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 Message from the Provost about restarting researchAs more and more states begin to relax stay-at-home orders, we are all getting anxious to return to work in our laboratories. However, current trends indicate that COVID-19 is likely to be with us for an extended period, and this means that social distancing will also become part of our ongoing experience.
Infection rates, particularly in Monroe county, remain low. The good news is that our health care system is not being over-run; the bad news is, we will be slow to develop “herd” immunity, and, as a community, will remain susceptible to reinfection, the so-called second wave, for some time.
As you are likely aware, New York is taking a very systematic and measured approach to the reopening process. The University is in the process of requesting permission from NYS to resume limited research activities under strict social distancing guidelines. Until NYS gives us approval, all laboratories must remain shut down unless a specific exemption has been approved by the relevant research dean.
When NYS does allow us to resume research activity, it will only be under conditions where social distancing can be maintained.
Guidelines for maintaining social distance in laboratory settings are being formulated by the offices of the research deans or other leadership in different schools and units. Some of these have been shared, others will be shared shortly. After permission for reopening is obtained from NYS (and this will almost certainly not occur before May 16), it will be critical to abide by these social distancing guidelines as we resume limited research activities, first and foremost, to maintain the health and safety of our research community, and also to avoid losing our permission to engage in research activities.
Thank you all for your continued patience and cooperation during this difficult period.
URMC Town Halls on rebooting research
Warmer weather still requires prevention efforts
As warmer and drier spring weather draws University community members outdoors, it is important to remember that we are still in the midst of a global pandemic and that our collective efforts as a community can stop the spread of COVID-19.
“COVID-19 has not gone away and we need to keep doing everything possible to prevent a surge in cases here on campus,” says Ralph Manchester, vice provost and University Health Service director. “We must remain particularly vigilant about social distancing, especially as the weather gets nice and people are drawn outside.”
New York State requires that everyone wear a face covering when heading outside and being in public. Wilson Commons Student Activities Office has launched several face mask distribution events for all students to get masks free of charge.
Everyone also needs to continue to practice social distancing—remaining six feet apart from others, whether on a walk, out on the Quad, or shopping for groceries. Non-essential gatherings of any number of people are still not allowed, whether indoors or outdoors. The Department of Public Safety has advised that officers on patrol will continue to speak to individuals they observe gathering together and not maintaining a six-foot distance from others.
Here is additional guidance on stopping the spread of COVID-19 when outside:
- Avoid games and activities that require close contact.
- Avoid frequently touched surfaces and objects.
- Do not share equipment such as bicycles, helmets, balls, or frisbees.
- Do not gather in groups or share food.
- When returning indoors, wash your hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds or use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer containing at least 60 percent alcohol.
For the latest information on New York State’s On Pause response, visit https://coronavirus.health.ny.gov/home. For full details on the University’s response, see University’s COVID-19 website.
Intubation box provides extra protection for caregivers
Endotracheal intubation — inserting a tube through the mouth and into the trachea to help patients breathe — is one of the most dangerous scenarios encountered by healthcare workers fighting in the front lines of the coronavirus pandemic.
Patients often cough during the procedure, which can result in the spread of droplets and aerosols. Even if a doctor or nurse is wearing a face mask, there is a risk of being infected if droplets are not contained.
Two engineering professors and a machine shop supervisor at the University of Rochester – in less than 20 days – worked hand in hand with emergency room clinicians at Strong Memorial Hospital to customize an intubation enclosure system that provides an extra safeguard during these procedures. Their “intubation box” encloses patients – and any contaminated particles they have exhaled – yet still allows the clinicians access to perform the lifesaving procedure quickly in the ER. Read more here.
McGraw, Olugboji receive Furth awards
Matthew McGraw, at left, and Tolulope (Tolu) Olugboji
Each year, the Office of the Provost recognizes promising early career natural and biological scientists at the University with an award from the Valerie and Frank Furth Fund.
This year’s recipients are Matthew McGraw, an assistant professor in the Department of Pediatrics’ Pulmonary Division, and Tolulope (Tolu) Olugboji, assistant professor in the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences.
McGraw’s primary goal as a pediatric pulmonologist is the prevention of early lung function decline in children. His research focuses on the pathogenic mechanisms associated with lung injury, particularly those induced by environmental toxicants such as those found in electronic cigarettes, within the context of bronchiolitis obliterans, a rare but devastating respiratory disease with a very high rate of morbidity.
“Since joining URMC, Matt has rapidly established a fully functional and productive molecular and cell biology research laboratory, and has generated substantial external funding for his research,” says Patrick Brophy, the William Eilinger Professor and Chair of the Department of Pediatrics.
Olugboji is developing a new computational geophysics and seismology group to investigate questions related to earth quakes and other movements in the Earth’s lithosphere. His group uses recordings of ground vibrations from seismic sensors across the globe combined with advances in high-performance computing and machine learning for high-resolution subsurface Earth imaging and improved earthquake detection with sparse seismic networks.
“Tolu’s group is developing high-performance computational assets and capabilities, and currently operates a low-cost, broadband ground vibration detector network that it intends to use for field research on the western African continent,” says John Kessler, professor and chair of the Department of Earth and Environmental Services.
Barnard Fellowships announced for top graduate studentsEach year the University recognizes outstanding graduate students in engineering and natural sciences with Donald M. and Janet C. Barnard Fellowships. The goal of this fellowship is to recognize students in their second or third year of graduate studies, based on their coursework and dissertation research work.
This year’s recipients are:
Christian Cammarota, PhD candidate in physics, working in the lab of Daniel Bergstralh, assistant professor of biology. Cammarota is studying how the changing physical properties of epithelial tissues affect the incorporation of newly born cells.
