor: Dr. Mohammad Abrar Alam) Nahidun Nabi, Grad, Environmental Science Program, (Mentor: Dr. Mohammad Abrar Alam) Dr. John Hershberger, Associate Professor, Chemistry Dr. Mohammad Abrar Alam, Professor, Chemistry (2)
Lyon College
Ouachita Baptist University
Philander Smith University |
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University of Arkansas at Little Rock Kaitlin Simmons, PhD Candidate (Mentor: Dr. Qingfang He) Md Shahedur Rahman, Grad (Mentor: Dr. Noureen Siraj) Md. Riyad Hossain, Grad (Mentor: Dr. Noureen Siraj) (2)
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Arkansas State University Dr. Mohammad Abrar Alam, professor of chemistry at Arkansas State University, has received United States Patent #12319713, titled “3,4-thiazolo-steroids and methods of making and using the same.” The patent, which includes AR INBRE supported work, was filed on July 22, 2019 and published online on June 3, 2025.
From the Background on the patent: “Several hormones having a steroidal skeleton are found in biological signaling. A large number of steroidal natural products have been isolated from various plants and microorganisms. These molecules are known to show a wide range of biological activities, including cytotoxicity to cancer cells.” More |
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University of Central Arkansas Dr. Arijit Mukherjee, professor and associate chair of biology the the University of Central Arkansas, and a colleague have collaborated to design a new bioinformatics course for UCA’s biology students, tailored for those with no prior programming experience. The Biology Department Curriculum Committee has officially approved the syllabus for Spring 2026.
Said Mukherjee: “The course will provide students with hands-on experience in modern biological data analysis, while developing computational skills that are increasingly vital for graduate studies, research, and careers in the life sciences.” More |
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Meet our Summer Research Participants |
Arkansas INBRE’s paid summer research fellowships are available for undergraduate students who are rising juniors or seniors. Selected students will work on a project relevant to human health led by a faculty member at either the University of Arkansas, or the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences. We offer two 9-week summer research programs tailored to students with STEM majors (e.g., biology, chemistry, physics, engineering, computer science, mathematics, and related disciplines) who are considering careers in biomedical research. Here are some of our students. Meet more on our website. |
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Fatima Shah, Senior, UA Little Rock AR INBRE Student Researching at UAMS
Major: Clinical Biology
What I researched this summer: I am researching at UAMS with Dr. Ping-Ching Hsu and my project topic is about Precision Environmental Health to Tackle High Rates of Early-Onset Breast Cancer in Arkansas Rural Community Health Study.
Plans after graduation: My future goal is to attend medical school to become a pediatrician.
Outside of the lab/classroom: My favorite hobbies are playing tennis, pickleball or reading, specifically rom-com books! |
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Paige Spicer, Junior, Ouachita Baptist University AR INBRE Student Researching at UAMS
Majors: Biology and Chemistry
What I researched this summer: This summer I am working in Dr. Brendan Frett’s lab alongside Dr. Maha Hanafi performing various biochemical assays on kinases commonly expressed in cancer cells!
Plans after graduation: I hope to attend pharmacy school after I graduate! I am interested in a PharmD/PhD dual degree to pursue a career in pharmaceutical research!
Outside of the lab/classroom: I love playing pickleball, shopping, and hanging out with friends and family! |
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Kathryn Wilson, Senior, UA Fayetteville
PRO Program Student Researching at UAMS
Majors: Business Management, Pre-Med
What I am researching this summer:
Multiple Myeloma with Dr. Jesus Delgado-Calle and Aric Anloague
Plans after graduation: Work for a National Park for the Summer and go to Medical School.
Outside of the lab/classroom: I like Vintage Shopping, going to Garden Nurseries, and trying food places I haven’t been to before. I like road tripping with my mom and volunteering together with the Galveston Bay Foundation. I love Karaoke! |
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Introducing Highlighted Topics: A Centralized and Simple Resource to Learn About Research Areas of Interest to NIH. NIH announces a new centralized and simplified resource, called NIH Highlighted Topics, that informs the research community about particular areas of science of interest to NIH. Visiting this resource early and often when conceptualizing your research ideas will help ensure you are aware of some of NIH’s latest scientific interests. It also aims to help facilitate innovation and discovery through a strong focus on more investigator initiated driven research.
New targeted funding opportunities will only be posted in Grants.gov, a federal-wide portal for discretionary funding opportunities, starting on Oct 1, 2025. The NIH Guide for Grants and Contracts will continue to be used for policy and informational notices, but will not include funding opportunities. Because we recognize the NIH Guide's value to the research community, we are envisioning how to utilize the Guide together with the new Highlighted Topics resource to continue helping researchers navigate the application process and gain insight into our research interests. More |
Preview of NIH Common Forms for Biographical Sketch and Current and Pending (Other) Support Coming Soon to SciENcv. This Guide Notice informs the extramural community that NIH plans to launch preview versions of the NIH Common Forms within Science Experts Network Curriculum Vitae (SciENcv). Users should be able to access these preview versions of the Biographical Sketch and Current and Pending (Other) Support Common Forms and the NIH Biographical Sketch Supplement (along with the corresponding instructions) on or before Sept 15, 2025.
