For high school student Simo Silva, visiting a biology lab at Harvard was just part of his summer school curriculum. What the 17-year-old Cristo Rey High School student didnt plan on this summer was receiving practical lessons about the human body and biochemistry.

After his Harvard experience, the student athlete is now focusing on how to improve his running technique, and is even talking about how to become a biochemist. Silva credits Harvard Professor Daniel Lieberman, Edwin M. Lerner II Professor of Biological Sciences, for teaching him about the mechanics of running.

I went running a few days later and what [Lieberman] had talked about really made me think and notice what I was doing, said Silva, who is a wrestler, boxes, runs track, and plays soccer.

Silva was among a group of local high school biology students visiting Harvards Department of Human and Evolutionary Biology to conduct a lab session with Lieberman as part of the Cambridge-Harvard Summer Academy. The six-week summer school program provided both enrichment opportunities and remedial classes at Cambridge Rindge and Latin High School. The program, which has served more than 4,500 local students since it began in 2001, is a partnership between the Harvard Graduate School of Education and Cambridge Public Schools.

By Deborah Blackwell, Harvard Correspondent | August 14, 2017 | Editor's Pick

Science is a process and its nice to show students how we get to where we are now, and how we collect data, analyze data, and make predictions, Lieberman said.

It was that special day on the fourth floor of the Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology, that Silva got a peak into the world of biochemistry.

Ive always been interested in working in a bio lab, so when I got the opportunity to visit one it was really cool and showed me I want to be a biochemist even more, he said.

Silvas biology teacher, Quan Le, 15, recently completed the Harvard Graduate School of Educations Harvard Teacher Fellows program and tries to introduce fun and practicality into his lessons to make them as applicable to the real world as possible. Since many of his students are athletes, Le said he looks for ways to apply science to their passions and interests.

Professor Lieberman was able to make this lab really about how you can use science in your own life, said Le. This is science and it is related to evolution, but it can be useful if youre an athlete. He was able to make it very personal.

The students were thrilled at the idea of visiting a Harvard research lab to learn about biomechanics and how it related to their athletic endeavors, Le said. He first became interested in teaching while volunteering with the Phillips Brooks House Associations (PBHA) Boston Refugee Youth Enrichment program (BRYE) as an undergrad.

When I started volunteering with BRYE through PBHA and teaching during the semesters, I felt like my identity as an immigrant and first-generation student really mattered, said Le. I could really relate to these kids.

Cambridge-Harvard Summer Academy is one of many partnerships and programs that Harvard and Cambridge Public Schools utilize to enhance student performance. The programs range from curriculum-based efforts as well as individualized learning programs serving students of all grade levels.

When students understand why and what they learn, it can make a big difference. We really tried to do that here.Its not just science for the sake of science, Le said. Everything involves science. Once they get that you can really see their interest levels change. And if we can do that, I would consider that a success.

By Peter Reuell, Harvard Staff Writer | August 14, 2017

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Lab learning scores with teen athletes - Harvard Gazette

University of Otago graduate and US-based human microbiome research pioneer Prof Rob Knight is the joint recipient of the Massry Prize, a prestigious California-based research award.

Dunedin-born, Prof Knight attended Otago Boys High School and gained an Otago University BSc in biochemistry in 1996.

He is the founding director of the Centre for Microbiome Innovation of the University of California, San Diego.

Microbiomes are distinct constellations of bacteria, viruses and other microorganisms that live within and around us, including in the human gut. Award organisers said Prof Knight and his two fellow researchers led a field that worked to produce a detailed understanding of microbiomes and methods for manipulating them to benefit human and environmental health.

His work has linked microbes to a range of health conditions including obesity and inflammatory bowel disease, has enhanced our understanding of microbes in environments ranging from the oceans to the tundra, and made high-throughput sequencing techniques accessible to thousands of researchers around the world.

"I greatly appreciate this recognition for microbiome research a scientific field that was relatively underappreciated until recent years," Prof Knight said.

