The Summer of 2006 is history and what a summer it was! Students were involved in a wide range of research projects on four different continents through UBRP and BRAVO! The projects ranged from characterizing a new species of squirrel in the Baja, to developing a new biomaterial for use in endovascular grafts! Students doing research this summer ranged in age from 15 (students from San Miguel and Tucson High) to 48 (yes, we have some very interesting non-traditional, second career undergraduate researchers!).

On the funding front, the competing renewal of our grant from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI), which provides the greatest amount of support for UBRP, was renewed for another four years (starting September 1, 2006). In addition to providing continued funding for UBRP and BRAVO!, funds from the new grant will help us to implement a new e-mentoring system as a strategy for retaining more students, and particularly women and minority students, in the science pipeline. This new initiative will kick off on August 28 when we will hold a panel discussion on the topic of "Women in Science." Panelists include Drs. F. Ann Walker (Chemistry), Martha Hunter (Entomology), Marilyn Halonen (Pharmacology) and John Hildebrand (Neurosciences). An e-mentoring blog has been created and students and faculty will be able to sign up to participate in the blog at the panel and at any time by stopping by the UBRP office.

To augment the e-mentoring activity and to further acquaint students with opportunities in science, we will offer a series of science career panels through out the academic year. These are free and open to everyone. On September 11 the panel will focus on careers in bioindustry; October 9 will be on internships and post-bac opportunities; and November will feature health careers. All of the panels will be at 4 pm, in Life Sciences South 440. Each will be followed by an informal dinner during which students are encouraged to network with the panelists.

In addition, this fall we will be hearing from all of the BRAVO! students who did research during the summer of 2006 in foreign labs. The first datablitz is scheduled for Monday, September 18 at 4 pm in LSS 340. Christina Kwong and Kevin Chandler, both of whom were in labs at Wuhan University in Wuhan, China, will speak. Christina did research in a lab working to better understand the structure of the Hepatitis B virus; Kevin was involved in a project to study thermostable subtilisin-like proteases, which are of interest because of their potential industrial applications. More datablitzes will be scheduled later in the semester. These are free and open to all. Students interested in applying for a BRAVO! experience are particularly encouraged to attend.

Finally, as reported in the June '06 issue of the Gazette, Dr. Michael A. Wells, Regents Professor of Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics, and founder of UBRP, died May 23, 2006, from complications arising from treatment of an aggressive form of leukemia. Dr. Wells had a huge impact in developing the culture on this campus that supports undergraduate research. He was devoted to science education for students at all levels beginning with kindergarteners. He emphasized the excitement of the process of discovery in everything he did. We will be celebrating Dr. Wells's life and legacy at a Mike Wells Fest on October 28 and 29. There will be a day of science (October 28), followed by a reception and a breakfast at the Tucson Botanical Garden (October 29). For more information, please see: www.biochem.arizona.edu/wellsfest/

Those who would like to contribute to the continuation of Dr. Wells's work may do so in two ways. Contributions can be made in honor of Dr. Wells to the UBRP Fund, a fund that has been established to endow UBRP so that it will become a permanent part of what we offer students at the University of Arizona. Checks should be made payable to the University of Arizona Foundation and mailed to Carol Bender, Director, UBRP, Life Sciences South, room 348; P.O. Box 210106, The University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721-0106 (write "UBRP Fund" in the memo section of the check). In addition, an endowment has been established in Dr. Wells's name to support undergraduate research in biochemistry and molecular biophysics. To contribute please send checks payable to the University of Arizona, Attention: Kriss Pope Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics, University of Arizona, P.O. Box 210088, Tucson, AZ 85721-0088. Contributions to both of these funds are fully tax deductible and will be directed to continuation of the vitally important work inspired by Dr. Wells.

Carol Bender, Director of UBRP and BRAVO!