UMaine Researcher Wins $1M Grant To Study Adult Brain

ORONO, Maine - A University of Maine neurobiology researcher plans to engage students in biomedicine while centering a five-year study on the creation of new nerve cells in adult brains.
 
The National Science Foundation has awarded UMaine assistant neurobiology professor Kristy Townsend a $1 million grant for the project. She's using the project to study the adult brain and expand a capstone course for students to conduct original biomedical research.
 
The university says other goals of the project include developing an outreach program and summer fellowship with community colleges in the state.
 
Townsend says the project will combine research about the brain with student training. She says it's important to engage UMaine students in biomedicine because of growth in the industry in the state, and its proximity to Boston, which is a biomedical hub.