Until the official minutes of the September 10-11, 2009, meeting of the National Advisory General Medical Sciences Council (NAGMSC) are posted on this Web site, we are providing this summary of the major topics covered during the Council's open session on September 11.
Director's Report
NIGMS Director Dr. Jeremy Berg updated the Council on various Institute- and agency-related issues. He urged Council members to spread the word about peer review changes in scoring (current) and application length (January 2010), and pointed to a new public database, NIH RePORTER, which queries the NIH portfolio. Dr. Berg encourage Council members and their colleagues to use the NIGMS Feedback Loop to stay in touch with the Institute’s plans and activities, as well as to communicate ideas, questions and concerns. He also provided an overview of NIH’s funding activities related to the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, and in particular, he showed a funding timeline of NIGMS’ Recovery Act investments. In closing, Dr. Berg alerted the Council that the Institute is embarking upon a strategic plan for research training. The effort is aimed at examining the core goals of research training and their integration with diversity recruitment, as well as the distribution of training resources. More information will be available at the January 2010 Council meeting.
Contact: Dr. Jeremy Berg, bergj@nigms.nih.gov, 301-594-2172
The Lindau Meeting of Nobel Laureates and Students: One Student’s View
In summer 2009, 23 Nobel laureates and 580 young researchers from 67 countries met in Lindau, Germany, for the 59th Meeting of Nobel Laureates. The 2009 meeting, dedicated to chemistry, aimed to provide a unique training experience for graduate students preparing for careers as independent investigators. In addition to promoting networking opportunities, the experience also teamed students with Nobel laureates as mentors. Erika Milczek of Emory University in Atlanta recounted her personal experiences from the event, noting that the meeting enriched her outlook on science and her own research on developing enzyme inhibitors as neuroprotectants against age-related neurodegenerative diseases.
Contact: Erika Milczek, emilcze@emory.edu, 770-880-8473
Preview: Advancing Biomedical Research Workforce Diversity Workshop
On March 11-12, 2010, NIGMS will sponsor a two-day workshop on the NIH campus in Bethesda, Maryland, for postdoctoral fellows transitioning to their first independent positions. The agenda covers all stages of this transition process, from identifying the institutions that best fit their needs to preparing for the job search, negotiating a startup package, setting up a laboratory, applying for research funding and receiving tenure. Although the focus of the workshop is on academic positions, participants will also have an opportunity to learn about other scientific careers. Dr. Judith Greenberg noted that applications are due by November 2, 2009, and that individuals selected to attend the workshop will be reimbursed by NIGMS for travel and per diem expenses.
Contact: Dr. Judith Greenberg, greenbej@nigms.nih.gov, 301-594-0943
