The Office of Research Awards $500K in Funding to Enhance Research Core Facilities
The UC Davis Office of Research is pleased to announce the recipients of the Research Cores Continuity Funding Program for the fiscal year 2024-25, awarding a total of $500,000 distributed amongst 11 campus research cores. The program, launched in 2023, was established to strengthen the research infrastructure at UC Davis.
“These funds will ensure critical instruments, expertise, and services remain available to support faculty, students and staff across campus in a variety of disciplines,” said Cristina Davis, associate vice chancellor for research. “These shared facilities are important in education and training, and this continuity of support is vital to ensuring access.”
The program is managed by Isabelle Girard, director of the Research Core Facilities Program in the Office of Research, who works in collaboration with the Research Core Advisory Council, campus leadership and additional stakeholders to select awards with the highest potential impact of support across the campus.
A total of 27 applications were received this year, requesting a total of almost $2 million in funding.
Selection Criterion
The recipients were selected based on several criteria related to research impact and provision of critical capabilities that are in high demand or that offer unique value based on current or emerging needs. The role of the core in education and training, alignment with research priorities and financial stewardship were also considered.
Recipients of the Core Continuity Funding Program
The College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences (CA&ES) Centralized Greenhouses received $51,887 to upgrade the obsolete lighting system with a sustainable, cost-effective and more productive LED equipment. CA&ES Centralized Greenhouses offer an extensive network of research and teaching greenhouses, totaling 190,698 square feet across six locations on campus. The funding request was made by Gwendolyn Caramanica on behalf of the core.
The Center for Nano Micro Manufacturing (CNM2) in the College of Engineering received $70,430 to update key equipment and enable Stratocore lab management software integration. CNM2 provides the UC Davis campus community with a full spectrum of state-of-the-art micro-nanofabrication equipment, processes and services. The funding request was made by Ryan Anderson on behalf of the core.
The Comparative Pathology Laboratory (CPL) received $35,000 to replace a clinical chemistry analyzer offering comprehensive, high-quality services for serum biochemistry testing. CPL is a fee-for-service veterinary medical diagnostic facility within the School of Veterinary Medicine that studies the health, welfare and scientific integrity of animals used commonly in research and teaching. The funding request was made by Stephanie Carroll on behalf of the core.
The Flow Cytometry Shared Resource (FCSR) in the School of Medicine received $100,000 to support the replacement of an aging instrument for precise cell separation capabilities to enable biomedical and life-science projects at Aggie Square. FCSR’s mission is to provide state-of-the-art cell sorting, analytical cytometry, and cytometry education to its users. The funding request was made by Bridget Mclaughlin on behalf of the core.
The Health Sciences District Advanced Imaging Facility (HSDAIF) in the School of Veterinary Medicine received $26,250 for the maintenance contracts of two critical microscopes, one that allows STED super-resolution and lifetime imaging and another that provides multiphoton and intravita imaging. HSDAIF provides advanced microscopy and image analysis capabilities as well as consultation, training, and support throughout research experiments. The funding request was made by Ingrid Brust-Mascher on behalf of the core.
The Keck Spectral Imaging Facility (KSIF) received $33,000 to support the restoration of a laser-scanning confocal microscope with an atomic force microscope with updated software and security. KSIF is a vital research core at UC Davis, offering state-of-the-art spectral imaging capabilities with molecular resolution. The funding request was made by Chun-Yi Wu on behalf of the core.
The MCB Light Microscopy Core (LMC) received $30,660 for salary support of the technical director to sustain advanced microscopy capabilities. The LMC within the College of Biological Sciences provides the biological research community with access to state-of-the-art imaging instruments and tools designed to collect low-light fluorescent images with high temporal and spatial resolution of both living and fixed organisms and to allow for high-throughput image collection. The funding request was made by Ken Kaplan on behalf of the core.
The Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Facility (NMRF) received $34,280 to support the maintenance plan for the Liquid Helium Recovery System which is essential to the sustainable operation of the nine NMR instruments. NMRF is dedicated to supporting the university’s research and teaching mission by providing campus-wide access to NMR spectroscopy and imaging instrumentation. The funding request was made by James Ames on behalf of the core.
The Protein Structure and Dynamics Core received $26,250 for the upgrade of a Circular Dichroism (CD) spectrometer to enable more quantitative determination of protein structural elements. The Protein Structure and Dynamics Core uniquely services researchers needing structure and dynamic information on proteins and biological membranes in order to understand their mechanism of function. The funding request was made by Madhu Budamagunta on behalf of the core.
The UC Davis Genome Center Proteomics Core Facility received $47,243 for the replacement of an amino-acid analyzer providing unique services for protein biology. The core provides a broad range of mass spectrometry-based proteomics collaborative services such as, quantitative protein profiling, identifying post-translational modifications, BioID, affinity-based proteomics, and sample preparation from a wide variety of organisms. The funding request was made by Brett Phinney on behalf of the core.
The Veterinary Orthopedic Research Laboratory (VORL) received $45,000 to upgrade the mechanical testing system for the evaluation of strength properties of bone, tendon, ligament, and other materials. VORL faculty, students and staff perform advanced research in the field of orthopedics for humans and companion animals. The core also provides services to other universities and the private sector. The funding request was made by Tanya Garcia-Nolen on behalf of the core.
The Research Core Directory lists these cores and an additional 65 research facilities and shared resource units for the support of research.
About the Research Core Facility Program
The UC Davis Research Core Facilities Program (RCFP) facilitates access to state-of-the-art technology, advanced expertise, and other shared resources for researchers at UC Davis, in the UC system, at academic institutions, and in the commercial community. Resources include an online Research Core Directory of available research facilities and services; a software platform (Stratocore) to manage orders, scheduling, and billing; and a collaborative community to support core leaders and staff.
