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. Administrative Core A is directed by Dr. Mark Quinn and includes all administrative staff and Mentors. Dr. Quinn provides administrative oversight, chairs the Executive Committee, and serves as a research advocate and coordinator of the scientific research conducted under COBRE II. The purpose of the Administrative Core is to provide administrative support and services to the PI, Mentors, Project Leaders (including the Developmental Projects), Supplemental Projects, new faculty hires, and all other investigators and technical personnel associated with the Center of Zoonotic and Emerging Infectious Diseases. It is through the efforts of this Core that all projects and Cores B &C of the Center are integrated and regularly assessed. The Administrative Core also includes an Administrative and Accounting Associate who organizes the COBRE events and conferences and provides fiscal management and support for all aspects of the program, and a Program Evaluator who collects and analyzes data and reports on the progress of the programs. As PI and scientific leader of COBRE II, Dr. Quinn is responsible for all aspects of the program. As such, his primary objective is to promote close and productive scientific interaction among the component Projects, Cores, and other Center investigators. This Objective is accomplished through several mechanisms. Research seminars presented by investigators from the component Projects and investigators of the Center are scheduled monthly. The emphasis of these seminars is to present work-in-progress so the researchers in the program are kept informed of the progress of other projects on a regular basis and so that constructive input can be provided to these investigators. These seminars are scheduled monthly and rotate between the projects. Dr. Quinn also seeks to facilitate effective collaborations among the projects by personally visiting individual investigators on a regular basis. This allows for direct discussions of the ongoing needs and integration of each particular project or Core within the Center. As PI, Dr. Quinn is particularly aware that there is an optimal distribution of services of the Cores to the component Projects in terms of allocation of resources and communication of data. The Administrative Core is comprised of several additional components. The Executive Committee (EC) includes the Program Director (PD), the Core Directors, which includes Drs. Quinn, Jutila, and Pascual, and Dr. Allan Harmsen who was the previous COBRE PI. The members of the COBRE II EC also served on the COBRE I Executive Committee, thus providing continuity for the program. The COBRE II PI (Quinn) chairs the EC, which met regularly during the reporting period. The EC developed strategies with the EAC, oversaw the development of workshops and lecture series, and reviewed the progress of the projects through biannual assessment reports from the Mentoring Board. The EC reviewed Core progress reports, set priorities for resource allocation, and made recommendations to the PI for future research directions. The External Advisory Committee (EAC) advises on scientific, administrative, and research elements of the COBRE Program. The COBRE II EAC is composed of Drs. John Perfect, Frank DeLeo, Eugene Butcher, and Guy Palmer (Chair of EAC). These scientists were asked to sit on the EAC because their expertise complements the Center and because of their extensive scientific, administrative, and mentoring experience. Dr. Palmer is a Professor, Director of the Washington State University Center for Global Animal Health, and a member of the National Academy of Sciences. He also serves on the Board of Directors of the Washington State Academy of Science. Dr. Frank DeLeo is a Senior Investigator, Acting Chief for the Laboratory of Human Bacterial Pathogenesis, and Chief of the Pathogen-Host Cell Biology Section at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, located at the Rocky Mountain Laboratories in Hamilton, MT. Dr. Butcher is a Professor of pathology at Stanford University and an internationally recognized expert in immunity to infectious disease. Dr. Perfect is a Professor and the Director of Mycology Research Unit at Duke University. Dr. Perfect's research team investigates anti-fungal agents in animal models of Candida and Cryptococcus infections. The EAC met with the EC by phone conference once this reporting year. The EAC was also in regular contact with the EC for grant proposal reviews for the Project Leaders and consultation regarding new hires. The EAC traveled to Montana and met in person with all Project Leaders, Mentors, and Core Directors. At this meeting, the EAC provided group assessment and critiques of progress of the individual components of COBRE II, as well as progress of COBRE II as a whole. Overall, the EAC was integral in reviewing the second-year performance of COBRE II and in providing longitudinal assessment of the program and individual research projects. The EAC provided concept development, program planning, research project development and mentoring, identification of resources, and evaluation of progress toward stated goals. In some cases, EAC members provided mentoring assistance to Project Leaders for grant proposal development and identified potential national mentors and collaborators. For Core A, the EAC's review was favorable. In their September evaluation, the EAC wrote: """"""""The administrative core and overall direction of the program continue to be outstanding. In the past year, there has been a new faculty hire (Dr. Obar) and partial support for a new bioinformatics support person. The Research-in-Progress seminar series recommended by the EAC last year has been implemented and the external speaker series continues to be successful in attracting research leaders from throughout the country. The leadership is recognized and appreciated by the Project PIs."""""""" The Administrative Core organizes several programs to enhance research experiences and publicize the MSU COBRE Program, namely the national speaker series, participation in the National IDeA Conference (NISBRE) and Regional INBRE-COBRE Conferences, oversight of the Developmental Projects Program (formerly Pilot Projects Program), and support for the Bioinformatics Facility and Research within a cross-campus and interdisciplinary collaborative model. The national speaker series brings world-class infectious disease researchers to MSU campus. The COBRE-sponsored speakers tour labs at MSU and meet with COBRE researchers and students. These visits expose all faculty and students to cutting-edge science and provide informal review of ongoing research. COBRE students and faculty prepare for the seminars by reading journal articles and background science on the speakers'research prior to their visits. The annual research conferences and symposia are important venues that allow project leaders and other important researchers to showcase their research, interact with other researchers who share similar interests, and brainstorm new techniques and ways to expand or improve the science. Starting with COBRE II, the Pilot Projects were renamed as """"""""Developmental Projects"""""""" This aspect of the Core still serves the same function. Namely, Developmental Grants provide vital funds for projects that have been successful in developing larger, federally-funded grants and fostering career development of junior investigators. Our COBRE Center is truly a center in terms of structure and proximity of most participants in one location. Indeed, this structure is facilitated by the fact that the entire Immunology and Infectious Diseases department is involved in the Center. The laboratories and offices of all COBRE Projects, two of the three Developmental Projects, all Cores, the PI and administrative personnel, and nine of the ten Mentors are located within the same building. In addition, this department operates the COBRE BSL-3 and ABSL-2 infectious disease research facilities, which are located within half a mile of the departmental research building. The close proximity of these investigators allows daily communications between investigators and facilitates coordination of interactions between the component projects and Cores. The third Developmental Project is located at UM, and the UM investigator travels to MSU once every other month for the Project Leader-Mentor meetings held concurrently with Center seminars. In addition, this investigator has full access to the Core facilities at MSU and UM, as well as to the BSL-3 facility located at MSU. Finally, the department of Immunology and Infectious Diseases maintains a computer network that interfaces with all computers at MSU. This network allows investigators to directly communicate with each other, including the transmission of data and manuscripts. Thus, this network also facilitates rapid and seamless communication between investigators and Mentors, including those at UM and the Rocky Mountain Laboratories.
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