By Jennifer Bonck

Research incentive grants foster collaboration between research and comprehensive universities. Students and faculty at comprehensive universities such as EKU are given the opportunity to use the facilities and resources available at larger research institutions such as UK. This educational collaboration benefits students, faculty and their research.

Aug. 6, 2001 (Lexington, Ky.) -- The first symposium resulting from a Kentucky Statewide Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR) grant involving the University of Kentucky and Eastern Kentucky University was held on July 31.

The symposium was held at the Labrot & Graham Conference Center. Speakers included Clive Slaughter, Ph.D., St. Jude Childrens' Research Hospital, and David Petering, Ph.D., University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, as well as members of the UK and EKU chemistry and biochemistry faculties. Talks on proteomics and protein chemistry were followed by grant writing groups.

The grants are collaborative research efforts of the UK College of Medicine Department of Molecular Biochemistry and the EKU Department of Chemistry. One project funds a series of workshops and seminars to pursue research efforts in bioinformatics, proteomics and biochemistry. The other project facilitates a summer program for two EKU undergraduate chemistry majors. The students have been working at UK this summer, conducting laboratory work, presenting papers and posters, and participating in journal clubs.

Research incentive grants foster collaboration between research and comprehensive universities. Students and faculty at comprehensive universities such as EKU are given the opportunity to use the facilities and resources available at larger research institutions such as UK. This educational collaboration benefits students, faculty and their research.

For information on future seminars, contact Frank Shaw, Ph.D., professor and chairperson, Department of Chemistry, EKU Department of Chemistry, at (859) 622-1456, or David Rodgers, Ph.D., assistant professor of biochemistry, UK College of Medicine, Department of Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry, at (859) 257-5205.