The vision of the Nebraska’s Institutional Development Awards (IDeA) Networks of Biomedical Research Excellence (INBRE) project is to enhance the competitiveness of biomedical research in the state by providing research opportunities for students and faculty at Nebraska’s institutions of higher education.
For the past five years 120 students from seven undergraduate institutions and two community colleges have participated in the program, which is administered by James Turpen, Ph.D., a professor in the department of genetics, cell biology and anatomy at the University of Nebraska Medical Center, and principal investigator of the $17 million National Institutes of Health grant that supports the program.
As BRIN (Biomedical Research In Nebraska) Scholars the students take part in summer fellowships for advanced research training at one of three Ph.D. granting institutions – The University of Nebraska Medical Center, University of Nebraska-Lincoln or Creighton University Medical Center – and research assistantships during the academic year.
A major goal of the Scholars Program is to recruit students to graduate programs at the Ph.D. granting institutions. Once a scholar had been admitted to a Ph.D. program, the INBRE project will provide support for the first year of graduate studies
The participating undergraduate campuses are: Creighton University College of Arts and Science, Doane College, Nebraska Wesleyan University, the University of Nebraska at Kearney, the University of Nebraska at Omaha, Chadron State College and Wayne State College. The community colleges include Little Priest Tribal College and Western Nebraska Community College.
This year 26 new students took part in the BRIN Scholars Program. The following is a list of 12 students and their hometowns.
Minden: Jessica Haight
Merna: Daniel McDermott
Creighton: Jon Demuth
Albion: Lynsey Crosby
North Platte: Ashley Stillwell
Doniphan: Katie Wilcox
Friend: Chris Effken
Platte Center: Amanda Kuhr
Gering: Kristen Donovan
York: Kylee Gardner
Harlan, Iowa: Bonnie Errett
Yankton, S.D.: Tara Somer