FÁS Science Challenge

Proposed Intern Programme

2007/2008

› Baylor College of Research and Medicine, Houston› University of Texas - Health Science Centre, Houston› Rice University – Nanotechnology, Houston› Harvard Medical School – Brigham & Woman’s Hospital and Research

Centre› Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) - Health, Science &

Technology› Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Centre – Harvard Medical School› Florida Institute of Technology› Dynamac Corporation – Kennedy Space Centre› Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University› Ad-Astra Technologies - Houston

Locations for Proposed Intern Programme 2007/2008

› Largest Medical Center in the world

› 42 Member Institutions including 11 Educational Institutes

› 22,000 students

Texas Medical Center

Internship Opportunities at Institutes in The Texas Medical Centre

› Baylor College of Medicine

› University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHSC-H)

› Rice University

Baylor College of Medicine

› No. 1 for research expenditures in biological science by the National Science Foundation

› 10th overall among the USA top medical schools for research (U.S.News & World Report)

› 13th among all USA medical schools for National Institutes of Health funding

The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHSC-H)

› UTHSC-H is primarily a graduate-level university focusing on the health sciences

› $149.6 million in research expenditures

› Ranked 56th out of 515 higher education institutions

Rice University

› Cited as one of “America’s New Ivies”. Rivals for applicants for Rice University are Stanford, Harvard, MIT and Duke

› Rice University is the birthplace of nanotechnology

› Rice professors Richard E. Smalley and Robert F. Curl won the 1966 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for their research on nanoparticles

Research Projects at Baylor College of Medicine

#1: The Biological and Cell Signaling Implications of SteroidReceptor Coactivators

Mentor: Bert W. O’ Malley, M.D. Professor and Chairman, Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology at Baylor College of Medicine.

#2: Mouse models to study cancer and reproduction

Mentor: Francesco DeMayo, Ph.D., Professor, Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Baylor College of Medicine

#3: Regulation of embryonic stem cell gene expression andfunction

Mentor: Austin Cooney, Ph.D. Associate Professor, Department of Molecular & Cellular Biology ,Baylor College of Medicine

Research Projects at Baylor College of Medicine

#4: Polyomavirus SV40 and Pathogenesis of Human Disease Mentor: Janet Butel, Ph.D., Distinguished Services Professor and Chairman of the Department of Molecular Virology and Microbiology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX.

#5: Mouse Models to study Progesterone's role in Mammary Gland Morphogenesis and Tumorigenesis Mentor: John Lydon, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Baylor College of Medicine

#6: Hormonal control of genes that regulate follicular developmentand ovulation

Mentor: Joanne Richards, Ph.D., Professor, Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Baylor College of Medicine

#7: The role of Nuclear Receptor, NOR-1, in Tumorigenesis Mentor: Orla Conneely, Ph.D., Professor, Department of Molecular and cellular Biology, Baylor College of Medicine

Research Projects at University of Texas Health Science Centre

#1: Transcriptional regulation of soluble guanylyl cyclise

Mentor: Ferid Murad, M.D, Ph.D., 1998 Nobel Laureate,. Physiology/Medicine. Director Institute of Molecular Medicine; Professor Integrative Biology and Pharmacology UT-Houston Medical School

Research Projects at Rice University

#1: New Carbon Nanostructures for Molecular Imaging in Medicine Mentor: Lon Wilson, Ph.D., Professor, Department of Chemistry, Rice University

#2: Shaped Nanoparticles: Synthesis, Properties and Reactivity Mentor: Kenton Whitmire, Ph.D., Professor and Chair, Department of Chemistry, Rice University

#3: Scalable liquid-phase synthesis of nanoparticles Mentor: Michael Wong, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Department of Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering, Rice University

#4: Developing a rational approach to single walled carbon nanotube growth Mentor:Andrew Barron, Ph.D., Professor, Department of Chemistry, Rice University

Internship Opportunities in The Texas Medical Center

Students will also be involved in ancillary programmes including:

› Attending lectures and seminars› Auditing graduate level courses

Field trips to:› Local high tech companies

› NASA/Johnson Space Centre

› The Smalley Institute for Nanoscale Science and Technology at Rice University

› Human Genome Sequencing Centre at Baylor College of Medicine

Spotlight: Baylor Mentor

› Chairman of Department with an annual budget of over 30 million dollars in research funding and which ranks number one in U.S. medical school basic science departments in NIH funding (without clinical component)

› World leader in Steroid Receptors and Coactivators research

› Recipient of >30 National & International awards including Induction into the National Academy of Science & Royal Academy of Medicine

Bert O’ Malley, M.D.Professor and Chairman

Dept. Molecular and Cellular BiologyBaylor College of Medicine

Spotlight: Rice Mentor

› Recipient of the world's 35 Top Young Innovators by Technology Review Magazine in 2006

› Research focus on functional nanoparticle-based materials for catalytic and encapsulation/delivery applications

› One of the most innovative creators of unique and useful nanomaterials

.

