Olivia Rose Fleming | Tissue Microenvironment (TiME) Training Program

RESPONSIBLE CONDUCT OF RESEARCH

Students and faculty are welcome and encouraged to attend the Beckman Institute’s Responsible Conduct of Research seminar series to learn and discuss good practices for conduct of research and enhancing collaboration.

Patty Jones, Beckman’s associate director for research on will give a lecture about “Teamwork, Communication, and Research Integrity” on February 18, 2020, at 12 p.m. in Beckman 1004. Lunch is provided.
Michelle Chitambar, technology manager, and Maria Jaromin, associate technology manager, from the campus Office of Technology Management, will talk about intellectual property. The talk begins at noon March 3, 2020, in Beckman 1005. Lunch is provided.

2019 TIME SCHOLAR AWARDS

Throughout 2019, the TiMe cohort has continued to demonstrate their dedication to cancer research with a focus on the tissue microenvironment. This year, students published 13 papers, presented their research in 50 conference presentations, and filed 3 patents.

17 awards were received by 5 TiMe scholars, including travel awards, best poster awards, and more. Congratulations to the following students for their excellent achievements!

Aidan Gilchrist: F31 DK117514 Ruth L. Kirchstein National Research Service Award (NIDDK); Mavis Future Faculty Award

Catherine Applegate: Nutrition 2019, CARIG Poster Session 3rd Place Award; University of Illinois Frank W. Kari Memorial Award; University of Illinois Margin of Excellence Travel Award; University of Illinois Margin of Excellence Research Award

Hailey Knox: European Molecular Imaging Meeting, Outstanding Poster Award; Bioorganic Chemistry Gordon Research Conference, Outstanding Poster Award; University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Vandever Voorhees Award for Best Original Research Proposal

Parinaz Fathi: Coordinated Science Laboratory Best Poster Award; 2019 Biomedical Engineering Society Annual Meeting, Graduate College Conference Travel Award; Mavis Future Faculty Fellowship; NIH Summer Course in Clinical and Translational Research; Graduate College, Certificate of Mentorship; Los Alamos National Laboratory Advanced Studies Institute Award; Bioengineering Department Graduate Student Leadership Award

Svyatoslav Dvoretskiy: Thomas K. Cureton Physical Fitness Research Award

DIRECTOR’S NOTE SUMMER 2019

The summer break provides ample opportunity to reflect on the happenings at the Cancer Center at Illinois, and what a productive year it has been. Through exciting research findings, new partnerships, and applying for National Cancer Institute designation, the CCIL has been a hub of activity.

Our members continue to show that research is at our center’s core. From Stephen Boppart’s visualization of breast cancer tissue in real-time to Timothy Fan’s work in fighting osteosarcoma with immunotherapy, CCIL members are at the forefront of cancer research.

To foster that work, we launched a new Seed Grant Program in the spring. This initiative builds engineering–biology collaborations and advances novel research that shows promise for future external funding. In our initial call, the CCIL selected four projects for seed grants and eight for planning grants, and we’re eager to see their progress over the coming year.

We’re also excited to announce a new partnership with the Illini 4000, a student-led group of ambassadors who embark on a cross country bike ride every year to raise awareness for cancer research. The CCIL is now the official home of the group, and we’re looking forward to planning new events with them over the coming year.

The CCIL also welcomes new members to our senior leadership team. Barry Schatz, our Associate Director for Administration, brings a wealth of experience from Loyola University’s Cardinal Bernardin Cancer Center. Marcia “Marci” Pool, the former director of undergraduate programs for the Department of Bioengineering at Illinois, joins the CCIL as an Assistant Director for Education and is intimately familiar with our educational programs. Both will provide exceptional expertise and guidance for our center. Exciting times are ahead as we develop our infrastructure, sharpen our focus, and mature as a research institute. We are, as always, thankful for your continued support and interest.

