Researchers garner Murdoch "Partners in Science" grants
Researchers garner Murdoch "Partners in Science" grants
Submitted by Marmian Grimes
Phone: 907-474-7902
04/04/08
The M.J. Murdock Charitable Trust has awarded $15,000 grants to two University of Alaska Fairbanks professors as part its Partners in Science Program.
Larry Duffy, a professor with the chemistry and biochemistry department, will partner with Lathrop High School science teacher Wendy Ehnert to conduct research over the next two summers. Their project title is "Effect of Exercise and Diet on Circulating VEGF (Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor)."
Gary Laursen, a professor with the biology and wildlife department, will partner with Wayne A. Woodgate, a science teacher at Marshall School in Marshall, Alaska. The title of their research is "Fungal Successional Patterns, Fruiting Response, Ectomycorrhizal Symbioses, and Hydrophytic Status Assessment of Wetland Sitka Spruce. "
The awards also include funds for travel to national Partners in Science conferences, where Ehnert and Woodgate will each share research results.
The grants are awarded through a competitive process in the Partners in Science Program at the Murdock Trust. Applications are accepted from high school teachers and mentors from a five-state region. The program’s primary goal is to provide high school science teachers with opportunities to work at the cutting edge of science, to revitalize their teaching and help them appreciate the use of inquiry-based methods in science teaching.
The Murdock Trust, created by the will of the late Melvin J. "Jack" Murdock, provides grants in five Pacific Northwest states to organizations that seek to strengthen the region’s educational and cultural base in creative and sustainable ways. The Partners in Science Program is one of its many efforts in the region.
CONTACT: Amie Pappas, CNSM public information officer, at 907-474-6714 or via e-mail at fnadp@uaf.edu. Larry Duffy, graduate school dean, at 907-474-7525 or via e-mail at fflkd@uaf.edu. Gary Laursen, biology professor, at 907-474-5393 or via e-mail at ffgal@uaf.edu.