Volume 8, Issue 8, August 2011 |
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Welcome From the New DH While it was reported in the July newsletter that Ed was taking his foot off the MIP accelerator pedal, the trick has been to change drivers without losing speed. This could be a hazardous maneuver if it were not for the staff and associate department heads that have steadied the steering wheel. My learning curve has been steep but also a pleasure. The outreach from all in the department is helping me to fully appreciate the enormous scope and volume of DMIP activity. I have had the opportunity to meet with several CSU upper administrators including the president, provost, and vice president of research and their enthusiasm toward our department is obvious and speaks to the prominence of DMIP at CSU. As I settle in, my goal is to spend less time in a reactive mode and more time in a proactive mode. The DMIP faculty and students have ambitious goals and the staff and I look forward to facilitating achievement of these goals. Congratulations to Dr. Sandra Quackenbush for receiving the SUNY Delhi Alumni Association's highest honor, the Alumni of Distinction Award. Dr. Quackenbush received this honor for her dedicated, continued and outstanding contributions to the biomedical field, as well as to the community. Read the entire SUNY Delhi News Release. Dr. Terry Spraker Selected to participate in 100 Year Fur Seal Treaty Anniversary For the past 26 years, Dr. Terry Spraker has been spending his summers in the Pribilof Islands of Alaska studying Fur Seals. Over this time, he has earned the respect and full acceptance of the native Aleut community. This summer Terry was honored by the native community when he was selected to participate in the celebration of the 100 year anniversary of the North Pacific Fur Seal Treaty (the first international agreement ever to address the issue of wildlife preservation). Terry was one of 3 people selected for the unveiling of the future bronze statues commemorating the treaty. Pictured above is Terry and Ludy, a Russian woman thought to be the oldest seal harvester, next to mock-ups of the future bronzes. Congratulations Terry! Mary Jackson and Brad Borlee sign on the bottom line.... We are extremely happy to announce that Bacteriologists Dr. Mary Jackson and Dr. Brad Borlee will both be joining the MIP Department Faculty! Mary Jackson will start on September 1 and Brad Borlee on October 1. MIP Research Funding once again surpasses $30 million According to the CSU Sponsored Programs database, extramural funding for MIP research activities was almost $32 million ($31,854,414 to be exact) for the fiscal year that ended June 30th. This represents a whopping 30% increase over last year’s total and 59% of our college’s total grant awards. The MIP department brought in 147 individual awards last fiscal year and currently houses over $163 million worth of active research projects. To put $31 million in perspective, that is the amount the sequel to the Hangover movie took in on its first day. Hats off to all MIP researchers – despite these tough fiscal times, you’re sure continuing shine! On August 2nd, Ian Orme chaired a meeting at the brand spanking new Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation Facility in Seattle, which consisted of several international experts who share a common concern regarding the current direction of the TB Vaccine field. This meeting will be followed by an open meeting on this topic, planned for May next year in Orlando. In the News... • The recent paper by Tim Kurt et al (full citation can be found below in the MIPubs) was highlighted by the Editors of Journal of Virology in the ‘Spotlight’ section of the Journal. Check it out. • Ian Orme was highlighted in the Adirondack Daily Enterprise for his involvement with the New Mountaineers Rugby Club. See the article... Ashley K. McGrew, BS, presented her PhD defense entitled, "Spatial trends of total mercury (THg) exposure, and the role of intestinal helminths on its distribution within piscivorous mammalian hosts" on August 12. Her advisors are Dr. Lora Ballweber and Dr. Mo D. Salman. Biosecurity and Bird Movement Practices in Upland Game Bird Facilities in the US Katharine Slota, Ashley Hill, Tom Keefe, Dick Bowen and Kristy Pabilonia Avian Diseases 55: 180-186, July 2011 Most of us have pondered from time to time that age old question of why did the chicken cross the road. However how many of you have wondered what happens when the pheasant, partridge or quail take a road trip? All feeble attempts at joking