News Archives - Page 2 of 3 - Neuroscience Ph.D. Program

Neuroscience program member, computer science professor, inducted into AIMBE

on May 16, 2018

A member of the Neuroscience PhD program has been inducted into AIMBE for outstanding contributions to quantitative mapping of structural and functional brain architectures using neuroimaging data.

Tianming Liu is a Distinguished Research Professor of Computer Science in the Franklin College of Arts and Sciences, and he has been inducted in the College of Fellows of the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering. Liu was nominated, reviewed and elected by peers and members of the College of Fellows.

The AIMBE College of Fellows is comprised of the top 2 percent of medical and biological engineers. Election to the College is among the highest professoinal distinctions accorded to a medical and biological engineer.

College membership recognizes those engineers who have made outstanding contributions to “engineering and medicine research, practice or education” and to “the pioneering of new and developing fields of technology, making major advancements in traditional fields of medical and biological engineering, or developing/implementing innovative approaches to bioengineering education.”

The formal induction ceremony was held on April 9 during the AIMBE annual meeting in the National Academy of Sciences in Washington, D.C. Liu was inducted along with 156 other colleagues who make up the AIMBE College of Fellows Class of 2018.

Liu joins Mark Eiteman and Crystal Leach as members of UGA who have been inducted into the AIMBE College of Fellows.

Read more about Liu’s accomplishment by checking out the full article on UGA Today.

Two neuroscience faculty win 2018 Distinguished Professor Awards

on April 24, 2018

Two members of the Neuroscience PhD program faculty received the title 2018 Distinguished Research Professor on April 16 last week to commemorate their accomplishments in celebration of UGA Honors Week.

Brett Clementz, one of the five recipients of the award, is a professor in the psychology department who has rapidly advanced the understanding of the biological bases of psychoses with the use of brain scan technologies, sophisticated data analysis and batteries of patient tests.

His original goal involved learning how inaccurate sensory processing leads to abnormalities in brain functioning and behavior; however, his laboratory would come to identify biomarkers of neurobiological deviations that are associated with manifestations of different subgroups of psychoses.

Using the tools of modern neuroscience, he helped spearhead a significant movement to re-envision diagnoses of psychoses. His work regarding alterations in brain oscillation patterns have helped show how integrated brain activity supports higher level cognition, emotion processing, and other aspects of behavior.

Michael Tiemeyer is a professor and associate director of the Carbohydrate Research Center. He has catalyzed advancements areas such as neural development, neural dysfunction, neurodegeneration, respiratory inflammatory diseases and analytic carbohydrate chemistry.

His research addresses the biological function of cell surface carbohydrates (glycans) in mediating cellular interactions that underlie normal development and human disease progression. His studies in Drosphila have made use of model systems to make groundbreaking discoveries related to the roles of glycans in neural development.

Tiemeyer’s contributions to glycan analysis and glycomic toolmaking have greatly improved understanding of glycan functions in cellular differentiation, tissue development and inflammatory disease progression.

Read more about the 2018 Distinguished Research Professors on UGA Today.

Industry Engagement is the newest website launched by Office of Research

on April 13, 2018

For industry partners looking to connect with University of Georgia researchers need to look no further than the Office of Research’s newest website, Industry Engagement. Partners can find resources provided by the staff of Industry Collaborations, Innovation Gateway, Sponsored Projects Administration, Research Communications and the Graduate School at UGA.

The site is an important link for industry partners wishing to learn about the ways they can build relationships with UGA researchers and access research-related research-related resources.

The team is comprised of staff from Industry Collaborations, Innovation Gateway, Sponsored Projects Administration, Research Communications, and the Graduate School.

Find out more by following the link in the first paragraph.

Assistant professor’s research addresses mechanisms triggering overeating

on February 26, 2018

Claire de La Serre is a Neuroscience PhD Program member who has also recently become an assistant professor in the University of Georgia’s College of Family and Consumer Sciences. Her research analyzes ingestive behavior, particularly how the gut communicates the brain and the mechanisms which trigger overeating. De La Serre manages a lab with five graduate students and has received funding from both the National Institutes of Health and the U.S. Department of Agriculture for her work. Her lab recently acquired a cohort of “germ free” rats from Europe, which will allow for more advanced research into pathways of overeating. She hopes that animals with no microbiota can be inoculated with specific microbes in order to see how their brains will react.

