Research technology grows from strength to strength at Yale and beyond

Experts in research technology gathered at Yale’s West Campus Thursday, May 30th for the Regional Core Facilities Technology Forum – designed to support a growing network of professional scientists to share learning and expertise in the field.

Introduced by Mousumi Ghosh, PhD, Co-Director of the West Campus Analytical Core, the second such event brought together a “truly regional network” of professionals from New Haven, across Connecticut, and out of State.

Vendors of some of the world’s most advanced research technologies joined Yale core staff for morning break-out sessions focused on materials characterization, bioanalytical techniques, genomic analysis, a metabolomics workshop, and a super-resolution microscope boot-camp.

Setting out Yale’s scientific priorities, and the strengthened role envisioned for core facilities across the University, the keynote address was given by Lisa D’Angelo, PhD, Assistant Provost for Research at Yale. In 2018 the University Science Strategy Committee identified the most promising opportunities for investment across the sciences at Yale. Investments in Core facilities was one of four cross-cutting initiatives identified in the plan.

“Great core technology is essential to elevating science and pushing the boundaries of what’s possible at Yale,” said D’Angelo. “Our scientific core facilities aren’t just about providing a service but educating the next generation of scientists.”

Two panel discussions completed the event. The first, moderated by Janie Merkel, PhD, Director of Yale Center for Molecular Discovery, examined how core instrumentation is funded through diverse sources. Drawn from Yale, UCONN, Wesleyan and Fairfield universities, the panel’s eight participants agreed that establishing unique need, the urgency of having instrumentation to proceed with specific research, and being aware of cutting edge technologies, were decisive factors in writing successful grant applications.

Moderated by Lisa D’Angelo, the second panel discussed the importance of cores in fostering strong relationships between academia and the technology industry. Technology Directors from UMass Amherst, Yale and Harvard stressed the value in connecting scholar feedback to vendors, with cores as a training ground for testing, problem solving and improving technology.

The panel stressed the value in having diverse manufacturers and diverse products available, with the ultimate aim of making sure that “everyone who needs to use research technology is able to do so.”

By Jon Atherton