IN THIS ISSUE:
REGULAR FEATURES:
Dr. R. Mark L. Buller (molecular microbiology and immunology) has received a one-year, $78,139 grant award from the Elsa U. Pardee Foundation. Many cancers fail to be destroyed by the body even though they are different from normal tissue in having cancer-associated proteins that can be recognized by the immune system. In gene therapy, researchers introduce special genes that are carried into the cancer cell to infect it and make it a more recognizable target for the immune system. Buller's research focuses on developing a variation of the poxvirus to use as an effective carrier or "vector" to transport the target gene into the cancer cell.
Stephen J. Barenkamp, M.D. (pediatrics) has received a three-year, $338,945 contract award from Pasteur Merieux Connaught to begin developing a vaccine against nontypable Haemophilus influenze bacteria. This bacteria causes ear and respiratory infections that are a continuing problem for children in the United States and other parts of the world.
George M. Matuschak, M.D. (internal medicine) has received a one-year, $29,520 grant award from the Group Health Foundation. The goal of Matuschak's research is to develop a database obtained from medical evaluation of individuals with documented exposure to asbestos in the workplace. And because cigarette smoking together with asbestos exposure results in a 60-fold increased risk of developing lung cancer, it also will track the interaction between tobacco use and inhalation of asbestos fibers.
Paul J. Garvin, M.D. (surgery) has received a one-year, $45,000 grant award from the Missouri Kidney Foundation. Garvin's research investigates innovative solutions to expanding the donor pool for kidney transplantation by developing techniques that preserve kidney function in formerly unacceptable donors.
Horace M. Perry, M.D. (internal medicine) has received a five-year, $710,130 grant award from the National Institutes of Health/National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism and a two-year, $78,260 grant award from the Alcoholic Beverage Medical Research Foundation. Perry will use these funds to study the effects of minimal and moderate alcohol intake on bone metabolism in immediately post-menopausal women.
From the department of earth and atmospheric sciences: Dr. John Encarnacion received a two-year, $53,740 National Science Foundation grant for a geochronologic study of Karoo magmatic rocks. Dr. David Kirshner received a $37,265 grant from the U.S. Geological Survey to research mineral phases, major and trace element chemistry, and stable isotope chemistry of rocks in fault zones in the San Andreas systems. Dr. Brian Mitchell received a $71,648 grant from the National Science Foundation for a project entitled, "Mapping attenuative dispersion of seismic body waves in and around the New Madrid Seismic Zone." Dr. Ali Tokay received a $13,500 from the Universities Space Research Association for a project titled, "The role of microphysical processes in obtaining improved estimates of surface rainfall for TRMM ground validation."
Drs. Marla Berg-Weger (social service) and Doris Rubio (research methodology) received a $27,035 grant from the University of Missouri to research the post-caregiving pase of adult daughters of elderly parents with dementia.
Dr. Jean Potvin (science and mathematics) received a $13,546 grant from the Air Force Office of Scientific Research to study the performance of new slider designs to be used on current and future precision cargo airdrop delivery systems, including round parachutes and ramair parachutes (or "parafoils").
Dr. William Thacker (science and mathematics) received a $23,599 grant from NASA's Langley Research Center for the development of a PDF-based transition model.
Dr. Linda Bufkin (educational studies) received a $37,986 grant from the International Education Consortium to improve the social studies pre-service program for future teachers and social studies education for students.
Virginia Campbell (Small Business Development Center) received a $141,275 award from the University of Missouri's Small Business Administration. It is a subcontract with the University of Missouri to provide quality assistance to small businesses in order to promote growth, expansion, innovation, and increased productivity and management improvement.