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Headlines for this newsletter: AR INBRE Program renewed for five more years – Cycle V, May 1, 2026-April 30, 2031! Register now: Launch and Lead – Research Career Development Workshop, June 24, at UAMS New virtual seminar: Good Publishing Practices for Researchers and so much more!
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Big news! The Arkansas INBRE Program has been renewed for another five years! Welcome to INBRE Cycle V, May 1, 2026 to April 30, 2031!
The latest grant from the National Institute of General Medical Sciences, which is part of the National Institutes of Health, is for $19.6 million. It will be distributed over five years, bringing the total amount of NIH funding for the research program to $107.7 million between Sept. 30, 2001, and April 30, 2031.
“Sustained funding is critically important for impactful development of biomedical research capacity,” said Lawrence Cornett, Ph.D., a distinguished professor of physiology and cell biology at UAMS and director of the Arkansas INBRE program. “The grant allows us to continue to provide students and faculty with research opportunities, strengthen scientific infrastructure, and develop the next generation of researchers and innovators.”
“Our two biggest activities are 1) to provide funding to faculty at the primarily undergraduate institutions in our network so that they can establish research programs that engage their students in research and 2) to provide opportunities for undergraduate students to participate in research,” Cornett said.
For many students, the program provides their first chance to conduct research, work in a laboratory, and present their findings with posters and presentations.
“The continued investment in the Arkansas INBRE not only advances scientific discovery but also creates long-term economic and health benefits for communities throughout Arkansas as well as the nation,” Cornett said.
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Research Career Development Workshop – Only a few spaces remaining!!!
Arkansas INBRE, along with the Arkansas Research Alliance and UAMS are pleased to introduce a brand new workshop to be held on June 24 in Little Rock on the UAMS campus. This free, one-day workshop is open to researchers at every stage of their career – students and faculty, giving them the tools and relationships they need to make their work matter beyond the lab.
The day will include morning breakout sessions across three tracks – Student Series, Career Series and Research Writing Series; networking lunch with peers, faculty and professionals; and Graduate and Professional School Fair.
You can look forward to gaining insights into entrepreneurship, lab management, and career development best practices for building biosketches, ORCiD profiles, and academic presence practical guidance on responsible AI use in academic research strategies for maximizing research, internship, and externship experiences skills for crafting and delivering effective oral presentations
Agenda now available on our website.
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Join us for a new virtual seminar on publishing practices
AR INBRE is inviting you to attend a virtual seminar on Good Publishing Practices for Researchers, June 23, 3 to 4 pm CT, via Zoom. The presentation will be led by the UAMS Head of Education and Research Services, Ms. Susan Steelman. Attendees will learn to: Describe Players in Scientific Publishing Identify Red Flags for Possible Predatory Publishers Ascertain Uses of Tech for Good Publishing Practices (GPP) Identify GPP with regards to NIH PAP & Data Management Compliance List Tools and Resources to Identify Quality Publishers/ Journals AI and fake science publications
About the seminar: The last several years have seen an increasing number of what are referred to as “predatory journals.” Their solicitation practices can be very aggressive. Understanding and managing the publishing landscape is crucial for all of us – both junior and senior investigators. Registration is free and open to all interested parties in the AR INBRE network. A Zoom link will be provided upon registering. |
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AR INBRE supported students at UALR win national startup pitch competition
UA Little Rock students Zane Austin and Nistha Neupane are bringing national attention to campus innovation after winning a competitive startup pitch event through America250, an initiative marking the United States’s 250th anniversary. Their nanotechnology-based company, NanoLit, earned both national recognition and funding through the event.
The competition, America’s Startup, invited student teams from colleges across the country to pitch early-stage ventures to a panel of prominent entrepreneurs and investors. Out of applicants nationwide, only 30 semifinalist teams were selected to travel to California’s Bay Area for in-person pitching and evaluation. The team ultimately advanced as one of 10 finalists and received $25,000 in grant funding to continue developing NanoLit.
NanoLit was designed to address the harsh side effects of chemotherapy by creating a more targeted treatment approach that reduces damage to healthy cells. Their goal is to develop a drug that maintains treatment effectiveness while reducing harm to healthy cells, potentially improving patients’ quality of life during cancer care.
The startup grew out of years of undergrad research in Dr. Noureen Siraj’s lab at UA Little Rock. Dr. Siraj is recipient of AR INBRE Voucher funding.
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AR INBRE hosted annual Bench-to-Bedside Workshop focused on Opioid Abuse and Treatment
Thirty college students from across the country recently gathered at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences to learn about one of medicine’s most pressing challenges, the opioid crisis.
