VGN Events - 2008Northeast Regional Life Sciences Core Directors Meeting August 26, 2008 7th Annual Retreat April 16, 2008 Faculty Professional Development Seminar
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Phyllis Spatrick, UMMS, Valerie Scott, Jackson Labs, Susanna Perkins, UMMS, enjoying conversation at the opening reception |
The third annual Northeast Regional Life Sciences Core Directors (NERLSCD) meeting was held Oct. 22-24th at the Sheraton Hotel and Conference Center which provided an opportunity for core facility directors and managers to meet colleagues, to share technical advice, and to discuss the challenges and results of implementing shared research resources and technologies. This gathering attracted 149 attendees from 19 states and one Canadian province representing over 60 institutions. Also in attendance were representatives from the National Center for Research Resources including the deputy director, Louise Ramm. The three day meeting consisted of presentations on topics relevant to all cores directors and managers, as well as technology focused breakout sessions. The meeting was sponsored by multiple institutions in the region with a tremendous amount of logistical support provided by the Vermont Genetics Network and the Vermont Cancer Center.
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Scott Tighe, Senior Research Technician in the Microarray facility, provides a tour for NERLSCD participants from SUNY Albany |
The meeting opened with organized tours through eight core facilities on the University of Vermont campus followed by an evening opening reception that allowed attendees to meet and discuss core technical and operational issues in an informal setting. The tours afforded an opportunity for core directors to showcase their technologies and discuss how they support research investigators and explore what opportunities may exist for regional sharing of resources. The UVM core facilities that opened their doors and welcomed core directors and managers throughout the northeast were VGN Proteomics Mass Spectrometer and Microarray facilities, VCC DNA Analysis facility, Microscopy Imaging Center, COBRE Neuroscience Imaging and Cell and Molecular Biology facilities, X-Ray Crystallography Center, and the UVM Transgenic Mouse Facility.
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Bryan Fleming, VGN Bioinformatics Staff, assists Chris Lytle, Core Director from Dartmouth, to populate the VGN searchable core database |
The meeting officially began with welcoming remarks from Tim Hunter, chair of the NERLSCD organization committee and facility manager of the VGN Microarray and VCC DNA Analysis Facilities, followed by remarks from Dr. Frances Carr, Vice President for Research and Graduate Studies who discussed the critical role core facilities play in expediting research and charged the participants to develop a working document on best practices for shared resource facilities. This first day began with a series of presentations on core technology development, operation, and obstacles relevant to all core facilities. Dr. Judith Van Houten, Director of the Vermont Genetics Network, started the morning session as the keynote speaker and presented a talk on “Building Technology Infrastructure and Sustaining it into the Future”. Dr. Van Houten stressed the importance of careful planning when building new technology infrastructure and shared her approach of ascertaining the need, finding a talented workforce, developing a plan for delivering the service, building a user base, collaborating with administrators, and partnering with other institutions in the region to avoid redundancy. This was a great segue way for a panel discussion that followed with core directors and focused on regional initiatives that are targeted at developing tools to improve core communication and cooperation between core facilities to enhance the science capabilities at their research institutes. Initiatives discussed were the utility of the Vermont Genetics Network’s searchable core database, the formation of a Network of IDeA funded core laboratories (NICL), the New England Regional Translational Research Network, and the Northeast Network Initiative. Matt Stine presented an insightful talk on the information technology solutions developed and implemented at
St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. Systems discussed were a Sciences Resource Management System (SRM) which is a comprehensive workflow and data management package, and TrakIT that serves as a publication tracking system. Steve Bobin, Dartmouth College Core Director, followed with a presentation on Circular A-21 compliance guidelines for chargeback development and stressed the importance of an accurate assessment of aggregate costs of a core service.
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Janet Murray, VGN Outreach Coordinator, discusses her poster with Sheryl White |
A core facility poster session followed the morning talks that promoted and fostered core director networking by providing a chance for them to present posters describing the activities and services their individual cores offer and to view what core services are available at neighboring institutions.
Eleven technology breakout sessions, each led by a panel of experts in which topics of interest were discussed in a roundtable setting, included: DNA sequencing, flow cytometry, microarray, proteomics, transgenics, stem cells, protein characterization and expression, real-time PCR, optical imaging, genotyping, and bioinformatics. University of Vermont breakout session organizers were Dr. Jeffrey Spees for stem cells, Dr. Mercedes Rincon for transgenics, and expert panelists included Mary Lou Shane for real-time PCR and Dr. Jim Vincent for the Bioinformatics panel. The goal of these sessions was to be informal and promote directors to share core successes or failures, protocols, or discuss emerging technologies in the field.
The meeting concluded with closing remarks by George Grills, Director of Core Operations at Cornell University, and discussed the importance of these meeting formats to increase regional awareness and promote sharing. Feedback generated through a post meeting survey has been positive and indicates that participants were appreciative for such a valuable networking opportunity. To learn more about the meeting, please visit:
http://www.nerlscd.org
Open House
August 26, 2008
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The UVM/VGN Proteomics Facility hosted the Second Annual Open House on Tuesday, August 26, 2008 at the University of Vermont. The day began with refreshments, networking and vendor displays. The vendors who attended the open house included EMD Biosciences, Fisher Scientific, Sigma Aldrich and Thermo Scientific.
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The program began with a welcome from Dr. Judith Van Houten, Director of the Vermont Genetics Network. Next, Dr. Dwight Matthews, Co-Director of the VGN Proteomics Core, gave a presentation titled, “An Introduction to Proteomics.” The presentation included an overview of proteomics by using mass spectrometry and the goal was to explain proteomics and take away the mystery.
Next up was Dr. Bryan Ballif Co-Director of the VGN Proteomics Core, who gave a presentation titled, “Large-Scale phosphoproteomic Approaches to Study Cell Signaling Pathways”. Following Dr. Ballif’s presentation the crowd took a break and visited with the vendor representatives.