Michael S. Wong, Ph.D., Assistant Professor Dept.of Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering

Rice University

Spotlight: UTHSC-H Mentor

› Nobel Prize winner in Physiology/Medicine 1998

› World leader in nitric oxide and cyclic GMP cellular signaling processes

› Recipient of Numerous National & International awards/honors

Ferid Murad, M.DChair, Physiology and Medicine

Director, Institute of Molecular MedicineProfessor,Integrative Biology & Pharmacology

UTHSC-H

John S. Dunn Distinguished Chair

Massachusetts Institute of Technology(M.I.T.) Boston

• Institute Harvard-MIT Health Science and Technology (H.S. & T.)

• Department› Bioastronautics: A programme at the interface of biology, medicine, engineering and

space – represents an ultimate challenge in human protection and integrative physiology

› The new specialty in Medical Engineering and Medical Physics (M.E.M.P.) from the Harvard-MIT division of Health Sciences and Technology will train the bioastronautics leaders of the 21st Century

• Funded By National Space Biomedical Research Institute (NSBRI) with support fromNASA and Johnson Space Centre (JSC) and Private Sector

• AimsTo combine the biomedical and engineering disciplines of MEMP with lifesciences and human factors specialisations

Project One: Visual Orientation, Navigation and Spatial Memory Countermeasures

• Design/development of experiment investigating mismatched spatial reference frames between docked spacecraft

• Development of virtual reality based oscillopsia simulator to demonstrate postlanding G excess and Otolith Tilt Translation illusions

• Development of customised teleoperation training techniques tailored to individual differences in mental rotation and perspective taking skills as assessed by independent tests

• Evaluation of TrackIR amplified head movement-view axis movement effects on spatial orientation and navigation in VR simulations

Laboratory: Visual Orientation, Navigation and Spatial Memory Countermeasures

Project One: Visual Orientation, Navigation and Spatial Memory Countermeasures

• Type of StudentsEngineering or Cognitive Psychology Students (preferably with computer graphics programming or statistical analysis)

• MentorCharles M. Oman, Ph.D., Senior Research Engineer/Senior Lecturer, Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics. Director of Man Vehicle Laboratory, M.I.T.

Further Information: http://web.mit.edu/aeroastro/labs.html

Project Two

• TitleExercise and Gravity, as achieved on a short radius (2m) centrifuge rotating atup to 1800/sec. Measurements are made of eye movements, limb position,cardiovascular parameters and perception of orientation

• Type of StudentMechanical, Aeronautical or Electrical Engineers, especially those withcapability and interest in Instrumentation and Signal Processing as well as in Biomedical Engineering Applications

• MentorLawrence R. Young, Sc.D. Apollo Programme Professor of Astronautics,Professor of Health Services and Technology, M.I.T.

Laboratory: Neurovestibular Aspects of Short Radius Artificial Gravity

Further Information: http://web.mit.edu/aeroastro/www/people/lry/bio.html

Harvard Medical School

• Institute Harvard Medical School (Brigham & Womans Hospital, Boston)

• Department› Division of Sleep Medicine, Developing a model Programme for Sleep and Circadian Biology› The division of Sleep Medicine is taking a leadership role in sleep medicine research, physician training and the

treatment of sleep disorders. The divisions research efforts are intended to promote programmes in both basic and clinical research on issues related to sleep and circadian rhythms and further collaboration both Nationally and Internationally

› The emphasis of the research and understanding of the Dept. of Sleep Medicine is on:→ Sleep and Productivity: At Work, School and the Home→ Sleep and Safety: At Work and on the road→ Sleep and Health: diabetes, heart disease, gastrointestinal illness, hypertension, etc.

