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Headlines for this newsletter: AR INBRE extended another year of funding • UAMS hosts Undergrad Summer Research Symposium • AR INBRE Core Voucher Program applications due Sept 1 • Save the Date: 2025 INBRE Research Conference – Nov 7-8 • Meet Summer Students: Diya Mehta and Samuel Paez and so much more! |
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Arkansas INBRE is pleased to announce that we have received a one-year supplement to add a sixth year to our current cycle of funding from NIH. The Notice of Award, received on July 25, was in the amount of $4,290,727 and will cover AR INBRE projects, programs and initiatives from May 1, 2025 through April 30, 2026.
Said Dr. Lawrence Cornett, AR INBRE PI/Program Director, “We are very excited to have this additional year of funding that demonstrates NIH’s commitment to continue financial support for biomedical and data science research in Arkansas. This award will allow us to continue to support the high quality research that we established in our state and has been ongoing since the program’s inception in 2001.” |
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UAMS hosts Undergrad Summer Research Symposium Students from 36 colleges and universities along with eight high schools across the United States presented research during the 12th Annual Arkansas Undergraduate Summer Research Symposium at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS).
The event, held July 23 at the I. Dodd Wilson Education Building, was organized and sponsored by the UAMS College of Medicine Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology with support from the UAMS Graduate School and the IDeA Networks of Biomedical Research Excellence (INBRE) program, along with grant funding from the National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS).
More than 125 student researchers from 19 different research programs were registered, and more than 100 faculty and administrators provided support for the event. No registration fee was required due to funding from sources including the INBRE program.
Lawrence Cornett, Ph.D., a distinguished professor in the College of Medicine Department of Physiology and Cell Biology and the director of the INBRE program, talked about how the symposium benefits not only the students but also UAMS.
“This symposium provides opportunities for students to present their research findings and develop communications skills,” Cornett said. “They also get a chance to learn about the many training opportunities that UAMS offers students who wish to pursue careers that impact human health.”
Two of AR INBRE’s summer research students were selected from a competition to give oral presentations. These 12 students were selected to present out of 39 submissions. Each student was given 12 minutes for their presentation, followed by three minutes for questions: Katelin Kellar, Arkansas State University (INBRE) Elise Knight, Ouachita Baptist University (INBRE)
Guest speaker Jessica Hartman, PhD, an assistant professor in the Medical University of South Carolina College of Medicine Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, gave a talk titled “CYP2E1 gets the GLO: how ketone bodies control seizures.”
Hartman received her PhD in biochemistry and molecular biology at UAMS and worked in Miller’s lab.
“It’s a huge honor to be here after starting as an INBRE student all those years ago,” Hartman said. “I’m so impressed with the amazing work I’ve seen.”
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AR INBRE caught up with Dr. Hartman about her experience with the INBRE program. Said Hartman,
“My story really all started with INBRE. After failing out of high school and failing my first year of college, I earned my Associate of General Education degree from a community college and was in the process of transferring to the 4-year college (University of Arkansas at Little Rock) with a major in English when I took a step back and explored the possibility of getting my degree in Chemistry instead. When I switched to a Chem major, I saw some flyers for Undergraduate Research (I can still vividly remember the flyer) and REALLY wanted to do research. I could not afford to spend the summer doing volunteer research, as I did not have the financial support and would have had to work a full-time job instead (I was working at Lowe’s at the time). INBRE gave me my first bench research experience in summer of 2010 and gave me a chance – I took that chance and ran with it as far as I could go. I ended up continuing to work in that INBRE lab for the next summer, and joined for my PhD at UAMS (graduated 2016) and went to Duke for my postdoc (2016-2020) and then started as a faculty member at MUSC in 2020.” “I think I am still working to prove myself every day and prove to myself and others that I deserve to be here. But it is so easy for me to look at these undergrads in my lab and those I met at the UAMS event and see that they are doing amazing work and have such a bright future.” |
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AR INBRE Core Voucher Program. The Arkansas INBRE Research Technology Core is providing three voucher opportunities to obtain paid access to UAMS and UAF Core Facilities. The different vouchers are available: Faculty Research Core Facility Vouchers
Student Research Core Facility Vouchers
Faculty Curriculum Core Facility Vouchers
Vouchers are offered three times a year. The next round is due 5 pm on Sept 1. More |
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The 2025 INBRE Research Conference will take place Fri, Nov 7 and Sat, Nov 8. The Friday activity will be at Embassy Suites Northwest Arkansas in Rogers and the Saturday activity will be on the University of Arkansas Fayetteville campus.
