As a new faculty member at UAMS, Kristen Muller, Ph.D., said attending Research Expo 2024 and the New Research Faculty Orientation was a perfect way to start the year as a researcher.
“Being brand new, it’s really helpful learning all about the university, the processes, and putting faces with names,” said Muller, an assistant professor in the College of Health Professions Department of Audiology and Speech Pathology. “I’ve poked around the website a bit looking at the resources that UAMS has, but actually having it all laid out here and getting to meet the people and hear from them what they do and what’s available here is really helpful.”
Muller, who is conducting research in the autism community, said she was especially pleased to visit with the Translational Research Institute’s (TRI) community engagement team as well as the UAMS Division of Research and Innovation’s Office of Sponsored Programs Administrative Network (OSPAN) and the Science Communication Group.
This year’s Research Expo on Sept. 12, which drew 117 attendees, was linked for the first time with the UAMS Research & Innovation New Research Faculty Orientation at the Reynolds Institute on Aging Building.
During the orientation, which preceded the expo, TRI Director Laura James, M.D., thanked Dan Voth, Ph.D., vice chancellor for Research and Innovation, for combining the two annual events.
“I like this format, and I hope you’ll let us come back and do it again,” she said. “This is a great way to acquaint people with all the many wonderful resources that we have here at UAMS.”
Voth thanked his department leaders after they each gave brief presentations and emphasized to researchers in the audience that his division’s primary purpose is to help researchers.
“Science is hard, and you’re pursuing all this cool research, so we want to make it as easy on the administrative side as possible,” Voth said. “That’s our entire goal.”
The Research Expo included more than 40 tables and more than 50 research services available at UAMS, Arkansas Children’s Research Institute (ACRI) and the Central Arkansas Veterans Healthcare System.
Lisa Brents, Ph.D., underscored the value of the expo for all researchers, including those who are more seasoned.
“Even for investigators like me who are not new to UAMS, the expo is a great way to get a refresher on many of the infrastructural resources UAMS offers to support and enrich research,” said Brents, an assistant professor in the College of Medicine Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology. “It’s also a great opportunity to learn about changes and to interact in person with colleagues I haven’t seen in a while.”
Alexa Escapita, Ph.D., a postdoctoral fellow, was pleased that the Research Expo was the catalyst for meeting a potential collaborator.
“It was nice to meet a fellow postdoc who does research in kind of the same field, so we connected and we’re going to reach out for collaboration,” said Escapita, who is in the College of Medicine Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology.
Jasmine Stewart, M.S., a fourth-year medical student who is spending the year as part of a UAMS research team, said the expo will give her a leg up.
“There’s a lot that I’m not familiar with, so the fact that this exists is extremely helpful,” said Stewart, a research associate at the College of Medicine Center for Hearing Health Equity. “When I have writing assignments, or manuscripts to review, or data to analyze, instead of going to Google or Chat GPT to look up how to do something, now I’ve made contact here and I can shoot them a quick Teams message or send them an email.”
Lexus Brettell, a third-year occupational therapy doctoral candidate based at the UAMS Northwest Regional Campus, said she was impressed by the number of available resources.
“We came down from Northwest Arkansas today just to be part of this,” she said. “There are so many resources here that I didn’t know were available. There’s a lot of opportunity for funding, and funding that’s matched with mentorship. I found myself picking up so many cards, thinking that my peers or my research primary investigator may need them someday.”
Ripa Jamal, Ph.D., said she was amazed by the many resources and services offered at the expo.
“It was indeed a wonderful cross-platform for greeting and meeting with resourceful researchers and opportunities,” said Jamal, a postdoctoral fellow in the Section of Pediatric Nephrology in the College of Medicine Department of Pediatrics. “This platform gave us a chance to meet collaborators with the same interests. What stood out most for me was how involved I felt with everyone who attended. It was time well spent.”
Jamal also won a UAMS-branded cutting board during the door prize drawings, which she said was a “nice touch.”
“Sometimes small tokens like that can serve as a pleasant reminder of the positive experiences and connections made at such events. I am looking forward to attending similar events in the near future.”