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We at EBI are proud of our home at Ohio University. EBI is closely aligned with the university’s missions of scholarship, teaching and service. EBI’s mission also is closely aligned with the goals outlined in the university’s academic plan, Vision Ohio. Ohio University leaders have identified five areas for selective investment in the next five years. Four of the five correlate with EBI focus and goals: Health and Wellness; New Technologies; Basic Research and Development; and Social, Economic and Cultural Development.
As a focal point for interdisciplinary research in life sciences, the institute has created a model for a thematic approach to life sciences research at Ohio University. This approach is comprehensive yet exacting, and provides a stimulating intellectual environment for the faculty at EBI and those who interact with us.
As an interdisciplinary research institute, EBI is part of the Vice President for Research planning unit. Our faculty holds academic appointments in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry in the College of Arts and Sciences and the Department of Biomedical Sciences in the College of Osteopathic Medicine although their research home is with EBI in Konneker Research Center. This partnership between EBI and academic units allows faculty to participate in the academic life of the university while maintaining their research laboratories in a highly productive, goal-oriented environment. We share Konneker Research Center with faculty from the Biomedical Engineering group in the Russ College of Engineering and Technology and collaborate on a number of research projects with them.
Research initiatives at EBI not only attract high-quality students to Ohio University by providing unique opportunities, but also help retain graduates in the region by providing the skills needed by our growing high-technology economy. Our faculty is actively engaged in graduate education in their home departments and in others as adjunct members. They also participate in the interdisciplinary Molecular and Cellular Biology graduate program that offers opportunities in a broad range of research areas and in the growing Biomedical Engineering program.
Undergraduates from the academic units noted above as well as the Department of Biological Sciences and the College of Business participate in a range of activities at EBI — from assisting with research programs to developing expertise with financial and accounting systems. In all cases, EBI provides a hands-on, experiential learning environment that prepares students for advanced degrees or employment.
EBI faculty is actively engaged in collaborative research with individuals in departments across campus. In addition to these faculty-to-faculty level partnerships, EBI has collaborated with faculty to form broad-based initiatives at Ohio University, like the BioMolecular Innovation and Technology partnership (BMIT). This collaboration between faculty from EBI, the Russ College of Engineering and Technology, and the Colleges of Arts and Sciences, Health and Human Services and Osteopathic Medicine was selected for funding as part of a competitive research prioritization process that Ohio University conducted in 2004. BMIT is focused on the development of diagnostics and therapeutics for infectious diseases, cancer, obesity, diabetes and autoimmune / inflammatory diseases.
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