Research Month 2026 Activities

• Date: Tuesday, Oct. 6–Thursday, Oct. 8
• Time: 10:00 AM – 2:00 PM
• Location: McGoogan Library, Level 8, Rare Book Room 8010
• Details: The McGoogan Health Sciences Library’s Rare Book Room will be open to the UNMC community for study in recognition of American Archives Month. Located on Level 8 of the library, the unique collection space offers an opportunity to study while highlighting the importance of preserving and providing access to historical records. Food and drinks are not permitted, with the exception of water in a sealed container.
• Audience: All UNMC community members
• Calendar Invite: Download the .ics file to add the event to your Outlook calendar.

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• Date: Tuesday, Oct. 6
• Time: Noon – 1:00 PM
• Location: Zoom (https://unmc.zoom.us/meeting/register/jyRnFZowSiiTHaNN6rWGHw) 
• Details: Whether you're new to EndNote or looking to sharpen your skills, join the library for a virtual session to learn how to add and organize citation records, and create in-text citations and bibliog2raphy lists in Microsoft Word (app and online). We'll cover getting started with EndNote for new users as well as advanced features for experienced users.
• Audience: UNMC faculty, staff and students

• Date: Wednesday, Oct. 7, 206
• Time: 8:30 AM – 4:30 PM
• Location: DRC1 and DRC2
• Details: Connect with UNMC core facility experts and learn more about the technologies, expertise and shared resources available to support research. The showcase will feature core facility presentations, lightning poster talks, exhibits, networking opportunities and the interactive Research Olympics.
• Full schedule:

  8:30 – 9:00 AM | Check-In & Registration

  • Location: DRC Commons
  • Details: Morning check-in, networking, coffee and light breakfast

  9:00 – 9:15 AM | Research Month Kickoff

  • Location: DRC Commons
  • Details: Opening remarks to kickoff research month events
    • Speaker: Ken Bayles, PhD, Vice Chancellor for Research

  9:15 – 10:00 AM | Advanced Microscopy Core Facility Talk

  • Location: DRC1 1004
  • Session Breakdown: Coming soon!
    • Speaker: Heather Jensen-Smith, Operational and Scientific Director of the UNMC Advanced Microscopy Core Facility

  10:00 – 10:45 AM | Genomics Core Facility Talk

  • Location: DRC1 1006
  • Session Breakdown: Coming soon!
    • Speaker: Hesham Basma, Assistant Professor, UNMC Division of Cardiovascular Medicine

  10:45 AM – 11:30 PM | Lightning Poster Talks

  • Location: DRC Auditorium
  • Details: Fun, informative presentation of research

  11:30 AM – 12:30 PM | Lunch, Games & Networking

  • Location: DRC Commons
  • Details: Investigator-core matchmaking, project discussions, and feedback on new technology/service needs. Games to bring together core staff and research labs.

  12:30 – 1:15 PM | Bioinformatics

  • Location: DRC1 1004
  • Session Breakdown: Coming soon!
    • Speaker: Dr. Karuna Rasineni, Assistant Professor, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, UNMC 

  1:15 – 2:00 PM | Flow Cytometry

  • Location: DRC1 1006
  • Session Breakdown: Coming soon!
    • Speaker: Gunjan Kak, Senior Scientist, UNMC

  2:00 PM – 2:45 PM | Spatial Profiling Hub

  • Location: DRC1 1006
  • Session Breakdown: Coming soon!
    • Speaker: Dr. Sathish Natarajan, Associate Professor, Department of Nutrition and Health Sciences, University of Nebraska-Lincoln

  2:45 – 3:00 PM | Coffee Break

  • Location: DRC Commons
  • Details: Informal networking and refreshments.

  3:00-3:45 PM | Core Showcase Fair & Research Olympics

  • Location: DRC Auditorium
  • Details: Core booths, vendor exhibits, core-supported research posters, and research-themed skill challenges.
  • Research Olympics:
    • Micropipetting Relay
    • Name that Tissue
    • The Perfect Coverslip Drop
    • IRB Simon Says

  3:45 – 4:30 PM | Closing Remarks & User Recognition

  • Location: DRC Auditorium
  • Details: User appreciation, awards/incentives and next-step engagement opportunities.