He shares the latest $US200,000 Massry Prize with two fellow US researchers, Dr Jeffrey Gordon, of the Washington University School of Medicine, and Dr Norman Pace, of the University of Colorado, Boulder.

Dr Knight is a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science and of the American Academy of Microbiology, and is the author of Follow Your Gut: The Enormous Impact of Tiny Microbes (2015). In 2009, Prof Knight received an Early Career Scientist award in the United States, amounting to more than $US3 million (then $NZ5 million).

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Following his gut instincts - Otago Daily Times

University Relations

Jingyi Chen and Lauren Greenlee

Ammonia is the world's primary raw material for nitrogen-based fertilizer production, but producing it consumes a large amount of energy1- to 2-percent of energy consumption worldwide. The National Science Foundation has awarded $450,000 to Jingyi Chen and Lauren Greenlee to develop alternative processes for producing ammonia. The research will also lead to a more refined and environmentally softer method of producing hydrogen for energy storage and fuel and chemical production.

Chen is an associate professor of chemistry and biochemistry in the J. William Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences, and Greenlee is an assistant professor of chemical engineering in the College of Engineering. Their work supports the NSF's goal of discovering and developing sustainable energy sources.

Conventional processes for ammonia production, primarily the Haber-Bosch thermal catalytic method, rely on hydrocarbon resources for the hydrogen needed to produce ammonia. Chen and Greenlee are developing catalytic electrochemical processes, or "electrolyzers," for an alternative method of producing ammonia and hydrogen. Specifically, they focus on a method called nitrogen reduction reaction, in which nitrogen is combined with water molecules to form ammonia. They are also studying oxygen evolution reaction, during which water splits to oxygen and hydrogen. For both methods, the researchers are seeking efficient, nonprecious-metal nanocatalysts that can operate at ambient temperature rather than the high-temperature conditions required for hydrocarbon-based technologies.

The researchers will characterize iron and nickel nanostructures as bimetal catalysts and evaluate the reactivity and selectivity of these catalysts for both electrochemical processes. They will then use x-ray absorption spectroscopy to develop methods to correlate the structure and composition of the metals with electrocatalytic activity.

The goal of the project is to design a low-cost and better performing catalytic electrolyzer that can be developed for commercial production.

By integrating research and education, the project is designed to increase student participation in the fields of science, technology, engineering and math (STEM). Chen and Greenlee will recruit students from under-represented groups to participate in the research program. The researchers' findings will be integrated into teaching and curriculum development for the departments of Chemical Engineering and Chemistry and Biochemistry.

Editor-selected comments will be published below. No abusive material, personal attacks, profanity, spam or material of a similar nature will be considered for publication.

Excerpt from:
Award Supports Novel Methods to Produce Ammonia and Hydrogen - University of Arkansas Newswire

Recent study shows that walnuts increase the diversity of gut bacteriaand appear to act in much the same manner as prebiotcs.

Research Associate Professor of Physiology at LSU, Lauri Byerley, has determined the consumption of walnuts alters the composition of bacteria within the gut. This finding suggests a new manner in which walnuts might improve human health. The details of the finding were recently published online in The Journal of Nutritional Biochemistry.

About the Study

Dr. Byerley keyed in on walnuts as they are generally revered as a superfood. Walnuts are loaded with the omega-3 fatty acid known as alpha-linoleic acid. They also contain fiber and an abundance of antioxidants. Dr. Byerley's finding shows this superfood provides yet another benefit by promoting beneficial alterations to microbiota within the gut.

Dr. Byerley made use of a rodent model for the study. Her research team provided one group of mice with walnuts in addition to their regular food consumption. The other group continued consuming its normal diet without walnuts.

A Closer Look at the Finding

The researchteam measured the number and type of gut bacteria within the descending colon and compared the results. They determined there were two unique bacteria communities within the groups. The type and number of walnuts altered in the group of mice that consumed walnuts. Even the functional capacity of the bacteria changed in this group. As an example, the research team pinpointed a meaningful boost in Lactobacillus, a beneficial bacteria. The consumption of walnuts resulted in a significant increase in the diversity of bacteria within the gut. Other unrelated studies have tied low levels of bacterial diversity with a wide range of diseases such as inflammatory bowel disease and even obesity.

