This subproject is one of many research subprojects utilizing the resources provided by a Center grant funded by NIH/NCRR. The subproject and investigator (PI) may have received primary funding from another NIH source, and thus could be represented in other CRISP entries. The institution listed is for the Center, which is not necessarily the institution for the investigator. Professional Development BPI Career Day Panels The goal of the Career Day panel presentations at BPI colleges is to reach a broader audience of students and junior faculty and to present panelists that are alumni or more specific to the needs of the BPI. These panels are held throughout the academic year and are attended by 20-30 students and 5-10 faculty members. The BPI coordinators assist in choosing appropriate panelists and contributing ideas for specific panel members. The panels are informative for the students and rewarding for the panelists. Feedback from faculty and students will be put forth to improve the panel organization and content for the upcoming years. Middlebury College Science Career ?October 24, 2009 BPI Coordinator, Robert Cluss, organized by Middlebury Career Services Super Saturday Careers in Science Presentation Karen Lounsbury worked directly with Middlebury College's Career Services to secure panelists. Panel Presentation at St. Michael's College ?March 3, 2010 BPI Coordinator, Alayne Schroll, SMC Career Services, Christine Clary Timothy Hunter, Research Analyst, Vermont Cancer Center Heather Ellis, Sustainability Coordinator, St. Michael's College *Jason Charest, Chittenden County Metropolitan Planning Organization *Karrie Godburn, Engineering Graduate Student, UVM Panel Presentation at Norwich University ?April 1, 2010 BPI coordinator, Scott Paige Eric Buell, PhD, Director of the Vermont Forensic Laboratory, State of Vermont Karen Lounsbury, PhD, Associate Professor of Pharmacology, UVM Michael Sinclair, PhD, Founder and Director, Microcheck, Northfield, VT *Samantha Allen, Research Scientist, Dartmouth College * Alumni of the BPI Upcoming panels are planned at Johnson and Castleton State Colleges. UVM Undergraduate Career Day ?April 14, 2010 The 10th Annual Undergraduate Career Day will be held at the Doubletree Hotel in Burlington, VT, April 14, 2010. The event will encompass poster presentations by VGN-funded undergraduates as well as a career panel made up of established scientists with a variety of careers. As in previous years, the goal is to bring students and faculty together in an environment that is rich with scientific interest and with a focus on future student goals. The discussion session will enable the students to see different career paths, and the diversity of future positions will give them an opportunity to see a range of possibilities for which to use their training. Coordinators, Julie Paris and Karen Lounsbury Elizabeth Bundock, MD, Deputy Chief Medical Examiner, Vermont Department of Health Elena Ramirez, PhD, Psychologist, Vermont Center for Cognitive Behavior Therapy Allan Thompson, Forestry Consultant, Northern Stewards *Grace Dickinson Branon, DDS, Dickinson and Branon Dental Care This year we continued to diversify the background of panelists and maintain the number of alumni represented on the panels. These goals were achieved and feedback from the student attendees was positive with respect to those aspects. Attendance was at an all-time high for the panels, likely reflecting the difficult economic climate for employment. __________________________________________________ Core Highlights for VGN Outreach This has been a very busy year for the VGN outreach team with 12 total teams working with 8 colleges on our three different outreach modules. We are seeing more investment from our partner colleges in terms of curricula integration and increased budgetary investments. Microarray Outreach In the 2009/2010 academic year we taught the microarray module to five of our outreach partners. To date, we have delivered Microarray outreach multiple times to each of our 8 current outreach sites. Five of these colleges have or are planning to integrate this module into their curricula. Faculty at two of these sites, (Norwich University and Green Mountain College) were able to obtain department funds to support a large portion of the module's cost during the 2009/2010 academic year. Other colleges are beginning to cover the costs of disposable items as a way to invest more in the program. Microarray outreach was also taught to Bates College in Maine. Maine is an IDEA state with an active INBRE program. This was our first attempt at collaborating with another INBRE state to share our outreach program. This very successful initial delivery, to a small class of 4 students, will hopefully grow to an ongoing collaboration in a larger class setting. Bioinformatics Outreach The Bioinformatics module was taught to two new colleges during the 2009/2010 academic year (Castleton State College and Lyndon State College). The faculty member at Lyndon State College is planning to integrate this module into a course offered every two years. An adjunct faculty member at Castleton State College offered this course. He is currently looking at a position at another undergraduate college in Vermont and has already inquired about using the tutorial in this future position. The bioinformatics module is continually being upgraded as the links change and databases mature. Our newest upgrade is the incorporation of video guides to the tutorial. The initial feedback from the students enrolled in bioinformatics tutorial is very positive. The module can be viewed at www.vgnoutreach.com/. As already demonstrated this course will be integrated into curricula at different colleges readily and we will assist at a management level after the initial delivery to all of our outreach sites. Our role in curriculum integration is to maintain the site with yearly updates and to provide any necessary supporting in regards to the management system or faculty questions. Proteomics Outreach The Proteomics Outreach Module is our newest outreach module. It was developed during 2008 and beta tested at UVM in the spring of 2009. The module was first taught at Saint Michael's College (16 students) and Johnson State College (7 students) in the fall of 2009 and spring of 2010 respectively. The faculty member at Saint Michael's college is planning to integrate the module into a yearly course starting in the spring of 2011. This course begins with protein purification, followed by 2D gel electrophoresis and Mass Spectrometry. We have seen a growing interest in this course, with faculty at Norwich University and Green Mountain College requesting delivery in the fall of 2010. We are seeing an increase in the number of students being introduced to the cutting edge science modules being delivered by the VGN outreach program The Association of Biomolecular Resource Facilities (ABRF) Education Committee Dr. Janet Murray, the VGN Outreach Coordinator, became a member of The Association of Biomolecular Resource Facilities (ABRF) Education Committee in 2009. This committee is responsible for; the organization of Satellite Workshops and associated travel awards coupled with the annual ABRF meeting, working with MARC undergraduate students (Minority Access to Research Careers) recruited to the meeting through FASEB (Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology) and poster awards based on scientific merit and innovation in technology. Dr. Murray has initiated the formation of a subcommittee focusing on outreach associated with core facilities. This subcommittee's initial emphasis will be to build a resource for sharing outreach ideas and protocols as well as exploring ways to implement outreach to local students at the ABRF annual meeting and smaller regional core director meetings throughout the nation.
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