As Popular As Ever: MBMSS 2022
After two years of virtual events, people were thrilled at this year’s hybrid model, with comments such as: “It felt so good to be back in person and networking with so many engaging and intelligent people” common. Many also remarked that keeping an online component made the symposium more inclusive, enabling attendance from those who…
Continue ReadingThe Maine INBRE in its 22nd Year – Looking Back and Ahead
As the Maine IDeA Network of Biomedical Research Excellence (ME-INBRE) enters its 22nd year (and the fourth of the current five-year funding cycle) it is exciting to reflect on what we’ve accomplished and how we are positioned to further augment and expand biomedical research excellence in Maine. This National Institutes of Health (NIGMS) funded Institutional…
Continue ReadingTake a Closer Look: Microscopy at MDIBL
Over the last few years, the MDI Biological Laboratory has heavily invested in the LMF, primarily with the with support of the Maine IDeA Network of Biomedical Research Excellence (INBRE) grant. INBRE, which aims to build research capacity in states that have historically received lower levels of funding, is a collaborative network of Maine educational…
Continue ReadingCloud Computing 101
There’s a good chance that by now, many of you have heard of “cloud computing.” You might have even read the recent news about the project carried out by the Maine INBRE Bioinformatics Core under the auspices of the NIH Science and Technology Research Infrastructure for Discovery, Experimentation, and Sustainability (STRIDES) Initiative. So what is cloud…
Continue ReadingCourses Already in Full Swing for 2022
Somehow February is already here and we’re proud to say that we’ve already successfully hosted three primarily in-person short courses for Maine INBRE undergraduate students. The year got underway with the University of Maine Honor’s College course “Molecular Mechanisms of Human Disease,” which featured faculty from the University of Maine, Dartmouth College, and MDI Biological…
Continue ReadingVisiting Scientist Nishad Jayasundara, Ph.D.: Solving the Riddle of the Mysterious Kidney Ailment Plaguing Farmers Around the World
Solving the Riddle of the Mysterious Kidney Ailment Plaguing Farmers Around the World Environmental toxicologist Nishad Jayasundara, Ph.D., had a problem: his team had identified potentially toxic agricultural chemicals in the drinking water of Sri Lankan farmers suffering from a mysterious kidney disease called chronic kidney disease of unknown etiology or CKDu (so named to…
Continue ReadingAnother Successful Summer at MDIBL
Walking through the MDI Biological Laboratory courtyard on a sultry August afternoon, you couldn’t help but be inspired by the depth and breadth of research from our 2021 student fellows. 45 undergraduate and high school students from institutions across the country, working with mentors at MDIBL and other INBRE institutions around Maine, spent 10 weeks…
Continue ReadingChalk Talks Still Going Strong
The iconic chalkboard got a new coat of paint this year and was ready for action! One of the many Chalk Talk presenters this year, MDIBL student alum and Duke University Assistant Professor Nishad Jayasundara, Ph.D. was a great illustration of how MDIBL can become a full circle experience. Nishad’s presentation was particularly poignant. As an…
Continue ReadingBioinformatics: The Importance of Training the Trainer
MDI Biological Laboratory is beyond pleased to be hosting the upcoming Bioinformatics T3: Train the Trainer from June 26 until July 3 – not only because this is a vital and expanding field or because of our passion for educating the next generation of amazing scientists – but because we are able to welcome folks back to…
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