MIL USHOR-2b Engine

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Aumua Amata (Western Samoa)

Washington, D.C. – Congresswoman Uifa’atali Amata is delighted to congratulate the winners of the Malofie Congressional Art Competition for 2026, expressing appreciation to all the participating students, their teachers, the expert judges, the sponsors that make this opportunity possible for our students, and the American Samoa Council of Arts, Culture & Humanities.

First Place Winner

See more pictures here

This year’s first-place winner is Eve Filomena Snow, Tafuna High School for “The Beauty from One Generation to the Next.” Her first-place art will be displayed for a year at the U.S. Capitol! She has also won a special trip to Washington, D.C. to join all the other winners from the other congressional districts.

Congratulations also to Joshua Utuone, Fagaitua High School, who earned second place with his two-part artwork “The Deed of Cession,” and third place Christina Hudson, Tafuna High School with “Taema and Tilafaiga.” Rounding out the top five are fourth place, Amosa Feagaiga, Leone High School, and fifth place Kayla Letufuga, Leone High School. 

“What a wonderful job by these winning students, and by the entire group of 26 participants. I love their beautiful artwork and their enthusiasm, and I’m so pleased with them all,” said Congresswoman Amata. “It was a special delight to be here in person for this competition. This event is a favorite of mine, and it is only possible especially though our local generous sponsors, as well as our artist judges, the art teachers and all American Samoa’s educators.”

“I will enjoy seeing Eve Filomena Snow’s beautiful first-place art displayed in the U.S. Capitol soon,” Amata continued. “I want to say a special thank you also to American Samoa Council of Arts, Culture & Humanities for welcoming us and helping make this a meaningful celebration of art and creativity.”

Each year, Congresswoman Amata and her local office work in partnership with the American Samoa Department of Education to select the top standouts, and under congressional rules, then determine just one to represent American Samoa in Washington. Any of American Samoa’s public and private high schools are invited to send entries for the competition. 

Each participant receives a plaque from Congresswoman Uifa’atali Amata, and various prizes from sponsors. Congresswoman Amata extends her warmest fa’afetai to the many businesses and individuals who donated and helped make this year’s Congressional Art Competition special for the students.

Malofie Congressional Arts Competition 2026 

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Special Acknowledgement:

Honorable Governor Pula’ali’i Nikolao Pula & Lt Governor Pulu Ae Ae Jr

Honorable Congresswoman Uifa’atali Aumua Amata Coleman Radewagen

Pastor Suipi Taala 

American Samoa Department of Education

American Samoa Office of Instruction & Curriculum – Art Department 

American Samoa Council of Arts, Culture & Humanities Executive Director Ammon Fepuleai

Congresswoman Uifa’atali Aumua Amata’s DC & District Offices 

 

Judges:

Executive Director Marion Mageo 

Ms. Pua Tofaeono

Ms. Keniseli Fanolua

 

Winners:

1^st Place Winner: Ms. Eve Filomena Snow

Tafuna HIgh School 

 

2nd Place Winner: Mr. Joshua Utuone

Fagaitua High School 

 

3^rd Place Winner: Ms. Christina Hudson

Tafuna High School 

 

4^th Place Winner: Mr. Amosa Feagaiga

Leone High School 

 

5^th Place Winner:  Ms. Kayla Letufuga  

Leone High School 

 

 

Participants: 

Samoana High School 

Art Teacher: Mr. Barry Patane 

 

Students:

Tatupu Leutele

Meilyn Leleai Tracy Moeoge

Maluai Vitale

Chau M Dang 

Asherayne Romero

Layla Leota 

Isabella Tavai 

Tele’a James Tua 

 

 

Tafuna High School 

Art Teacher: Mr. Raymond Keleti 

 

Students:

Carilyn Anesi 

Charity Talisa 

Christina Hudson 

Siliana Savini

Eve Filomena Snow

 

Leone High School 

Art Teacher: Mr. Tony Esau

 

Students:

Amosa Feagaiga

Saveliana Faaulusau 

Leone Vavao

Kayla Letufuga 

Janenoreen Poliko

Anovale Savea 

Ilo Faumui

Fatauao Feleti 

 