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After the break, Dr. Tina M. Thornton spoke about “Phosphorylation by p38 MAPK as an Alternative Pathway for GSK3b Inactivation”. Michael J. Previs followed her with a presentation titled, “Using Quantitative Mass Spectrometry to Study Protein Phosphorylation Heart Failure.” Gwen Buel gave the final morning talk titled, “Phosphorylation on Collapsin Response Mediator Protein 1.” The lunchtime seminar was presented by Dr. Alla Zilberman from EMD Biosciences on the subject, “Proteomics Research being done at EMD Biosciences.” |
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After lunch Teri Hart, Program Manager of the Vermont Genetics Network, passed out the door prizes to the lucky winners. Each vendor contributed door prizes for the Open House. Dr. Bin Deng, VGN Proteomics Facility Manager, wrapped up the day and thanked everyone for attending. The Second Annual Open House was a success and served as a great way to introduce researchers to the services available from the UVM/VGN Proteomics Facility. It was also a great networking opportunity for presenters, faculty, and vendors. The VGN Proteomics Facility Staff and Faculty would like to thank the sponsors of this event for such a successful day. |
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Teri Hart passes out door prizes |
7th Annual Retreat
August 13, 2008
| Photography by Patricia Tedesco |
The Vermont Genetics Network (VGN) hosted its 7th Annual Retreat on Wednesday, August 13, 2008 at the DoubleTree Hotel in South Burlington. The day began with a Continental Breakfast/Networking Session and guests had the opportunity to sign up or update their status on our Vermont Science, Engineering and Environment Network (vSEEN) website. Bryan Fleming, VGN IT Specialist, had laptop computers set up to demonstrate how to navigate the website.
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vSEEN Display |
Dr. Scott Page learning about the vSEEN website |
Morning Networking |
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At 9:00 a.m. Dr. Judith Van Houten, VGN Director, opened the program by welcoming all of the guests. Next, three presentations by VGN funded faculty were given. The following faculty members from VGN’s partner colleges spoke about their VGN funded research: |
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During the presentations, the Baccalaureate Partner Institutions (BPI) Coordinators held a workshop to further discuss the culture of research at their institutions. The meeting was attended by the BPI Coordinators from Castleton State College, Johnson State College, and Norwich University.
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(L to R) Dr. Liz Dolci, Johnson State College, Dr. Scott Page, Norwich University, Dr. Honoree Fleming, Castleton State College |
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After a short break, Dr. Judith Van Houten introduced the guest speaker, Dr. Thomas R. Tritton, President and CEO, Chemical Heritage Foundation. He spoke on “The Joy of Science: Research and The Undergraduate Experience” | ||
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| During lunch, Dr. Tritton and Dr. Van Houten met with the BPI College Presidents from Johnson State College, Middlebury College, Norwich University and Saint Michael’s College. They expanded upon the talk that Dr. Tritton had given on “Research and the Undergraduate Experience.” A valuable exchange of information took place and the attendees were provided with suggestions and ideas to assist them at their own institution. |  |
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| Following the wonderful buffet lunch, Nathan Besio, VGN Business Manager, held a business managers meeting for representatives from each of the BPI Institutions. Nathan and Mike Meunier, Assistant Controller-Grants & Contracts Accounting at UVM, gave presentations and had a Q & A Session. | |||||
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While the business managers meeting was being conducted, other attendees networked and visited the posters that were presented by the BPI faculty members and UVM graduate students that had received VGN funding last year. | ||||
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Poster Presentations
Carole Bandy, PhD, Kevin Fleming, PhD, Matthew Kimble, PhD - Norwich University & Middlebury College,
“Physiological, Behavorial, and Cognitive Measures of Implicit Attitudes Toward Middle-Eastern Men as Perceived by Military Cadets at Norwich University”Natalia Blank, PhD, Jennifer Donahue, Angelina Androsova, & Kaitlyn Doolittle - Norwich University,
“Synthesis of Chiral 1/2-diamines via Asymmetric Addition of PhLi to 1,2-diimines”Nick Bruno, Paul Jarvis, & Akie Hashimoto - Saint Michael’s College,
“Mathematical Models for Building Graphical Complexes from DNA”Lara Carlson, PhD, Blair Marelli, PhD, Nicholas Wescott, Travis Martell, & Vanessa Carter - Castleton State College,
“Gene Expression in Peripheral Blood Mononuclear Cells Following Resistance Exercise”Catherine Combelles, PhD - Middlebury College,
“Profiling of Catalase and Glutathione Peroxidase-1 in Developing Follicles of the Bovine Ovary”Joanna Ellis-Monaghan, PhD - Saint Michael's College,
“Minimum Pots for the Usual Suspects”Alison Fisher, PhD - Norwich University,
“Regulation by the Hormone Ethylene: An Overlooked Piece of The Flowering Puzzle”Karen Hinkle, PhD & Emily Poulin - Norwich University,
“Developmental Expression Patterns of Gastric Acid Regulators HDC, H2R, CCKBR, and HKB in the Mouse”Matthew Kimble, PhD, Kevin Fleming, PhD, & Carole Bandy, PhD - Norwich University,
“The Auditory P300 for Novel Stimuli as a Neural Marker for Trauma, PTSD, Depression, and Dissociative Experiences”Mark Spritzer, PhD - Middlebury College,
“Testosterone, Hippocampall Neurogenesis, and Spatial Memory in Adult Male Rats”
Graduate Student Posters
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Beth Rice - University of Vermont,
“Effect of Trans Fatty Acids on Plasma Lipoproteins in Guinea Pigs”Madhurima Saha - University of Vermont,
”Regulation of Synapsins by Phosphorylation and by their Interaction with 14-3-3”
Dr. Van Houten closed the retreat by thanking Dr. Tritton for traveling to Vermont to speak at the retreat. She also thanked all of the faculty members and graduate students who presented posters and gave presentations about their VGN research.
