On January 30, the Integrative Sciences Initiative (ISI)—part of NC State’s Office of University Interdisciplinary Programs—hosted the Integrative Symposium of NC State Training Grants. The event bridged eight NIH-supported training programs in biotechnology, microbiology, chemistry, biomedical engineering, and translational medicine, focusing on the intersection of human health and veterinary medicine.

Designed to cut across administrative boundaries, the symposium created a shared intellectual space for trainees who are often embedded in distinct departments but united by common scientific challenges. By convening students from multiple NIH grants in a single forum, ISI advanced its core mission: preparing the next generation of scientists to collaborate fluently across disciplines and application domains.

Keynote: Bridging Neuroscience and Metabolism

The keynote speaker was Dr. Erin Calipari, Director of the Vanderbilt Center for Addiction Research and an Associate Professor in the university’s Department of Pharmacology. Her presentation, “Hunger enhances learning through a movement-specific dopamine signal,” exemplified the cross-cutting science the symposium sought to highlight—bridging neuroscience, behavior, and metabolism through a mechanistic lens.

Showcasing Student Research

Graduate student trainees were the centerpiece of the event, presenting their work through oral and poster sessions that showcased both disciplinary depth and interdisciplinary reach.

The following students were recognized for their outstanding presentations:

• McKenna Randall (Oral Presentation): High-Throughput Epigenome Mapping with Yeast Surface Display and Predictive Machine Learning
• Isabella Livingston (Oral Presentation): Cross-Species Exome Sequencing Reveals Recurrent Genomic Alterations in California Sea Lion (Zalophus californianus) Urogenital Carcinoma
• Ruhani Agrawal (Poster Presentation): Nebulized Withaferin A as a Novel Therapeutic for Neutrophilic Asthma
• Alora Dunnavant (Poster Presentation): IR-MALDESI Mass Spectrometry Imaging Reveals Spatial Lipidomic Profile Remodeling in Neutropenic Cystic Fibrosis-Like Murine Lung Tissue
• Earl Ford (Poster Presentation): Pharmacodynamics and Antinociceptive Effects of Intravenous Morphine and Butorphanol in Cattle
• Brenna Pugliese (Poster Presentation): Alpha2EQ Downregulates Inflammatory Gene Expression in Equine Synovial Fibroblasts In Vitro

Expanded: Fireside Chat on Career Pathways

Beyond the data-driven research presentations, the symposium emphasized professional development and the reality of the modern scientific workforce through an interactive fireside chat. The discussion featured a diverse panel of leaders who navigate the intersection of academia and industry:

• John Landers, Partner and Director of Finance for the Second Foundation (2ndF), provided a venture and financial perspective on how scientific research translates into viable market solutions.
• Joshua Pierce, ISI Executive Director and Howard J. Schaeffer Distinguished Professor of Chemistry, shared insights on leading large-scale interdisciplinary initiatives.
• Ashley Brown, Comparative Medicine Institute Director, Lampe Distinguished Professor and University Faculty Scholar in the Lampe Joint Department of Biomedical Engineering, offered perspectives on navigating the complexities of joint-departmental research and clinical application.

The panelists offered trainees candid advice on the importance of adaptability and interdisciplinary fluency. A major focus of the conversation was the “translational” mindset—the ability to move a discovery from a lab bench toward a startup company or a clinical setting. By sharing their personal career trajectories, the speakers reinforced that today’s scientists must be as comfortable with collaborative leadership and intellectual property as they are with experimental design.

Support and Future Outlook

The symposium was made possible through the generous support of several partners, including Collaborations Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Continuity Biosciences, Focal Medical, the National Institutes of Health, the North Carolina Biotechnology Center, and Shimadzu.

As ISI continues to expand its efforts ahead of the opening of Woodson Hall, events like this underscore the power of building a shared scientific identity. For more information on upcoming events, visit integrativesciences.ncsu.edu.