Walnuts as a Prebiotic?

Dr. Byerley suggests walnuts might function as a prebiotic as they heightenthe level of numerous bacteria such as Lactobacillus that is usually associated with probiotics. Prebiotics are best defined as substances that catalyze the activity and number of helpful bacteria.

Why the Study Matters

The health of the human gut is one of the hottest areas of contemporary research. Scientists are finding that improved bacterial diversity might be tied to improved health outcomes. The research team determined that altering the gut microbe community through the incorporation of walnuts to one's diet provides a new means of enhancing health. It is also worth noting that the consumption of walnuts is also tied to decreased cardiovascular disease risk, better brain health and a slowing of tumor growth in animals.

Originally posted here:
Walnuts Boost Good Gut Bacteria - Anti Aging News

CLEMSON, South Carolina When biochemistry student Leland Dunwoodie interviewed to be a part of Clemson Universitys Student Government (CUSG) nearly four years ago, he thought he was a shoo-in for Undergraduate Student Senate. However, he ended up being placed on Freshman Council instead, where he learned the principles of servant leadership and how to be an effective collaborator.

Dunwoodie will serve as President of theUndergraduate Student Senateduring the 2017-18 academic year.Image Credit: Bryce on a Boat Photography

Now a rising senior at Clemson, Dunwoodie saidthat losing out on Student Senate as a freshman was exactly what he needed when he needed it. The skills he gained on Freshman Council inspired him to try for Student Senate two more times, eventually landing him his current role of 2017-18 Undergraduate Student Senate president.

Student Senate president is a role that Im really excited about and a role that Im really honored to take, said Dunwoodie, who is from Milton, Georgia. My past roles in Student Government have had me doing projects, directly mentoring my peers in some of their projects, as well as collaborating with others on theirs. This role will be more about empowering others and empowering others to empower others. Its going to be a shift in the way Im looking at problems, which I think will be really good for me, and I hope for everyone involved.

Dunwoodie will direct Senates committee chairs and executive team, as well as lead Student Senates weekly meetings. Dunwoodie will also serve as a voice for the universitys student population in meetings with campus administrators.

Beyond these basic duties of the position, Dunwoodie hopes to move Student Senate in a fresh direction.

For me, that means helping senators take on initiatives that will impact Clemson students, Dunwoodie said. I think Senates done an awesome job in the past of handling the finances, structure and legislation involved with Student Senate. Id love to see us carry on that tradition, but I also want every senator to do something collaborate on something, finish something that they can point to and be proud of and that personally impacts Clemson students. At the end of the day, thats what I think were all here for in Student Government: to positively impact Clemson students and grow in the process.

Dunwoodie also wants to implement a system that allows all Clemson students to feel comfortable encouraged, even when seeking help from Student Government.

Every student that steps on campus should know they have a friend in CUSG regardless of who they are. I dont know if thats attainable, but its something Im going to shoot for, Dunwoodie said.

Next to CUSG, Dunwoodies other passion is his undergraduate research, which he conducts under professor Alex Feltus in the department of genetics and biochemistry. There, he investigates gene networks, which are groups of genes that work together to control a specific process or protein. Dunwoodies gene network of interest is specific to glioblastoma, an invasive form of brain cancer.

I think its interesting, because many traditional scientific approaches have been: Lets find one gene that we can knock out to make the tumor go away. But, by understanding coexpression how groups of genes are expressed and controlled together we can look at a broader, network-level approach that leads to some interesting insights, Dunwoodie said.

Research intuition like this is what Feltus emphasizes about Dunwoodie.

Leland has been an excellent collaborator, Feltus said. He aggressively dissects biological problems using wet and dry lab methods and is already making an impact in biomedical research. For example, he has identified several genes that appear to be mis-expressed in brain cancer and has authored a scientific manuscript currently in peer review.

