Arizona Biosciences

Isilon NAS allows TGen to record cost savings and improve efficiency

Matt Nelson — 2010-03-21

The Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGen) has implemented Isilon's scale-out network-attached storage (NAS) as the main solution powering its significant supply of next-generation research data.

Since the arrival of Isilon IQ, TGen has been able to unify all of its operations on to one single, highly-scalable shared pool of storage. And with the deployment of Isilon's NAS, as well as some data compression technology, it has managed to reshape its previous storage-attached network system to serve as a backuparchive.

The benefits to TGen have been immediate and significant, with cost savings already reported along with a boost to the firm's efficiency rating.

Joan Shapiro tapped by medical school

Matt Nelson — 2010-03-21

Joan Rankin Shapiro is leaving her post as vice president of clinical and translational research at St. Joseph’s Hospital and Medical Center to become associate dean for research at University of Arizona College of Medicine — Phoenix in partnership with Arizona State University.

After 20 years with St. Joseph’s, Shapiro will oversee the medical school’s research program. She will remain on the research faculty at St. Joseph’s and will oversee compliance of the Phoenix hospital’s research enterprise.

Biotech Talks: Personalized Medicine

2010-03-18 09:54:37 -0700

Biotech Talks: Personalized Medicine

Downtown Phoenix medical education building gets review

Matt Nelson — 2010-03-18

The Arizona Legislature's Joint Committee on Capital Review (JCCR) has included on its March 23 agenda a review of the 268,000-square-foot Health Sciences Education Building (HSEB), part of the planned expansion of The University of Arizona College of Medicine - Phoenix in partnership with Arizona State University in downtown Phoenix. The $187 million expansion of the Phoenix Biomedical Campus - supported by lottery and university dollars, not by the general fund - requires review by the JCCR before the project can break ground.

"We would like to thank House Speaker Kirk Adams for his leadership in helping to see this project through, and Representative Kavanagh, chair of JCCR, for assigning this tri-university project for review," said Ernest Calderon, President of the Arizona Board of Regents (ABOR). "We are one step closer to training much-needed physicians and health-care professionals in Arizona with expanded facilities at the Phoenix Biomedical Campus."

FDA Is easing way for drug cocktails

Matt Nelson — 2010-03-18

The Food and Drug Administration is devising guidelines that could accelerate testing and approval of multidrug regimens for some of the world's most deadly diseases.

At least two pharmaceutical consortia are poised to take advantage of the forthcoming policy: a group of 10 drug companies and several nonprofit organizations convened by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to develop medicines to fight tuberculosis; and pharmaceutical giants Merck & Co. and AstraZeneca PLC, which are jointly testing two anticancer agents.

McFarland Lecture Series

2010-03-16 12:57:48 -0700

McFarland Lecture Series

NightHawk relocates HQ to Scottsdale

Matt Nelson — 2010-03-16

The new Scottsdale headquarters of a leading radiology company is further evidence of the area's continued emergence as a draw for health-care businesses and the jobs they bring, state and city leaders say.

Scottsdale's mayor and Valley business leaders officially welcomed the corporate headquarters of NightHawk Radiology Holdings Inc. to Scottsdale on Monday.

CSI Clarkdale: 7th graders learn about criminal investigation, apply STEM concepts

Jim McPherson — 2010-03-16

CSI Clarkdale: 7th graders learn about criminal investigation, apply STEM concepts

Philip Wright, Verde Independent, March X, 2010

http://verdenews.com/main.asp?SectionID=1&SubSectionID=1&ArticleID=35387

CLARKDALE - Seventh-grade students at Clarkdale-Jerome School became Crime Scene Investigators Monday. They investigated a mock homicide in the school gymnasium.

The school's Resource Officer Robert Church has put on these CSI scenarios for his students for several years. Church develops two entire crime scenes - for both seventh-grade classes -- along with victims and planted evidence. Then the students investigate.

"I set up identical crime scenes and each class processes their own crime scene," Church said.

