During everyday interactions, people routinely speak at rates of 120 to 200 words per minute. For a listener to understand speech at these rates – and not lose track of the conversation – the brain must comprehend the meaning of each of these words very rapidly.

“That we can do this so easily is an amazing feat of the human brain – especially given that the meaning of words can vary greatly depending on the context,” says Edmund Lalor, associate professor of biomedical engineering and neuroscience at the University of Rochester and Trinity College Dublin. “For example, ‘I saw a bat flying overhead last night’ versus ‘the baseball player hit a home run with his favorite bat.’”

Now, researchers in Lalor’s lab have identified a brain signal that indicates whether a person is indeed comprehending what others are saying – and have shown they can track the signal using relatively inexpensive EEG (electroencephalography) readings taken on a person’s scalp.

This could have a number of “potentially significant” applications, Lalor says. They include:

• testing language development in infants;
• determining the level of brain function in patients who are in a reduced state of consciousness, such as a coma;
• confirming that persons in particularly critical jobs have understood the instructions they have received (e.g., an air traffic controller or a soldier);
• testing for the onset of dementia in older people based on their ability to follow a conversation.

The research, described in a paper published in Current Biology, applied machine learning to audio books that human subjects listened to. “One can train a computer by giving it a lot of examples and by asking it to recognize which pairs of words appear together a lot and which don’t,” Lalor explains. “By doing this, the computer begins to ‘understand’ that words that appear together regularly, like ‘cake’ and ’pie,’ must mean something similar. And, in fact, the computer ends up with a set of numerical measures capturing how similar any word is to any other.”

The researchers then correlated the numerical measures with brainwave signals that were recorded as participants listened to the corresponding sections of the audio books. They were able to identify a brain response that reflected how similar or different a given word was from the words that preceded it in the story.

Read more here.

What do guns mean, and how do they matter in the United States today?

The questions will be explored in depth during a two-day research symposium “Social Life of Guns” March 29-30 in the Humanities Center Conference Room D.

This symposium, sponsored by the Humanities Center, will use interdisciplinary research and conversation to bring multiple forms of gun-related violence—“active shooter,” “urban violence,” “police brutality”—into the same frame to better understand how to define the problem, and how these definitions animate particular solutions.

The symposium will bring Rochester-area scholars, practitioners, and activists together with invited scholars in anthropology, public health, sociology, philosophy, women’s studies, and social work to share current research and generate conversation.

Five  panels will include 10-minute presentations by invited speakers followed by discussion.

There will also be a screening of Move (2017) with a Q&A with filmmaker Tam Little.

Click here for the schedule. For more information, contact Kathryn.mariner@rochester.edu or Kristin.doughty@rochester.edu.

Paula Vertino will join the Medical Center and Wilmot Cancer Institute as the director of translational research and professor of biomedical genetics this summer. Vertino will also serve as the Wilmot Distinguished Professor, an endowed position funded by the family of James P. Wilmot, the cancer institute’s namesake. She will be a member of the institute’s executive committee and Hallmarks of Cancer research program, which focuses on the biology of cancer.

“I see a lot of great opportunities in Rochester to interact with faculty doing foundational research, to bring it from concept to application for new treatments or diagnostic advances,” Vertino said. “It’s a very collaborative environment, all on one campus, and a really great base to build from.”

Since 1996, Vertino has been on the faculty at Emory University, where she has served as a professor in radiation oncology and led the Cancer Genetics and Epigenetics Program at Winship Cancer Institute. She directed graduate studies for the Cancer Biology Graduate program and served as co-director for research for the Hematology and Medical Oncology Fellowship Program. Vertino also has served as a regular member on the Cancer Etiology study section at the National Institutes of Health, and she is currently a member of the NCI-A parent committee that oversees the review of National Cancer Institute designated cancer centers nationwide.

As Wilmot’s director of translational research, Vertino will be responsible for facilitating interaction among scientists and clinicians with the goal of accelerating the development of laboratory discoveries into technologies or treatments for use with patients.