7th Annual Career Day
April 16, 2008
On April 16th, the Vermont Genetics Network (VGN) hosted its 7th Annual Career Day. The event took place at the DoubleTree Hotel in South Burlington, VT. Science oriented students from UVM, and our five Baccalaureate Partner Institutions (BPIs); Castleton State College, Johnson State College, Middlebury College, Norwich University and Saint Michael’s College attended the event. Faculty Advisors from the same colleges attended as well.
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George Kamenos from Johnson State College presents his poster |
Timothy Blood from Norwich University talks to Tim Hunter about his research |
Emily Poulin from Norwich University and her poster |
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Matt Griswold from Middlebury College explains his research |
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Poster award winner Candice Church from Castleton State College |
The evening began with a poster presentation by the students. Undergraduate students that received funding by VGN for INBRE project year two presented posters describing their research projects. The poster presentations were met with interest from all attendees. A panel of judges chose 2 winning posters and awarded a 4GB flash drive to each winner; Candice Church of Castleton State College and Seth Brown from Saint Michael's College.
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Poster award winner Seth Brown from Saint Michael's College |
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Dr. Janet Murray, VGN Outreach Coordinator, served as Master of Ceremonies |
A buffet dinner followed the poster presentation. After dinner, Dr. Janet Murray, VGN Outreach Coordinator, officially welcomed the guests and introduced the panel of speakers. The presentations focused on the individual career paths that each panelist took to arrive at their current careers.
The panelists:
Timothy Graham, MD
Assistant Professor of Medicine
Harvard Medical SchoolColleen McKiernan, PhD Patent Agent
Edwards Angell Palmer & Dodge LLP
Karen Richardson-Nassif, PhD Associate Dean for Faculty and Staff Development
College of Medicine
University of Vermont
James Vincent, PhD Director, Bioinformatics Core
Vermont Genetics Network
University of Vermont
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The presentations were very well received and many of the students asked questions of the panelists at the end of the evening.
VGN funded undergraduate students presented the following posters:
Timothy Blood, Norwich University
“Analysis of Vermont Freshwater Sponges Based upon C01 mtDNA and ITS2 rDNA Gene Sequences”
Seth Brown, Saint Michael's College
“Behavioral Sensitization in Response to Chronic Nicotine Exposure on the DRL 29.5-s Schedule in Rats”
Candice Church, Castleton State College
“Evaluating the Survivability of Escherichia coli 0157:H7 in Seasonal Temperature Pond Water”
Jonathan Downey, Saint Michael's College
“Experimenting with Cholamine - A Novel Reagent for Labeling Metabolites”
Matthew Griswold, Middlebury College
“Radical Additions to Organometallic Arene-Ruthenium Complexes”
David Hughes - Saint Michael's College
“A Comparison of Reinforcer Magnitude and Nicotine Dose on DRL-schedule Performance in Rats”
George Kamenos, Johnson State College
“Effects of Maltitol on Metabolic Response to Intense Exercise”
Charmaine Morris, Norwich University
“Perceiving the Face of Evil: Event-Related Potentials in the Margaret Thatcher Illusion”
Adam Volwiler, Middlebury College
“Magnetic Circular Dichroism of a Methionine Aminopeptidase-Fumagillin Complex”
Additional Posters Presented by Students of VGN Funded Faculty:
Mohammad Almzayyen, Middlebury College
“The Formation of 4-hydroxy-5-methyl-3(2H)-furanone (HMF) from Ribose-5-Phosphate (R5P) - Myth or Fact?”
Aleksey Androsov, Norwich University
“Cell Viability and Growth Analysis of Lampricide-Treated Saccharomyces Cerevisiae”
Andrew Livermore, Middlebury College
“Alteration of Myoglobin by a Glycation Process”
Lauren Pacelli & Ashley Westbrook, Norwich University
“Exercise Intensity Effects on Appetite”
Emily Poulin, Norwich University
“Developmental Expression Analysis of the Gastric Acid Regulators HDC, HR2, CCKBR, and GIF in the Mouse”
Please mark your calendar for the next important VGN gathering:
The VGN Annual Retreat
August 13, 2008
DoubleTree Hotel
9:00 am - 3:30 pm
Keynote Speaker:Thomas Tritton, PhD
President
Chemical Heritage Foundation
Faculty Professional Development Seminar
Hosted by Middlebury College
January 26, 2008
Guest Speaker Jill Salvo, PhD,
Union College
Networking at breakfast
Faculty members from all of our Baccalaureate Partner Institutions (BPIs) were in attendance and enjoyed a networking continental breakfast.
Once the program officially began, Dr. Salvo explained many of the challenges of writing an AREA grant. Her presentation was met with numerous questions as those present gained valuable knowledge that will assist them in their own grant writing.
Grant Writing Tips – Click Here
Seminar Panelists (L to R):
Dr. Jill Salvo, Dr. Catherine Combelles,
Franci Farnsworth and Angela Irvine
Networking at lunch
Once the formal program was over, the group moved into the dining area and further discussed grant writing challenges over lunch (provided by Middlebury College). The afternoon concluded at 1:30 and all participants were extremely complimentary about the entire program. VGN would like to thank Middlebury College BPI Coordinator, Dr. Chris Watters and Grants Manager, Franci Farnsworth, for their efforts in hosting the event.
VGN Proteomics Facility
Open House
July 31, 2007
| The UVM/VGN Proteomics Facility hosted an Open House on Tuesday, July 31, 2007 at the University of Vermont. More than 35 people from UVM, Saint Michael's College, Norwich University, Wellesley College, and other institutions attended this event. The day began with registration, refreshments, and displays by vendor-sponsors. The sponsors of the open house included Shimadzu, Sigma Aldrich, Thermo-Fisher, and Waters. |
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The program began with a welcome from the Vermont Genetics Network (VGN) Director, Dr. Judith Van Houten. Next, Dr. Dwight Matthews, Director of the VGN Proteomics Facility, gave a presentation titled "Proteomics at UVM." He introduced the topic of proteomics and provided introductory information how mass spectrometers are used in protein and peptide analysis, and how the mass spectrometry data can be used to make protein identifications. |
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Following Dr. Matthews' presentation, the attendees had a break to visit with the vendor representatives and to network among themselves. After the break, Dr. Bin Deng, VGN Proteomics Facility Manager, gave a presentation titled "Hot Topics in Proteomics Research." Highlights from his presentation included recent developments and progress towards biomarker discovery for the early diagnostics of human diseases, phosphoproteins identification, and new instrumentation of mass spectrometers and new technologies in proteomics. |
A lunchtime seminar was presented by Shimadzu proteomics specialist, Dr. Rachel Martin. She discussed Shimadzu's latest MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry technology for the biomarker discovery and for tissue imaging.