Church knows how the crime played out, who the key witnesses are and who the murderer is. The students must ask the right questions to develop their witnesses and finally gain access to the guilty person.

To do this, the students collect evidence, have the evidence analyzed, obtain search warrants, conduct interviews and, if they do everything correctly, make an arrest.

During the process, students not only learn how a criminal investigation unfolds but also how to apply much of the science and math they have been learning in class.

"They're working on state standards (for AIMS)," Church said. They apply those standards through skills in inquiry, using data tables, comparison and analysis, forming a hypothesis and supporting it, and writing detailed reports.

As a resource officer, Church must teach 180 hours of law-related topics. He said the study of forensic science fits that requirement. He also teaches civics classes for eighth-grade students. For that class, Church puts on a mock trial, and he introduces them to actual laboratory processes used to analyze evidence.

Church's students also learn such topics as juvenile law and discuss subjects such as bullying.

Eighth-graders also have units on street law and consumer law.

The program is funded by the State of Arizona in partnership with the Arizona Department of Education and the Arizona Foundation for Legal Services and Education.

Intel program brings Arizona teachers up to date on technology

Jim McPherson — 2010-03-16

Intel program brings Arizona teachers up to date on technology

Luci Scott, Arizona Republic, March 9, 2010

http://www.azcentral.com/community/chandler/articles/2010/03/09/20100309intel-tech-training-program.html

The father of a student at Galveston Elementary School in Chandler needed to write a letter, but he didn't know how to use a computer.

The family didn't have a computer at home.

So, with the blessing of the school, they visited Galveston when classes weren't in session, and the child showed his father how to write the letter. The child is a first-grader.

"School computers are available to parents, who learn from their children," said Allison Davis, the child's teacher.

"It's neat to see a 6-year-old teach a parent how to write a letter on Word."

Davis herself brushed up her skills on the Word software through a wide-ranging program by Chandler microchip manufacturer Intel, called Intel Teach.

The program helps teachers enhance learning through the use of technology with a focus on developing 21st-century skills.

Intel helps the Arizona Department of Education create a core group of trainers, who in turn train other teachers in technology and methods. Intel has provided the initial training, ongoing updated curriculum and funding as well as consulting with administrators.

There are currently 66 school districts in Arizona involved with the program. At one time, there were more than 100.

Davis, who took the training several years ago, learned more about Word, Publisher and PowerPoint software and was introduced to Movie Maker.

Each quarter, Davis tries to do a big project in science or social studies, and the Intel training showed her how to set up a unit and plan long term "so as not to crunch everything into two days," she said.

The training went beyond nuts and bolts, and gave her inspiration.

"It piqued my curiosity about how to use technology effectively to make students be engaged and be more curious," she said.

"I keep wanting to learn more; the training was kind of like a spark."

Her first-graders are so savvy with technology that they made a movie on desert animals.

The Intel Teach program was recently honored by the National Governors Association with a Public-Private Partnership Award.

Since the beginning of Intel Teach almost 10 years ago, more than 17,500 Arizona educators have participated in professional development, Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer said in an association news release.

"This effective program has been designated as one of the state's key initiatives for increasing the use of educational technology in Arizona classrooms," Brewer said.

The initial training was not the end of Davis' contact with Intel. Employees stay at the ready for teachers' questions.

"Intel volunteers work with us; they're fabulous people who really want to help children in the schools," Davis said.

"It's neat that teachers and engineers can work together to make sure students will be ready to go into math, science and technology."

What Arizona businesses can do NOW to support STEM education

Jim McPherson — 2010-03-16

Editor's Note: Below is background information about a program initiated in southern Arizona. On Friday, March 26, 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at the Science Foundation Arizona offices in downtown Phoenix, representatives from the Unversity of Arizona, Raytheon, and Southern Arizona Leadership Council will introduce the Teacher Industry Internship and Masters program to metro Phoenix businesses.

