UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — There are many things Penn State does to improve the research environment for graduate students, from investments in instrumentation to the availability of mental health resources to recruitment of quality seminar speakers. Increasingly, the Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences has made access to T32 training programs a priority, and since March 2021 has trusted Donna Korzick, professor of physiology and kinesiology, to oversee those efforts.
T32 grants are funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and provide career development opportunities to grad students and postdoctoral researchers. The Huck currently offers four programs (Computation, Bioinformatics, and Statistics; Eukaryotic Gene Regulation; Integrative Analysis of Metabolic Phenotypes; and Physiological Adaptations to Stress) that deepen and broaden education in vital areas of study for early-career scientists and expose them to new options. The Physiological Adaptations to Stress program runs an annual “bootcamp for science entrepreneurs” in the summer, which teaches attendees how to turn research projects into viable commercial enterprises.
“I want to create opportunities for students to enhance their individual degree programs,” said Korzick, "so that their career trajectory is impacted in positive and beneficial ways not previously envisioned.”
Training grants had been offered at the Huck prior to Korzick’s directorship, largely thanks to the work of Associate Professor Cooduvalli “Shashi” Shashikant, who was head of the Huck’s Bioinformatics and Genomics degree program. Upon his retirement in 2019, Korzick—head of the Integrative and Biomedical Physiology degree program and overseer of the Physiological Adaptations to Stress T32 program—was a natural choice to take a leadership role guiding the T32 efforts.
Korzick’s tenure has seen a formalization and streamlining of the training grants system. Huck Lead Records Specialist Jean Pierce, a veteran of the Huck’s graduate education office and holder of a doctorate in neuroscience, supports Korsick as assistant training grant administrator. Together, Korzick and Pierce work closely with Training Grants Specialist Connie Smith, a project manager in Penn State’s Strategic Interdisciplinary Research Office (SIRO).
One of Korzick’s first acts as director of training grants was to set up post-award administrative structure for current and future training grants, which includes meeting weekly with personnel from Huck and SIRO, trainee tracking, budget management, interactions with the NIH and developing an overall structure that is user friendly for principal investigators. She’s also working on a variety of training courses for graduate students, including individual development plans—critical for career planning.
In 2022, Korzick oversaw the renewal process for one of the existing grants (currently awaiting NIH disposition) and the submission for an entirely new program, which received a “fundable” score from the NIH.
“We are hopeful that the program submitted during 2022 will receive a notice of award soon, and we hope to submit another in 2023.” said Korzick. “Part of the job responsibilities is generating new ideas and helping to facilitate ‘new’ training programs.”
With the growth of the training grants initiative, Korzick has had to make difficult decisions about her availability and priorities.
“To devote sufficient time and attention to the position, I decided to step down as chair of the physiology grad program after 15 years of service. It is incredibly helpful to wear both hats, but impossible to continue both while still being an active researcher and teaching faculty.”
More information about the current T32 training programs is available from the Huck Institutes and the National Institutes of Health.