Two years ago, Ashlee Muller visited LI-COR Biosciences, a Lincoln, Nebraska BioScience related research and development company as part of a University of Nebraska Medical Center (UNMC) program designed to increase the supply of scientists for Nebraska’s growing biotechnology industry. Following graduation this summer, Ashlee applied for and accepted a position with LI-COR as a research associate with the firm, the first student in the INBRE program to be placed with a Nebraska biotechnology company.
“The UNMC program helped me learn procedures and techniques that I could use on the job, and helped build my confidence in knowing my way around the lab,” said Muller. “I remember the company from my visit along with other INBRE scholars in 2004… I liked what I saw and decided to apply.” Dr. Kristi Ambroz, manager of reagent product development and manufacturing at LI-COR is a firsthand witness to the results of the UNMC program. “Ashlee clearly has valuable lab experience beyond what is learned in a regular classroom. The program provided her an edge over other candidates for the job and decreased our training time.”
The Nebraska Institutional Networks of Biomedical Research Excellence (INBRE) program is the result of a $17 million five year grant awarded to Dr. James Turpen at UNMC. The program provides incentives to instructors at 12 Nebraska colleges to establish biotechnology research projects and to get interested students involved. During the summers the INBRE program scholars continue their technical studies with an internship, either at UNMC, University of Nebraska –Lincoln, or Creighton University science laboratories. “Because we feature a focused mentoring program and include as many other Nebraska colleges as possible, Nebraska’s program is now being adopted by the National Institute of Health (NIH) funding authority as a model for other state programs, …and I think that gives us a leg up on continued funding and for being able to provide continued benefits to Nebraska,” said Turpen.
Richard Baier, director of the Nebraska Department of Economic Development agrees. “The success of this program relates directly to an advantage Nebraska can have in providing a scientifically trained workforce for existing Nebraska biotech companies, and attracting new biotechnology activity and firms to our state. We are in an international effort to strengthen and develop this industry in Nebraska. Highly trained scientists and technicians are essential if Nebraska is to participate in growing the knowledge-based industries in our state, and particularly so in the biotechnology sector.”