Dunwoodies success in his undergraduate research has helped him acquire three external internships during his summer breaks from Clemson. He spent summer 2015 and 2016 at the Van Andel Institute in Grand Rapids, Michigan, where he studied pancreatic cancer and autophagy, or the breakdown of proteins and organs within a biological cell. Currently, he is finishing up another study of pancreatic cancer at the MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston.

Its his research with Feltus and his efforts in Student Government that have inspired Dunwoodies career plans after graduation.

My passion for interacting, leading and empowering people through Student Government, in addition to the informatics side that Dr. Feltus has taught me, have put me in a unique position, Dunwoodie said. Im hoping to become a clinician that uses informatics to gain new insights into diseases and to help researchers advance the standard of care. I think, as a physician-informaticist, I will have room to navigate. Its a unique career path, and it could be an interesting bridge between working with people and working with the newest technology.

His future career is something he might not have discovered, if it wasnt for the problem-solving skills that Feltus urged him to develop.

Dunwoodie plans to graduate in May 2018 with a Bachelor of Science in biochemistry.

Ive been blessed to be in the right place at the right time, he said.

END

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College of Science student named Undergraduate Student Senate president - Clemson Newsstand

Adrian Richard Leishman Gear, 77, of Charlottesville, Virginia passed away on Sunday, June 18, 2017. He is survived by his loving wife of 53 years, Carol; his two sons, Andrew, Charlotte, N.C. and Richard, Portland, Ore.; and two grandchildren, Hannah and Julia, Charlotte, N.C. Other surviving family members include brothers, Michael, Scotland, UK and Peter, Mill Valley, Calif. Adrian was born on August 31, 1939, in Pretoria, South Africa. He was the third son of Dr. Harry S. Gear and Joyce Gear. In 1944, the family moved to Cape Town where his father became Deputy Chief Health Officer for the S.A. Department of Public Health. Adrian was educated at Bishops Diocesan College. The family later moved to Geneva, Switzerland in 1951, where his father became the Assistant Director General of the World Health Organization. While in Geneva, Adrian attended the International School of Geneva. Adrian went on to attend Oxford University for undergraduate, graduate and finally a Doctor of Philosophy degree under the direction of Sir Hans Krebs. He then completed a postdoctoral fellowship at Johns Hopkins University under the tutelage of Dr. Albert Lehninger before joining the Department of Biochemistry at the University of Virginia as an Assistant Professor in 1967 at the tender age of 28. Dr. Gear had a long and productive career at the University, where he studied the role of platelets in the blood-clotting cascade, in particular, those involving the interactions of oxidized lipoproteins and bacterial toxins and their relationship to cardiovascular pathology. He developed a unique, "quenched flow" method of studying the kinetics of platelet adhesion and aggression in real time on the millisecond scale. Dr. Gear had a passion for teaching and successfully guided hundreds of graduate and medical students through the convoluted world of Biochemistry with great joie de vie. Like his father before him, Adrian maintained a sacrificial mindset towards family. Family came first, and Adrian willingly sacrificed his time despite the obsessive demands of academia that has orphaned many a child. This included long nature walks through the Blue Ridge mountains, gardening and the Botany behind it, birds and birding, teaching photography, coaching soccer, performing rudimentary science projects, endless homework, and editing creative writing projects just to name a few. None of these activities were performed grudgingly but with a steadfast joy. Adrian's deep love for family manifested in his photography. Adrian learned his craft as a child on an old Contax camera, capturing the beauty of Southern Africa, including its birds and landscapes. He went on to win an award while in Geneva for a winter photograph of Lake Geneva. The family enjoyed (and occasionally suffered through) endless slide shows. It was one way he looked back at and cherished his time with us. Adrian was missing in most of these images, but he was the glue and presence behind them all. In addition to photography, Adrian loved languages (French and German in particular and a splash of Swahili), woodworking, and music. In his later years, he was known for starting spontaneous conversations in French when in the presence of a willing participant. Numinous and almost angelic in his disposition, Adrian was an otherworldly figure in an otherwise increasingly angry and bitter world. Like the popular "I am second" declaration, he put himself second. He gave generously of himself, and the outpouring from former faculty, friends and students bears witness to that. He will be sorely missed, but we plan on seeing him again. A service to celebrate his life will be held on Sunday, October 15, 2017, at 4:30 p.m. at the University of Virginia Chapel, 145 McCormick Road, Charlottesville, VA 22903. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that memorial contributions be made to either the Hospice of the Piedmont, 675 Peter Jefferson Parkway, Suite 300, Charlottesville, VA 22911, or Alzheimer's Foundation, 1160 Pepsi Place, Suite 306, Charlottesville, VA 22901. Condolences may be sent to the family at http://www.hillandwood.com