“I look forward to bringing people together to work on common themes and promoting more team science,” Vertino said. “That is how we’ll bring concepts from the bench to the bedside and back again.”

Vertino’s research focuses on epigenetics and how aberrant gene expression leads to cancer. Her work also seeks to understand how these changes in gene expression could serve as therapeutic targets. Over her career, Vertino has had more than 70 peer-reviewed scientific publications and more than 20 years of continuous, overlapping cancer-relevant funding. Vertino’s lab will be located at the Wilmot Cancer Center, which was designed to encourage collaboration between scientists and clinicians.

Originally from the Buffalo area, Vertino pursued graduate work at Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center and received her doctorate from the State University of New York at Buffalo. She completed her postdoctoral training in cancer genetics at Johns Hopkins Oncology Center.

Elizabeth R. “Lissa” McAnarney, professor and chair emerita of the Department of Pediatrics, who has been named a Distinguished University Professor — the highest title that the university bestows on its faculty. McAnarney, who served as pediatrician-in-chief at Golisano Children’s Hospital from 1993 to 2006, is only the 13th recipient of the title in the university’s history, and is the first woman to receive the honor. McAnarney changed the way that health care providers care for pregnant teens and their babies, working tirelessly to improve outcomes for these patients. The lead editor of the Textbook of Adolescent Medicine along with co-editor Richard E. Kreipe, McAnarney’s advocacy efforts helped make adolescent medicine into a board-certified pediatric subspecialty. “I think that our Rochester community sees Lissa as one of the most influential leaders in our children’s hospital’s history — and, of course, that perception is entirely accurate,” said Mark Taubman, CEO of URMC and dean of the School of Medicine and Dentistry. “But nationally, she is also among the most influential individuals in adolescent medicine for the last 50 years. That field would not be what it is today without her influence and advocacy.” Read more.

1. The Community-Based Participatory Research Pipeline-to-Pilot grant of up to $15,000 is intended for academic and community partners who are currently completing the UR Clinical and Translational Science Institute’s Introduction to Community-Based Participatory Research (CBPR) program, or who have demonstrated experience in CBPR. Research teams must consist of one faculty member from the University and at least one community partner from the greater Rochester area.

Projects should lead to a CTSI pilot funding application or independent external funding.

Application deadline is April 16, 2018. For more details, see the CBPR Pipeline-to-Pilot RFA. Contact Indrani Singh with questions about the CBPR request for applications,

2. UNYTE Translational Research Network Pipeline-to-Pilot Awards of up to $10,000 are intended to stimulate research partnerships between UNYTE member institutions to compete for future external translational biomedical research funding. Research teams must consist of one faculty member from the University of Rochester and at least one faculty member at another UNYTE member institution.

Applications should indicate a plan leading to a research pilot-funding application through the CTSI, NIH, or other funding agencies. Alternatively, a small pilot involving a new collaboration between a UR investigator and UNYTE member also qualifies.

Application deadline is April 2, 2018. Learn more about the UNYTE Translation Research Network including partner institutions and view the full RFA.

Contact Karen Vitale with questions.

The Finger Lakes Region of the New York Business Plan Competition is accepting applications until Sunday, March 11, at 11:59 p.m. Student teams attending colleges and universities in the Finger Lakes region are invited to submit a business idea in one of the following six categories:

• Advanced Technology
• Clean Technology
• Information Technology / Software (including mobile apps)
• Products
• Services
• Social Entrepreneurship / Non-Profit

Teams will compete for cash prizes. An online application is all that is required to enter (a full business plan is not necessary). Finger Lakes Regional finalists will be invited to the presentation round hosted by St. John Fisher College the evening of Wednesday, April 11.

The competition is open to currently enrolled graduate and undergraduate students in any field of study. There is no fee to enter. Applications must be submitted online at https://www.rochester.edu/aincenter/competitions/nybpc/nybpc-application/.

Contact Matthew Spielmann, senior program manager at the Ain Center for Entrepreneurship, if you have questions.

