Dean's Corner
During the Aims for BSD process, I asked the Research Aims Action Planning Committee to advise me on the suitability of modestly expanding the research faculty by 30 or so members. The Committee’s response back to me was unambiguous. While welcoming the idea of increasing our intellectual research pool, they insisted that, in terms of priority, it was far more important for the Division to invest in critical infrastructure first, even if it meant diverting crucial recruitment resources to do it.
The group’s rationale was simple. Modern biomedical research space and state-of-the-art core facilities have become increasingly important to high-quality researchers and their research programs, and that without substantial investment, more faculty will depart BSD for other institutions with better infrastructure than will enter, leaving us, at the end of the day, with no net increase in the research faculty.
Point taken. By now I trust that most of you have heard about plans for a proposed New Research Building. The business case for the new building was reviewed by the Biological Sciences and Health Care Committee, the Committee of University Trustees that oversees BSD operations, in October 2003. In early February, the case will go before the University Capital Projects Committee, and if approved, we will present the case to a joint meeting of the University Trustees (Financial Planning & Campus Planning & Facilities) in early April.
More pertinent to this issue of Peer Review, however, is the critical role played by core resources and shared research facilities. Argonne National Laboratory presents us with one of our most important strategic opportunities, and BSD faculty like Drs. Keith Moffat, Jonathan Silverstein and Stephen Small are pioneers in maximizing the effect that resources like the Advanced Photon Source and Access Grid technology can have on our research programs. Dr. Moffat’s BioCARS grant from NIH underwrites a significant effort in structural biology, and and Dr. Silverstein’s and Dr. Small’s application of robust Argonne computer technology to the fields of emergency medicine and surgery is likewise vital to our efforts to leverage Argonne resources.
On our campus, Dr. Louis Philipson, Chair of the Committee on Research Resources, and Julie Auger, Director of the Office of Shared Research Facilities, have done a phenomenal job in centralizing management of our cores and optimizing their operations. Following on the recommendation of the Research Aims, the Division will invest in expansion of existing cores and creation of new ones; it makes abundant sense on our part to ensure that these investments are made wisely and monitored capably. The quality of leadership present in CORR and OSRF makes me confident that this indeed will be the case. I hope that you will find the comprehensive listing of our shared research facilities provided in this issue to be helpful in furthering your research programs.
BIOCARSIn the quiet of a nature preserve, surrounded by white fallow deer and Canada geese, BioCARS researchers are unlocking the structures of macro-molecular assemblies, leading the way towards a true understanding of biological...
ForefrontImagine how many lives would be saved if there was a doctor present in every ambulance, able to immediately evaluate the patient and proceed with the best care possible...
Shared Research Facilities
BSD shared research facilities, also known as core facilities, are centralized areas of technology and expertise providing a wide variety of services to support the research efforts of the University...
Aims Updates
The New Research Building (NRB)
The business case for the NRB was presented to the BSHCC, which authorized programming to proceed...
EDUCATION
Elizabeth Baumann, M.D., Assistant Professor in the Department of Pediatrics, was honored as a nominee for the 2003 Association of American Medical Colleges...
DISCOVERIES
Yimin Zou, Ph.D., Assistant Professor in the Department of Neurobiology, Pharmacology, and Physiology, and colleagues have made a major discovery in the field of developmental neurobiology....
In Memoriam
An internationally recognized expert on electron microscopy, chromosome structure and function, and the use of DNA to study evolutionary relationships, Hewson H. Swift, Ph.D...
ACCOLADES
Recent Awards and Grants Information for Biological Sciences Division Faculty
ACADEMIC AFFAIRS
Recent Recruitemnts and Appointments of Biological Sciences Division Faculty
Dollars & Sense
The BSD financial highlights for the first five months of fiscal year 2004
The University of Chicago 5741 S. Maryland Ave, Chicago, IL 60637
773 702 2900 contact@bsd.uchicago.edu