Noteworthy: Research grants, awards and publications

Side-by-side portraits of a woman with short gray hair, glasses and a purple sweater and a woman with short brown hair and a red blouse.

The School of Social Welfare’s Mary McCarthy (left) and Linda Mertz (right) received a $33,111 grant from the Albany County Department for Children, Youth and Families to assist with hosting specialized training programs for child welfare staff.

ALBANY, N.Y. (April 27, 2023) — The latest developments on University at Albany faculty and staff who are receiving research grants, awards and other noteworthy attention.

Dylan Farnsworth, a developmental biologist and senior research scientist in the RNA Institute, is the recipient of a 2023 MDF Early Career Researcher grant, awarded by the Myotonic Dystrophy Foundation. The two-year, $190,000 award will support his project titled “Connecting cell-type specific gene-expression patterns in DM-model zebrafish to sleep and circadian disruptions and enhanced therapeutic development,” and advance research using zebrafish at the RNA Institute.
Peter Kwon, assistant professor of Korean Studies, has written the cover story for the March issue of the Journal of Korean Studies. Titled, "Defender of the Nation, Champion of Science: The Agency for Defense Development as a Nexus for the Technological Transformation of South Korea," the article explores South Korea's central weapons R&D institute and its impact on the country's technological and scientific advances since the 1970s, as well as other topics from Kwon’s new book, Cornerstone of the Nation: The Defense Industry and the Building of Modern Korea under Park Chung Hee, out early next year.
Jiss Maria Louis, a postdoctoral fellow jointly affiliated with the labs of Andy Berglund and Kaalak Reddy in the RNA Institute, was awarded a 2023 MDF Research Fellowship from the Myotonic Dystrophy Foundation. The two-year, $105,000 grant will support her project titled “Determining the therapeutic efficacy of natural compounds in myotonic dystrophy type 2”.
The School of Social Welfare’s Linda Mertz and Mary McCarthy have received a one-year, $33,111 grant from the Albany County Department for Children, Youth and Families. Mertz and McCarthy will assist the Department with locating and hosting specialized training programs for child welfare staff and managers.