TIME DAY SYMPOSIUM 2019

Tissue Microenvironment (TiMe) Program Scholars organized and hosted the third-annual TiMe Symposium on April 26, 2019, at the Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology. Over 90 participants across 15 University of Illinois campus departments attended the Symposium. Dennis Discher, Professor of Chemical and Biological Engineering from the University of Pennsylvania, served as keynote speaker, and Rashid Bashir, Professor of Engineering and Dean of the Grainger College of Engineering provided the lunchtime talk. In addition, there were four plenary talks by Illinois faculty members and the TiMe scholars presented three-minute lightning talks to highlight their research. Best poster awards were given to Luke Akin (Chemistry), Anuj Yadav (Chemistry), and Mai Ngo (Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering).

REGISTER FOR THE 2019 TIME DAY SYMPOSIUM

The third annual TiMe Day Symposium on April 26, 2019, will highlight research from the program, include keynote and plenary talks, and culminate with a poster session in which
all graduate and undergraduate students are encouraged to present their work.

Illinois faculty, staff, and students are welcome to attend this event, and graduate students and undergraduates conducting tissue microenvironment-related research are invited to submit abstracts and present posters.

Registration is now closed.

2018 TIME SCHOLAR AWARDS

At the end of the year, we would like to recognize the scholars in the Tissue Microenvironment (TiMe) Program for their achievements. Congratulations to the following students for their outstanding work and effort in their research.

Emily Chen: Mavis Future Faculty Fellowship, MF3 Award; A.T. Widiger Chemical Engineering Fellowship

Jamila Hedhli: Top 5 Most Innovative Students on Campus Award

Jan Lumibao: MilliporeSigma Life Science Award in Tumor Biology, Finalist; Illinois Nutrition Symposium, Oral Session 1 Winner; Illinois Division of Nutritional Sciences, Margin of Excellence Research Award and William Rose Endowment Award

Sisi He: ENDO 2018, Endocrine Society’s EndoCareers Early Career Forum Award; ENDO 2018, Endocrine Society Outstanding Abstract Award

Aidan Gilchrist: Mavis Future Faculty Fellowship, MF3 Award

Catherine Applegate: College of ACES Award and Fellowship

Hailey Knox: World Molecular Imaging Congress, Scholar Award and Top Abstract

Parinaz Fathi: Research Live! Finalist

Slav Dvoretskiy: Graduate College Conference Travel Award; Department of Kinesiology and Community Health Conference Travel Award

Sushant Bangru: 20th RAN Rustbelt Conference, Award for Outtanding Poster Presentation

Whitney Sinclair: Chemical Engineering Graduate Research Symposium 2018, 2nd Place Poster Presentation Winner; NIH F31: Ruth L. Kirchstein Predoctoral Individual National Research Award; Research Live! Finalist

GRADUATE STUDENT APPRECIATION WEEK

CCIL’s graduate students and postdoctoral researchers are at the forefront of translational cancer research — helping to pave the way in new discoveries and technologies. Oct. 21 – 26 is Graduate Student Appreciation Week, and the CCIL values the time, dedication, and service you provide to our institution.

ANNOUNCING THE TIME PROGRAM 2018 COHORT

The Cancer Center at Illinois and the Tissue Microenvironment (TiMe) Training Program are pleased to announce their 2018-2019 graduate student cohort. Selected from an impressive pool of candidates from across campus, these exceptional scholars reflect the breadth of Illinois research interests, with expertise in fields ranging from nutritional sciences and biochemistry to bioengineering and chemistry. Read more.

CCIL NAMED 8TH CAMPUS-WIDE RESEARCH INSTITUTE

The Cancer Center at Illinois (CCIL) was recently named the 8th campus-wide research institute that reports to the OVCR, and we have been working hard over the summer to build a sustainable, focused center. We’ve been refining the CCIL vision, developing our organizational structure, sharpening our research focus, and expanding our available resources. We have also added two new members to our External Advisory Committee and developed new campus partnerships with the National Center for Supercomputing Applications and the Social and Behavioral Sciences Research Initiative.

The CCIL has also recruited new cohorts for ResearcHStart, Cancer Scholars Program, C*STAR, and TiME and launched several engagement activities, including events with the Illini 4000 and Prairie Dragon Paddlers. Finally, we’re now on Twitter, so be sure to give us a follow and hear about the latest Cancer Center news.

The CCIL future is bright, and we’re ready for some exciting things this year.