Arkansas INBRE Project Summary
Administrative Core | Bioinformatics Core | Mentoring Core
Science Research Core | Outreach Core
The Arkansas IDeA Network of Biomedical Research Excellence (INBRE) is a statewide network of collaborative partnerships to expand biomedical research capacity in Arkansas. The Arkansas INBRE builds upon infrastructure developed during the BRIN Phase, and features the three research-intensive institutions in the state - the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS); the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville (UAF); and the University of Arkansas at Little Rock (UALR) -which provide scientific leadership.
Fourteen investigators from seven partner institutions, Arkansas State University, Hendrix College, John Brown University, Lyon College, Ouachita Baptist University the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff, and the University of Central Arkansas, with their mentors from the lead institutions (UAMS, UAF, & UALR), will conduct research within the overall theme of Cellular Signaling, Growth, and Differentiation.
The Administrative Core, directed by Drs. Lawrence Cornett and Helen Beneš, coordinates all Arkansas INBRE activities. The Arkansas INBRE will continue its commitment started in the BRIN Phase to expand opportunities for underrepresented groups. The UAMS Center for Diversity Affairs will assist the Administrative Core in identifying promising minority faculty and students, and will offer courses to minority undergraduate students to improve their performance on standardized entrance examinations for graduate and professional schools.
Communication among INBRE participants is facilitated by inSORS® Access Grid Studios and Executive Stations linked through Internet2 to facilitate group-to-group interactions among researchers.
The Bioinformatics Core, a major component of the Arkansas INBRE, led by Drs. Mary Good, of UALR and co-directors Steve Jennings, of UALR and Tom Kieber-Emmons of UAMS, will continue to be a statewide research and educational resource to give undergraduate faculty and students access to the computational tools needed for multidisciplinary biomedical research.
The Arkansas INBRE also supports a Science Research Core, directed by Dr. Roger Koeppe, of UAF, that consists of a Genomics Facility led by Dr. Charlotte Peterson, Proteomics Facility led by Dr. Kevin Raney, and a Digital Microscopy Facility led by Dr. Richard Kurten. These facilities provide investigators access to sophisticated instrumentation and workshops in experimental design and use.
The Mentoring Core, directed by Dr. Helen Beneš of UAMS, facilitates interactions between undergraduate researchers and their mentors via regular meetings of the neuroscience and cancer research focus groups, and a Mentoring Advisory Committee.
The Outreach Core, directed by Dr. Donald Bobbitt of UAF, will provide mentored summer research opportunities to additional non-INBRE undergraduate faculty and students throughout the state. Additionally an annual statewide conference will be held at the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville that will be open to all science faculty and students.
Through further enhancement of research infrastructure, particularly at undergraduate institutions, the Arkansas INBRE will improve the ability of academic researchers to compete for federal funding, increase the number of undergraduate students who choose careers in biomedical research, and stimulate the growth of biotechnical industries in Arkansas.
Updated 12/20/2006
The Arkansas INBRE is Supported by a grant from the
National Institutes of Health
and the
National Center
for Research Resources (P20 RR-16460).
Please contact Caroline Miller Robinson regarding questions or comments about this site or our program. For more information about the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences visit http://www.uams.edu.