Registration will open in early August. When registration opens, it will be announced via email, in our newsletter and on our website. You can also visit https://inbre.uark.edu around that time for registration. We hope to see everyone at the conference!
If you have colleagues and friends who are interested in joining the Conference information email list, please ask them to send their request to inbreinf@uark.edu |
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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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Diya Mehta, Senior, Harry Mudd College (Claremont, CA) PRO Program Student Researching at UAMS
Major: Mathematical and Computational Biology
What I am researching this summer: I am at UAMS in Dr. Vladimir Lupashin’s lab, studying how the COG complex aids with intracellular membrane trafficking in the Golgi apparatus.
Plans after graduation: I would like to pursue a PhD in computational biology after I graduate.
Outside of the lab/classroom: In my free time I enjoy reading, catching up with friends, and going on walks. On campus, I tutor courses, work in the Admissions Office, and run an Indian Food Club. |
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Samuel Paez, Rising Junior, John Brown University
AR INBRE Student Researching at UAF
Major/Minor: Major: BS, Biochemistry; Minor: Mathematics
What I am researching this summer: I will be researching spectroscopy methods for accurately measuring bilirubin levels in newborns babies for quick detection and treatment of jaundice. Particularly, the optical properties of skin will be modeled with skin-like phantoms and analyzed with Monte Carlo simulations in order to confirm the effectiveness of Diffuse Reflectance Spectroscopy (DRS) in detecting hyperbilirubinemia.
Plans after graduation: My future goals after graduating include pursuing a PhD related to some form of scientific research in biochemistry (topics like bioinformatics, nanotechnology, and enzyme kinematics interest me). I plan on hopefully making groundbreaking discoveries (winning a Nobel Prize?!) and communicating the importance of good science to the general public.
Outside of the lab/classroom: I enjoy playing tennis and alto saxophone! I also like working with paracord to make bracelets, key fobs, and similar projects. |
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Reminder: Unauthorized Use of Credentials is Prohibited. This notice serves as a reminder of longstanding security requirements for users of NIH’s Electronic Research Administration (eRA) systems.NIH has recently identified instances of credential sharing within eRA accounts with signing official (SO) permissions. Because SO roles contain the institutional authority to legally bind a recipient in grants administration matters, it is never acceptable for any individual other than the named user to access these accounts. More |
NIH Director’s New Innovator Award Program (DP2) supports early stage investigators of exceptional creativity who propose bold and highly innovative research projects with the potential to produce a major impact on broad, important areas relevant to the mission of NIH. Applications in all topics relevant to the broad mission of NIH are welcome, including, but not limited to, behavioral, social, biomedical, applied, and formal sciences and topics that may involve basic, translational, or clinical research. The NIH Director’s New Innovator Award is a component of the High-Risk, High-Reward Research (HRHR) Program of the NIH Common Fund. Due by Aug 19. More |
NIH Request for Information 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 |
New NIH AI Usage Policy and Grant Submission Limitations.NIH released NOT-OD-25-132 providing guidance to researchers on the appropriate usage of artificial intelligence (AI) to maintain the fairness and originality of NIH’s research application process. NIH is also instituting a new policy limiting the number of applications that NIH will consider per PI per calendar year. This policy is effective for applications submitted to the Sept 25, 2025 receipt date and beyond. More |
R16 SuRE and SuRE-First NOFOs. The SuRE program supports research capacity building at eligible higher education institutions through funding investigator-initiated biomedical research in basic, social, clinical, behavioral, or translational science that falls in the mission areas of the NIH. Applications due for both on Sept 29.
Support for Research Excellence (SuRE) Award (PAR-25-414) provides support for investigator-initiated research at resource-limited institutions by full-time faculty who are not currently funded by any NIH Research Project Grants (RPGs) with the exception of SuRE or SuRE-First awards.