You can find out more about Claire de La Serre by reading the full article on UGA Today.

Stroke treatment based on stem-cells repairs damaged brain tissue

on February 15, 2018

A research team led by UGA professor and BHSI affiliate Steven Stice alongside Nasrul Hoda of Augusta University have developed a method of stroke treatment that actively engages exosomes,
small fluid-filled vesicles produced by stem cells. These extracellular vesicles (EV) are able to carry and administer treatment across membranes through which cells typically cannot traverse. Not only can this EV therapy change cell production and improve functional recovery but it can additionally deliver multiple aliquots of treatment to the patient. This research has been implimented in livestock models and has been proven very effective in stroke treatment.

Read the UGA Today article here.

Read the original research article here.

UGA makes strides in national research ranking

on December 11, 2017

In the latest National Science Foundation Higher Education Research and Development (HERD) rankings, the University of Georgia has taken spot No. 54, seven spots higher than the last ranking. UGA’s research expenditures have reached over $458 million a year, and federal supported expenditures for research have been ranked 79th in the country with $144 million. The university has increased grant support services as well as establishing the Office for Proposal Enhancement to accompany the more expanded Sponsored Projects Administration.

HERD’s survey collects information and expenditures from US colleges and universities annually and has become a primary source of information regarding research. Read about UGA’s increasing prominence in the world of research universities here.

UGA recieves $1.16 million in grant funds for first-generation students going to graduate school

on October 18, 2017

A recent $1.16 million grant from the U.S. Department of Education to the University of Georgia will allow first generation students to receive expanded academic support to help them enter and succeed in doctoral programs. This grant to UGA’s Division of Academic enhancement will be distributed over the next five years through the TRIO Ronald E. McNair Post-Baccalaureate Achievement program. Students in the UGA McNair Scholars program will receive a wide range of support, including first and second-year “prep” academics and third and fourth-year workshops, research stipends, and visits to graduate schools. The TRIO programs have provided students from disadvantaged backgrounds the opportunity to reap the benefits of post secondary education and complete degrees in higher education since 1964.

Find out more about this exciting program by reading the full article on UGA Today.

UGA Neuroscience candidate co-first authors article for Development

on October 11, 2017

Stephanie Herrlinger, a current candidate at the UGA Neuroscience PhD program was recently featured in Development, a primary research journal for developmental biology. Herrlinger co-first authored a research publication titled, “The African Zika virus MR-766 is more virulent and causes more severe brain damage than current Asian lineage and Dengue virus.” This publication explores the two distinct lineages of the Zika virus, African and Asian, and examines their impact on developing brains.

Development is a leading primary research journal for the field of developmental biology. Its long and prestigious history preceding it, Development describes itself as, “committed to publishing cutting-edge research across the spectrum of animal and plant developmental biology.” All articles are subject to rigorous peer review by expert researchers in the relevant fields before being published.

You can read full article on Development’s website here.

New livestock model for stroke changes research paradigm

on October 2, 2017

Recent UGA Neuroscience PhD program graduate Emily Baker, working with Frank West, associate professor in College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences have changes the paradigm in stroke research by presenting a viable alternative to rats in stroke research.

Due to the pig’s distinct anatomical and physiological similarities Baker and West show that using their new model, “findings are likely to be more clinically relevant.” According to the RBC research team, almost all clinical trails of neuroprotective therapies have failed to translate from the laboratory to the clinic. This dynamic shift from rat to pig model may speed stroke discoveries because it provides a better, more predictive translational model.

To find out more about Baker and West’s work in the full article on UGA Today.

Graduate Students Attracted to UGA by New GAIN, GREAT Fellowship programs

on September 21, 2017

After earning his undergraduate degree in biology, Preston Basting aspired to become a scientist specializing in bioinformatics.

Basting, who recently began his doctoral studies in UGA’s Integrated Life Sciences program, is among the first cohort of students recruited through a competitive fellowship program known as the Georgia Research Education Award Traineeship. GREAT Fellowships are awarded to academically outstanding students who demonstrate superior potential in fields that align with the university’s Signature Research Themes. GREAT Fellows receive a graduate research assistantship with an annual compensation of $27,000 and a tuition waiver, and the fellowship is renewable for up to five years of total support.

Read more about how these programs are helping recruit new graduate students to the University of Georgia here.

Category: News