Mentoring Neuroscience in Louisiana: A Biomedical Program to Enhance Neuroscience

我们的Cobre名为“指导路易斯安那州的神经科学：在理想状态下加强神经科学的生物医学计划”，在路易斯安那州立大学、杜兰大学和其他路易斯安那州高等教育机构建立了一种卓越的科学文化。在这种环境下进行的神经科学研究在质量和生产率方面都得到了极大的协同；这种新的文化在我们机构的神经科学的创新和根本上的重要研究突破中发挥着关键作用。认识到指导进程对于培养有前途的初级调查人员和加强研究基础设施的重要性，我们现在建议建立一个机制，进一步振兴指导进程，以巩固一个自我维持的系统，从而提高个人和集体的研究效率。通过我们的“导师文化”方法，我们建议(1)让科布雷基金的所有参与科学家参与建立一个综合性的路易斯安那州神经科学中心；(2)支持PJIS的四个主要研究项目和五个试点项目；(3)继续支持和发展五个至关重要的核心设施；(4)继续加强路易斯安那州神经科学研究的质量。在我们的科学焦点-突触可塑性、调节和功能的细胞和分子基础-的背景下，PJIS的项目旨在帮助深入了解树突状细胞的功能、神经信息处理以及与癫痫、缺血-再灌注、耳聋和神经退行性疾病相关的神经保护机制。我们的七个Cobre核心资源--细胞生理学成像、分子生物学、计算神经科学、脂质组学、生物统计学、细胞生物学/组织培养和蛋白质组学--被选中来支持这一科学重点。我们的Cobre导师计划-包括初级导师(成功的前PJI)在内的导师团队-旨在在获奖的第二年内产生PJI的R01申请，并伴随着一项招聘计划，以在3至5年内吸引参与机构的新研究人员。我们的“资助者计划”旨在指导PJI在申请和同行审查过程中变得更具竞争力。我们认为，四名目标教员、四名即将招聘的教员和额外的PJI是加强和激励整个路易斯安那州强大的神经科学研究环境的关键构件。

Our COBRE, "Mentoring Neuroscience in Louisiana: A Biomedical Program to Enhance Neuroscience in an IdeA State," has established a culture of scientific excellence at LSUHSC, Tulane University, and other Louisiana institutions of higher education. Neurosciences research performed in this environment is greatly synergized with respect to both quality and productivity; this new culture is playing a critical role in innovative and fundamentally important research breakthroughs in the neurosciences at our institutions. Recognizing the significance of the mentoring process for developing Promising Junior investigators (PJI) and for strengthening the research infrastructure, we now propose a mechanism to further invigorate the mentoring process in order to solidify a self-sustaining system that will enhance individual and collective research effectiveness. Through our "culture of mentoring" approach, we propose to (1) involve all participating scientists in the COBRE grant in the development of a comprehensive Louisiana Center for Neuroscience;(2) support four main research projects and five pilot projects by PJIs; (3) continue to support and develop five vital Core facilities; and (4) continue to strengthen the quality of neuroscience research in Louisiana. In the context of our scientific focus - Cellular and Molecular Bases of Synaptic Plasticity, Regulation, and Function - the PJIs' projects are designed to contribute insights into dendritic function, neural information processing, and mechanisms of neuroprotection relevant to epilepsy, ischemia-reperfusion, deafness, and neurodegenerative diseases. Our seven COBRE Core resources - Imaging of Cell Physiology, Molecular Biology, Computational Neurosciences, Lipidomics, Biostastitics, Cell Biology/Tissue Culture and Proteomics- are selected to support this scientific focus. Our COBRE mentoring plan - teams of mentors including junior mentors (successful former PJIs) - aims to produce R01 applications by the PJIs within the second year of the award, and is coupled with a recruitment plan to attract new research faculty at the participating institutions over Years 3 to 5. Our 'grantsmanship-plan' is designed to guide the PJIs to become competitive in the application and peer-review process. We view the four target faculty, the four to-be-recruited faculty, and additional PJIs as the critical building blocks to reinforce and energize a strong neuroscience research environment throughout the State of Louisiana.