In early April, Dr. Annette Olson led a panel of three experts in bioinformatics, proteomics, and undergraduate research on a three-day site visit of the Bioinformatics Core Facility of the Oklahoma IDeA Network for Biomedical Research Excellence (OK INBRE) Program, funded by NIH. The panel toured the new and improved facilities, and interviewed Vice Presidents of Research, Provosts, Deans, researchers, and students to determine the impact of the Bioinformatics Core Facility on faculty and student research at two research institutions, a four-year primarily undergraduate institution, and a community college. Interviews were also conducted with Oklahoma high school teachers, which OK INBRE has supported with equipment and travel funds. In addition, the Panel will give guidance as it writes its report on a planned Proteomics Core Facility.
The NIH INBRE program has provided a series of $20 million/5-year awards to OK INBRE and some other states to help build out additional research capacity, and RCP has been facilitating panel reviews of OK INBRE almost annually or fifteen years, since 2003.