Yuan Zhang, Chemical Engineering, “Transcription Regulation of Cellulase Genes in Clostridium thermocellum.” 2 p.m. March 13, 2018. Wegmans Hall 4506. Advisor: David Wu.

Jesi Lee Anne Y. To, Pharmacology, “The Importance of G Protein Signaling in Immune Cell Function: A Novel Role for Active G Protein ?i in Cell Adhesion and Migration and the Therapeutic Potential of Targeting G?? in Inflammation.” 1 p.m., March 22, 2018. Medical Center K-207, 2-6408.  Advisor: Alan Smrcka.

Laura C. Shum, Translational Biomedical Science, “Mitochondrial Metabolism in Bone Physiology and Pathology.” 10 a.m. March 28, 2018. Medical Center 1-7619 Adolph (Lower) Auditorium. Advisor: Roman Eliseev.

March 19: Deadline to submit nominations for the Furth Award, given to junior, tenure track faculty appointed in natural or biological science departments within Arts, Sciences & Engineering or the School of Medicine and Dentistry.  Read more here.

March 29-30: “Social Life of Guns,” research symposium. Panel presentations and discussions with invited scholars on what guns mean and how do they matter in the United States today. Humanities Center Conference Room D. Sponsored by the Humanities Center. Click here for the schedule. For more information, contact Kathryn.mariner@rochester.edu or Kristin.doughty@rochester.edu.

April 2: Deadline to apply for UNYTE Translational Research Network Pipeline-to-Pilot Awards of up to $10,000 from the Clinical and Translational Science Institute. Intended to stimulate research partnerships between UNYTE member institutions to compete for future external translational biomedical research funding. Learn more about the UNYTE Translation Research Network; view the full RFA; contact Karen Vitale with questions.

April 9: Deadline to submit proposals for three Center for AIDS Research pilot grants. See the CFAR Pilot Funding Opportunities page and the specific RFA’s for additional information.  Contact the CFAR administrator (Laura_Enders@urmc.rochester.edu) for additional information on eligibility, budgeting guidelines, and required cost sharing forms no later than March 23.

April 12: “The American Health Paradox: What’s Missing?” Presented by Nancy Bennett, professor of medicine and public health sciences, director of the Center for Community Health, and co-director of the Clinical and Translational Science Institute. Phelps Colloquium Series. 4-5:30 p.m., Helen Wood Hall. Click here to register.

April 16: Deadline to apply for Community-Based Participatory Research Pipeline-to-Pilot grant of up to $15,000 from the Clinical and Translational Science Institute. For academic and community partners currently completing the CTSI’s Introduction to Community-Based Participatory Research (CBPR) program, or who have demonstrated experience in CBPR. For more details, see the  RFA. Contact Indrani Singh with questions

April 20-21: UpStat 2018: Better Living Through Statistics conference. A friendly and empowering annual gathering of statisticians, applied mathematicians, computer scientists, engineers, and data scientists from upstate New York and its neighboring regions. We are interested in contributions to statistical methodology as well as to statistical practice, consulting, and education. Read more.

April 28: All In: When Theory Meets Practice in Education Reform. Symposium sponsored by the Warner School Center for Urban Education Success (CUES). 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., East High School. Free and open to the public. Read more.

May 15: Respiratory Pathogens Research Center Scientific Symposium. Featured speakers, lectures by RPRC investigators, poster session. Lunch and refreshments provided. 7:45 a.m. to 6:30 pm., Saunders Research Building. Registration is free, but pre-registration is required by April 27 at RPRCSymposium.urmc.edu

May 17: “Ever Better Teams: A CTSI Team Science Summit.” Interactive symposium featuring keynote presentation by Gaetano “Guy” Lotrecchiano, an associate professor of clinical research and leadership at The George Washington University, and breakout sessions for networking and dialogue on the future of team science at URMC. 1 to 5 p.m. Hosted by the Clinical and Translational Science Institute. Contact Oksana Babiy with any questions.