These preview documents will allow users to save, reopen, and edit the preview forms in the SciENcv module. However, the download PDF functionality will be disabled, and the form(s) and data entered into the preview versions will be deleted and no longer accessible once the official NIH Common Forms become available for preparation and submission, anticipated Nov 2025.
These preview forms are an opportunity for users to preview the new system functionality and new instructions. These are not the final official versions, and NIH is not seeking any feedback or testing from external users. More |
Leading By Example: Embedding Principles of Academic Freedom at NIH. From NIH Director Dr. Jay Bhattacharya: Earlier this year, I committed to a comprehensive review of NIH’s intramural policies to ensure that our scientists feel empowered to communicate their scientific expertise and research findings freely. I am proud to announce that, effective today, NIH is adopting an agency-wide framework that embeds principles of academic freedom within our Intramural Research Program. This framework strengthens existing policies so that every NIH scientist can share their research findings, whether publishing, presenting, or engaging with the media, without fear of interference or retaliation. More |
NIH RFI on Maximizing Research Funds by Limiting Allowable Publishing Costs. NIH aims to maximize the value of each research grant, and as such, NIH grantees should utilize as much of their grant funds as possible for research activities. While NIH recognizes the value of disseminating and publishing findings, journals with large publishing fees can lead awardees to pay unreasonably high fees from their NIH awards that lessen the funds available for conducting research and which burden American taxpayers. Respond to RFI by Sept 15. More |
NIH NCATS Rare Diseases Are Not Rare! 2025 Challenge Prize Competition. The National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS) is seeking innovative ways to communicate with others and educate the public about rare diseases through art disseminated on various platforms by means of changing the way we think about the problem, the way we fund and do research – Ultimately making rare disease drug development more efficient, bringing attention to rare diseases so that they can gain more medical research interest and support, thereby improving lives. NCATS will award one First Place Prize of $3,000, one Second Place Prize of $1,500, and one Third Place Prize of $500. In addition, up to five Honorable Mentions will be recognized. Challenge will launch Sept 15; submissions due Jan 2. More |
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STRIDES/NIH Cloud Lab.
The NIH Cloud Lab is your ideal starting point for cloud-enabled research. This no-cost, 90-day program allows NIH and NIH-funded researchers to: Experiment with Google Cloud tech and build essential skills Gain experience with Google Cloud using provided resources and tutorials Utilize up to $500 in cloud credits within a secure, NIH-approved environment Address challenges like cost anxiety and lack of relevant training directly
The Cloud Lab is an excellent opportunity to "try before you buy" and confidently integrate cloud solutions into your work. For those interested in long-term cloud access and broader support, the NIH STRIDES Initiative team can help explore available options. To get started with NIH STRIDES, simply reach out to Google Cloud’s billing and administrative partner, Carahsoft, to establish an agreement via email. |
R16 SuRE and SuRE-First NOFOs. From the SuRE Resource Center: Information for the NIH Sept 29 R16 Grant Application Deadline The SuRE Resource Center would like to share the following information in preparation for the Sept 29 deadline for Support for Research Excellence (SuRE) (PAR-25-414) and SuRE – First Independent Research (SuRE-First) Award (PAR-25-145) grant applications:
1. We have included some additional information under the “Resources” tab on our SuRE Resource Center website. This includes Document Checklists for both the SuRE and SuRE-First grant applications and a brief overview of the Simplified Review Framework that is now being used for NIH R16 grant reviews.
2. We want to remind everyone that the Modular Budget Form is to be used for both SuRE and SuRE-First grant applications.
3. With the review of R16 grant applications now being conducted by the Center for Scientific Review (CSR), although not required, we suggest that applicants consider using the PHS Assignment Request Form to request that their grant be reviewed by one (or several) scientifically-aligned NIH Institutes/Centers (I/Cs). As always, we encourage applicants to reach out to Program Officers (listed at the end of the NOFOs) to determine whether their project is a good fit for a particular I/C.