While the program started in Tucson, there are now teachers and a need to find internship spots in Maricopa County. The lunch is an informational session to introduce Phoenix area employers to the program with the hope they will participate, perhaps as early as this summer. If you/your business is interested in attending this lunch, contact Darcy Renfro, Vice President and Director of STEM Initiative, Science Foundation Arizona, at 602-682-2881 or drenfro@sfaz.org

PROGRAM BACKGROUND

The University of Arizona and Tucson Values Teachers (TVT) are collaborators on a unique internship program for science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) teachers in Arizona middle and high schools, focusing primarily on those in their first five years of teaching. The primary goals of the program are to increase the retention of science and math teachers and to improve science and math teaching and learning. Science Foundation Arizona (SFAz) approved the three-year program, conditioned on matching funds from industry, with a clear mandate to create a model of success that could be used throughout the state.

Unlike any other program in the country, the internship is linked with a three-year Master’s Degree program that transforms the practical workforce experience into classroom curriculum, providing a critical bridge between education and businesses. The program creates a unique opportunity for business and teacher collaboration. Businesses benefit from the contributions of a high-quality, Master’s level K-12 teacher who will bring top-level STEM skills into the workplace. And, as part of the Master’s program, the teachers incorporate these first-hand business skills into curriculum and classroom teaching techniques. Importantly, the program emphasizes 21st Century Skills as a central part of the internship experience. Now in its second year, the program is expanding to reach all parts of the state.

The teachers selected for the program are simultaneously enrolled in a Master of Arts degree program at the University of Arizona. The SFAZ grant will cover the majority of the costs for coursework in the MA program. Teachers will be available four days per week on a full-time basis throughout the period of the internship. Businesses are asked to place teachers in a meaningful job experience for the teachers and pay industry wages. (Fridays are reserved for university coursework). All teacher applicants will be initially screened by the University, then businesses will be provided with the resumes of a choice of candidates who will be interviewed and ultimately hired by the participating businesses.

Businesses who participated in the first year include Raytheon Missile Systems, BioVigilant, SEBRA, Texas Instruments, BeachFleischman, Sundt, SEBRA, The University of Arizona’s Biosphere 2, Fort Huachuca and General Plasma. These companies are all continuing their involvement during year 2 of the program. In addition, several more companies including Walgreens, Ventana Medical Systems, C-PATH and others are joining the collaboration for the 2nd year.

Internship Description: In agreeing to participate in the industry internship program, businesses are agreeing to:

Provide an 8-10 week internship for a teacher that provides meaningful experience in the teacher’s area of expertise;
Provide first-hand experience of how STEM knowledge and skills translate to actual workforce practices and techniques;
Agree to NOT hire the intern on a full-time basis throughout the three-year duration of the internship program and until two years after the completion of the program;
Provide regular and productive mentoring and feedback to the teacher intern throughout the period of the internship;
Provide an evaluation of the intern’s performance and an assessment of the success of the internship to their business.

CONTACT: Dr. Julia Olsen jkolsen@u.arizona.edu or (520) 621-5682

MacArthur Foundation issues report on "re-imaging learning in the 21st century"

Jim McPherson — 2010-03-16

HHS announces $162 million in 16 state HIE grants

Matt Nelson — 2010-03-15

The Department of Health and Human Services announced Monday $162 million in awards to 16 states and qualified state designated entities for the State Health Information Exchange Cooperative Agreement Program.

The funding is part of $2 billion allotted under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) to advance healthcare IT adoption.

HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said with the awards announced Monday, every state and eligible territory has now been awarded funds under this program.

Call for Abstracts - Fourth Annual Algae Biomass Summit

2010-03-12 11:56:39 -0700

Call for Abstracts - Fourth Annual Algae Biomass Summit

Fourth International Conference on Energy Sustainability

2010-03-12 11:54:44 -0700

Fourth International Conference on Energy Sustainability

SBIR/STTR Phase I Proposal Writing Workshop

2010-03-12 11:00:00 -0700

SBIR/STTR Phase I Proposal Writing Workshop

Supercoach® Entrepreneurial Training Workshop (SET)

2010-03-12 10:36:18 -0700

Supercoach® Entrepreneurial Training Workshop (SET)

Phoenix Grand Challenges Summit

2010-03-10 12:00:07 -0700

Phoenix Grand Challenges Summit

New UA institute aims to deliver discoveries more quickly to Arizona patients

Arizona Biosciences — 2010-03-08

The University of Arizona's new Clinical and Translational Science Institute, a $20 million project that UA hopes will garner another $20 million from the National Institutes of Health, would provide Arizona patients quicker access to research discoveries with the potential to extend and save their lives.

