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The seventh annual meeting of the Nebraska Physiological Society (NPS) was held on Friday, May 14, in the Durham Research Center at the University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE. Attendance at the meeting totaled 85 registered individuals, and 48 research posters were presented, the most so far at this meeting. The meeting began at 9:00 am with a welcome and introductory remarks from
Dale Bergren, NPS President and Professor, Department of Biomedical Sciences, Creighton University, Omaha, NE.
The keynote address was then presented by Stephen L. Lipsius, Professor, Department of Physiology, Loyola University Medical Center, Chicago, IL. Lipsius presented his studies on cholinergic regulation of L-type calcium currents in atrial myocytes via nitric oxide signaling pathways.
The student presentations followed the APS lecturer. Four students (two graduate and two postdoctoral) finalists were selected to present their research projects. Each presenter was allowed a 10 minute session followed by a short question/answer period. The finalists were selected based on the quality of the abstracts submitted. A $250 award was presented to postdoctoral student
Xun Li of the Department of Cellular and Integrative Physiology, UNMC, for his project “Thioredoxin-mediated reversal of cardiac K+ channel remodeling in experimental diabetes,” and to graduate student
Rebecca Bott of the Department of Animal Science University of Nebraska, Lincoln, NE, for her project “Induction of Endothelial Cell Migration: A Proposed Mechanism for Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor’s (VEGF) Action on Neovascularization and Seminiferous Cord Formation During Testis Morphogenesis.” Other finalists were postdoctoral student
Shumin Li and graduate student Jennifer Pluznik, both from the Department of Cellular and Integrative Physiology, UNMC.
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| Poster Sessions at the
Nebraska Physiological Society Meeting. |
The student presentations were followed by an educational presentation by
Ronald Tuma, Professor and Chairman of the Department of Physiology, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA. Tuma spoke on the use of computer aided instruction to create a “living” textbook of physiology.
The morning session concluded with an update on the state of the American Physiology Society presented by
Irving H. Zucker, APS Councillor and Past-President of NPS and Professor and Chair of the Department of Cellular and Integrative Physiology, UNMC. Zucker highlighted current programs and activities of the parent society.
The NPS business meeting followed lunch. Tom Pisarri, Assistant Professor, Department of Biomedical Sciences, Creighton University, Omaha, NE, updated the members on the status of the Nebraska Local Outreach Team (LOT), which is a branch of the APS Frontiers in Physiology program.
Harold Schultz, NPS Secretary-Treasurer and Professor, Department of Cellular and Integrative Physiology, UNMC, presented the current financial status of the NPS. He noted that the current financial status of the NPS is sound and thanked this year’s sponsors for their support. Sponsors included the American Physiological Society, the Department of Physiology and Biophysics, UNMC; the Dean’s Office of the College of Medicine, UNMC; the Dean’s Office of the School of Medicine, Creighton; North Central Instruments; ADInstruments; and Fischer Scientific.
NPS President Bergren presented plaques to honor prior NPS presidents, David Petzel, Professor, Department of Biomedical Sciences, Creighton University, and
Shyamal Roy, Professor, Department of Cellular and Integrative Physiology, UNMC. Bergren then thanked the staff for their help and support during his presidency and introduced NPS President-Elect
Andrea Cupp, Assistant Professor, Department of Animal Science University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, NE. New officers for the coming year include
William Mayhan, Professor, Department of Cellular and Integrative Physiology, UNMC, President-Elect, and
Kaushik Patel, Professor Department of Cellular and Integrative Physiology, UNMC, Councillor.
Following the business meeting participants visited the sponsors’ displays and viewed the research posters. Departments and institutions represented in the poster session included the Departments of Cellular and Integrative Physiology, Obstetrics and Gynecology, Olson Center for Women’s Health, Pediatrics, and Internal Medicine, UNMC; VA Medical Center, Omaha, NE; Departments of Animal Science, Chemistry, and Biochemistry, UNL; Departments of Biomedical Sciences, Pharmacology, and Internal Medicine, Creighton University, Omaha, NE; USDA Meat Animal Research Center, Clay Center, NE; West Central Research and Extension Center, North Platte, NE Cell Physiology Laboratory, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS; Iowa State University, Ames IA; SUNY Downstate Medical Center, Brooklyn, NY; Laboratorio de Biotecnologia e Reproducao Animal, Universidade Federal de Santa Maria, Santa Maria, Brazil; Mount Desert Island Biological Laboratory, Salisbury Cove, ME.
