Reading the Hartford Courant, I came across the following story:
The latest round of state funding for stem cell research — totaling $9.8 million — will go to 23 research projects, Gov. Dannel P. Malloy’s office announced Thursday. The Connecticut Stem Cell Research Advisory Committee chose the recipients from among 109 applicants. The largest award, $1.49 million, went to Janice Naegele at Wesleyan University for a project titled “HESC-Derived GABAergic Neurons for Epilepsy Therapy.”
I wrote to Professor Naegele, who told me that the “grant is a multi-Investigator grant with Gloster Aaron and Laura Grabel. These funds will allow us to embark on new studies to determine whether human embryonic stem cell-derived GABAergic interneuron transplants restore memory and reduce seizures and anxiety in mice with severe temporal lobe epilepsy. The grant also provides stipends for graduate students and undergraduate researchers.”
This is the kind of project that is many years in the making, and I know that Profs. Naegele, Aaron and Grabel (and their students) have been dedicated to stem cell research in the epilepsy field for a long time now. When I’ve visited their labs, I’ve been so impressed by the students’ dedication and expertise. This is a great example of how scholar-teachers at Wesleyan are having an impact on the world and on their students. Congratulations to everyone who worked on the grant!
THIS IS WHY.
President Roth,
My daughter has been the recipient of Wesleyan’s great scientific opportunities and we are very, very grateful for that.
However, I’d be more impressed if you “walked the talk” of your commencement speech and use some of the overhead generated by $9M in grants to honor the people you described with such concern in your commencement speech. At the very least, I expect you to meet with the Wesleyan custodial staff and discuss their concerns. As it stands, your words are empty platitudes.
Marie Shervais