Neurobiology professor named to Beckman advisory board

A University of Kentucky researcher and professor has been named to a prestigious advisory board that gives undergraduate students the opportunity to perform research nationwide.

Diane Snow, an associate professor of neurobiology and researcher in the Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology at the UK Medical Center for the past nine years†and a faculty associate at UK’s Spinal Cord and Brain Injury Research Center since 2001, will serve on the Beckman Foundation Advisory Board in 2006.

The Advisory Board makes recommendations to the Arnold and Mabel Beckman Foundation, which provides grants to research institutions†for undergraduate research opportunities.

“Beckman wants their students to see not only the rudiments of basic science research, but also to be connected to cutting edge research areas that will capture their interests and curiosities and feed their natural motivation and intellect,” Snow said.

Currently, UK has eight Beckman Scholars, including Brandon Sutton, a biology student who Snow is mentoring. The Beckman Foundation recently renewed UK as a Beckman Scholar Institute for a second three-year period. The Foundation provides research scholarships to UK to advance the education, research training and personal development of undergraduate students. Research must be conducted in the fields of chemistry, biochemisty, biology or a medical science discipline.

Snow’s role will be to to collaborate with the panel in reviewing institutional applications and recommend selections for future Beckman Scholar institutions Snow said she particularly values her role as a mentor to Sutton. Mentors, often tenured research professors at the selected institution, work side-by-side with the students, offering them assistance and guidance.† Mentors commit time, effort and resources to the program and are available for consultation with the Beckman Scholars who are encouraged to attend national or international meetings with their mentors and other lab members to present their data.

“Being a mentor for Brandon has been rewarding for me,” Snow said.† “I have learned a great deal about myself as a scientist and mentor – lessons that will help me in the future to do a better job at both.”† Snow hopes that many UK professors will take an interest in becoming a Beckman Scholar mentor.

“With so many superb researchers at UK, the students have many labs to explore and from which to learn and advance,” Snow said.
When selecting Snow to serve on the Advisory Board, the Foundation looked at her area of expertise, axon guidance, primarily in spinal cord injury and regeneration, and her commitment to training young scientists.†Since beginning work at UK, Snow has mentored more than 30 students, ranging†from high school to postdoctoral scholar level.

- Megan M. Powell and Kelley Bozeman