NIH grant benefits PSU student research

  Wednesday, June 4, 2014 2:00 AM
  News

Pittsburg, KS

Pittsburg State students will benefit from a five-year, $19 million NIH grant to the KU Medical Center, PSU officials said this week. The grant, from the National Institute of General Medical Sciences of the National Institutes of Health, will continue a Kansas cell and developmental biology research program that has brought $64 million into the state since it was first funded in 2001.

PSU is one of 10 campuses in Kansas and Oklahoma that are part of the Kansas Institutional Development Award Network of Biomedical Research Excellence (K-INBRE). K-INBRE is a multi-disciplinary program to enhance Kansas’ research capacity through faculty development, retention and infrastructure, as well as inspire undergraduate researchers to pursue careers in biomedical research.

Over the years, PSU’s participation in K-INBRE has made it possible for scores of undergraduate students to conduct original research and have very meaningful research experience, PSU officials said.

“K-INBRE has given PSU students opportunities to participate in undergraduate research and develop critical thinking skills,” said Virginia Rider, PSU’s K-INBRE coordinator and a professor of biology. “Participants learn how to present information in both written and oral formats. Acquisition of these skills helps student admission to graduate programs and professional schools.”

“The INBRE is a critical program for the state of Kansas,” said Douglas Wright, program director and professor of anatomy and cell biology at KU Medical Center. “This award will continue to enhance and strengthen our network of researchers, students and others in the biomedical field, and help researchers in Kansas remain competitive for national research grants.”

More information about the program can be found at www.k-inbre.org.