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Judith L. Van Houten
VT State EPSCoR Director
Director of Vermont Genetics Network
120 A Marsh Life Science Building
University of Vermont
Burlington, VT 05405
802-656-2922
Judith.VanHouten@uvm.edu
Dr. Van Houten's Page
Dr. Judith Van Houten, George H. Perkins Professor of Biology at the University of Vermont, is the Principal Investigator of the Vermont Genetics Network (VGN), a recently awarded $16.5 million program funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
This award represents the largest single investigator grant ever received at the University of Vermont. VGN is funded by a five-year award from the National Center for Research Resources, and is part of the NIH initiative called IDeA Networks of Biomedical Research (INBRE).
VGN is collaboration among the University of Vermont, Castleton State College, Johnson State College, Middlebury College, Norwich University and Saint Michael's College to build critical mass and infrastructure in the broad area of genetics and Biomedical Science.
Dr. Van Houten is also the State Director and Principal Investigator of the Vermont National Science Foundation (NSF) EPSCoR grant that builds science and engineering infrastructure in Vermont. Dr. Van Houten serves on the National EPSCoR Foundation Board which helps craft policy concerning the National EPSCoR program by working with federal agencies on issues regarding science and engineering funding.
In addition, Dr. Van Houten is the Director of the Hughes Endeavor for Life Science Excellence (HELiX) Program which supports undergraduate research at the University of Vermont. HELiX encourages students to stay in science and consider careers in the sciences by involving them in research projects and exposing them to as many opportunities as possible in the sciences.
Dr. Van Houten received a BS from Pacific Lutheran University and her PhD from the University of California at Santa Barbara. Her research investigates the molecular mechanisms of how cells detect chemicals, and she uses organisms as small Paramecium and as complex as mice. Her work provides insights into the sense of smell. Dr. Van Houten received the Manheimer Award in 1996 for career achievements in chemosensory sciences and the University Scholar Award in 1991.
Professor Van Houten's extensive experience and broad knowledge of our state's research assets give us confidence that VGN will continue to play a key role in the development of Vermont's research infrastructure.
Ph.D. (1977), University of California, Santa Barbara. NIH Postdoctoral Fellow (77-79), University of British Columbia. Visiting Assistant Professor (79-80), University of Iowa. Assistant Professor (80-86), Associate Professor (86- 92), Professor (92-present), University of Vermont.
Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR)
The Vermont Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (VT EPSCoR) contributes to building an infrastructure which will improve the research competitiveness of Vermont scientists and engineers as well as bring NSF resources to the service of the broader community. The context for these activities is a small, rural state of 608,827 people with a homogeneous population. Employment opportunities are shifting from agriculture and traditional manufacturing to the service industry and a growing high tech component. Higher Education needs are served by a single, small research university, the University of Vermont (UVM), and a broad range of private and public baccalaureate institutions.
The fundamental goals of the Vermont EPSCoR program naturally parallel the two National Science Foundation (NSF) review criteria (intellectual merit and broader impact). The explicit recognition of the importance of the broader impact of science on society has been a fundamental hallmark of the Vermont EPSCoR program since its inception in 1985. The close relation to state needs is reflected in Vermont EPSCoR’s governing board, the Vermont Technology Council, a privately organized non-profit group devoted to joining academic research and Vermont economic development.
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