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The Open House was a successful introduction of the UVM/VGN Proteomics Facility to researchers at UVM and from other institutions in the state. We thank our corporate sponsors of this event and look forward to next year's Proteomics Open House!
6th Annual Career Day
April 18, 2007
On April 18th, the Vermont Genetics Network (VGN) hosted its 6th Annual Career Day. The event took place at the DoubleTree Hotel in
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Dr. Karen Lounsbury, Director, VGN Networking and Professional Development Program, welcomes the guests |
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| Nicholas Arger, |
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| VGN 6th Annual Career Day Panel of Speakers |
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The presentations were well received and numerous questions were asked of the panelists afterward. The evening was a great success and we hope that the undergraduate students will choose science oriented careers of their own one day.
VGN funded undergraduate students presented the following posters:
Nicholas Arger,
"Glutamine Phosphoribosylpyrophosphate Amidotransferase: from Gene to Channeling"
Brian Cook,
"The SloR Metalloregulator Modulates Streptococcus mutans glg Gene Expression"
Suzanne Czerniak,
"The Effects of Caffeine on Pre-Implantation Development"
Thaddeus Davenport,
"Characterization of Osteonectin Complexes Implicated in Atherosclerosis"
Ross Lieb-Lappen,
"The Effect of Surface Roughness on Measured Air-Water Interfacial Areas in
Andrew Reid, Saint Michael's College
"The Effects of Nitrogen and Volume Change in Asian Pitcher Plant Acidity"
Stephen Roy,
"Trainability of Reaction Time, Muscle Power, and Nervous Activation in Young and Old Women"
Julia Schwartzman,
"Optimization of a Dynamic Flow Cell System to Model Streptococcus Mutans Biofilm Formation in the Oral Cavity"
Additional Posters Presented by Students of VGN Funded Faculty:
Andrea Austin, Saint Michael's College
"The Circuit Partition Polynomial and Relation to the Tutte Polynomial"
Laura Beaudin, Saint Michael's College
"A Review of the Potts Model: Its Connection to the Tutte Polynomial and its Application
to Complex Experiments"
Magdalena Bokiej,
"The Reaction of Ribose-5-Phosphate with Myoglobin and Hemoglobin"
Johnathan Kaptcianos, Saint Michael's College
"Applications of Graph Theory for DNA Sequencing and Assembly"
Dave Miller, Saint Michael's College
"Efficient DNA Construction Using Minimization"
Professional Development Seminar
at Norwich University
February 10, 2007
| The Vermont Genetics Network (VGN) hosted its first ever Professional Development Seminar on Saturday, February 10, 2007 at |
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The day began with a Continental Breakfast/Networking session. Faculty members from Castleton State College, Johnson State College, |
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| The morning officially began with a welcome from Associate Provost, Dr. Joe Byrne. |
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He instructed the group to break up into two groups and each group attended one of the two concurrent workshops offered. One workshop titled "How to Set up and Manage a Lab" was led by Dr. Bob Cluss, Professor of Chemistry and Biochemistry, |
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| The other workshop titled "How to Mentor Undergraduate Students" was co-led by Dr. Jeffrey Byers, Professor of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Middlebury College and Dr. Mark Lubkowitz, Associate Professor of Biology, Saint Michael's College. | |||||
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At noon, the entire group met for a buffet lunch. During lunch, Kerry Swift, MS, Technology Licensing Officer, Office of Sponsored Programs at the |
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| After the lunchtime presentation, the group again broke up into two groups and each group attended the alternate workshop being offered. Dr. Byrne brought the day to a close by thanking all the workshop leaders. In addition, he thanked the group for making the trip to |
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5th Annual Retreat
August 16, 2006
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Photography by Patricia Tedesco |
The Vermont Genetics Network (VGN) hosted its 5th Annual Retreat on Wednesday, August 16, 2006 at the DoubleTree Hotel in
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IT Specialist Bryan Fleming shows Dr. Liz Dolci how to use the ERIS Program. |  |
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Morning Networking Session |
| At 9:00 a.m. Dr. Judith Van Houten, VGN Director, opened the program by welcoming all of the guests. |
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Guest Speaker Dr. Maria Pellegrini, |
She then introduced the first guest speaker, Dr. Maria Pellegrini of |
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| The second guest speaker of the morning was Dr. Donald Cronkite of Both presentations were extremely well received. |
Guest Speaker Dr. Donald Cronkite, |
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After a short break, presentations by last year's VGN funded faculty were given. The following faculty members from VGN's partner colleges spoke about their VGN funded research:
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Castleton State College (L) Dr. Mark Fox, BPI Coordinator and Dr. Honoree Fleming, Associate Academic Dean |
During lunch, VGN had a "Building a Culture of Research" workshop that was attended by the coordinators from our five Baccalaureate Partner Institutions (BPI's); Castleton State College, Johnson State College, |
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Johnson State College (L) Dr. Elizabeth Dolci, BPI Coordinator, President Barbara Murphy and Dr. Dan Regan, Academic Dean |
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Norwich University (L) Dr. Joseph Byrne, Associate Provost, Dr. Ed Carney, BPI Coordinator and Dr. Wolf Yeigh, VP of Academic Affairs |
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Following a delicious buffet lunch, the guests who did not attend the workshop networked some more and visited posters presented by UVM graduate students and BPI faculty members that had received VGN funding last year.