Fagaitua High School:

Art Teacher: Mr. Tyrell Vaimili 

 

Students:

Joshua Utuone

Gabriella Paleso’o 

Soniah Sootaga

Soterosa Tautua 

 

Sponsors/Special Recognition:

 

Alaska/Hawaiian Airlines CEO Diana Birkett Rakow

BlueSky Communications CEO Mr. Tangavel Barlen Lutchmoodoo

ASTCA CEO Mrs. Folasaitu Sorepa Fata Thomas 

StarKist Samoa CEO Edward Min

Manu’a Inc

Mr. Ricardo da Rosa

Island Business Center 

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Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Rick Larsen (2nd Congressional District Washington)

Today, Economic Alliance of Snohomish County (EASC) and Herald Media named Representative Rick Larsen (WA-02) the recipient of the 2026 Henry M. Jackson Award.

“It is an honor to represent my friends and neighbors in Northwest Washington in Congress, and it is a responsibility I never take for granted,” said Rep. Larsen. “Scoop Jackson set an example for me in public service. We both had the privilege of representing Washington’s 2nd District and we both have Norwegian roots, but what stood out most was the way Scoop never forgot ‘the better Washington’ while serving in Congress. He fought for the people and communities he represented, for Washington state’s economy and environment, and for civil rights. His example is one every public servant should try to follow. I am grateful to the Economic Alliance of Snohomish County and Herald Media for this recognition.”

Each year, EASC and Herald Media partner to honor business or civic leaders who have helped create a better community or advanced the economic interests of the region.  

Rep. Larsen is the top Democrat on the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee in the House of Representatives. He is a strong advocate for creating good-paying jobs and economic growth in Northwest Washington by investing federal dollars in local infrastructure. Since 2022, Rep. Larsen has brought home more than $75 million in federal funding for 54 Northwest Washington community projects.  

The Henry M. Jackson Award is named for the former U.S. senator from Everett. The award was established in 1977 and honors someone who demonstrates exemplary service to the community and is committed to the business interests of the region. This individual drives local, state, and regional initiatives for business, promotes civic, social, and cultural programs, and participates in programs that expand the potential and quality of life in the county.  

Last year’s honoree was Snohomish County Executive Dave Somers, and the previous year’s honoree was Washington Secretary of State Steve Hobbs.  

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Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Frank Pallone (6th District of New Jersey)

NJ 6th District Congressman Dedicates Spring Lake, New Jersey Post Office to His Predecessor

Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Suzanne Bonamici (1st District Oregon)

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), the top Democrat on the Senate Aging Committee, Senator John Fetterman (D-PA), and Representatives Suzanne Bonamici (D-OR-1) and Andrea Salinas (D-OR-6) introduced the bicameral Senior Hunger Prevention Act to expand Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits for older Americans.

Despite facing high rates of food insecurity, less than one-third of eligible older adults are enrolled in SNAP. The Senior Hunger Prevention Act would eliminate unnecessary administrative hurdles to make it easier for seniors to receive SNAP benefits.

“Skyrocketing grocery prices in President Trump’s America have left too many seniors struggling to put food on the table,” said Senator Gillibrand. “Unfortunately, the complexity of the current application process for SNAP benefits deters many older adults from using this critical resource. My legislation would simplify the SNAP application process for seniors and increase the monthly benefit available to all SNAP participants. As the top Democrat on the Senate Aging Committee, I am committed to getting this bill across the finish line so that every senior can access the resources they need for healthy aging.”

“It is unacceptable that in our wealthy nation, more than 12 million seniors don’t have enough to eat,” said Representative Bonamici. “Federal nutrition programs like SNAP are intended to end hunger, but too many older adults and people with disabilities can’t easily access them. This bill will make it easier for older adults and adults with disabilities to benefit from nutrition assistance and will raise the value of SNAP benefits so older Americans can age with dignity.”

“Across Oregon, too many seniors are struggling to afford groceries while also keeping up with the rising cost of rent, utilities, and health care,” said Representative Salinas. “Older adults and caregivers face unnecessary administrative barriers to accessing the nutrition support they qualify for. The Senior Hunger Prevention Act will help cut through that red tape, expand access to healthy, local food, and ensure Oregonians can age with dignity and security. I’m proud to help lead this effort so that no senior in our state has to worry about where their next meal is coming from.”