AR INBRE’s annual Bench-to-Bedside workshop gave the students a firsthand look at the science behind addiction and the treatments researchers are developing to fight it. Led by UAMS clinicians and translational scientists, the students explored emerging research and treatment approaches for substance use disorders.
“The goal of translational research is to improve patient outcomes, in whatever disease or disorder area a scientist is studying, and here, at the workshop, we provide real-world examples to the students of how their research can lead to changes in the clinic,” said Dr. Samantha Kendrick, AR INBRE’s PUI faculty liaison and a professor in the UAMS Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology.
“I think the workshop was very productive in accomplishing our goal of giving the students an understanding of opioid use disorder and the research and therapies that are being implemented,” said Kendrick, adding that she observed the undergraduates sharing similar concerns and questions throughout the day. “They were sort of building a community, which was great to see.”
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Farewell to Dr. Liz Pierce, former AR INBRE Bioinformatics Core Co-Director
AR INBRE bids a fond farewell to Dr. Liz Pierce from the University of Arkansas Little Rock and announces her retirement.
Liz received her PhD in Statistics and Management from the University of Michigan, a MS in Computer Science from Iona College, and BS in Quantitative Business Analysis and Mathematics from Penn State. She joined the UALR faculty in 2006 and was an associate professor and chair of the Department of Information Science. At UALR, she was part of the efforts to launch the first Master of Science in Information Quality and instrumental in establishing the graduate program in information quality.
Liz joined Arkansas INBRE as the Co-Director of the Bioinformatics Core in 2013. As Co-Director, she was instrumental in overseeing the Joint UALR/UAMS Graduate Program in Bioinformatics. This graduate program was started by AR INBRE in 2004 and was supported by AR INBRE through April 2024.
During her career at UALR, she had numerous scholarly publications in journals, books and conference proceedings, as well as four significant survey study reports on topics of interest to information and data quality professionals.
Liz has now retired and moved to State College, PA to be near family. “We are grateful for Liz’s many years of service to our program and wish her a happy retirement,” said Dr. Larry Cornett, AR INBRE PI/Program Director.
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Reenvisioning the Future of STEM Research
Join the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine for two special upcoming events.
Reenvisioning the Future of STEM Research at Emerging Research Institutions (ERIs): Webinar #3 - Opportunities for Growth and Improvement, June 24, 1 pm CT. This webinar will discuss some opportunities, challenges, and lessons unique to ERIs as they engage in the STEM research enterprise. Moderated by Claudia Scholz, Director for Research Development in the School of Data Science at the University of Virginia, panelists include Paul Murphy, Program Co-Director for the SuRE Resource Center; Joe Elabd, Vice Chancellor for Research in the Texas A&M system; Karl V. Steiner, Vice President for Research & Creative Achievement and Chief Research Officer at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County and Principal Investigator for the Building Capacity to Manage RISC award; and Jeffrey M. Osborn, former Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs at The College of New Jersey.
Reenvisioning the Future of STEM Research at Emerging Research Institutions: A Summit, Sept 1-2, Washington, DC and online. Discussions will highlight innovative approaches that engage industry, state, and federal support to increase research capacity, opportunities for engagement and partnerships, and common threads in policy, program design, and practices that promote sustainable research infrastructure growth across the US.
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Save the Dates: Nov 6-7
The 2026 AR INBRE conference will be held on Fri, Nov 6 and Sat, Nov 7 at Embassy Suites in Rogers and on the University of Arkansas campus. The Arkansas INBRE Research Conference involves participation from colleges and universities in Arkansas and surrounding states in biological sciences, physics and chemistry and biochemistry.
This conference is sponsored by the Arkansas INBRE. It is hosted by the departments of Biological Sciences, Physics, and Chemistry and Biochemistry – Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences, University of Arkansas.
To receive regular email updates about the Arkansas INBRE research conference, please send a request with your email address to inbreinf@uark.edu.