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Gear, Adrian Richard Leishman - The Daily Progress

The application of artificial intelligence is the research focus of start-up company Insilico Medicine. The medical technology company is developing artificial intelligence algorithms to study the ageing processes. The aim is to find new interventions in aging.InSilico Medicine develops knowledge management system of annotated drugs and small molecules. The company foremost develops drugs for oncology and aging, based on a patient's gene expression data. InSilico Medicine is based in Baltimore, Maryland, U.S. Last year the company launched Aging.AI 2.0, which is a blood biochemistry predictor of human age. This built on the success of its Aging.AI 1.0 platform. Version 1.0 succeeded in using just 41 blood biochemistry biomarkers to test thousands of people. Through this type of analysis Insilico Medicine becames the first company to apply deep generative adversarial networks (GANs) to generating anti-cancer new molecules.

Artificial molecules.

Physics.org

Elderly Cubans wait for help at La Milagrosa Grandparent House in Havana

Adalberto Roque, AFP

Excerpt from:
Artificial intelligence targets human age-reversal - Digital Journal

USD junior Daniel Ghebreigziabher discusses his NSF REU summer research project during a poster presentation session on August 10.

The prospect of learning something new each day is true for everybody. For students in college, particularly those whove participated in this summers University of San Diegos Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) program via a grant from the National Science Foundation, the knowledge gained has been delivered over 10 weeks, but it can have a lifetime of impact.

The USD grant supported 11 REU Fellows many of whom were new to having a research experience at the college level in collaborative, interdisciplinary research that paired them with USD faculty members in chemistry and biochemistry, physics and biophysics, engineering, environmental and ocean sciences, mathematics and computer science. Each research project, in some way, studies or deepens students knowledge on factors leading to or the impact of climate change through multiple approaches and disciplines.

Research Knowledge on Display

On Thursday afternoon in the Shiley Center for Science and Technology Atrium, this years cohort some currently attending USD, some who are military veteran students, one student from Texas and some whove completed community college and are transferring to UC Riverside, University of California, Berkeley and UC San Diego, respectively, this fall gave poster presentations to visually display and discuss the knowledge theyve gained this summer.

Poster presentations (with USD faculty denoted) were given by Denisa Ivan (Chemistry and Biochemistrys David De Haan); Andrew Boghossian (Physics and Biophysics Ryan McGorty); Daniel Ghebreigziabher (Chemistry and Biochemistrys Joseph Provost); Diana Tamayo (Environmental and Ocean Sciences Nathalie Reyns); Isabel Paredes (Mathematics Jane Friedman); Jayna Lizama (Environmental and Ocean Sciences Drew Talley); Joshua Wilson (Chemistry and Biochemistrys Tim Clark); Luis Garcia and Nathan Kramer (Mechanical Engineerings Daniel Codd); William Bentley (Physics and Biophysics Rae Anderson); and William Sherwin (Chemistry and Biochemistrys Joan Schelinger).

Learning, Growing

While the disciplines covered by the REU were specific, some students participated in research areas that, while not exactly in their regular area of study, did not deter from their desire to learn.

I learned MATLAB and LaTeX and this project allowed me to find other things to learn about, said Paredes, a first-generation student who came into the REU with experience and interest in engineering and chemistry, the latter stemming from her participation in a previous and different REU. At USD, Paredes worked with Friedman, who marveled at her students quick-pick-up of programming and her desire. Friedman said a published paper will emerge from their project regarding improved math modeling of Biomass Allometry using Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO). Paredes, a Navy veteran, will be transferring to Berkeley this fall.

