45 Idaho undergraduates receive NIH-funded biomedical summer research fellowships

MOSCOW – Forty five undergraduates from eight Idaho colleges and universities will conduct independent research and study this summer in laboratories across the state through the Idaho IDeA Network of Biomedical Research Excellence or INBRE.

The INBRE summer research fellows will work for 10 weeks in the labs of scientist mentors who will help the students gain research experience and explore biomedical careers. The students receive a $5,000 award for their summer’s work and participate in a concluding annual research conference planned this year at Idaho State University in Pocatello Aug. 3-5.

“INBRE has provided the opportunity for students to gain a real understanding of research and to work with some of the state’s most experienced scientists, many of them world leaders in their specialties,” said Carolyn Hovde Bohach, the network’s director and a University of Idaho professor of microbiology.

Students who have received INBRE fellowships are now in medical and veterinary schools or graduate school at Harvard and other outstanding research institutions. These students and faculty who have received NIH support are addressing critical biomedical problems.

“We welcome researchers closely tied with clinical medicine at the Boise VA Medical Center into INBRE,” Bohach said. Four students, two from Boise State University and one each from The College of Idaho and College of Southern Idaho will conduct their research at the Medical Center’s Boise campus with VA scientists.

In nine years, the network has funded laboratory experiences for 562 undergraduate students at Idaho colleges and universities.

Successes include a doubling in the number of undergraduates pursuing science and health-related careers from about 1,600 students in 2004 to more than 3,000 last year.

The network was founded in 2001 with a $6 million grant from the National Institutes of Health Institutional Development Award program. Since then the NIH National Center for Research Resources has provided a total of $40 million for the network, including a $16.5 million renewal grant this year to extend it until 2014.

The network also provides support for faculty, grad students and post-doctoral researchers who generated a 20-fold return on an eight year investment of about $1.2 million in seed grants investment that resulted in 65 extramural applications and over $26 million in new awards.

The Idaho educational and research institutions with students participating in the summer fellowship program and student recipients include:

Boise State University students who will study this summer as INBRE fellows on the Boise campus include Stephanie Barnes, Amber Cox, Jonathan Henderson, Reece Knippel, Nicholas Spiropulos, Autumn White and Luke Woodbury, all of Boise; Clifford Csizmar of Cocolalla; and Cheri Lou Lamb of Stanley. Benjamin Davis of Boise will study at Idaho State University. Cosette Turnbow and Matt Wolter, both of Boise, will study at the Boise VA Medical Center.

Brigham Young University – Idaho students who will study this summer as INBRE fellows at other campuses include Giovanni Crosland of Preston who will study at the University of Idaho in Moscow and Benjamin Jaderholm of Moses Lake, Wash., who will study at Boise State University.

The College of Idaho students who will study this summer as INBRE fellows on the Caldwell campus include Cody Christensen of Nampa; Dayne Filer of Boise; Emir Kobic of Boise; Christian Low of Stockton, Calif.; Justin Martin, Amanda Smith and Jeremy West, all of Boise; and Kimberly Stucker of Meridian. Codi Fitzgerald of Kuna will study at the Boise VA Medical Center.

College of Southern Idaho student Aaron Packham of Twin Falls will study this summer as an INBRE fellow at the Boise VA Medical Center.

Idaho State University students who will study this summer as INBRE fellows on the Pocatello campus include Anthony Eckman of St. Anthony, Roy Malamakal of Boise and Ryan Marcum of Idaho Falls. Jennifer Hildenbrand of Pocatello will study at Boise State University.

North Idaho College students who will study this summer as INBRE fellows include Hannah Edwards of Rathdrum at Northwest Nazarene University in Nampa and Mason Frederickson of Coeur d’Alene and Bryne Rush of Post Falls at the University of Idaho in Moscow.

Northwest Nazarene University students who will study this summer as INBRE fellows on the Nampa campus include Nick Davidson of Eagle; Klaireece Fitch of Wenatchee, Wash.; Tyson Nielsen of Marsing and Jaclyn Puga of Meridian.

University of Idaho students who will study this summer as INBRE fellows on the Moscow campus include Michael Cantrell and Angela Spangler, both of Boise; Cassandra Davis of Hayden, Jenny Durrin, Rebecca Evans and Roxana Hickey, all of Moscow; Katie Margulieux of Meridian, Christina Mitchell of Snohomish, Wash.; and Alden Ranberg of Rathdrum. Charlotte Chadwick of Boise will study at Idaho State University.

NOTE: This press release was issued on May 5 by the Idaho IDeA Network of Biomedical Research Excellence. For more information visit www.sci.uidaho.edu/inbre or call (208) 885-5373.  Idaho State University INBRE contacts are Pamela Crowell, vice president for research, 282-3134 or Chris Daniels, director of the ISU Biomedical Research Institute, (208) 282-3324.