Alabama State University News September 5, 2012 Center for NanoBiotechnology Research Receives Nearly $5 Million Grant Alabama State University's Center for NanoBiotechnology Research has been awarded a major grant that will further the University's goal of becoming one of the world's premier research institutions. The National Science Foundation (NSF) has awarded ASU's Center for NanoBiotechnology Research (CNBR) a five-year grant totaling $4,995,710 that could help the Center conduct important research to diagnose and treat diseases. The CNBR was established in 2007 to enhance the University's research infrastructure and to train faculty and students in the new emerging areas of nanotechnology and nanobiotechnology. Dr. Shree R. Singh, CNBR director and professor of microbiology at ASU, said the new five-year grant was awarded based on the Center's accomplishments during the last five years. "With the new $5 million funding from the NSF, the CNBR at ASU moves its research to a very new field of nanogenomics and will provide training to many students and scientists in this field. Also, this research area has a huge potential in developing innovative materials that can be used for diagnosis and treatment of human diseases," Singh said. "The next five years of funding will focus on research in developing novel nanomaterials that can be used to treat viral and bacterial diseases, as well as therapeutics that can enhance disease-fighting immune responses. The new field of research places ASU among few universities around the world to have these research capabilities." In awarding the grant, the NSF cited the CNBR's success in terms of research output, establishment of infrastructure, hiring of research faculty and transitioning them to tenure-track faculty and graduating minority Ph.Ds. "One of the most exciting components of the CNBR is that it continues to provide research training to students starting from high school all the way to Ph.D. students. CNBR trained and graduated the first cohort of Ph.D. in microbiology students in 2011, making history by producing the first Ph.Ds at ASU," Singh said. The CNBR is managed by Singh, Dr. Vida Dennis, Dr. Shreekumar Pillai and a team of ASU faculty researchers, including Mamie Coats, Peter Noble, Elijah Nyairo, Shivani Soni, Komal Vig and Alain Waffo. For more information on ASU's Center for NanoBiotechnology, contact 334-229-4168 or visit the CNBR website<http://www.alasu.edu/news/news-details/retCmsId=2365> SANDRA M. PHOENIX Executive Director HBCU Library Alliance sphoenix@hbculibraries.org<mailto:sphoenix@hbculibraries.org> www.hbculibraries.org<http://www.hbculibraries.org> 800-999-8558, ext. 4820 404-520-0593 Skype: sandra.phoenix1 1438 West Peachtree NW Suite 200 Atlanta,GA 30309 Toll Free: 1.800.999.8558 (LYRASIS) Fax: 404.892.7879 www.lyrasis.org<http://www.lyrasis.org> Honor the ancestors, honor the children. Register now http://www.hbculibraries.org/html/2012meeting-form.html for the October 21-23, 2012 HBCU Library Alliance 5th Membership Meeting and the Photographic Preservation Pre-Conference in New Orleans, LA. The Pre-Conference and Membership meeting are open to directors and other librarians.