• Funded By National Space Biomedical Research Institute (NSBRI) with support from NASA and Johnson

Space Centre (JSC) and Private Sector

• Aims The Programme of Sleep Medicine at Harvard Medical School is committed to leading in education, enabling

evidence based decision making and improving the treatment of sleep disorders and other sleep related health

concerns

Projects

#1: Neurobiology of Individual Differences in Sleep Duration Mentor: Daniel Aeschbach, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Medicine, Brigham & Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School

#2: Sleep-Wake Actigraphy and Light Exposure During Spaceflight Mentor: Laura K. Barger, Ph.D., Research Associate in Medicine, Division of Sleep Medicine, Harvard Medical School

#3: Individual Differences in Circadian Rhythms in Humans Mentor: Jeanne F. Duffy, MBA, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Medicine (HMS),Associate Neuroscientist (BWH), Division of Sleep Medicine, Harvard Medical School

#4: Comparison of Subjective and Objective Sleep Quality in Humans Mentor: Jeanne F. Duffy, MBA, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Medicine (HMS),Associate Neuroscientist (BWH), Division of Sleep Medicine, Harvard Medical School

Projects

#5: Effect of Light on the Human Circadian System

Mentor: Steven W. Lockley, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Medicine, Division of Sleep Medicine, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School

#6: - Develop new analytic methods for sleep and circadian variables

- Model the effects of different pharmacologic agents and other interventions on sleep and on waketime performance and alertness

- Model hormone pulsatility

Mentor: Elizabeth B Klerman M.D. Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Medicine, Division of Sleep Medicine, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School

Type of Students

• Projects 1 - 5:Those with an interest in Physiology, Neuroscience and/or Clinical Research

• Project 6:Mathematical background (at least differential equations) and programming

Note: Further information on the above projects and contact details are available on request

Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Centre(Harvard Medical School)

• Department

› The Integrative Cerebral Hemodynamics Lab. is a Harvard Medical School Division of aging research centre based in Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Centre

› Gerontology is the branch of Science that deals with aging and the problems of aged persons. They also examine the role of the autonomic nervous system in cerebral blood flow control during orthostatic stress

• Funded

By National Space Biomedical Research Institute (NSBRI) with support from

NASA and Johnson Space Centre (JSC) and Private Sector

Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Centre(Harvard Medical School)

• Aims

› To focus on regulation of brain blood flow which is integral to the health of

Humans. Use of an integrative approach to understand how inputs such as the vestibular and autonomic system affect cerebral blood flow regulation

› Also interested in researching how affective these systems could lead to new treatment paradigms that could improve brain blood flow in aging and other conditions eg. Role of cerebral blood flow changes in the development of dementia and blood flow regulation in the pathophysiology associated with aging

Projects

#1: Cerebral Blood Flow and Cardiac Output

#2: Effect of Gravity on Functional Cerebral Blood Flow

#3: Vestibular Stimulation

#4: Sleep Deprivation and Blood Pressure and Cerebral Blood Flow Regulation

#5: NASA sponsored 4-year Tilt Study

#6: Vestibular Function Improvement

Projects

• Mentors:

All projects are supervised by:

› Jorge Serrador, Ph.D., Dept. of Medicine, Gerontology› Dr Gosala S. Gopalakrishnan, Ph.D., Dept. of Integrative Cerebral Hemodynamics

• Type of Students:

Science, Medicine, Electrical Engineers, Clinical Research

Note: Further Information on above projects is available on request

Florida Institute of Technology

• Department› Department of Physics, Astrophysics and Space Sciences in the College of

Science at Florida Institute of Technology

• Previous Projects› White Dwarf Cooling Times and the Chromospheric Activity versus Age Relation

for Lower Main Sequence Stars

› Investigating a Yound DAO+dkb System using Photometric Time Series

• MentorDr. T. Oswalt, Professor Physics and Space Sciences, Associate Dean of Research

Further Information: http://www.fit.edu (Physics and Space Sciences)

Dynamac CorporationKennedy Space Centre, Florida

• Dynamac Corporation is a leading provider of research and development services to both Public and Private sector companies in the USA. Included in its major activities is R&D in the Space Life and Earth Sciences

• Since 1995 Dynamac has supported nearly all Life Sciences experiments that have been launched by NASA at the Kennedy Space Centre, involving more then 80 Scientific missions and more then 150 Life Sciences experiments

• Nine students nominated by U.C.C., U.C.D. and Limerick Institute of Technology have completed internships at Dynamac