The meeting concluded at 4:00 pm with a tour of the new research facilities in the Durham Research Center.
Harold Schultz,
Secretary/Treasurer
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The ninth annual meeting of the Iowa Physiological Society (IPS) was held on Monday, May 17, 2004 in the Medical Education and Research Facility at the University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine in Iowa City. Approximately 50 attendees participated in the meeting, including scientists and teachers from several Iowa institutions and invited guests from the University of Missouri-Columbia and the University of New Mexico. The meeting program included PowerPoint presentations by student and postdoctoral trainees and invited faculty, 23 poster presentations, a hands-on-session on computer-based approaches to teaching physiology, and the presentation of Trainee Travel Awards.
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| Pete Snyder of the University of Iowa delivering his feature presentation “Ubiquitin-Protein Ligase Regulation of the Epithelial Sodium Channel.” |
Early arrivals to the conference met the evening before the conference at the Atlas World Grill in downtown Iowa City for a “Conference Kickoff.” After registration and opening remarks, the meeting was officially underway at 9 am the following day, beginning with a featured presentation by
Peter M. Snyder, Associate Professor of Internal Medicine at the University of Iowa, who spoke on “Ubiquitin-Protein Ligase Regulation of the Epithelial Sodium Channel.” Snyder’s presentation was followed by PowerPoint presentations by the Trainee Award Finalists:
Shun-Guang Wei (mentor Robert B. Felder), Chunhua Jiao (mentor
Gina C. Schatteman), and Marc F. Doobay (mentor Robin L. Davisson) from the University of Iowa, and
Baojian Xue from the University of Missouri-Columbia (mentor Meredith
Hay). All four presentations were excellent which made the selection of the winners of the awards difficult. After much discussion among the judges,
Marc Doobay and Shun-Guang Wei were named winners of the Trainee Travel Awards.
Virend K. Somers, Professor of Medicine at the Mayo Clinic and Mayo College of Medicine, Rochester, MN delivered the Plenary Lecture, which was supported by the American Physiological Society. Somer’s provocative presentation “Sleep, Death and the Heart” was well-received and generated much discussion.
The IPS Business Meeting was presided over by IPS President Mark W. Chapleau and President-elect
Harald M. Stauss. Secretary-Treasurer Ulla C. Kopp summarized the state of the membership and finances of the Society, concluding that the financial state is good. Many items were discussed including: 1) the nomination of candidates for IPS President-elect, 2) possible locations and dates for the next IPS meeting including the possibility of a return of a joint meeting with the Nebraska Physiological Society, 3) ways to increase the IPS membership and facilitate communication between members of the society, 4) and the future of the relationship between the IPS and the Iowa Academy of Sciences (IAS). In addition to Chapleau, Stauss, and Kopp, key participants in the business meeting included past IPS presidents
Ron Torry (Drake University), Piper Wall (Iowa Methodist Medical Center, Des Moines), and
Thomas Schmidt (University of Iowa), and Scott H. Carlson (Luther College). The discussion led to the later nomination of
Scott Carlson, Assistant Professor at Luther College in Decorah, Iowa for the position of IPS President-elect. I am pleased to report that Scott accepted the position and is now serving as President-elect.
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| Mark Chapleau (left) presenting Trainee Travel Awards to (left to right) Shun-Guang Wei and Marc Doobay of the University of Iowa, Baojian Xue of the University of Missouri-Columbia, and Chunhua Jiao of the University of Iowa. |
The afternoon sessions included two poster sessions, a featured presentation by
Harald M. Stauss, Assistant Professor of Exercise Science at the University of Iowa, on “Mechanisms of Blood Pressure Variability,” and three additional PowerPoint presentations related to selected posters. In addition,
Joel A. Gordon (Vice-chair for Education, Department of Internal Medicine) and
Mark Chapleau (Departments of Internal Medicine and Physiology & Biophysics) of the University of Iowa gave a much-appreciated hands-on demonstration on the use of computers in teaching physiology, which included simulations illustrating key principles of renal and cardiovascular physiology.
The main objective of the IPS conference—to provide an opportunity for physiologists throughout the state of Iowa to interact, develop collaborations, and share ideas on the science and teaching of Physiology—was clearly achieved. The conference also provided an ideal venue for trainees to gain experience in presenting their research findings and meeting peers.
Mark W. Chapleau
President, Iowa Physiological Society
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