June 2008

At the Eighth Annual University of Kansas – Haskell Indian Nations University Research Symposium April 29 on the Haskell campus, more than 30 bright, young scientists talked about saving lives, improving drug effectiveness and protecting our water resources. Read more >>

Also in this issue...


	Spinning Straw into Gold Tanner Welsch of Fort Hays State University decided at a young age to dedicate his life to learning and to helping others.

	Good Connections The “N” in K-INBRE stands for Network, and Gerry Lushington takes readers on a tour of the connections that bring geographically dispersed campuses together in one virtual room to work for better tomorrows.


	Driving Force Today, more Kansas students are pursuing health sciences careers, and 10 campuses are linked through an interactive network to support biomedical research.

	Standout Scientists Earn Funding The K-INBRE recognizes outstanding researchers with awards totaling $1,103,325.

	What’s Happening? Upcoming Events

It's a First!

Welcome to the first edition of our online K-INBRIEF to bring you news from the Kansas IDeA Network of Biomedical Research Excellence, a $25.6 million research initiative designed to boost biomedical research capacity and strengthen a life sciences work force for Kansas. Funded by the National Center for Research Resources at the National Institutes of Health, the K-INBRE serves students and faculty on 10 campuses.

Our K-INBRIEF masthead image is a time-lapse movie of avian heart development, depicting the substantial motion of both endothelial cells and their surrounding extracellular matrix as the bilateral heart tubes roll up and fuse at the midline. (Computational Imaging Group at the University of Kansas Medical Center: Charles Little, Brenda Rongish, Andras Czirok, Alan Petersen, Michael Filla and Tracey Cheuvront.)

JUNE 2008 next >>

Publisher and K-INBRE Director
Joan S. Hunt

Associate Director
Peter Smith

Assistant Director
Heiata Chapman

Administrative Assistant
Janette Lyon

Undergraduate Support Core Director
S. Keith Chapes

Bioinformatics Core Director
Gerald Lushington

K-INBRIEF Managing Editor
Renee VanErp

K-INBRIEF Design
Karen Chinn

Campus Coordinators:
K. J. Abraham, Langston University; Janice Barton, Washburn University; Tim Burnett, Emporia State University; S. Keith Chapes, Kansas State University; Bridgett Chapin, Haskell Indian Nations University; William Hendry, Wichita State University; Michael Madden, Fort Hays State University; James Orr, Kansas University—Lawrence; and Virginia Rider, Pittsburg State University.

K-INBRIEF is published by the Kansas IDeA Office based at the University of Kansas Medical Center, 3901 Rainbow Blvd., Mail Stop 3050, Kansas City, Kansas 66160-7104. For additional information, contact Renee VanErp, 913-588-9819.

This newsletter is made possible by NIH Grant # P20 RR16475 from the INBRE program of the National Center for Research Resources. Its contents are solely the responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official views of NIH. To learn more about the K-INBRE, visit www.kumc.edu/kinbre.