November 25, 2002

Two programs - one to help researchers obtain grants and the other to focus on animal care issues - are planned for December.

The first will take place on Tuesday, Dec. 3, from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m., in room 200 of the Whetten Graduate Center and will focus on surviving the grant process.

The program will be the first in a series called HELPLINE. It will focus on identifying funding opportunities through the Community of Science and Sponsored Programs Information Network. The program will also discuss compliance and ethical issues, as well as patents and licensing.

Reservations are suggested, and can be made by calling Dorothy Williams at 860.486.3621 by Dec. 1. All departments are encouraged to send a representative.

The animal care program will take place on Monday, Dec. 9 from 10 a.m. to noon in the Konover Auditorium at the Dodd Center.

It will feature remarks by President Austin, who will discuss the importance of compliance to the University, and introductions of both Douglas Stone, the new director of the Office of Animal Research Services, and Paula Gladeu, a veterinary medical officer from the U.S. Department of Agriculture who used to practice veterinary medicine at the Eastbrook Animal Clinic in Mansfield.

Clement Dussault, also a veterinary medical officer with the USDA, will discuss the federal department's perspective on the use of animals in research, including the scope of USDA inspections, and the authority of the USDA and the University's Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee to perform inspections. He will also discuss common problems faced by institutions.

The meeting will also feature a panel response on next steps. Panelists will include Kirklyn Kerr, dean of the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources; Andrea Hubbard, associate professor of pharmaceutical sciences; and Steve Geary, professor of pathobiology and veterinary sciences.

All faculty, staff and students are invited. Attendance at the lecture can be used to satisfy the annual IACUC retraining requirement for UConn animal users in 2002 or 2003.

Questions for the panelists may be submitted in advance by forwarding them to: Richard.Simoniello@uconn.edu Advance registration is not required.