aside, this is an important question (often to the tune of billions of dollars) in terms of the spread of avian diseases such as Newcastle Disease virus and the universally feared avian H5N1 influenza virus by upland game birds. What Kathy et al set out to do was provide folks who have permits to raise upland game birds in 36 states with a 61 question survey to get an idea of how they raise their birds, how often/where they move them and the biosecurity practices they use to reduce the threat of disease transmission. The survey achieved a 44% response rate – which isn’t perfect but still ain’t too shabby – and led to three potentially important observations. First, most upland game birders in this country don’t breed their own fowl but buy them from others. This fact, along with the observation that many of their workers also routinely handle birds outside their own facility, is a clear indication of the potential for the spread of infectious diseases among this segment of the poultry industry. Finally, standard biosecurity practices to limit the spread of disease, such as routine washing and disinfection of equipment, are not regularly used. Do you smell trouble waiting to happen with all of these poultry in motion? So why did we pick this fowl-tempered article as our coveted MIPub of the Month®? First, the survey brings to light several issues that may have huge public health and agricultural implications in terms of infectious disease management. Until we come up with that elusive but plausible universal flu vaccine (e.g. check out the Ekiert et al paper that was recently e-published in Science), frankly the more we can do to prevent influenza spread, the better. Second, the paper highlights the great poultry work that Kristy and coworkers are doing on both the local and national fronts. Finally, not being able to pass up the opportunity for another bad pun, you gotta admit that the paper is rather ‘eggceptional’. MIP Publications Late July 2011 - Early August 2011 Akkina R, Berges BK, Palmer BE, Remling L, Neff CP, Kuruvilla J, Connick E, Folkvord J, Gagliardi K, Kassu A, Akkina SR. Humanized Rag1-/- γc-/- mice support multilineage hematopoiesis and are susceptible to HIV-1 infection via systemic and vaginal routes. PLoS One. 2011;6(6):e20169. Neff CP, Kurisu T, Ndolo T, Fox K, Akkina R. A topical microbicide gel formulation of CCR5 antagonist maraviroc prevents HIV-1 vaginal transmission in humanized RAG-hu mice. PLoS One. 2011;6(6):e20209. Evans VA, Lal L, Akkina R, Solomon A, Wright E, Lewin SR, Cameron PU. Thymic plasmacytoid dendritic cells are susceptible to productive HIV-1 infection and efficiently transfer R5 HIV-1 to thymocytes in vitro. Retrovirology. 2011 Jun 3;8:43. Carlson JC, Linz GM, Ballweber LR, Elmore SA, Pettit SE, Franklin AB. The role of European starlings in the spread of coccidia within concentrated animal feeding operations. Vet Parasitol. 2011 Aug 25;180(3-4):340-3. Stavri H, Ulea I, Radu DL, Branaru MG, Moldovan O, Bogdan MA, Tudose C, Raileanu M, Duiculescu D, Ene L, Olar V, Ionita C, Popa GL, Popa MI, Brennan PJ. Serodiagnosis of environmental mycobacterial infections. J Microbiol Methods. 2011 Sep;86(3):283-90. Black WC 4th, Alphey L, James AA. Why RIDL is not SIT. Trends Parasitol. 2011 Aug;27(8):362-70. Ordway DJ, Orme IM. Animal models of mycobacteria infection. Curr Protoc Immunol. 2011 Aug;Chapter 19:Unit19.5. Slota KE, Hill AE, Keefe TJ, Bowen RA, Pabilonia KL. Biosecurity and bird movement practices in upland game bird facilities in the United States. Avian Dis. 2011 Jun;55(2):180-6. Lyons ET, Spraker TR, De Long RL, Ionita M, Melin SR, Nadler SA, Tolliver SC. Review of research on hookworms (Uncinaria lucasi Stiles, 1901) in northern fur seals (Callorhinus ursinus Linnaeus, 1758). Parasitol Res. 2011 Aug;109(2):257-65. Weng XM, Li K, Wen Y, Xing Y, Liu J, Hong BH, Li HY, Vissa V. Study on the factors influencing steady transmission of leprosy in Qiubei county, China]. Zhonghua Liu Xing Bing Xue Za Zhi. 2011 Jun;32(6):559-64. Chinese. Kurt TD, Seelig DM, Schneider JR, Johnson CJ, Telling GC, Heisey DM, Hoover EA. Alteration of the chronic wasting disease species barrier by in vitro prion amplification. J Virol. 2011 Sep;85(17):8528-37. |
