December 17, 2009
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - The University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) has been named a National Genomics Research Initiative (NGRI) site by the Howard Hughes Medical Institute's Science Education Alliance.
UAB was one of just 12 universities nationwide selected in 2009 for the prestigious NGRI. Under the initiative, UAB will offer a specialized research course for 20 hand-selected undergraduate students through the university's Department of Biology.
"Based on the guidelines, we will develop an intensive laboratory course with a focus on sequencing the genomes of specific bacterial viruses. The course will offer an authentic research experience for 20 freshman and sophomore students," said Denise Monti, Ph.D., a research associate in the School of Medicine who will serve as the primary NGRI course instructor at UAB.
Under a unique interdisciplinary instructor-mentor partnership, Monti will develop and implement the program with guidance and direction from Asim Kumar Bej, Ph.D., professor of biology. The two said they are excited to collaborate on this blended-learning course that will integrate a genuine research component into the classroom experience.
"Typical undergraduate research is conducted with a research faculty member and maybe another student in what is traditionally a very isolated environment," Monti said. "The NGRI will have a much broader impact, reaching, engaging and influencing a much larger group of students."
Monti believes that UAB was a prime candidate for the NGRI program based on the university's reputation for entrepreneurship and longstanding tradition of supporting research at the undergraduate level, including the annual publication Inquiro, one of the country's only peer-reviewed undergraduate research journals.
"UAB exemplifies the NGRI commitment to growing undergraduate research opportunities," said Robert Fischer, Ph.D., chair of the Department of Biology. "No is not a word we use too often at UAB, as our faculty and staff embraces the potential of all ideas and opportunities as they relate to improving the undergraduate-student experience."
The NGRI research course in genomics at UAB begins in August 2010. The Howard Hughes Medical Institute's Science Education Alliance will provide funding assistance for the course over three consecutive academic years, supplying student research kits, paying for faculty training sessions and offering infrastructure support.
About Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI)
HHMI, a non-profit medical research organization that ranks as one of the nation's largest philanthropies, plays a powerful role in advancing biomedical research and science education in the United States. The institute spent $730 million for research and distributed $101 million in grant support for science education in fiscal year 2009.
About the UAB Department of Biology
The UAB Department of Biology is a dynamic academic partnership that provides a broad-based graduate and undergraduate curriculum. Most members of the graduate faculty have research specialties in comparative biochemistry, physiology and eco-physiology of aquatic organisms. A second, important department research focus is environmental microbiology.