MPAC board votes to ‘wind down’ organization in flagging economy

Arizona Biosciences — 2010-03-08

Confronted with difficult economic times, for itself and the arts and culture organizations it was formed to support, the Metro Phoenix Partnership for Arts and Culture (MPAC) board of directors has voted to cease the nonprofit organization’s staffing and programmatic operations. MPAC will support the plan of its major funders to use remaining grants funds to directly assist arts and culture organizations.

AZBio Happy Hour

2010-03-05 12:56:09 -0700

AZBio Happy Hour

Tucson Lunch and Learn: Federal Funding for Technology Firms - Developing Your Strategy for Legislative Success

2010-03-04 14:00:32 -0700

Tucson Lunch and Learn: Federal Funding for Technology Firms - Developing Your Strategy for Legislative Success

Get Smart Monthly Breakfast Series

2010-03-04 13:32:49 -0700

Get Smart Monthly Breakfast Series

ASU leads $40.8 million program to develop bio-related tools to measure radiation exposure

Arizona Biosciences — 2010-02-18

As concern about terrorism has increased over the past decade, so has federal support for defense-related bioscience research. A team of scientists led by Arizona State University is one beneficiary of this elevated priority--to the tune of $40.8 million.

NIH awards $15M stimulus grant to College of Medicine, will create 250 jobs

Arizona Biosciences — 2010-02-04

A $15 million federal stimulus grant will create 250 jobs on the Phoenix Biomedical Campus, the University of Arizona has announced. The competitive grant, awarded by the National Institutes of Health to the UA College of Medicine-Phoenix in partnership with Arizona State University, will enable construction of a 22,000-square-foot laboratory support facility to serve researchers from multiple institutions on the Biomedical Campus.

UA researchers join public-private alliance to bring new biofuels to market

Arizona Biosciences — 2010-01-28

Researchers from the University of Arizona are part of a team of academic and industry scientists from across the country that has received $44 million from the U.S. Department of Energy to develop new sources of algal biofuels and bioproducts. The federal funds will be matched by the private sector and cost-share funds.

Bio community gathers for reports on sector's strong growth, looming challenges

Arizona Biosciences — 2010-01-22

At a trio of updates last week on Arizona's Bioscience Roadmap, experts in Phoenix, Flagstaff, and Tucson called attention to the exceptional growth that the biosciences have shown in terms of jobs, firms, and wages since 2002. But Arizona’s severe state budget deficit also led analysts to issue several warnings about the bio sector for 2010.

Flinn Foundation Appoints Executive Vice President

Arizona Biosciences — 2010-01-22

The Flinn Foundation, a private, nonprofit philanthropy based in Phoenix, has appointed longtime Arizona public-sector administrator Cathy McGonigle as executive vice president.

ASU adds experts in health policy, tech commercialization

Arizona Biosciences — 2010-01-21

As the spring semester begins, Arizona State University is welcoming two significant additions in important segments of its bioscience enterprise: Denis Cortese, the former president and CEO of Mayo Clinic, and Lee Cheatham, previously the director of the Washington Technology Center.

Arizona’s bioscience industry furthers growth, progress during global recession

Arizona Biosciences — 2010-01-12

Amid declining economic conditions in 2008 and 2009, Arizona’s bioscience industry continued its rapid growth in high-paying jobs and firms, and the state achieved notable gains in implementing its long-term plan to develop a thriving bioscience sector.

Arizona’s bioscience industry furthers growth, progress during global recession

Arizona Biosciences — 2010-01-12