Glenn Telling - As a Welsh-American and committed hedonist, GT feels fortunate to relocate to an environment which has the highest number of microbreweries per capita. His proficiency on the electric bass guitar made him a legendary figure at O'Neil's Bar Wednesday open mike night, at least in his own mind. As a young person, GT was a member of the Beatles Fan Club, and as a university student was the second best door-to-door salesman in the UK for the company Betterwear. Vadim Khaychuk - I was born in Kiev, Ukraine, a radioactive paradise and a gem of eastern Europe. I immigrated to the United States in 1991, right before the Soviet Union fell apart. Moved to another industrial paradise in Brooklyn, NY. In college (Rochester Institute of Technology(RIT)), I majored in biotechnology and minored in professional writing. Started my graduate career in biomedical sciences at University of Rochester, and through many twists and turns ended up being adopted by Glenn at the University of Kentucky, where I am finishing my PhD in Prion biology. In my free time, I like to stay active by lifting weights, walking my man-eating dog and drinking wholesome beer.....all to stay fit :) Due to high exposure to radioactivity as a child, I now glow in the dark which makes it easier for me to be seen at night........and safer! Eri Saijo - I'm from Tokyo, Japan. I'm so excited to be here in Fort Collins exploring all kinds of outdoor sports all year around, biking, kayaking, hiking, fly fishing, skiing, and so many!! Sehun Kim - I came from South Korea three years ago. I like Fort Collins because of beautiful scenes. Every weekend, I enjoy riding a bicycle and taking photos. Before I came here, I worked at the Zoo as a vet and now I work with white mouse. Hae Eun Kang - My name is Hae-Eun Kang and I came from South Korea. I’m so happy to move in Fort Collins. I have never seen such a beautiful sky here. I also enjoy riding my bicycle out. Fort Collins has some great scenery, and I enjoy watching the full Moon, while having a tea in my patio. Jifeng Bian - Hi, MIPeople, I am Jifeng Bian, you can call me Bian. I am working with Dr. Telling since 2005. I got my D.M.D and Ph.D in Shandong University in China. We moved here from Kentucky a month ago, it feels like home already. I am very excited to join the prion research team in DMIP of CSU to continue the research on chronic wasting disease. I like outdoor activities like skiing, running and fishing.
"Thank you" to the department for all the mentoring and support over the last five years. Because of my professors and colleagues, I will be starting this August as an Assistant Professor of Biology at North Park University teaching General Microbiology. I will miss MIP and Fort Collins but look forward to my future as an undergraduate educator.
Thanks for everything and take care.
Mark your calendars The Fall meeting of the Rocky Mtn Branch of the ASM will take place October 7-8 at Colorado College in Colorado Springs. MARK YOUR CALENDARS: This year's keynote speaker is our incoming Dept Head Dr. Gregg Dean. Gregg will be speaking about his research on lentiviruses (HIV and FIV), innate immunity, and the generation of effective mucosal and systemic immune responses through oral immunization. This will be a wonderful opportunity to meet our new colleague in the relaxed environs of the Pingree campus. This year's meeting also coincides with peak aspen viewing and will feature the Saturday evening barbecue and, of course, a generous contribution from the New Belgium Brewery. So save up your best data and plan on breaking in those new hiking boots this September! Congratulations to Tach Costello on the birth of her first grandchild! |
Want to experience what it is like in the raft? Check out the video Mark Zabel took during part of the trip through "The Squeeze":
New Grant Awards Barry Beaty, "Molecular Mosquitocides:Deveopment ofan innovative and Robust Platform-based approach for Sustainable insecticial control", Foundation for the National Institude of Karen Dobos, "Mycobacterium spp. Research Reagent Replenishment", American Type Culture Collection. Edward Hoover, "Advanced In Vitro Assay for CWD Infection Based on Saliva, Blood and Urine", Morris Animal Foundation Edward Hoover, "Integrate and Develop Field and Lab Research Programs on Chronic Wasting Disease", National Park Service Becky Rivoire, "NextGen Cell Bank Development ", Allergan, Inc. Carol Blair at the Roman Agora, Athens,(with the Acropolis in the background) while attending the 5th International Meeting on Molecular and Population Biology of Mosquitos, Kolimbari, Crete, Greece, July 25 - 29, 2011 AUGUST 2011
SEPTEMBER 2011
Do you have NEWS or PICTURES you would like to share? Send In your ideas or newsworthy items. Contributions make the Newsletter better! |
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MIP Newsletter Volume 8, Issue 8, August 2011 MIP Home • CVMBS Home • CSU Home |