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AR INBRE at NISBRE
Several AR INBRE faculty, staff and students have traveled to Washington, DC to attend the National IDeA Symposium of Biomedical Research Excellence (NISBRE), June 14-17. Representing AR INBRE are:
Program Officers Dr. Larry Cornett, PI/Program Director Dr. Jerry Ware, Co-PI/Program Coordinator/DRPP Director Dr. Christopher Wardell, Data Science Core Director Dr. Kalyani Dhusia, Data Science Core Computational Biologist Dr. Eric Enemark, Research Technology Core and Voucher Program Director Dr. Feng “Seymour” Wang, Outreach Programming Director Dr. Shani Worrell, Internal Evaluator Caroline Miller Robinson, Project Manager Cyndy Buckhaults, Communications Consultant
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Oral Presenters June 15, 10:30 am, Biomedical Research Experiences: Opportunities for Student Education and Training. (Moderator) Nathan Reyna, Professor, Biology Department, Ouachita Baptist University
June 15, 4:15 pm, Compliance and Reporting Considerations in Conducting Vertebrate Animal Research. (Panelist) Jerry Ware, Professor, Department of Physiology & Biophysics, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences
Poster Presenters 45. Melanie Medellin, Arkansas State University. Synthesis and Cytotoxic Studies of Bis(trifluoromethyl) Phenyl Thiourea Derivatives.
48. Siam Chowdhury, Arkansas State University. Docking Studies of Thiazole and Imidazole Fused Derivatives against mTOR Proteins.
111. Irosha Nawarathne, Lyon College. Undergraduate-Driven Biomedical Research at a Liberal Arts College.
131. Eric J. Enemark, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences. The Structural Biology Shared Resource of the Arkansas INBRE Research Technology Core and CMIC COBRE.
170. Sumit Lnu, Arkansas State University. Efficient Synthesis of Thiazole-Attached Diazaborines as Potential Therapeutic Agents.
204. Natalya Kaza, Lyon College. Synthesis of Modified Rifamycins Using Click Chemistry to Combat Drug Resistance.
291. Noureen Siraj, University of Arkansas at Little Rock. From Design to Biological Performance: Emerging Ionic Nanomedicines.
322. Graysen Jones, Arkansas State University. Inhibitory Effects of Novel Compounds on Biofilm Formation in Streptococcus mutans. |
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Limited Competition: Instrumental Grant Program for Resource-Limited Institutions (RLI) (S10, Clinical Trial Not Allowed). Developing a highly skilled biomedical research workforce is essential to strengthening the nation's economic competitiveness and improving public health. Hands-on, active learning using modern equipment has been shown to significantly boost student interest and educational achievement in scientific fields, thereby expanding the talent pool for the US biomedical research enterprise. The NIH NIGMS Instrumentation Grant Program for Resource-Limited Institutions (RLI-S10) aims to increase biomedical research capacity and educational opportunities at resource-limited institutions by supporting their purchase of modern scientific instruments. Applications to the RLI-S10 program must list at least three major users, including researchers who have a scientific need for the instrument or those who wish to use it for teaching upper-level undergrad or graduate lab courses. Apply by July 3. More |
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Request for Information (RFI): Future Directions for the NLM Information Resource Grants (G08) Program (NOT-LM-26-001). Authorized under the Public Health Service Act to establish, expand, and improve basic resources of medical library and related information resources, the program has evolved from supporting traditional library collections and infrastructure to enabling technology-driven methods of information dissemination. These grants are designed to create or improve biomedical knowledge management tools, resources, and services that address identified yet unmet needs. To ensure the NLM Information Resource Grants program remains impactful, scalable, sustainable, and aligned with community needs as well as aligned with the federal agencies’ funding priorities, NLM seeks insights, comments, and suggestions to guide its programmatic goals for the next phase of the program. Responses must be received by June 24. More |
Notice of Informational Webinar on the NIGMS Maximizing Investigators' Research Award (MIRA) for Early Stage Investigators (ESI) (R35). The National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS) will host an info webinar to provide a program overview and respond to questions from prospective applicants to PAR-27-032, MIRA ESI on July 15, 1 pm CT, via Microsoft Teams (Meeting ID: 236 297 571 750 694; Passcode: aK7JH3WX).
Participation in the webinar, although encouraged, is optional and is not required for the submission of an application. Advanced registration is not required. |
Request for Information (RFI): Promoting Youth Participatory Action Research Approaches in Prevention Research (NOT-OD-26-065). Young people today face many health risks. These include poor nutrition, limited physical activity, social isolation, and exposure to unsafe physical, social, and online environments. These risks can increase mental health concerns and lead to chronic health conditions over time.
