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For more information about the Civitan Emerging Scholars Program please contact Karen Dixon, Ph.D., Assistant Director for Program Development.
Civitan Emerging
Scholars ProgramThe UAB Civitan International Research Center Program for Emerging Scholars in Developmental Disabilities supports innovation and research by trainees at the doctoral or postdoctoral level. In August and September 2005 proposals were requested from across the UAB campus for clinical or basic science research projects aimed at enhancing our current understanding of normal and abnormal brain development, cognition, autism spectrum disorders, developmental disabilities and mental retardation, or the effects of exposure to environmental toxins on the development of the brain. Seventeen proposals were accepted for the competitive review process, of which, four were chosen to receive $25,000 each for the period October 1, 2005 through September 30, 2006.
"Creating opportunities for Developmental Disabilities research by employing resources unique to the CIRC is an important part of our mission that can benefit researchers, clinicians, consumers, and educators within the developmental disabilities community," says Dr. Harald Sontheimer, Director of the CIRC. "Funds made available through the Civitan International Foundation afford us the opportunity to recognize and reward innovative work in developmental disabilities education, service, and research."
The successful proposals were submitted by Maria Hopkins, doctoral student in the Lifespan Developmental Psychology Program; Jennifer Larimore, doctoral student in the Department of Neurobiology; Hua Yu Sun, Ph.D., postdoctoral fellow in the Department of Neurobiology; and Ken Walls, doctoral student in the Department of Pathology. The review committee was very pleased by the high quality of all the submitted proposals, the variety of topics, and the range of research methods employed.
Maria Hopkins’ proposal is a demonstration project on the use of virtual computer assistants for children with an autism spectrum disorder. One of the hallmarks of autism is the inability to establish strong relationships at home, at school and in the community, which can lead to poor performance at school and work. In order to be independent and lead meaningful lives, individuals with autism need to improve their social skills. The technology used in this project will investigate the effects on social skills and emotional cognition by using a virtual assistant called an avatar to interact with children with Asperger’s Disorder, high-functioning autism, mental retardation and typically developing children. Hopkin’s faculty mentors are Fred Biasini, Ph.D., and Frank Amthor, Ph.D., in the Department of Psychology.
Receiving grant awards for their research in the Civitan Emerging Scholars program are (l-r) Ken Walls (Pathology), Jennifer Larimore (Neurobiology), Hua Yu Sun, Ph.D. (Neurobiology), and Maria Hopkins (Psychology).The project proposed by Jennifer Larimore will characterize a gene believed to play a role in autism susceptibility. Autism is a heritable syndrome that is expected to have a complex interaction between multiple genes which may be influenced by as yet unknown factors. Larimore and mentor Anne Theibert, Ph.D. (Neurobiology), believe identifying the developmental, regional, and subcellular expression of this gene is key to determining its function in autism susceptibility. Localizing areas of the brain in which this gene exerts its influence may lead to therapeutic targets to treat this devastating disorder.
Dr. Hua Yu Sun, a postdoctoral fellow in the laboratory of Lynn Dobrunz, Ph.D. (Neurobiology), will be studying the hippocampus, an area of the brain which is important for learning and memory. The proposed experiments will shed light on regulation of the hippocampus during normal postnatal development, and changes that may occur in animal models of developmental disorders and epilepsy.
Neuronal ceroid-lipofuscinoses (NCLs) are a group of hereditary neurodegenerative diseases that affect children causing progressive mental retardation, blindness, seizures and motor deterioration, and are the topic of the proposal from Ken Walls (Pathology). The project will study a specific molecular pathway that may be involved in the disease process and then look at pharmacological interventions to block the pathway and mitigate the effects of the disease in an animal model of NCL. Mentor for Walls, is Kevin Roth, M.D., Director of the Neuropathology Division of the Department of Pathology.
These new awards are funded by the Civitan International Research Center’s grant from the Civitan International Foundation and represent the Center’s practice of encouraging promising young scientists and clinicians. Center faculty and staff members welcome these emerging scholars to the Civitan family and look forward to reports on the progress of their exciting projects.
