2008-09 Academic Staff Development Grants Part 1
All three of the Academic Staff Development Grant applications submitted through the Graduate School Professional Development and Recognition Committee in the first part of the 2008-09 competition were successful. Brief descriptions are given below. Congratulations to these employees for their successful professional development proposals!
- Anita Bhattacharyya
Associate Scientist, Waisman Center Dr. Bhattacharyya will attend the Society for Neuroscience annual meeting. This meeting is a gathering of more than 20,000 neuroscientists from around the world. The annual meeting provides scientists a forum to present their work through lectures, symposia, workshops and poster sessions.
As an independent investigator at the Waisman Center, Dr. Bhattacharyya uses human stem cells to study aspects of brain development that go wrong in specific developmental disorders such as Down Syndrom and Fragile X syndrome. Dr. Bhattacharyya's career development relies heavily on presentation of her work and getting valuable critiques from other researchers in her field. Presentation of her work at this international meeting will allow her an opportunity to have these discussions. In addition, exchanging ideas with others opens the possibility of setting up collaborative studies with researchers at other institutions. Attendance at this meeting will improve her career development as an independent researcher.
- Valerie Joers
Research Specialist, Wisconsin National Primate Research Center Ms. Joers will attend the Practical Training Course in Confocal Microscopy and Stereology. The purpose of the training is to provide intensive hands-on training in the cutting-edge technologies of confocal microscopy and design-based stereology.
As a research specialist in the Centralized Protocol Unit (CPU) unit at the Wisconsin National Primate Research Center, this training is vital to teach techniques in the preparation and staining of tissues, as well as, quantifiable analysis of three-dimensional properties. This training will allow Ms. Joers' position to expand so that she can be effective in other areas that are not currently offered in her specific work unit. In addition, Ms. Joers manages the animal research program for an investigator researching Parkinson's Disease. The investigator's lab spends many hours processing and analyzing primate tissue of Parkinson's models. With this technique training, Ms. Joers will assist the investigator in effectively performing these methods of analysis
- Cara Westmark
Assistant Scientist, Waisman Center Dr. Westmark will attend the Society for Neuroscience annual meeting. This meeting is a gathering of more than 20,000 neuroscientists from around the world. The annual meeting provides scientists a forum to present their work through lectures, symposia, workshops and poster sessions.
By attending lectures, symposia and workshops at the Neuroscience conference, Dr. Westmark will enhance her effectiveness in the most cutting-edge research in neuroscience, interact with colleagues in the field and share her research at an international conference.
Dr. Westmark's attendance at the conference will also enhance her effectiveness as an Assistant Scientist at the Waisman Center by: broadening her knowledge of the field of neuroscience so that upon her return she can apply new concepts and methodologies to her current research; allow her to share her newly gleaned knowledge and experiences with fellow students and staff in her laboratory and department; and give her the opportunity to forge new collaborations with other scientists working in the fields of Fragile X syndrome and Alzheimer's disease.
Please contact Matt Hoffman mhoffman@primate.wisc.edu or any member of the Communications Committee if you have questions or suggestions about the GS-CASI web site.