SuRE – First Independent Research (SuRE-First) Award (PAR-25-145) provides support for investigator-initiated research at resource-limited institutions by full-time faculty who have not had any prior independent, peer-reviewed, external research grants. |
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New Non-Federal Funding/ Fellowships Source. SC INBRE has announced a new web page full of links to foundation, organization, society and other entities offering biomedical-related grants, awards, fellowships and education funding. Page is arranged by research topics. They also welcome input if a site visitor knows of a source not currently listed. More |
NCFDD Live on Zoom: Cultivating Your Network of Mentors, Sponsors & Collaborators, Aug 14, 1 pm CT. Join NCFDD for a webinar that will help you map your current mentoring network, identify your unmet needs, and plan how to expand your existing network to meet your current needs. Zoom (Meeting ID: 861 9186 3486; Passcode: 116766). More |
NCFDD Workshop: Being Agile in Uncertain Times: Scrum Project Management for Faculty, Aug 20, 12 pm CT. In this workshop, Dr. Rebecca Pope-Ruark will introduce Scrum, an Agile project management practice that can be useful for mapping and tracking faculty work even in the midst of change. After introducing the five Scrum values as guiding lights, she will outline the Scrum process and walk participants through setting up their own Scrum project board. Zoom (Mtg ID: 833 3370 5408; Passcode: 646651). More |
NSF Research Experiences for Undergrads (REU) program supports active research participation by undergrad students in any of the areas of research funded by the National Science Foundation. REU projects involve students in meaningful ways in ongoing research programs or in research projects specifically designed for the REU program. This solicitation features two mechanisms for supporting student research: REU Sites and REU Supplements. Submit proposal by Aug 20. More |
Chronicle of Higher Ed Webinar Series — Trump and Higher Ed: Understanding the Latest. Series of webinars breaking down the latest news involving higher ed and the Trump administration. Each webinar will cover the most significant topics of the moment, so you can stay prepared for the challenges ahead. Next webinar, 12 pm CT, Aug 20. More |
Third Annual Data Sharing Symposium: How Data Advances the Impact of Cancer Research, Sept 30-Oct 1, NCI Office of Data Sharing, Shady Grove Campus, Rockville, MD. Attendees are invited to present a poster describing how data sharing has impacted your cancer research, or to set up a table to demo an innovative data sharing product. Abstracts due Sept 1. More |
OmicsLogic 3-Day Hands-On Online Workshop: Data Science Foundations using R for Biotechnologists, Sept 1-5, Virtual. This workshop is crafted for biotechnologists aiming to build practical data science skills using the R programming language. Over three interactive sessions, participants will explore key concepts and tools in R — ranging from data handling and statistical analysis to machine learning techniques — all tailored for biological research. More |
Sigma Xi International Forum on Research Excellence (IFoRE), Oct 30-Nov 1, Virtual. Theme of "Science and Society: Crafting a Vision for a Sustainable Tomorrow," with speakers and an elite research competition for STEM students of ALL education levels and disciplines. Accepting submissions for Student Research Competition (due Sept 5) and General Session Proposals, as well as registrations. More |
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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 |
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 |
August 14 2 pm. NCFDD LIVE ON ZOOM: Cultivating Your Network of Mentors, Sponsors & Collabs
August 15
Damon Runyon-St. Jude Ped Cancer Res Fellowship Award
Genentech RFP: Independent Med Ed - Colorectal Cancer
Society for Dev Bio (SDB) SciComm Interns
LOI: Friedreich’s Atazi Research Alliance
— Clin Sci Dev Award
—Postdoc Fellowship
August 18 NIH STrengthening Res Opps for NIH Grants (STRONG): Structured Inst Needs Assessment & Action Plan Dev for Resource Limited Inst (RLIs) (UC2)
August 19
NIH Director’s New Innovator Award Prog (DP2)
August 20 12 pm CT, NCFDD Webinar: Being Agile in Uncertain Times: Scrum Project Management for Faculty
NSF Res Exper for Undergrads (REU)
Pre-App: NMSS Advancing Women's Health Research in Multiple Sclerosis
August 25 12 pm CT, NIH Online Training: Introduction to Quarto for Scientific Writing
August 28 American Assoc of Immunologists RESTORE Grants Program
August 31 dkNET PanKbase AI Pilot Funding Program
September 1 AR INBRE Program closed for Labor Day |
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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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