At Marymount College Tarrytown, a liberal arts college for women, Dr. Carl Hoegler, Extramural Associate is submitting a competitive renewal proposal for continuance of EARDA (Phase II) to encouraging faculty and students to pursue biomedical and behavioral research and research training. This new Plan will build on progress during Phase I to strengthen the research and communication infrastructure. The Office of Information Exchange will continue to publish a regular newsletter and update its Web page highlighting campus researchers and announcing new grants. Contacts with researchers at new external research sites will be pursued. Through incentives, an increase in the number of grant proposals written and in the number of faculty and students involved in research and participation in intercollegiate conferences will take place. The regular series of lecture and field trips will increase the number of students involved in research and research training. The College expects to develop a more formal network with external researchers, leading to more collaborative ventures. One particular mission is to develop a strategy for increasing the number of successful grants through greater interaction with grant program directors as well as contact with grants offices at other colleges, and by way of grant consultants. There will be an increase in collaboration between grant writers and the development office, so that more proposals are submitted to both governmental agencies and private foundations. Since a new departmental concentration in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology has just been approved, and the recent General Education CAP (career achievement portfolio) program will be soon effective, these may offer opportunities for students to undertake more mentored research projects. In collaboration with the faculties of nutrition, psychology and biology, EARDA funding for an eating disorders conference on campus in 2003 is being sought. This will involve the participation of students, experts and faculty of these departments in an interdisciplinary educational venture that will promote an understanding of a serious health problem, common to women. Anticipation of the future conference will facilitate involvement of faculty and students in research activities in this area.