• Date: Wednesday, Oct. 7
• Time: 9:00 – 9:15 AM
• Location: DRC Commons
• Details: Join Vice Chancellor for Research Ken Bayles, PhD, and members of the UNMC research community for the official kickoff to Research Month. The opening event will launch a month of activities celebrating the people, ideas and resources that drive research and discovery across UNMC.
• Audience: All UNMC community members

• Date: Thursday, Oct. 8
• Time: Noon – 1:00 PM
• Location: Zoom (https://unmc.zoom.us/meeting/register/Pq9dTNiVTTqiRh4cO7x92A
• Details: Join us for an introduction to Zotero, a free reference management tool. This session will cover importing and organizing records for your references, as well as using the Zotero toolbar in Microsoft Word to create properly formatted in-text citations and bibliographies with just a few clicks. Ideal for those who are new to Zotero and those who are experienced Zotero users but unfamiliar with Zotero version 10.
• Audience: UNMC Faculty, Staff and Students

• Date: Monday, Oct. 12
• Time: 9:00 – 11:00 AM
• Location: Durham Research Center atrium
• Details: Innovation Week in 2026 begins with an open house in the DRC atrium. Hosted by UNeMed, the technology transfer and commercialization office for UNMC and UNO, the 20th annual Innovation Week celebrates and recognizes the world-class research and discovery at the University of Nebraska Medical Center and the University of Nebraska at Omaha. The Kick-off event will feature snacks, coffee, T-shirts and the chance to meet UNeMed staff.
• Audience: All UNMC community members

• Date: Tuesday, Oct. 13
• Time: Noon – 1:00 PM
• Location: DRC1, #1002
• Details: A lunch and learn seminar hosted by global healthcare company Abbott. 
• Audience: All UNMC community members

• Date: Wednesday, Oct. 14
• Time: 10:00 – 11:00 AM
• Location: DRC1 #1005
• Details: Corey Hopkins, PhD, professor and chair of pharmaceutical sciences, will lead a discussion about drug development and discovery. Dr. Hopkins is also the director of UNMC’s Center for Drug Design and Innovation, and has developed several novel molecules, one of which is moving closer to clinical trials as part of a new startup company, Goldenrod Therapeutics.
• Audience: All UNMC community members

• Date: Wednesday, Oct. 14
• Time: 1:00 – 8:00 PM
• Location: Scott Conference Center on UNO's Aksarben campus
• Details: An invitation-only event, UNeMed's annual Research Innovation Awards is the culmination of a week of activities that celebrate research and innovation at UNMC and UNO. The awards recognize faculty, students and staff that invented a new technology, licensed an invention or secured intellectual property rights during the previous fiscal year.
• Audience: Invite-only

• Date: Friday, Oct. 16
• Time: Noon – 1:00 PM
• Location: Online registration
• Details: Learn more about funding opportunities to help you further develop and commercialize your novel technologies with non-dilutive funding opportunities through the NIH small business grant program. Register at: tinyurl.com/iWEEK26-NIH. Attendees who would like to discuss their projects in greater detail are encouraged to pre-book 15-minute, one-on-one meetings with NIH program staff after the session. To book a meeting, please visit the following link: tinyurl.com/iWEEK-NIH-meet.

• Date: Friday, Oct. 16
• Time: 1:00 – 4:30 PM
• Location: UNMC Truhlsen Events Center
• Details: Since 2012, UNMC's IRB annually hosts a free educational conference to advance the knowledge of both IRB professionals and research teams in hot topics related to research and regulation. Yearly speakers include nationally recognized and local professionals involved in cutting edge research and ethics. The conference provides continuing education credits for Certified IRB Professionals, Society of Clinical Research Associates, and the Association of Clinical Research Professionals. More information, including how to register, is available online.
  
  

• Date: Wednesday, Oct. 21
• Time: Noon – 1:00 PM
• Location: Zoom (https://unmc.zoom.us/meeting/register/jyRnFZowSiiTHaNN6rWGHw) 
• Details: Open access journal publishing is firmly established in the scholarly ecosystem. In this session, learn about the benefits that still hold true, but also the considerations that remain perplexing, which include the difference between public and open access, balancing funder mandates with publisher polices, funding your publication, and navigating the deluge of questionable and potentially predatory manuscript email solicitations.
• Audience: UNMC Faculty, Staff, and Students

• Date: Thursday, Oct. 29
• Time: 4:00 – 5:00 PM
• Location: DRC1 #1002
• Details: This annual event honors UNMC's top researchers, new investigators and faculty leadership. Read more about this year's winners.

• Date: Thursday, Oct. 29
• Time: 5:00 – 6:00 PM
• Location: DRC Commons
• Details: Reception following the awards ceremony that honors UNMC's top researchers, new investigators and faculty leadership. Read more about this year's winners.