Youth Participatory Action Research (YPAR) is an approach that includes young people as active members of the research team. Youth work alongside adult researchers to identify research questions, design studies, collect and interpret data, and share findings. By including youth perspectives, YPAR can make prevention programs more relevant, acceptable, and effective for young people. Respond by July 16. More |
RFI: Proposal to Cap the Number of Simultaneous Research Project Grants per Principal Investigator to Support More Researchers and Maximize Scientific Productivity and Innovation (NOT-OD-26-086). The purpose of this Notice is to solicit public input on the outline for a proposed policy that would cap the number of Research Project Grants (RPGs) an individual can simultaneously serve on as Principal Investigator (PI) or Multi-Principal Investigator (MPI). To ensure the best use of the taxpayers' dollars in supporting biomedical research, the NIH is considering instituting a cap on the number of RPGs on which an individual could simultaneously be a PI or MPI. Respond by Aug 3. More |
NIH Small Business Program Funding Opportunities Now Available. (Following the recent reauthorization of the SBIR and STTR programs, NIH has published Notices of Funding Opportunity (NOFOs) for eligible US small businesses ready to advance innovative biomedical technologies toward public health impact. Applications due Sept 8. More |
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Clarifying Percent Effort and Support for Career Development Award Recipients. For most career development (K) award programs, the designated project director/principal investigator (PD/PI) (K award recipient): Must commit at the minimum 9 person months, equivalent to 75% full-time professional effort, directly to their research project and career development activities. Can devote the remaining effort (up to 25%) to additional research, teaching, clinical work, or other efforts complementary to their career development
NIH provides some salary support as part of the K award. Often institutions will supplement the salary of these K award PD/PIs up to a level that is consistent with the institution’s salary scale. Salary supplementation is allowable for the K award recipient’s time spent devoted to the career development award and directly related to the research project. More |
Reminder – Definition of Foreign Components (NOT-OD-26-084). NIH has recently received questions regarding whether there has been a change in the definition of a foreign component, and whether a foreign co-author on a publication that cites an NIH grant award automatically results in a foreign component.
This notice reminds the extramural community of NIH's longstanding definition of foreign components. While NIH has increased its oversight of foreign collaborations, they have not expanded the definition of foreign components. More |
Implementing SimplerNOFO at NIH: A Clearer, Simpler Path for Applicants. NIH has released its first Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) under the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) SimplerNOFO initiative. This department-wide modernization effort aims to make funding opportunities more accessible, understandable, and actionable for applicants. Check out the new look and feel of the NIGMS’s Maximizing Investigators’ Research Award (MIRA) for Early Stage Investigators (ESIs) NOFO (PAR-27-032).
The SimplerNOFO initiative grew out of broader federal grants modernization efforts and HHS’s goal to reduce administrative burden and improve accessibility for applicants. More
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Looking for Animal Welfare Content? OLAW has moved to NIH Grants and Funding. Information and other web resources from the NIH Office of Laboratory Animal Welfare (OLAW) have recently migrated to the NIH Grants and Funding hub, which serves as the central location for navigating information on NIH’s grants policies, programs, and funding activities. NIH is modernizing its digital presence to make sure information is clear, readily accessible, and to offer both general and appropriate NIH Institute, Center, and Office-specific information in one place. This effort also follows similar steps migrating content related to research training, loan repayment, scientific data sharing, public access, and the NIH Extramural Nexus from their own stand-alone sites. More
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NIA to Sunset the Aged BALB/cBy and CB6F1 Mouse Colonies. This Notice informs the research community that the National Institute on Aging (NIA) will sunset the BALB/cBy and CB6F1 mouse colonies. As a result, entries into the current BALB/cBy and CB6F1 colonies will terminate in the fall of 2026, with older mice available until the colonies are depleted (estimated to be in the fall of 2028). More
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ASM Webinar — Trust in Science: Students, Scientists and Society, June 16, 9 am CT, is an interactive session that will help trainees explore the importance of research integrity and effective science communication in building credible, impactful scientific careers. Through real-world examples, this webinar highlights responsible research practices and strategies for clearly communicating discoveries to both scientific peers and the broader public. More |
CBEC Virtual Summer Writing Workshop. The Cell Biology Education Consortium (CBEC) is hosting a virtual summer writing workshop designed to help faculty write up their data for publication as short communications. This format is ideal for smaller data sets, offering a path to peer-reviewed, PubMed-listed journals recognized by NSF and NIH. The workshop will meet weekly for one hour over four sessions, running from June 23-July 14. More |
