Touching Lives Touching Lives - North Dakota Medicine

The success of BRIN and INBRE helped
DSU make the case for a new addition
to Murphy Hall, its science building,
notes Michael Hastings, PhD, chair of
the Natural Sciences Department. Now,
instead of operating out of a converted
closet with barely enough room for four
people, Burgess has a lab that easily
accommodates 12 students.
“INBRE provided research equipment
and the new building provides the
facilities which enable us to apply for
other research grants,” Hastings says.
“INBRE and the new building helps
with recruitment and retention of
students, especially the better students
interested in research.”
Seven years ago when DSU was
approached about conducting research
under the BRIN grant, Burgess remembers
skepticism among the faculty. But times
have changed, and the success of BRIN
and INBRE has also changed the way
faculty views research.
“Now they’re trying get involved,”
Burgess says. “We have people on
campus and in our department who are
trying to get into research themselves.
We’re looking at ways to work together.”
In addition to DSU, INBRE-funded
research involving undergraduates is
conducted at Mayville State, Minot
State, Turtle Mountain Community
College and Valley City State. Other
tribal college partners are Cankdeska
Cikana Community College in Fort
Totten, Fort Berthold Community College
in New Town, Sitting Bull College in
Fort Yates and United Tribes
Technical College in Bismarck.
- Patrick Miller
Lynn Burgess, PhD, DSU associate
professor of biology, working with
students Courtney Berry, a junior from
Yakima, WA, and Godwin Konde, a
sophomore from Accra, Ghana.
NORTH DAKOTA MEDICINE Holiday 2008 13