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Poster Presentations
Lara Carlson, PhD, Blair Marelli, PhD, William Barry & Scott Levesque -
Sunhee Choi, PhD -
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Robert Cluss, PhD -
Joanna Ellis-Monaghan, PhD - Saint Michael's College, "Graph Polynomials and DNA Structures"
Joanna Ellis-Monaghan, PhD and Laura Beaudin - Saint Michael's College, "The Potts Model Partition Function"
Joanna Ellis-Monaghan, PhD and David Miller- Saint Michael's College, "Minimum Pot Sets for DNA Self-assembly"
Joanna Ellis-Monaghan, PhD and Mary Cox - University of Vermont, "Carbon Knots"
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Bret Findley, PhD - Saint Michael's College, "Further Consideration of Photoexcitation in the Charge Transfer Band of Electron Donor Acceptor Complexes"
Alison Fisher, PhD
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Karen Hinkle, PhD, James Koehler, Lynz Parker and Tom Smith -
"Developmental Expression of the Gastric Acid Regulators Kvlqt 1 and Ae2 in the Mouse"
Karen Hinkle, PhD,
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Brian Kyte, PhD - Saint Michael's College, "Synthesis of Hyaluronic Acid Mimetics to Prevent Metastasis"
Mark Lubkowitz, PhD - Saint Michael's College, "The Role of Oligopeptide Transporters in Seed Development"
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Declan McCabe, PhD and Rebecca Drapp - Saint Michael's College, "Genetic Diversity of Eastern Lampmussel (Lampsilis radiata) Populations in the
Michelle McCauley, PhD and Adela Langrock -
Roger Sandwick, PhD, Nicholas Arger, Magdalena Bokiej and Ryan Gamble -
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Graduate Student Posters
Sunandan Banerjee -
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Phani Garimella -
Katherine Horigan, Russell Hovey, PhD and Josephine Trott, PhD -
"Modeling Mammary Development and its Hormonal Regulation in Swine"
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Pamela Lescault -
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Judith Pachuau -
Dr. Van Houten brought the Retreat to a close by thanking Dr. Pellegrini and Dr. Cronkite for traveling to
Career Day
April 12, 2006
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On April 12th, the Vermont Genetics Network (VGN) hosted its 5th Annual Career Day. The event took place at the DoubleTree Hotel in South Burlington, VT. Science oriented students from UVM, Castleton State College, Johnson State College, Middlebury College, Norwich University and Saint Michael's College were invited to attend. Faculty Advisors from the same colleges were invited to attend as well. |
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The evening began with a poster presentation by the students followed by a buffet dinner. Undergraduate students that were funded by VGN for INBRE project year one academic year research presented posters describing their research projects. The poster presentations were met with interest from all attendees. A panel of judges chose 2 winning posters and awarded a $50 Barnes and Noble Gift Certificate to both Melanie Lussier from Johnson State College and Adam Swick from Middlebury College. |
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The panelists were:
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Eric Buel, PhD |
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Phelan Fretz, PhD |
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Diane Jaworski, PhD |
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Gerry Herrera, PhD |
 Dr. Herrera answered questions from students |
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The presentations were well received and numerous questions were asked of the panelists afterward. The evening was a great success and we hope that the students will consider science oriented careers of their own one day. |
VGN funded undergraduate students presented the following posters:
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 Melanie Lussier, Johnson State College student, won a prize for her outstanding poster on "The Effects of Ginkgo biloba on Oxidative Stress" |
 Adam Swick, Middlebury College student, won a prize for his outstanding poster on "Characterization of the Oxidative Stress Simulon in Streptococcus mutans" |
Please mark your calendar for the next important VGN gathering - the 5th Annual VGN Retreat. The event will be held on Wednesday, August 16, 2006, at the DoubleTree Hotel in South Burlington. Also, look for periodic announcements about the Retreat.
If you would like additional information about the Vermont Genetics Network, contact the VGN office at (802) 656-4087 or by email at Vermont.GeneticsNetwork@uvm.edu.
Vermont Genetics Network
Press Conference Celebrating the $16.5 Million Dollar Grant Award
March 6, 2006
Dr. Barbara Alving, Acting Director of NCRR, Attends the March 6 Press Conference at the University of Vermont (UVM) to Celebrate the $16.5 Million Grant Awarded to the Vermont Genetics Network INBRE
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Listen to the VPR interview here Watch WCAX coverage of the press conference here in a Flash movie Download an MPEG movie file of the coverage - Warning large 67mb file |
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Dr. Barbara Alving visits with Vermont Senator Patrick Leahy and Dr. Judith Van Houten at the reception before the press conference.
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University of Vermont President Daniel Mark Fogel welcomes the guests and discusses the impact VGN has made at the University of Vermont.
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Senator Patrick Leahy formally annouces the $16.5 million grant - the largest single grant ever received at the University of Vermont. | |
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Dr. Judith Van Houten, Director of the Vermont Genetics Network INBRE, thanked the NCRR/NIH and the elected officials for their support. She also thanked the Baccalaureate Partner Institution (BPI) Presidents for their support.
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Vermont Governor Jim Douglas spoke about the contribution VGN has made to the education system in the state of Vermont. | |
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Ms. Kevin Veller, Senator Jeffords Health and Disability Director, spoke on behalf of Vermont Senator Jim Jeffords.