Ashley Clark, PhD candidate in brain and cognitive sciences, working in the lab of Martina Poletti, assistant professor of neuroscience. Clark studies human visual perception in foveal vision, particularly the role of microscopic eye movements in high acuity tasks.
Lele Chen, PhD candidate in computer science, working with Chenliang Xu, assistant professor of computer science. Chen’s work in computer vision and machine learning is focused on multimodal modeling and video object detection/segmentation.
Mitchell Juneau, PhD candidate in chemical engineering, working with the research group of Marc Porosoff, assistant professor of chemical engineering. Juneau studies novel catalysts to facilitate carbon recycling as a way of replacing hydrocarbon feedstocks for industrial use.
Christie Massie, PhD candidate in biomedical engineering, working in the lab of Andrew Berger, professor of optics. Massie is using Raman spectroscopy as a preclinical tool for assessing bone quality and health.
Kai-Jie Wu, PhD candidate in economics, working with Mark Bils, the Hazel Fyfe Professor in Economics. Wu’s research area is macroeconomics, with a specific focus on economic growth and labor economics.
Congratulations to . . . University President Sarah Mangelsdorf, who has been elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, one of the nation’s most highly regarded honors for artistic, academic, and scientific leaders who engage in advancing the public good. Mangelsdorf, who also holds the title of G. Robert Witmer Jr. University Professor, is one of 276 artists, scholars, scientists, and executives in the public, nonprofit, and private sectors inducted into the 2020 class.
Adam Snyder, assistant professor of brain and cognitive sciences, who has been named one of this year’s recipients of a Sloan Research Fellowship, a national recognition awarded to young scientists considered to be potential future leaders in the scientific community. A total of 126 researchers were selected this year for the two-year award, which carries $75,000 in research support. Snyder, who holds a joint appointment in the Department of Neuroscience in the School of Medicine and Dentistry, investigates the neural mechanisms that make it possible for the brain to process information.
Greg Gdowski, associate professor of biomedical engineering and executive director of the University’s CMTI (Center for Medical Technology and Innovation) master’s program in medical device design, who has been inducted as a fellow of the Association for the Advancement of Medical Instrumentation. Gdowski is one of 15 inductees nationwide.
Ian DeAndrea-Lazarus, candidate in the Translational Biomedical Sciences PhD Program and the Medical Scientist Training Program, who was recently awarded a fellowship from the National Center for Deafness and Communication Disorders. The fellowship will support his research comparing the effect that early access to sign language has on visuospatial attention in people who are deaf.
Keeping abreast of the University's response to COVID-19Here are three important links for researchers:
Funding opportunities and resourcesNew Funding Opportunities:
New Resources:
- Facing the Future: Team Science and Funding for Coronavirus Research: URMC investigators who are pursuing COVID-19-related grants are encouraged to participate in a series of virtual team science sessions to identify and discuss opportunities for funding and synergy and to receive feedback on applications. Topic discussions, which will be led by subject matter experts, will include Mental Health and Behavior, Digital Health, Epidemiology and Health Services Research, Therapeutics and Clinical Trials, and Organ/Disease-specific Effects. Breakout rooms will allow for brainstorming and idea-sharing.
Dates: Monday, May 11 – Thursday, May 14
Time: 5 – 6:30 p.m.
- The UR CTSI offers a software tool for patient cohort discovery, called TriNetx, that queries data from the URMC EHR and returns the number of patients that fit specific research queries. Please review the instructions on how to use TriNetx to query for specific diagnoses and labs related to COVID-19 testing and illness. Contact UR CTSI Informatics with questions.
- Webinar on Sharing, Discovering and Citing COVID-19 Data and Code: The webinar, hosted by the National Library of Medicine (NLM), is available to watch now. If prompted for event code, use #NIHData.
- Gingko Bioworks, an American biotech and analytics company, has committed $25M of free access to their bio-manufacturing platform for partner COVID-19 projects. If you are developing a diagnostic, drug, or vaccine and are interested in leveraging Ginkgo’s infrastructure at no cost please email covid-response@ginkgobioworks.com.
Trending COVID-19 preprintsSharing research through traditional publishing models is a slow process. Preprints, which are versions of an article that are posted to a repository before publication, allow researchers to share and provide access to their results sooner. Here are a few preprints the River Campus Libraries has seen trending (based on downloads) this month:
Have any questions or want to share what you have been reading? Get in touch with Lindsay Cronk, head of Collection Strategies & Scholarly Communications.
Remdesivir studied at Medical Center
What's RNA got to do with it?RNA research provides an important foundation for developing antiviral drugs, vaccines and other therapeutics to disrupt viruses and stop infections. URMC’s Lynne Maquat and Douglas Anderson are among the researchers here who study the RNA of viruses — work that could eventually “throw a therapeutic wrench” into what COVID-19 RNA does. Learn more in the UR Newscenter.
Genomics Research Center to loosen restrictions in May:The URMC Genomics Research Center (GRC) is preparing for less restrictive operations beginning Monday, May 4.
While not functioning at full capacity in order to maintain physical distancing and minimize potential exposure, operations will be redesigned to maximize efficiency in this COVID-19 pandemic era.
If you have questions, concerns or samples to submit, please email John Ashton as soon as possible.
Mark your calendarVIRTUAL FORUM
Facing the Future: Team Science and Funding for Coronavirus Research. A series of Zoom conversations about funding opportunities in sessions hosted by the UR Clinical and Translational Science Institute and its Center for Leading Innovation and Collaboration.
URMC investigators planning to submit COVID-19-related grant proposals are invited to a discussion forum to identify opportunities for synergy and collaboration and to receive feedback on or identify most relevant RFA’s. Those attending a session should be prepared to give a 1-2 minute overview of the scope of their proposal. The sessions will be held 5 to 6:30 p.m. EDT on these dates:
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