The most exciting research happens in the cracks between disciplines, says University of North Dakota (UND) President Charles Kupchella. UND faculty and facilities planners must agree. UND is building the $4 million Northern Plains Center for Behavioral Research. Funded by the National Institutes of Health, it will house an integrated program of behavioral and mental health research and research training in nursing and psychology designed to benefit vulnerable and underserved groups in the Upper Midwest.

"This building will be one of the first in the nation built with NIH funding to serve nursing scientists and interdisciplinary colleagues in the behavioral sciences," notes Chandice Covington, dean of the UND College of Nursing.

The three-story, 30,000-square-foot building will be home to a variety of research projects, says Glenda Lindseth, associate dean for research at the College of Nursing and the principal investigator on the building project.

"This research building will allow us to further promote multidisciplinary collaborative research at UND and across the state and region," says Lindseth. "We'll be at the hub of studying preventive interventions that will benefit people right here in the Upper Great Plains."

Some of the research areas include: gastrointestinal disorders, diabetes, sleep disorders, metabolic studies, breast cancer prevention, pediatric research, domestic violence, Alzheimer's disease, neurological risks of pesticide use, Parkinson's disease, gambling addiction, gerontology, neuropsychology, cognitive aging, cognitive function, and the chronically mentally ill.

"The plan includes state-of-the-art behavioral research space, offices for funded researchers, our Nursing Doctoral program and the College of Arts and Sciences' INPSYDE (Indians into Psychology Doctoral Education) program," Covington notes.

For more information, visit the UND College of Nursing Web site.

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