Specifically, the Senior Hunger Prevention Act would:

1. Increase the minimum monthly SNAP benefit for all participants;
2. Simplify application and certification processes for eligible individuals in nutrition programs, including SNAP, and ensure they can stay enrolled in programs for longer periods of time;
3. Support outreach efforts to enroll more older adults, caregivers, and adults with disabilities in nutrition programs;
4. Enable adults with disabilities to participate in additional nutrition assistance programs;
5. Provide grants to non-profits, local aging and disability service providers, and related organizations to bring fresh, local food to accessible locations;
6. Expand SNAP food delivery options through public-private partnerships and strengthen retail delivery options for older adults and people with disabilities.

In addition to Gillibrand and Fetterman, the Senate bill is cosponsored by Senators Chris Murphy (D-CT), Peter Welch (D-VT), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Ron Wyden (D-OR), Cory Booker (D-NJ), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Ed Markey (D-MA), Martin Heinrich (D-NM), Adam Schiff (D-CA), Angela Alsobrooks (D-MD), and Andy Kim (D-NJ).

The Senior Hunger Prevention Act is endorsed by: ADvancing States; Alliance to End Hunger; Center for Science in the Public Interest; Defeat Malnutrition Today; Feeding New York State; Feeding Pennsylvania; Feeding Westchester; Generations United; Hunger Free America; Hunger Solutions New York; Justice in Aging; Long Island Cares, Inc. — The Harry Chapin Food Bank; MAZON; Meals on Wheels America; Meals on Wheels Association of Georgia; Meals on Wheels Association of New York State; Meals on Wheels California; Philabundance; Share Our Strength; The Gerontological Society of America; The National Association of Nutrition and Aging Services Programs; The National Council on Aging; and USAging. A list of quotes from endorsing organizations can be found here.

The full text of the legislation can be found here.
 

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi (8th District of Illinois)

WASHINGTON — Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi today called on EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin to immediately reverse newly announced delays to critical worker safety protections for hazardous chemicals, warning that the move weakens safeguards against known carcinogens and other toxic substances and puts workers and families at greater risk of preventable harm.

 

In a letter sent Tuesday to Administrator Zeldin, Krishnamoorthi raised alarm over the Environmental Protection Agency’s decision to postpone compliance deadlines for safeguards covering perchloroethylene (PCE) and carbon tetrachloride (CTC), two highly toxic chemicals linked to cancer, organ damage, and other serious long-term health effects.

The delayed safeguards were finalized in 2024 under the bipartisan Toxic Substances Control Act and were specifically designed to protect workers routinely exposed to hazardous chemicals on the job. The letter comes amid broader concerns that the EPA is reconsidering multiple chemical risk management rules finalized under the Biden Administration.

“I am writing to express serious concern regarding the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)’s recent decision to delay critical worker protection deadlines for hazardous chemicals, including perchloroethylene (PCE) and carbon tetrachloride (CTC),” Krishnamoorthi wrote. “By postponing these safeguards, the EPA is weakening protections for workers, families, and surrounding communities and departing from its core mission to protect public health rather than advance industry interests.”

Krishnamoorthi underscored in the letter that PCE is a well-documented carcinogen linked to liver, kidney, brain, and testicular cancers, as well as severe damage to the nervous, immune, and reproductive systems. The letter also notes that carbon tetrachloride has been associated with liver cancer, brain tumors, and serious damage to other organs and bodily systems.

“The EPA, under your leadership, is undermining the Workplace Chemical Protection Program by extending compliance deadlines specifically designed to shield workers from dangerous chemical exposure,” Krishnamoorthi continued. “These delays directly postpone the implementation of critical safeguards for those most at risk, including workers who handle hazardous substances every day.”

The letter further warns that the decision reflects a broader pattern of delays to worker safety rules for multiple toxic chemicals.

“At a time when the science is clear and the dangers are well documented, any further delay only prolongs preventable harm and erodes the integrity of the protections established under the Toxic Substances Control Act,” Krishnamoorthi wrote.