Dynamac CorporationKennedy Space Centre, Florida

• Mentors

› Garry W. Stutte, Ph.D., Senior Scientist Plant Physiology

› Lanfang H Levine, Ph.D., Chemistry Lab., Manager

› Neil C. Yorio, Ph.D., Phytotron Lab. Manager

› Raymond M. Wheeler, Ph.D., Advanced Life Support Crop Research Land PlantPhysiologist

› Ray Garland, Ph.D., Senior Scientist

Further Information: http://www.dynamac.com

Other Internship Locations

• Ad Astra Technologies, Houston

• Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, Florida

• Helicopters Incorporated, Florida

• National Space Biomedical Research Institute (NSBRI), Houston

• University of Central Florida, Florida

2005 Intern Student Highlights

Education:

› 3 students completed Masters Degree in Ireland based on the research carried out during Internship in Houston.

› 3 students currently enrolled in Ph.D. Programmes in Ireland, Scotland and US

› 6 students committed to Ph.D. Programmes in next 1-2 years

2005 Intern Student Highlights

Oral Scientific Presentations:

› All Intern students gave oral presentations at a Mini-Symposium at Baylor College of Medicine, Houston TX, March 2006

› All Intern students gave oral presentations at the closing ceremony in The Texas Medical Center, April 2006

2005 Intern Student Highlights

Poster Presentations:

› Brita O’ Sullivan, D, Harn, M Reschke and Scott Wood. Tilt and Translation Motion Perception during Pitch Tilt with Visual Surround Translation. 7th Symposium on The Role of The Vestibular Organs in Space Exploration, 7 - 9 June 2006, ESTEC, Noordwijk, The Netherlands.

› Eoghan Dillon, Christopher Crouse, and Andrew R. Barron. Polyethylenimine sidewall functionalization of fluorinated single walled carbon nanotubes . 232nd American Chemical Society Meeting & Exposition September 10 - 14, 2006, San Francisco, CA USA

› Huma R. Jafry, Eoghan Dillon, Divya Chakravarthi, E. V. Barrera and Andrew R. Barron. Electrical conductance of a dispersed carbon nanotube within a polyurethane matrix . 232nd American Chemical Society Meeting & Exposition , September 10 - 14, 2006, San Francisco, CA USA

› Iraida Sharina, Joanna McCarthy and Ferid Murad. Abstract accepted for poster presentation at the American Heart Association for the International Strokes Conference, San Francisco February 7-9th 2007.

2005 Intern Student Highlights

Manuscripts:

› William Hamilton and Austin Cooney. Deciphering the role of GCNF in regulating gene expression during mammalian development. Review in preparation for submission to Frontiers in Bioscience

› Brita O' Sullivan, B, D. Harm, M, Reschke and Scott Wood. Tilt and Translation Motion Perception during Pitch Tilt with Visual Surround Translation. Manuscript in preparation.

(Additional publications expected at later date)

FÁS Science Challenge October 2006-April 2007 Interns

Student Irish University Mentor US Placement

Emer Lawlor DIT John Lydon Baylor College of Medicine

Nicola Cahill DIT Joanne Richards Baylor College of Medicine

Julie Moran DIT Janet Butel Baylor College of Medicine

Carol Aherne UCD Orla Conneely Baylor College of Medicine

Meabh McCurtin NUI Galway Bert O’Malley Baylor College of Medicine

Nina McCarthy UCC Ferid Murad UT Medical School

Jennifer Gilbert NUI Maynooth Franco DeMayo Baylor College of Medicine

Edward Tierney NUI Maynooth Austin Cooney Baylor College of Medicine

Gerard O’Sullivan UCC Michael Wong Rice University

John Gibbons UCD Ken Whitmire Rice University

Alvin Orbaek NUI Galway Andrew Barron Rice University

Stuart Corr DCU Lon Wilson Rice University

FÁS Science Challenge October 2006-April 2007 Interns

Student Irish University Mentor US Placement

James Mulcahy UCD Chang Diaz Ad Astra Technologies

Catherina O’Keefe LIT Garry Stutte Dynamac Corporation

Karen Downing LIT Langfang Levine Dynamac Corporation

Stephen O’Brien UCD Arthur Eldridge Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University

Niall Graham Air Corps Patrick Corr Helicopters Incorporated

Mark Hanley Air Corps Patrick Corr Helicopters Incorporated

Robert Sheehan Air Corps Patrick Corr Helicopters Incorporated

Barry Smyth Air Corps Patrick Corr Helicopters Incorporated

Peter Raftery CityJet Arthur Eldridge Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University

David Rogers CityJet Arthur Eldridge Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University