IMPROVEMENT OF BIOMEDICAL INFRASTRUCTURE

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There are seven and half faculty positions in the Department and two faculty have biomedical research projects. Both of these projects are using molecular biology techniques to study the natural resistance of warm-blooded animals to snake venom. The biomedical faculty have published in professional refereed journals and have been extremely active in writing research grants. TAMUK needs an institutional infrastructure that will promote biomedical research through collaborative research linkages with other universities. The overall goal of the NIH/RIMI program is to expand biomedical research at the University by improving the research infrastructure. The objectives of the Infrastructure Project are to: (1) hire additional faculty with a biomedical research interest who will establish collaborative research with other universities, (2) use the Advisory Committee to insure that research links will be made with other universities, (3) develop a core research facility with technical support to operate the maintain the equipment, and (4) improve the Internet capabilities in the department and use it as a means of communicating with other investigators at collaborating universities. Three new faculty positions will be added to enhance the biomedical expertise of the University. Two of the positions will be in Biology (cell biologist, and geneticist) and one in Chemistry (biochemist). The new faculty will have a 6 hr teaching load, seed money for research, laboratory space, and graduate student support for research (this will be provided by the University). A core research facility with instruments, computers, telecommunication equipment, and technical support will be established. The computer and telecommunication facility will be essential to enhance collaborative research between participating universities. Faculty and students from different universities will be able to communicate through the Internet. The World Wide Web can be used to establish joint home pages for collaborative research projects. Joint seminars, research meetings, and student defenses can take place through a telecommunication system. The core research facility will contain large expensive equipment that can be used by all faculty for research projects. The facility will have a full time research associate to operate and maintain the equipment. The Core Research Facility will have six faculty users for research projects and will stimulate collaborative research projects with participating universities. The facility will be essential in attracting quality research faculty. The students will obtain training and research experience that will allow them to make the transition into a Ph.D. at major universities.