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Mr. Phil Fiermonte, Congressman Sanders District Director - Burlington Office, read a letter of support from Vermont Congressman Bernie Sanders. | |
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Dr. Barbara Alving spoke on behalf of the National Center for Research Resourcess (NCRR) a division of the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
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| Baccalaureate Partner Institution Administrators: | ||
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| Dr. Van Houten and President Fogel with VGN's BPI Administrators. (Bottom left) Dr. Joseph Byrne, Associate Provost, Norwich University (Middle) President Barbara Murphy, Johnson State College (Back row left to right) President Ronald Liebowitz, Middlebury College President Dave Wolk, Castleton State College President Mark vanderHeyden, Saint Michael's College |
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| View the Press Release here VGN Overview VGN Fact Sheet |
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4th Annual Retreat
August 17, 2005
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HELiX Women in Science
Career Day
April 6, 2005
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On April 6th, VGN hosted its 4th Annual Career Day in conjunction with the HELiX Women in Science program. The event took place at Marsh Hall in the Marsh Austin Tupper residential building at the University of Vermont. Science oriented students from UVM, Castleton State College, Johnson State College, Middlebury College, Norwich University and Saint Michael's College were invited to attend. Faculty members from the same colleges were invited to attend as well. Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â The evening began with a poster presentation followed by a buffet dinner. Undergraduate students that were funded by VGN for summer research last summer presented posters describing their research projects. The poster presentations were met with interest from all attendees. A panel of judges chose a winning poster and awarded a $50 Barnes and Noble Gift Certificate to Emma Kosciak. |
 Krista Southworth and Timothy Gauvin present a poster representing their VGN funded research |
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The panelists were:
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Ann Bove, BS |
 Panelists (L to R) Susan Warren, Ann Bove, and Dr. Paul Black |
Paul Black, PhD |
Karen Lounsbury, PhD |
 Panelists Dr. Karen Lounsbury and Ann Bove |
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Ellen Zeman, PhD |
 Panelists (L to R) Dr. Ellen Zeman, Meghan Westwood, and Robert Westwood |
Meghan Westwood, MS, ATC |
 Panelists Meghan and Robert Westwood and Dr. Paul Black answer questions from students |
The presentations were well received and numerous questions were asked of the panelists afterward. The evening was a great success and we hope that the students will consider science oriented careers of their own one day. |
 Ann Bove and Susan Warren visit with students and faculty from Johnson State College |
Please mark your calendar for the next important VGN gathering - the 4th Annual VGN Retreat. The event will be held on Wednesday, August 17, 2005, at the Clarion Hotel in South Burlington. Also, look for periodic announcements about the Retreat.
If you would like additional information about the Vermont Genetics Network, contact Teri Hart, VGN Project Coordinator, at (802) 656-4087 or by email at Vermont.GeneticsNetwork@uvm.edu.
For information about the HELiX Women in Science Program, contact the HELiX office at (802) 656-0706 or by email at helix@uvm.edu.
3rd Annual Retreat
August 11, 2004
| The Vermont Genetics Network (VGN) held its 3rd Annual Retreat on Wednesday, August 11, 2004 at the Clarion Hotel in South Burlington. The day began with a Continental Breakfast/Networking session. Dr. Judith Van Houten, VGN Director, opened the program by welcoming all of the guests. |  Dr. Judith Van Houten, VGN Director |
The next item on the agenda was presentations. The following faculty members from the University of Vermont as well as faculty from VGN's partner colleges spoke about their VGN funded research:
- Dain LaRoche, PhD, Johnson State College, "Effect of Stretching on Passive Muscle Properties"
- Declan McCabe, PhD, Saint Michael's College "Impacts of Zebra Mussels on Foraging and Habitat Choice of Endangered Lake Sturgeon (acipenser fulvescens)"
- Karen Lounsbury, PhD, University of Vermont, "Microarray Facility"
- Mark Lubkowitz, PhD, Saint Michael's College, "Microarray Outreach"
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Dain LaRoche, PhD, Johnson State College, presents his research |  |
Karen Lounsbury, PhD, University of Vermont, gave a presentation about the UVM/VGN/VCC Microarray Facility. |
| After a short break, Dr. Van Houten introduced our guest speaker, Dr. Wayne Frankel, Senior Scientist, from The Jackson Laboratory, Bar Harbor, Maine. His presentation was titled "Neurological Mutations and Modeling for Epilepsy and Other Brain Disorders in Mice". The audience appreciated his presentation and also enjoyed learning more about The Jackson Laboratory. |  Keynote Speaker, Wayne Frankel, PhD, Senior Scientist, The Jackson Laboratory, Bar Harbor, Maine |
Faculty:
- Jeffrey Bond, University of Vermont, "Bioinformatics Core"
- Joanna Ellis-Monaghan, Saint Michael's College, "Graph Polynomials and DNA Sequencing"
- Bret Findley, Saint Michael's College, " Association in Ground State Electron Donor Acceptor Complexes"
- Douglas Green, Saint Michael's College, "Reproductive Success in Sugar Maple: A Genetic and Ecological Analysis"
- Ahmad Chaudhry/Tim Hunter, University of Vermont, "Microarray Facility"
- James Larrabee, Middlebury College, "Zebra Mussels as Monitors of Heavy Metals in the Water Column of Lake Champlain"
- Mark Lubkowitz, Saint Michael's College, "Characterization of an Oligopeptide Transport Gene Family from Oryza Sativa"
- Carlos Velez, Middlebury College, "Gathering Valid Data on Alcohol Use and Sexual Behavior: An Internet Daily Follow Up of Sexual Risk-Taking Under the Influence"
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Joanna Ellis-Monaghan, PhD, St. Michael's College, presents a poster on her VGN funded summer research. |  |
Bret Findley, PhD, St. Michael's College, presents a poster on his VGN funded summer research. |
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Jim Larrabee, PhD, Middlebury College, presents a poster on his VGN funded summer research to Judith Van Houten. |  |
Mark Lubkowitz, PhD, St. Michael's College, presents a poster on his VGN funded summer research. |
Graduate Students - University of Vermont:
- Francesco Fedele, "Boundary Element Solution of the Coupled Fluorescence Diffusion Equations"
- Andrew Schannen, "Expression of Chloride Cotransporters in Olfactory Neurons"
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Franco Fedele, UVM Graduate Student, presents his VGN funded research |  |
Andrew Schannen, UVM Graduate Student, presents his VGN funded research |
| Dr. Van Houten brought the Retreat to a close by giving gift certificates to the graduate students who presented posters. In addition, Dr Van Houten gave a sincere thank you to Dr. Frankel and all the faculty members who gave presentations about their VGN funded research. |  Dr. Frankel talks with Retreat guests |
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Declan McCabe, PhD, St. Michael's College, talks with Diane Jaworski, PhD, UVM. Dr. McCabe gave a presentation during the program regarding his VGN funded research. |
If you would like to learn more about the Vermont Genetics Network, feel free to contact the VGN office at (802) 656-4087 or you can visit the entire VGN website.
