Dollars to support research and hands-on learning for more than 1000 Maine students
AUGUSTA - Biomedical research and education in Maine received a major shot in the arm today with the announcement of an $18 million grant from the National Center for Research Resources, part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The grant ensures the continuation of the Maine IDeA Network of Biomedical Research Excellence (INBRE), a collaborative network of 12 Maine research laboratories, universities, and colleges led by the Mount Desert Island Biological Laboratory in Bar Harbor. Stretching from South Portland to Fort Kent, the INBRE was created in 2001 to enhance the ability of scientists and students in Maine to conduct cutting edge research and improve their ability to compete successfully for federal research dollars.
The grant will be awarded over 5 years. During that time, more than one thousand Maine high school, undergraduate and graduate students will receive hands-on biomedical research training through research fellowships, short courses, and research assistantships in Maine. In addition, the grant will provide research support for eleven scientists statewide, enabling them to compete for federal grants and bring students into their labs as research assistants. Overall, the grant will support 96 full time research and administrative positions.
In announcing the award at a ceremony at the State House in Augusta this morning, Governor John Baldacci said, “Biomedical research is an increasingly important sector of the Maine economy. Thanks in large part to the Maine INBRE, we will continue building a sophisticated, educated workforce to support research in Maine and enhance our capacity to be a leader in science and technology.” The governor added, “I am particularly pleased that Maine students are learning that they don’t have to leave the state to have a meaningful, rewarding career in science.”
INBRE: Connecting Maine Scientists and Students
The Maine INBRE links two major research institutions, Mount Desert Island Biological Laboratory and The Jackson Laboratory, with the University of Maine, College of the Atlantic; Colby, Bates, and Bowdoin Colleges, the University of Maine at Farmington, Fort Kent, Machias and Presque Isle, as well as Southern Maine Community College. INBRE also fosters outreach to other academic institutions, including Maine high schools, through ongoing symposia, workshops and courses.
Dr. Patricia Hand, Administrative Director of the Mount Desert Island Biological Laboratory (MDIBL) and Principal Investigator on the grant, stated that the grant both recognizes and builds on the remarkable progress of the Maine INBRE since its beginning in 2001. “Over the past eight years, the Maine INBRE has received over $25.6 million from NIH and is making a real difference for biomedical research and education in Maine,” she says. “When students are able to get into a lab and find out for themselves what research is really like, it can have a major impact on their lives. The same is true for young scientists. When they are given the freedom to pursue their own scientific vision, it often leads to thought-provoking discoveries and helps inspire the students they mentor. We see these things happen all the time at MDIBL and other INBRE institutions. It’s exciting to see Maine’s biomedical research sector flourish.”
According to Dr. Hand, a follow-up study conducted in 2008 shows that fully 89 percent of undergraduate students who received hands-on laboratory research training through INBRE and have since graduated are pursuing further education or careers in science or health-related fields. Maine INBRE also supported 15 junior faculty research projects over the past five years. Although the average success rate for scientists applying for federal research grants was only 25 percent over the past decade, INBRE-supported faculty enjoyed a 42 percent success rate, propelling their careers and bringing millions of federal dollars into Maine.
For Dr. Andrew Christie, a scientist at the Mount Desert Island Biological Laboratory, the INBRE program has helped him fulfill his dream of returning to Maine. A native of Farmingdale, Dr. Christie graduated from Bowdoin College and received his Ph.D. from Brandeis University. After spending most of his research career on the West Coast, he was recruited to MDIBL in 2008 from the University of Hawaii. According to Dr. Christie, “As someone who was born and raised in Maine, it has always been my dream to come back here and pursue a career in Science. Thanks to the INBRE grant, that dream has now been realized.”
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