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James Turpen, Ph.D. |
A significant portion of the grant goes to provide scholarships to the best and brightest students from Chadron to Omaha. Because of this grant, these students will have the opportunity to pursue careers in biomedical research.
The $17.2 million National Institutes of Health grant supports the INBRE program at UNMC, is funded through the Institutional Development Award Program (IDeA) Networks of Biomedical Research Excellence (INBRE) and comes from the National Center for Research Resources (NCRR) — a division of the NIH.
“The goal of the INBRE program is to create a statewide biomedical research infrastructure that provides research opportunities for undergraduate students and serves as a pipeline for those students to continue into graduate research,” said James Turpen, Ph.D., principal investigator on the grant and a professor of genetics, cell biology and anatomy at UNMC.
The students come from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, the University of Nebraska at Omaha, the University of Nebraska at Kearney, Creighton University, Nebraska Wesleyan University, Doane College, Chadron State College, Wayne State College, Western Nebraska Community College and Little Priest Tribal College.
“The Nebraska INBRE has created opportunities for students throughout the state to develop interests and skills in biomedical research and health professions,” said NCRR Director Barbara Alving, M.D. “The success of this network is evidenced by the fact that 75 percent of its graduates pursue careers in the fields of science.”
“The confidence the NIH has in the success of the INBRE program in Nebraska is evident,” said Harold M. Maurer, M.D., UNMC chancellor. “Dr. Turpen’s leadership has taken this program to new heights and given the faculty and students a platform on which to build their biomedical research careers.
“This speaks volumes about our researchers, their talents and the collaborative relationships they have built with the undergraduate institutions in the state.”
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The students enter the program during their sophomore year and are given two-year scholarships worth $11,000. The scholarship provides students with $2,500 during each of their next two undergraduate years and $3,000 during each of their next two summers.
During the school year, the students conduct research on their home campuses. During the summers, the students can stay on their home campus or go to UNMC, UNL or Creighton to do research.
Funding from the INBRE program also helps support several state-of-the-art core facilities, such as the DNA microarray facility at UNMC used by researchers and students around the state, and supports the research of 24 undergraduate faculty.
U.S. Sen. Ben Nelson has been a long-time advocate of IDeA and led the effort to increase funding for the program, which supports INBRE. His efforts led to an increase of $5 million to the IDeA program in fiscal year 2009.
“Dr. Turpen is a national leader in the area of science workforce development, and his having merited the largest NIH grant in Nebraska history is a testament to the value of this outstanding senior scientist,” said Tom Rosenquist, Ph.D., vice chancellor for research. “It’s an honor for his department, his college and his university to claim Jim as a colleague.”
“The success of the INBRE program, and the guidance of Dr. Turpen and UNMC in bringing this program to Nebraska is proving to be an important ingredient in our efforts to strengthen and develop the biotechnology industry in the state,” said Richard Baier, director of the Nebraska Department of Economic Development.