3rd Annual Career Day
April 15, 2004
| On April 15th, VGN hosted its 3rd Annual Career Day in the Billings Student Center at the University of Vermont. Science oriented students from UVM, Castleton State College, Johnson State College, Middlebury College, Norwich University and Saint Michael's College were invited to attend. Faculty members from the same colleges were invited to attend as well. |  |
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The evening began with a buffet dinner. Before, during and after dinner the newly funded Summer Intern undergraduate students from the various colleges had an opportunity to meet their UVM graduate student mentor. |
| Although most of the student interns will be doing their research at their respective institutions with a research advisor, all felt that it will be very beneficial to have the support of a UVM mentor as well. |  |
This year, the undergraduate students that were funded for summer research last summer presented posters describing their research projects. The poster presentations were met with interest from all attendees.
Poster Presentations |
 Harmeet Sachdeva Poster Presenataion |
 Amrita Sarkar Poster Presentation |
 Joshua Schoenly Poster Presentation |
The presenters and corresponding research project title are as follows:
Patrick Bafuma, Saint Michael's College
"The Characterization of an OligoPeptide Transport Family of Oryza Sativa"
Stacy Brendtro, Middlebury College
"A Dlg Metalloregulator Modulates Gene Involved in the Streptococcus Mutans Oxidative Stress Response and Biofilm Formation"
Ryan DuBois, Saint Michael's College
"Effects of Zebra Mussel Colonization on Foraging Success and Habitat Choice of the Logperch Percina caprodes"
Ryan Larson, Saint Michael's College
"Transcription- Associated Mutation at the CAN1 Locus in Saccharoymces cerevisiae"
Shane Lynch, Johnson State College
"The Effects of Lower Body Flexibility Training on the Pelvic Angle and Standing Posture"
Julie Nicole, Johnson State College
"Linking the Amyloid Precursor Protein to Alzheimer's Disease"
Jessica Rabideau, Saint Michael's College
"The Effects of Solvent on Electron Donor Acceptor Complexes"
Amrita Sarkar, Middlebury College
"Homology Modeling of Penicillin Binding Proteins in Borrelia burgdorferi"
Joshua Schoenly, Saint Michael's College
"Reevaluation of the Ground State Equilibrium Constant of Association for Electron-Donor-Acceptor Complexes"
Kyle Viani, Middlebury College
"Cloning of the Borrelia burgdorferi 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-CoA Reductase"
Kyle Von Hasseln, Middlebury College
"When Mutualism Collapses into Parasitism: the Robbing and Raiding Behaviors of Bombus impatiens (bumblebee) on Impatiens capensis (jewelweed)"
After dinner, the entire group gathered in the Marsh Lounge to listen to the panel of speakers. The presentations focused on the career paths that each panelist followed to arrive at their current careers.
The panelists were:
| Denise Bonyun, MS, CSC Genetic Counselor Vermont Regional Genetics Center Fletcher Allen Health Care |
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Paul Hale, PhD Associate Vice President for Research & Economic Development, UVM and Executive Director, Vermont Technology Council, UVM |
Mark Lubkowitz, PhD Assistant Professor Biology Department Saint Michael's College |
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Alissa Thompson Research Associate GlyFi Co. |
The presentations were excellent and the guests were encouraged to ask questions of the panelists. The students commented afterward that it was interesting and helpful to hear about what others had been though in their careers.
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The evening was a great success and we look forward to working with these promising, science students throughout the summer. |
Please mark your calendar for the next important VGN gathering - the 3rd Annual VGN Retreat. The event will be held on Wednesday, August 11, 2004, at the Clarion Hotel in South Burlington. Also, look for periodic announcements about the Retreat.
Career Day Attendees |
 Kyla Rathbone -Registration |
 Mentors Adam Hunt & Brian LaFranchi |
 Malcolm Lippert and Jeremy Ward |
 Paul Hale & Christopher Allen , Co-Director,VGN |
 Tim Hunter & Bret Findley |
If you would like additional information about the Vermont Genetics Network, contact Teri Hart, VGN Project Coordinator, at (802) 656-4087 or by email at Vermont.GeneticsNetwork@uvm.edu.
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1st Annual Graduate Student Career Day
March 24, 2004
On March 24th, VGN hosted its 1st Annual Graduate Student Career Day in Waterman Manor in the Waterman Building at the University of Vermont. Science oriented graduate students from UVM were invited to attend the event to learn first-hand about various types of science careers.
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We hosted an evening event that began with a buffet dinner. Before and during dinner, the graduate students had an opportunity to network with each other as well as UVM faculty and the guest panelists. |
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After dinner, VGN Co-Directors Judith Van Houten and Christopher Allen welcomed the guests and introduced the panel of guest speakers. The panelists gave presentations focused on the career paths that each followed to arrive at their current careers. |
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The presentations were excellent and the students were impressed with descriptions of what each panelist experienced before reaching their current career. A question and answer period gave further clarification to the presentations. |
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The evening was well received by the graduate students and many indicated that it was most helpful to hear about different types of careers that are associated with science. |
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2nd Annual Retreat
August 13, 2003
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For more information about the Vermont Genetics Network, please contact the VGN office at: |
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2nd Annual Career Day
April 16, 2003
On April 16th, VGN hosted its 2nd Annual Career Day in the Billings Student Center at the University of Vermont. Science oriented students from UVM, Castleton State College, Johnson State College, Middlebury College, Norwich University and Saint Michael’s College were invited to attend. Faculty members from the same colleges were invited to attend as well.
