This subproject is one of many research subprojects utilizing the resources provided by a Center grant funded by NIH/NCRR. Primary support for the subproject and the subproject's principal investigator may have been provided by other sources, including other NIH sources. The Total Cost listed for the subproject likely represents the estimated amount of Center infrastructure utilized by the subproject, not direct funding provided by the NCRR grant to the subproject or subproject staff. Building Biomedical Research Capacity with New Target Faculty Building on the successful SC INBRE model, three new target faculty have been identified for funding in the renewal, including (1) Dr. Onarae Rice, Assistant Professor, Neuroscience (hired 2006);(2) Dr. Karen Buchmueller, Assistant Professor, Biochemistry (hired 2007);and (3) Dr. David Hollis, Assistant Professor, Physiology and Neuroscience (hired 2008). Through a combination of NIH and Furman matching commitments, new target faculty will receive three years of teaching reduction (i.e., to consistently commit a minimum of 50% total effort to their research programs), three years of summer salary, two years support of a dedicated laboratory assistant, and five years of student, travel and general supplies support. In addition to these three faculty, Furman will use SC INBRE funds (matched by institutional support) for a fourth target faculty in Year 3 of the renewal. While we are planning for both expansion (e.g., Biology) and replacement (e.g. Biology, Chemistry) positions in research areas suitable for NIH funding by Year 3 (e.g., Neuroscience, Bioinformatics. Bioanalytical Chemistry), our goal will be to identify the most competitive applicants available using the significant research enhancements available through the INBRE funding mechanism, while proactively working to increase URM and gender diversity among the science faculty in the Furman Biomedical Faculty core to the greatest extent possible. Two of Furman's most successful target faculty, Dr. Jeff Petty (2 NIH-AREA and 2 major NSF research awards since 2005) and Dr. Eli Hestermann (1 NIH-AREA award, co-PI on HHMI-USE) will participate in collaboration/mentoring activities with faculty from Converse College, Erskine College, Newberry College, Greenville Technical College and Claflin University. Mentored faculty will travel to the Furman campus to conduct summer research across a broad spectrum of research areas. INBRE funding will facilitate expenditures for research supplies so that these faculty and their students can conduct biomedical research in their home institutions while collaborating with Furman's established core of investigators. Alternatively or concomitantly, participating institutions may also be invited to send a faculty/student research team to the Furman campus to engage in individual summer or sabbatical leave research experiences as increased interactions are proactively developed. Collaborations of Furman faculty with Winthrop faculty have already been described elsewhere in this proposal. Furman supports ten students each summer to conduct full-time research with our target faculty using NIH funding, in addition to the large number of biomedical research students supported via Furman Matching, Furman Advantage, Merck, Beckman Scholars and HHMI. Significantly, we have well-exceeded a self-imposed minimum that 30% of our INBRE scholars should come from URM populations each year (e,g., 60% are African-American in Summer 2009). By comparison, Furman's student body is 13% minority (increasing each year as a part of the university's strategic plan, 16% for the entering class of 2008). In the context of our INBRE renewal, we recognize two pressing needs: (1) Furman has a significant responsibility to utilize administrative support and university resources to educate and develop the local URM secondary science student base;(2) with its unique facilities, faculty and research resources, Furman has the opportunity to engage minority students from institutions statewide as summer research scholars. In order to impact the maximum number of URM students across South Carolina, we will rely on strategies that have worked effectively in our current INBRE cycle, which include letters and personal communication each year between our target faculty with faculty within the same academic departments at every HBCU in South Carolina (e.g., 17 HBCU applicants for 4 open positions in 2009). A requirement for participation as a Furman target faculty member includes assisting in recruiting URM students statewide, a willingness to accept these students as summer research colleagues, and providing continued mentoring throughout the academic year. To offset the expenses incurred by students traveling from other universities including summer housing, the summer research salary is set at $5,000 per summer (plus $750 travel to a professional meeting).
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