Ghebreigziabher, a USD biochemistry major and pre-med student, has been doing research during the academic year. This summers REU program gave him a chance to expand his knowledge working with proteins and with Joe Provost. During the year, Ghebreigziabher works on a DNA-oriented project in USD Biochemistry Assistant Professor Anthony Bells lab.

Theres no amount of work thats too much for me, said Ghebreigziabher. Its all about the tools you can have. This summer has been a chance for me to gain more experience, do more troubleshooting, analyzing the whole picture and to do more critical thinking.

Joshua Wilson, a Navy veteran who is heading into his senior year at USD, worked in the lab of USD alumnus and Chemistry Professor Tim Clark. Wilson was familiar with Clark as the latter serves as his academic advisor and was his organic chemistry class professor. The summer research project, one that examines phosphine directed C-H borylation, was preliminary stage of work that will continue this academic year and could be presented at a conference as well as USDs Creative Collaborations in spring 2018.

Denisa Ivan, who attends St. Edwards College in Austin, Texas, examined the effects of aerosol-phase browning in glyoxal reactions with ammonium salts/chloride. Asking two questions does the reaction between ammonium sulfate/chloride and glyoxal form brown carbon? and does formation of brown carbon favor one reaction over the other? Ivan reached a few conclusions, but the project is a work in progress. For her first foray on a college-level research project Ivan felt it was a great opportunity to look at a problem step by step to reach a solution. I learned to think faster on my feet. I feel a lot better now that I want to pursue this kind of research.

Nathan Kramer, a USD student and Marine Corps veteran, and Luis Garcia, a local community college student who is transferring to UC Berkeley, worked with Shiley-Marcos School of Engineering Mechanical Professor Daniel Codd. The projects goal was to develop a hybrid solar converter featuring transmissive photovoltaics. This project is a response to there being little work being done in the renewable energy sector to find sustainable solutions to industrial process heat applications.

Kramer and Garcia both expressed their appreciation for the resources they had to work with during the summer, the mentorship and guidance provided by Dr. Cod and the experience they gained these past 10 weeks.

Another REU Fellow, Jayna Lizama, is preparing to attend UC Riverside to study environmental studies. She gained firsthand knowledge of marine ecology through research she did as a member of Drew Talleys team. She and others utilized stable isotope analysis to understand the trophic position of Fundulus parvipinnis (California killifish) in San Diegos Mission Bay marsh.

I love learning new things. This project was definitely a good introduction for me going out and working in the field, Lizama said. I feel more confident about doing research and Im very comfortable working together in the lab.

Thats definitely the reward for learning. Every day.

Ryan T. Blystone

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REU Fellows Expand Knowledge Via Summer Research - University of San Diego Website (press release) (blog)

Its been nearly a decade since the doors to WPIs Life Sciences and Bioengineering Center (LSBC) opened. The first building to rise at Gateway Park, an 11-acre mixed-use campus taking shape just north of downtown Worcester and a short walk from the main WPI campus, the LSBC, formally dedicated on September 17, 2007, represented something of a gamble. In building the 125,000-square-foot research facility, the university was betting that by making a $65 million investment in the life sciences (the cost of the building and the site clean-up), it would realize dividends down the road.

That bet has paid off, and then some, says Eric Overstrm, former professor of biology and biotechnology, who joined WPI in 2004 as head of that department. This building has produced a return on investment well beyond anything we anticipated at the time, he says.

The LSBC was the answer to a question that had been nagging at WPI since it acquired the Gateway Park property in 1999, jointly with the Worcester Business Development Corporation: How could that former industrial brownfield benefit the university? The idea of constructing a building to provide much-needed space for a growing a research enterprise emerged early on, but what kind of research would be represented was unclear.

