Mircore

WE CONNECT SCIENTISTS WITH THE GENERAL PUBLIC THROUGH RESEARCH, EDUCATION, AND ADVOCACY SO THAT MORE PEOPLE CAN MAKE INFORMED DECISIONS FOR A HEALTHIER LIFE AND SOCIETY. OUR VOLUNTEER STUDENTS LEARN TO PERFORM COMPUTATIONAL RESEARCH AND TO LEAD SCHOOL CLUBS TO EDUCATE OTHER STUDENTS. IN 2021, WE INITIATED MIRCORE VACCINE ADVOCACY TO BRING MORE PEOPLE VACCINATED AGAINST COVID 19. ALL ACTIVITIES ARE GEARED TO DEMOCRATIZE MEDICAL RESEARCH AND TO BUILD GENE-LITERATE AMERICAN CITIZENRY.

COMPUTATIONAL BIOLOGY RESEARCH EDUCATION FOR HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS: TO DEMOCRATIZE MEDICAL RESEARCH IN THE GENOMICS ERA, WE TEACH HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS COMPUTATIONAL BIOLOGY. ABOUT 900 STUDENTS WERE SERVED IN 2020 THROUGH OUR CONTEST, CONFERENCE, CAMPS, IN-SCHOOL, AFTER-SCHOOL AND WEEKEND PROGRAMS. 1) MIRCORE VOLUNTEER PROGRAM (MVP): WE MENTOR HIGH SCHOOLERS IN COMPUTATIONAL BIOLOGY RESEARCH EVERY WEEKEND, ADVOCATING PERSONALIZED MEDICINE AND FOSTERING LEADERSHIP. VOLUNTEERS LEAD SCHOOL CLUB GENES IN DISEASE AND SYMPTOMS (GIDAS, GUIDE-US). 2) GIDAS: A STUDENT CLUB AT HIGH SCHOOLS AND THE UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN. OUR VOLUNTEERS SHARE LEARNING WITH PEERS AT THEIR SCHOOLS. 3) GENES AND HEALTH CONTEST: PROMOTES STUDY IN SCIENCE AMONG PEERS THROUGH ENJOYABLE CHALLENGES. HELD IN MICHIGAN AND CALIFORNIA. 4) HIGH SCHOOL RESEARCH CONFERENCE: PROVIDES HIGH SCHOOLERS A SCIENCE CONFERENCE SETTING TO BOOST THEIR FAMILIARITY WITH ACADEMIC PURSUITS WHILE RAISING COMMUNITY AWARENESS ON THE CONFERENCE THEME (DISEASE OF FOCUS VOTED ON BY VOLUNTEERS EACH YEAR). 5) SUMMER CAMPS FOR HIGH SCHOOLERS: COMPUTATIONAL BIOLOGY, BIOTECHNOLOGY SEQUENCING, AND R PROGRAMMING RESEARCH CAMPS WERE HELD ONLINE.

BIOINFORMATICS RESEARCH, CONSULTING AND SUPPORTS: 1. WE SUPPORTED SCIENTISTS AT THE UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN, UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS MEDICAL BRANCH, YONSEI UNIVERSITY AND KYUNGPOOK NATIONAL UNIVERSITY IN KOREA. MORE SPECIFICALLY, WE PROVIDED COMPUTATIONAL BIOLOGY RESEARCH SUPPORT TO RNA FUNCTION EXPERTS REGARDING SMALL RNA REGULATIONS. WE PUBLISHED RESEARCH PAPERS FOR THE PUBLIC BENEFITS. 2. WE ARE UNCOVERING NOVEL RNA-RNA INTERACTIONS, RESEARCH WHICH MAY RESULT IN IDENTIFYING MORE BREAST CANCER PATIENTS WHO CAN BENEFITED FROM PRECISION MEDICINE CANCER DRUGS. 3. WE TAUGHT STUDENT SCIENTISTS TO DO IN-DEPTH RESEARCH AND HOW TO WRITE RESEARCH PAPERS. WE INITIATED MULTIPLE COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH PROJECTS FOR NOVEL SMALL RNA FUNCTIONS IN COVID-19.

MIRCORE VACCINE ADVOCACY (MVA):WE HAVE DEVELOPED A STUDENT-RUN COVID-19 VACCINE ADVOCACY PROGRAM THAT INVOLVES GALVANIZING INDIVIDUALS WHO HAVE POSITIVE PERCEPTIONS OF VACCINES IN ADVOCATING FOR VACCINES IN THEIR OWN NETWORKS AND COMMUNITIES. WE MOBILIZED OUR INFRASTRUCTURE OF HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS, COLLEGE STUDENTS, AND GRADUATED ALUMNI TO CREATE AN AGILE WORKING GROUP THE MIRCORE VACCINE ADVOCACY GROUP. IN TERMS OF STRUCTURE, THE MVA PROGRAM HAS TWO CONSISTENT PROCEEDINGS: (1) A WEEKLY PROJECT UPDATES MEETING AND (2) A BIWEEKLY TRAINING. THE WEEKLY PROJECT UPDATES MEETING IS A 1-1.5 HOUR ZOOM MEETING WHERE ALL MEMBERS INVOLVED IN THE STRATEGY AND ADMINISTRATION OF MVA COME TOGETHER INTO FOUR COMMITTEES: NEWSLETTER, EMPATHY, SOCIAL MEDIA, AND PARTNERSHIP. MEMBERSHIP IN MVA COMMITTEES CONSISTS OF A COMBINATION OF ABOUT 75% HIGH SCHOOLERS AND 25% COLLEGE STUDENTS. WITH THE PROGRAM, WE HAVE TRAINED CLOSE TO 200 STUDENTS TRAINED TO BE VACCINE ADVOCATES.