Annual Summer Redox Course

In each year of the COBRE we have participated in teaching a Summer Redox Biology Course. This is coordinated at MUSC by Drs. Townsend and Tew, and as an annual event, cycles between Stockholm, Nebraska and Charleston. In June 2022 the in-person component of the course resumed in Stockholm, in 2023, MUSC held the course in Charleston, and in June 10-15 of 2024, the University of Nebraska in Lincoln hosted. Drs. Tew, Ball and Mehrotra attended as lecturers and were accompanied by five graduate students and one post-doc.

The COBRE provided partial travel expenses, while the hosts provide accommodation and local expenses. Students from Sweden, Hungary, Denmark, Nebraska, and Charleston are scheduled to participate. This year we negotiated three credit hours for graduate studies - provided to students who pass the exam at the end of the week-long course. As previously, social and informal interactions provide an outstanding networking environment. In addition to the graduate credits, collaborative interactions have facilitated the successful application for a supplementary grant through the IDeA program as well as equipment grants.

Students who participate in the annual course provide uniformly positive reviews. Davide Delisi is a student from Pharmacology in the laboratory of Dr. Saverio Gentile. He attended the 2024 course in Lincoln Nebraska and upon returning to his lab provided the following assessment:

“The Redox course was a great experience for me. It gave my research a new perspective, and the connections I made there have been invaluable. I’ve found myself incorporating so much of what I learned into my current work—it's made a huge difference!”

As mentioned, social interactions during the week-long event highlight opportunities for career development and project advancements. There are always organized social mixers and athletic events incorporated as evening sessions. The next course is to be held in Debrecen, Hungary June 9-14.