NIH Academic Research Enhancement Award (AREA) for Undergrad-Focused Institutions (R15) supports small scale research grants at institutions that do not receive substantial funding from the NIH, with an emphasis on providing biomedical research experiences primarily for undergraduate students and enhancing the research environment at applicant institutions. This Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) supports investigator-initiated mechanistic and/or minimal risk clinical trials such as those that do not require FDA oversight, do not intend to formally establish efficacy, and have low risks to potentially cause physical or psychological harm, and which address the mission and research interests of the participating NIH institutes. Apply by June 25. More |
2027 National Postdoc Association IMPACT Fellowship Program. IMPACT provides participants with access to personal and career resources, along with a cohort of peers, so that they can strategically build upon their existing skills and advance in their careers in the direction they choose. Applications due June 26. More |
LOI: Simons Graduate Fellowships in Ecology and Evolution provide support for students entering US-based PhD programs with a plan to perform research in ecology and evolution. While we will consider all projects in ecology and evolution, we are particularly interested in interdisciplinary research that jointly considers processes on both ecological and evolutionary timescales, or that links studies of ecology and evolution to other STEM fields, including physics, computer science, mathematics, chemistry and other areas of biology, especially genetics. Applicants must be entering or applying for PhD programs in biology or a subfield of the life sciences during summer or fall 2026, with matriculation to start no later than Oct 1, 2027. Letter of Intent due June 30. More |
NCFDD Webinar: The Art of Saying No – How to Create Healthy Boundaries, July 9, 1 pm CT, via Zoom. In this webinar, you will learn the biggest mistakes faculty make in responding to requests, how to identify and disrupt problematic patterns, and o ur favorite strategies that you can implement immediately so you can add “no” to your vocabulary. |
NIH Targeting RNA in Disease with Novel Technologies (TRDNT) Challenge is intended to encourage new approaches to therapeutic development, especially for diseases linked to RNA dysfunction or diseases driven by difficult-to-drug proteins that may be addressed upstream at the RNA level. TRDNT is intended for novel technologies that target endogenous RNA to treat disease. This challenge is not focused on standard RNA-based therapeutic programs unless the proposed approach specifically targets endogenous RNA in a way that aligns with the challenge goals. Submissions for Phase I (Planning and Proposal Development) are due by July 15. More |
Arizona Approaches to Pandemics, Lung & Sleep (APPLS) Research Career Training Program. Applications are now open for the Arizona Approaches to Pandemics, Lung & Sleep (AAPLS) Research Career Training Program. Designed for junior faculty and transitioning postdocs, this fully funded program provides advanced research training, structured mentorship, and leadership development in an interprofessional environment. Participants will gain valuable skills in grantsmanship, scientific writing, research methodologies, and team science to strengthen their path toward independent research careers and NIH funding opportunities. More |
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June 16 9 am CT, ASM Student Webinar: Trust in Science: Students, Scientists & Society |
June 17 11 am CT, NIH Webinar: Private Fundraising for Early-Stage Startups
5:30 pm CT, NIH NCI Webinar – Geospatial Sci & Environ Epidem |
June 23
NIH Pilot Projects Enhancing Utility and Usage of Common Fund Data Sets (R03) |
June 24 1 pm CT, NIH NIDCR Pre-App Webinar and FAQs for Community-Based Participatory Res Initiative (PAR-27-015 & RFA-DE-27-001)
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June 25 NIH Academic Research Enhancement Award (AREA) for Undergrad-Focused Institutions (R15) |
June 30 LOI: Simons Graduate Fellowships in Ecology and Evolution
LOI: NIH NHGRI Limited Competition: Building Partnerships and Broadening Perspectives to Advance Ethical, Legal, and Social Implications (ELSI) Research (BBAER) Program (UM1) |
July 1 11 am, NIH NHLBI/March of Dimes Webinar: Obtaining Regulatory Approval and Coverage |
July 3 Registration deadline: NCURA Contract Workshop: Live Virtual Experience July 13-16, 2026
AR INBRE Program Office closed for Independence Day |
July 9 1 pm CT, NCFDD Webinar: The Art of Saying “No” – How to Create Healthy Boundaries
2 pm CT, NIH NCI/NIBIB Synthetic Biology and Cancer: Progress and Promise Webinar: Immunotherapy via engineered therapeutic programs in tumors using RNA |
July 13 11 am CT, ASM Webinar – From Lab to Literature: A Conversation with Kate Zernike |
July 14 NIH/FDA Tobacco Regulatory Science Small Grant Program for New Investigators (R03) |
July 15 12 pm CT, NIH NIDCD Loan Repayment Program Pre-Application Info Session
NIH Blueprint Neurotherapeutics Network (BPN): Small Molecule Drug Discovery & Dev of Disorders of the Nervous System (UG3/UH3) |
July 22 NSF Faculty Early Career Development Program (CAREER) |
July 23 12 pm CT, NCFDD Webinar: How to Peer Review a Journal Article in No Time |
July 31 ASM Emerging Leader in Microbiology Award |
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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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