Sincerely, Brett Spear and Paul Murphy, co-Directors |
Pathobiology for Investigators, Students, and Academicians (PISA) 2025 Young Investigators Virtual Meeting, Oct 28-30. Annual event is designed to highlight and support the next generation of experimental pathobiology researchers. The program will feature short oral presentations from undergrad, grad, and postdoc trainees and include sessions that explore professional development and career navigation. Submit abstracts by Sept 15. More |
SACNAS National Postdoc Appreciation Week, Sept 15-19. SACNAS wants to celebrate postdocs by highlighting postdocs doing incredible work in STEM. Five postdocs will be selected to be featured throughout the SACNAS NPAW. Want to be featured? Fill out this form. |
Innovative Science Accelerator Program (ISAC) award, funded by the NIH NIDDK, is seed funding for exceptionally innovative, disruptive (high-risk/high-reward) research relevant to Kidney-Urologic-Hematologic communities. Applicants may request up to $100,000 (direct + indirect costs) Total Costs for one year. The next submission deadline is Sept 17. More |
ASIP Women in Pathology Special Event: How to Delegate, Create Accountability, and Have More Productive Meetings, Sept 18, 12 pm CT. Leadership Coach Deb Elbaum will help people feel more empowered around their delegating and accountability by sharing ideas they can immediately put into action. In addition, because delegation and follow up often happens in meetings, it’s important to think about how to use meetings most productively. More |
Scholars Transforming Through Research (STR): Council on Undergraduate Research’s Advocacy Program engages students in the varied stages of the undergrad research process. Participants learn valuable skills in communicating the impact of their undergrad research experiences to a variety of audience members and stakeholders. The STR Program expands and enhances the learning of CUR’s previous successful advocacy offerings, Posters on the Hill and REU Symposium. Apply by is Sept 19. More |
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Society for Developmental Biology Webinar: Get Into Grad School, Sept 21, 2 pm CT. In this webinar, you will interact with faculty from SDB’s leadership who have a wealth of experience in PhD program admissions and current doctoral students who recently went through the admissions process. This event is designed for current undergrad students and post-bacs looking to learn more about US-based doctoral programs, the key elements of a compelling grad school application, and the interview process. Register by Sept 18, 10:59 pm CT. More/register |
Scholars Transforming Through Research (STR): Council on Undergraduate Research’s Advocacy Program engages students in the varied stages of the undergrad research process. Participants learn valuable skills in communicating the impact of their undergrad research experiences to a variety of audience members and stakeholders. The STR Program expands and enhances the learning of CUR’s previous successful advocacy offerings, Posters on the Hill and REU Symposium. Apply by is Sept 19. More |
Genetics Society of America Early Career Leadership Program. GSA recognizes that early career scientists are the future of our research community. To help them shape that future, we have designed a program that provides student and postdoc members from around the world with rich opportunities to enact change and advance their careers.
In this online program, participants work in teams to propose, develop, and implement initiatives that address unmet needs for the early career scientist community. Participants have the opportunity to work on their writing skills, which includes the option to take a writing workshop tailored for the needs of early career scientists. Apply by Sept 30, 10:59 pm CT. More |
September 8 5 pm CT, Kansas INBRE Undergrad Seminar Series: “Embracing Artificial Intelligence for Researchers,” presented by Ben Claar, CEO, Piestar, Inc. via Zoom
September 9 9 am CT, NAM/AJIA Joint Workshop: Sustaining the Biomedical Workforce: Innovative Pathways for Retaining and Supporting Physician-Scientists
2 pm, NCFDD Webinar: Beyond Course Evaluations: Documenting Teaching for Tenure & Promotion
September 11 – We remember 2 pm, NCFDD Webinar: Overcoming Academic Perfectionism
September 12 11 am CT, Journal of Microbio & Bio Ed Webinar: Unlocking Potential: Mentorship Training Perspectives From Undergrad Peer Mentors in CUREs
September 15 March of Dimes Richard B. Johnston, Jr., MD Prize
September 16 LOI: NIH NCI Impacts of climate change across the cancer control continuum (R21)
LOI: NIH NIA Nat’l Alzheimer’s Coordinating Ctr (U24)
NSF Workplace Equity for Persons with Disabilities in STEM and STEM Education
September 17 LOI: NIH Expanding the Target Landscape by Drugging the Undruggable (R21)
September 17-18 NHLBI/NIBIB Workshop: Emerging Technologies for Coronary Artery Disease Imaging: Vision 2040
September 18 1 pm, ASIP Women in Pathology Special Event: How to Delegate, Create Accountability, and Have More Productive Meetings
2 pm, NCURA Webinar: RFP Review Best Practices
LOI: NIH Tobacco Regulatory Science Small Grant Program for New Investigators (R03)
September 19 11 am CT, AAMC Virtual Communities: Cultivating Ease – AI in Action: Sharing What Works. Zoom
CUR Scholars Transforming Through Research (STR) Window Closes
September 22-23 NHLBI/UWI 18th annual Sickle Cell in Focus (SCiF) Conference |
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Our newsletter is open to all. Please feel free to forward and encourage others to subscribe.
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Copyright © 2024 Arkansas INBRE, All rights reserved.Questions or more info, contact Cyndy Buckhaults, Media Specialist, cbuckhaults@uams.edu
Material in this newsletter is supported by a grant from the National Institutes of Health National Institute of General Medical Sciences (5P20GM103429). Any opinions, findings, conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the AR INBRE Program and do not necessarily reflect the views of the NIH.
University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences
4301 W. Markham Street, Slot 818
Little Rock, AR 72205
USA
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