Undergraduate Research in Comparative Functional Genomics (INBRE)
The Maine IDeA Network for Biomedical Research Excellence (INBRE) is a National Institute of General Medical Sciences of the National Institutes of Health supported network of thirteen Maine institutions including Mount Desert Island Biological Laboratory (MDIBL), the University of Maine, and the Honors College at the University of Maine.
The overall goal of the Maine INBRE is to strengthen Maine’s capacity to conduct NIH-competitive biomedical research. Maine INBRE provides research support and core facilities to junior faculty, creates research and training opportunities for undergraduate and graduate students, and serves as a pipeline for students to pursue health research careers and enhance the scientific and technological knowledge of Maine’s workforce.
Through the INBRE grant, the Honors College is able to provide our students with these outstanding opportunities for research in comparative functional genomics:
INBRE Fellowships
INBRE Courses
Research Collaborative
“INBRE gives Maine’s students the ability to engage in biomedical research through the sharing of research resources and expertise among research and educational institutions in the state. We’re thrilled to be able to offer this opportunity to UMaine Honors College’s outstanding students.”
-Patricia H. Hand, Ph.D., Founder of Maine INBRE, MDI Biological Laboratory
INBRE Fellowships
Thesis, Pre-Thesis, and Summer Research Fellowships are available to Honors College students who are working on Honors theses in biomedical research in comparative functional genomics with INBRE research scientists at the University of Maine.
INBRE Courses
HON 150 & 155
HON 150: Phage Genome Discovery I & HON 155: Genome Discovery II: From DNA to Genes is a two part research course in which first-year Honors students conduct authentic, hands-on research in conjunction with students from institutions all across the country. Our involvement is part of a nation-wide program sponsored by the Howard Hughes Medical Institute.
In HON 150/155, first-year students work with Mycobacteriophage (right), which are viruses that infect bacteria of the genus Mycobacterium (including the pathogenic M. tuberculosis). One of the goals of this course is to isolate and identify (which involves naming!) novel Mycobacteriophage.
Please contact Prof. Sally Molloy (sally.dixon@maine.edu) for more information about the course.
HON 350
The Molecular Mechanisms of Human Disease (HON 350) Honors tutorial course is designed to give students hands-on experience in biomedical research. The course is held annually over an intense week at MDI Biological Laboratory (MDIBL) in Bar Harbor, Maine and continues at the University of Maine over the course of the Spring semester.
During the HON 350 course, students will complete two modules:
At the end of each module, students will present a summary of their work including data collected. Students will also present a poster on their research at the University of Maine Student Symposium and Maine Biological and Medical Sciences Symposium in April.
The application form for the course is due in October. Housing, meals and materials for the course will be paid by the Maine INBRE Program that is funded by the National Institutes of Health.
Please contact Prof. Ben King (benjamin.l.king@maine.edu) for more information about the course.
The course is supported by the National Institutes of Health (P30 GM103423).
Genomics Research Collaborative
The Genomics Research Collaborative (GRC) is a new interdisciplinary biomedical research training program within the University of Maine Honors College. Since the Fall, three teams of Honors students are conducting research with faculty mentors on topics ranging from how the innate immune system responds to Influenza A Virus infection, to the behavioral and physiological responses to toxins in drinking water, to discovering genes that could lead to new bacteriophage therapies for tuberculosis. Even though the students in the GRC have different majors and years of study, they are all interested in biomedical research.
The Genomics Research Collaborative is funded by the Maine INBRE Program that is supported by grant number P20 GM103423 from the National Institutes of Health.
If you are an Honors student interested in applying to join the GRC, contact us to learn more.
“Maine INBRE is a critical component in building the state’s research capacity, including training tomorrow’s biomedical workforce. The opportunities this initiative has provided undergraduate and graduate students and faculty at UMaine and UMM demonstrate the value of statewide partnership and what we can accomplish, together, to make a difference in biomedical research and education in the state and beyond.”
-Joan Ferrini-Mundy, Ph.D., President, University of Maine and UMM
Contact Information
For questions about Honors INBRE, please contact:
Dr. Sally Dixon Molloy
Molecular and Biomedical Sciences and Honors
207.581.2818
sally.dixon@maine.edu