Project to Recruit the Next Generation of Librarians: The First Year

Five Northern Indiana regional academic libraries participate in an Institute of Museum and Library Sciences (IMLS) supported project awarded under the funding initiative “pre-professional program of the 21st Century Librarians.” The 3 year project, which began 1 November, 2004 to recruit diverse and younger people to the profession will allow 42 college-bound diverse high school graduates to be hired as library summer student assistants. The project’s strategies are cost-effective and measurable

The Utility of GeneMatcher: a Candidate Gene Database

As the rate at which whole exome and genome sequencing is used in the clinical and research settings increases, the need for a system to share information obtained from these tests increases as well. GeneMatcher is a website platform that ‘matches’ individuals who are interested in sharing information about the same candidate gene. Using data collected by GeneDx, a clinical diagnostic laboratory, we assessed the outcomes of the matches made between external participants who reached out to GeneDx to discuss findings. Our assessment was made by sorting the outcomes of the discussions about ‘matches’ into three categories: ‘collaboration’, ‘one-off’, and ‘not pursuing’. The categorizes define the level of information sharing between the requestor and GeneDx and to what extent the discussions moved forward. This methodology was used for both an eight-month retrospective study, along with a fourweek prospective study. We found that over half of the matches in both studies resulted in discussions occurring between requestors and the GeneDx ordering clinicians who agreed to communicate about their patients. Approximately one fourth of the matches were categorized as collaborations, meaning a level of data sharing occurred which increased the chances of the candidate gene being classified as a disease causing gene. The results of this study support the benefits of data sharing in regard to furthering discussions and knowledge about the clinical effects of variants in candidate gene

Water Quality Trading and Offset Initiatives in the U.S.: A Comprehensive Survey

This document summarizes water quality trading and offset initiatives in the United States, including state-wide policies and recent proposals. The following format was used to present information on each program. We attempted to have each program summary reviewed by at least one contact person for program accuracy. In the cases where this review occurred, we added the statement "Reviewed by.." at the end of the case summary

In the DNA Exoneration Cases, Eyewitness Memory was Not the Problem:A reply to Berkowitz and Frenda (2018) and Wade, Nash and Lindsay (2018)

The available real-world evidence suggests that, on an initial test, eyewitness memory is often reliable. Ironically, even the DNA exoneration cases—which generally involved nonpristine testing conditions and which are usually construed as an indictment of eyewitness memory—show how reliable an initial test of eyewitness memory can be in the real world. We endorse the use of pristine testing procedures, but their absence does not automatically imply that eyewitness memory is unreliable. </jats:p

Building Health Equity One Institution at a Time: The Research Infrastructure in Minority Institutions Project

Developing a well-trained workforce interested in, and prepared for, conducting health equity research is an important national priority. Scientists from Minority-Serving Institutions (MSIs) bring unique perspectives and experiences with racial, ethnic and social inequities in health and health status but often lack access to training and mentoring opportunities, which is crucial for increasing the diverse pool of investigators who are adequately prepared to conduct health disparities research and to compete for National Institutes of Health research funding. The focus of the California State University, Long Beach (CSULB) Research Infrastructure in Minority Institutions (RIMI) Project was to: (a) enhance CSULB’s infrastructure and research capacity, (b) conduct applied community health research on health conditions disproportionately affecting disadvantaged populations, and (c) support faculty to embark on careers in reducing health disparities. Faculty received training, mentorship, and release time support to participate in research-related activities. Select faculty also received funding to conduct a two-year health disparities research project. Within a relatively short period of time, the RIMI Project made important strides toward strengthening the research infrastructure at CSULB by enhancing faculty capacity, improving research utilization to address health disparities, and strengthening campus and community collaborations. MSIs are encouraged to apply for opportunities to build their institution’s research capacity. The lessons learned from this project may be used as a guide for other teaching institutions that have the goal to develop minority faculty researchers

The significant impact of education, poverty, and race on Internet-based research participant engagement

PURPOSE: Internet-based technologies are increasingly being used for research studies. However, it is not known whether Internet-based approaches will effectively engage participants from diverse racial and socioeconomic backgrounds. METHODS: A total of 967 participants were recruited and offered genetic ancestry results. We evaluated viewing Internet-based genetic ancestry results among participants who expressed high interest in obtaining the results. RESULTS: Of the participants, 64% stated that they were very or extremely interested in their genetic ancestry results. Among interested participants, individuals with a high school diploma (n = 473) viewed their results 19% of the time relative to 4% of the 145 participants without a diploma (P < 0.0001). Similarly, 22% of participants with household income above the federal poverty level (n = 286) viewed their results relative to 10% of the 314 participants living below the federal poverty level (P < 0.0001). Among interested participants both with a high school degree and living above the poverty level, self-identified Caucasians were more likely to view results than self-identified African Americans (P < 0.0001), and females were more likely to view results than males (P = 0.0007). CONCLUSION: In an underserved population, engagement in Internet-based research was low despite high reported interest. This suggests that explicit strategies should be developed to increase diversity in Internet-based research. Genet Med 19 2, 240–243