This year, we hosted an evening event that began with a buffet dinner. Before and during dinner, the newly funded Summer Intern undergraduate students from the 
various colleges had an opportunity to meet their VGN graduate, medical or post doctoral student mentor. Although most of the student interns will be doing their research at their respective institutions with a research advisor, all felt that it will be very beneficial to have the help of a UVM mentor as well.
After dinner, the group gathered in the Marsh Lounge to listen to a panel presentation. The presentations focused on the career paths that each panelist followed to arrive at their current careers.
The panelists were:
| Marilyn Cipolla, PhD Assistant Professor of Neurology University of Vermont |
Robert Long Graduate Research Assistant Fish and Wildlife Institute, UVM |
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| Johanna Polsenberg, PhD Marine Ecologist Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science |
Steven Shapiro, MD VT Deputy Chief Medical Examiner VT Department of Health |
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| Elisabeth Wegner, MD Assistant Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology University of Vermont |
The presentations were excellent and the guests were encouraged to ask questions of the panelists. The students were impressed with descriptions of what each panelist experienced before reaching their current career.
The evening was a huge success and we look forward to working with these promising, science students throughout the summer.
Please mark your calendar for the next important VGN gathering - the 2nd Annual VGN Retreat. The event will be held on Wednesday, August 13, 2003, at the Clarion Hotel in South Burlington. Also, look for periodic announcements about the Retreat.
If you would like additional information about the Vermont Genetics Network, contact Teri Hart, VGN Project Coordinator, at (802) 656-4087 or by email at Vermont.GeneticsNetwork@uvm.edu.
First Annual Retreat
August 14, 2002
The Vermont Genetics Network (VGN) held its first annual Retreat on August 14, at UVM’s Marsh Hall. The purpose of the Retreat was to bring together students and faculty from UVM as well as other VGN associated colleges; Johnson State College, Middlebury College, Norwich University and Saint Michael’s College.
| VGN Co-Directors Christopher Allen, PhD and Judith Van Houten, PhD welcomed the guests, summarized selected achievements of the first year including the establishment of the microarray facility and officially kicked off the Retreat! One of the highlights of the day was the presentation of talks and posters by the VGN-funded undergraduate students, who summarized the summer research they had done.
First prize was awarded to Andrea Klayman |
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College, who gave a presentation on her research topic “Linking Alzheimer’s Disease to Notch Signaling”. Julie worked at the University of Vermont over the summer with Rae Nishi, PhD who served as her mentor. Congratulations go to all of the students on the outstanding job they did with their summer research! .
Next on the agenda was a three part session. Four groups of students were taken on a tour of some of the following UVM science facilities: the Microarray facility, the DNA Analysis facility, the Flow Cytometry facility, the Life Science Computer Center, the Molecular Modeling facility, the Cell Imaging facility and the Center for X-ray Crystallography. Many thanks |
The Faculty attended a Bioinformatics workshop given by Jeffrey Bond, PhD, and Director of the VGN Bioinformatics Core. Dr. Bond gave an overview of the Bioinformatics Core and its services to VGN faculty and
| students. In addition, VGN faculty gave their input on what types of educational workshops they would like to receive from the Bioinformatics Core.
Following the workshop was a networking session directed by Dr. Allen inviting VGN faculty to share their comments, suggestions and ideas on how the Vermont Genetics Network can facilitate research partnerships between faculty at higher educational institutions across the state. We invite faculty from all colleges to continue to share their comments. Contact us at Vermont.GeneticsNetwork@uvm.edu |
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At 12:30, everyone met back in Marsh Dining Hall and a buffet lunch was served.
The featured guest speaker of the day was William Bress, PhD, DABFT, Chief of Environmental Health and Toxicology/State Toxicologist with the Vermont Department of Health, who gave an “eye-opening” presentation on “Bioterrorism Issues Since 9/11”, a topic on which this country must become more educated. Dr Bress answered the many questions from the enthusiastic crowd. The Retreat wrapped up at 2:00 pm with a sincere thank you from |
For more information about the Vermont Genetics Network, please contact the VGN office at:
Go to: Retreat Poster and Presentation Information
Go to: Retreat Attendees
1st Annual Career Day
April 13, 2002
On April 13th, VGN hosted its 1st Annual Career Day in the Billings Student Center at the University of Vermont. Science oriented students from UVM, Johnson State College, Middlebury College, Norwich University and Saint Michael’s College were invited to attend. Faculty members from the same colleges were invited to attend
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as well. The morning began with refreshments and a “meet and greet” session. Many of the students in attendance had received Student Summer Internships from VGN to do summer research with a faculty member at their respective institutions or at UVM. The group then gathered in the Marsh Lounge to listen to a panel presentation. The presentations were excellent and the guests were encouraged to ask questions of the panelists. |
Invited guests to speak to the group about their own careers in science were:
• Elizabeth Allen, PhD
Director of the Cytogenetics Laboratory
Fletcher Allen Health Care
• Eric Buel, PhD
Director, Vermont Forensic Laboratory
Department of Public Safety
• Sunhee Choi, PhD
Professor, Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry
Middlebury College
• Charles Goodnight, PhD
Professor, Department of Biology
University of Vermont
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Lunch followed in the “round room” at Billings. The students and mentors had additional time to get acquainted. The morning was topped off for the students with tours of their mentor’s labs.
All in all, the morning was quite a success and we look forward to working with these promising, science students throughout the summer. The next VGN gathering will be on Wednesday, August 14, 2002 for an all day Retreat which will be held in the Marsh Dining Hall in Marsh Hall. So mark your calendars. Also, look for periodic announcements about the Retreat on August 14th. |
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If you would like additional information about the Vermont Genetics Network, contact Teri Hart, VGN Project Coordinator, at (802) 656-4087 or by email at Vermont.GeneticsNetwork@uvm.edu