Overstrm recalls a meeting where several faculty members described the facilities they envisioned for the new center, including fire labs and a drop tower for impact research. He and his fellow life sciences department heads, the late Chris Sotak in Biomedical Engineering and Jim Dittami in Chemistry and Biochemistry, huddled and decided to propose a more focused approach: move all of WPIs graduate research programs in the life sciences and bioengineering to the new building.

The idea had a practical motivation. The wet labs in the 115-year-old Salisbury Laboratories building, where the biologist and biomedical engineers worked, were poorly suited to modern research, while lab space in the newer Goddard Hall, home to chemistry, biochemistry, and chemical engineering research, was running short as the WPI faculty grew.

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How One Building Created a Cascade of Change - WPI News

The University of Calabar (UNICAL) has restated its resolve to collaborate with intellectual societies on the promotion of academic excellence.

Vice-Chancellor of the institution, Prof Zana Akpagu stated this at the institutions Senate Chambers during the 2nd Zonal Annual Conference of the Nigerian Society of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (NSBMEB) with the theme: The Role of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology in a Recessed Economy.

Prof Akpagu said the collaboration is one of the cardinal objectives of the institution aimed at promoting academic and intellectual excellence.

The Vice-Chancellor said the institution was already promoting academic excellence by encouraging useful and beneficial exchange of ideas through conferences, seminars and workshops.

According to him, the theme of the conference was apt following the economic recession currently bedeviling the country.

He thanked NSBMB for giving Unical the hosting rights of its 2nd Zonal conference and promised to support them.

The Vice-Chancellor, however, expressed joy that NSBMB was at the verge of assuming the status of an institute, saying it will confer on them the legal status for regulating and controlling their profession.

He also commended the local organising committee for organising the event and urged them to attract the national conference of NSBMB to Unical.

This is even as he congratulated the University of Ilorin for topping the ranks of Nigerian Universities and thanked them for providing the leadership for NSBMB.

Also speaking, National President of NSBMB, Mrs Sylvia Malomo thanked the Vice-Chancellor for providing an enabling environment for the conference.

She also applauded the Vice-Chancellor for his developmental strides in the institution, stressing that the institution has witnessed tremendous transformation since he assumed office.

Malomo commended the South-South and South-east zones of NSBMB for its consistency in promoting the activities of the society.

She said Biochemists have been at the forefront of administration in the country, adding that, we have biochemists as Vice-Chancellors, we have them as governors, we have them as lawmakers, we have them in various high positions in government and private sector.

The NSBMB President also commended the South-South Zonal Coordinator, ProfFridayUboh for working assiduously to promote the activities of the society, describing him as a go-getter.

In his remarks, South-South Zonal Coordinator of NSBMB, ProfFridayUboh thanked the Vice Chancellor for his support towards the hosting of the conference.

He also commended members of the local organizing committee, staff and members of Biochemistry Department of the University of Calabar for their tireless efforts in making the zonal event a reality

The Zonal Coordinator reminded fellow Biochemists that NSBMB is the first and primary society of their own before any other academic society hence the need for them to fight and protect their profession from oppression by other professional bodies.

Prof Uboh disclosed that the struggle to take the society to the status of an institute at the national level has become a reality, adding that it is a thing of joy that this dream is being fulfilled in their time.

He, however, appealed to all Biochemists to be committed to regular payment of dues and participation in all zonal and national conferences.

The Zonal coordinator urged senior colleagues to rise up to their expected responsibility of mentoring the younger ones to become eminent Biochemists.

He solicited for financial support from public spirited individuals and eminent scientists to help in the sustenance of the zonal event on a yearly basis.

Delivering the keynote address, National Secretary of NSBMB, Prof Musa Yakubu described Biochemistry as a unique profession which cuts across all fields of human endeavor.

Prof Yakubu who spoke on the title- the role of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology in a recessed economy said Biochemists can contribute immensely in pulling Nigeria out of its present economic woes by diversifying the economy through increase in production of agric produce.

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UNICAL to partner intellectual societies on academic excellence - NIGERIAN TRIBUNE (press release) (blog)