Howard University News March 19, 2014 Howard University Professor Anna Allen Wins U.S. Department of Defense Research Grant The grant will fund the acquisition of a state-of-the-art microscope to enhance the student educational experience. Howard University Department of Biology assistant professor Anna K. Allen, Ph.D., was recently awarded a $450,444 grant from the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) to fund the acquisition of a spinning disc fluorescent confocal microscope. The grant was awarded under the DoD's Research and Education Program for Historically Black Colleges and Universities and Minority-Serving Institutions (HBCU/MI). The grant, titled "Acquisition of a Spinning Disk Confocal Microscope to Enhance Research and Training in the STEM Fields at Howard University," will enhance the technical and instructional capabilities of the department as well as help to increase diversity in the science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) fields. "We're very fortunate to receive this grant," said Dr. Allen, principal investigator on the project. "This next generation imaging capability will revolutionize both the instructional training as well as research that faculty at Howard University and other local colleges and universities can accomplish." Allen and a team of researchers will utilize the new imaging system to tackle a variety of biological issues. These include identifying new components of the cell cycle as well as better understanding neurons in mental health disorders such as depression and drug abuse in order to design more effective therapeutic drugs. The spinning disc confocal system will also allow the department to incorporate live cell imaging into its undergraduate and graduate courses. Allen plans to use the system in her developmental biology and genetics courses, while other faculty will utilize it in molecular biology and immunology courses. In 2009 and again in 2013, the National Science Foundation (NSF) ranked Howard University as the top producer of African-American bachelor's degree recipients who subsequently earned science and engineering doctoral degrees in the United States. On average, more freshmen enroll in biology at Howard than in any other major. The Research and Education Program for HBCU/MI enhances research programs and capabilities in scientific and engineering disciplines critical to the national security functions of the DoD. It encourages greater participation by HBCU/MIs in DoD research and education programs and activities; increases the number of graduates, including underrepresented minorities, in the STEM fields and encourages research and educational collaboration with other institutions of higher education. 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 404-702-5854 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/2014meeting-form.html for the October 26-28, 2014 HBCU Library Alliance 6th Membership Meeting in Atlanta GA!