“I urge the EPA to immediately reverse its decision to extend these deadlines and fully implement the strong protections established in 2024,” Krishnamoorthi concluded. “Workers and families across the country deserve decisive action—not yet another delay—on safeguards specifically designed to prevent cancer, chronic disease, and toxic exposure.”

The letter is available here.

Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Mike Johnson (LA-04)

WASHINGTON — Speaker Johnson today delivered remarks at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum’s National Commemoration of the Days of Remembrance in the U.S. Capitol. During the ceremony, Speaker Johnson presented the Congressional Gold Medal to the family of Benjamin Ferencz, a U.S. Army soldier who was among the first outsiders to witness the horrors of Nazi concentration camps and later prosecuted Nazis during the Nuremburg trials.

Speaker Johnson was joined by Leader Schumer, Leader Jeffries, Senator Gillibrand, Rep. Wilson, and Rep. Frankel. Members of Benjamin Ferencz’s family accepted the Congressional Gold Medal on his behalf.

“Today, the work is even more important than ever, not only because those who personally witness this tragedy grow fewer in number each year, but because denying and distorting the truth of the Holocaust has become something once again that is tolerated and, in some cases, even defended on college campuses,” Speaker Johnson said.

Watch Speaker Johnson’s remarks here.

Below are Speaker Johnson’s remarks as delivered:

Well, good morning to everyone. To the Members of Congress, dignitaries, all of our distinguished guests, most importantly the 30 survivors who are with us today, welcome to the United States Capitol. It is good to see you all.

It is our great honor to join you on this solemn occasion. We gather each year during these Days of Remembrance to honor the blessed memories of 6 million Jewish men, women, and children who were viciously murdered in one of the darkest hours of human history. Today, we recommit to preserving their stories and the stories of countless other innocent victims who suffered the brutality of the Holocaust. Congress takes this mandate very seriously, and we also know that an annual ceremony is just not sufficient.

The work of keeping these lives from being forgotten never truly ends, and we all know that, and that’s why we’re very grateful to the Holocaust Museum, Director Sara Bloomfield, and all of their essential work to ensure this generation of Americans bears witness and always will.

It’s been said that the Holocaust is not merely a study in history, but a study in human nature.

In the span of a few years, the world witnessed the grim display of man’s worst impulses, but also our capacity for profound good and decency. We saw the good in the families who carved out hiding places beneath their floorboards. Families like the Strobos and the Mulders who sheltered hundreds of Jewish refugees in their own homes at the risk of their own lives.

We saw it in Malvina from Slovakia, who with her mother and sisters smuggled food and letters through the barbed wire of the Nazi concentration camp just steps from their home. These portraits of courage and selflessness remind us that even in the darkest hour, light can always find a way through. And yet still the Holocaust exists on such a scale that today we’re often left with more questions than answers.

We know the questions well. How could this have happened? How did the greatest crime against humanity unfold in broad daylight before the eyes of neighbors and entire nations?

And what brings a person to maim and murder children, to lead a mother in her infant to their certain death?

Too often we’ve let these questions go unanswered, intoning a kind of condemnation that’s become, in some ways, routine. It was “incomprehensible,” we hear so often. These were “unthinkable” atrocities. It’s all true. But the truth is, the real truth, is that we must think about these things. We must try and comprehend it so that that evil can be directly confronted. We owe that to the survivors in this room and to future generations who hope to prevent such absolute evil from ever prevailing again.

Today, the work is even more important than ever, not only because those who personally witnessed this tragedy grow fewer in number each year, but because denying and distorting the truth of the Holocaust has become something once again that is tolerated and, in some cases, even defended.

On college campuses, leaders of once respectable institutions have excused hateful ideas as “context.” The flags of radical Islamic terrorist groups have become commonplace on campus quadrangles. And safe spaces are reserved not for the Jewish students threatened by physical violence on these campuses, but for those who chant “from the river to the sea” and “long live Hamas.” What’s become quite clear is that a basic comprehension of history and geography is in short supply on America’s college campuses.

These are dangerous ideologies with dangerous consequences, and we cannot forget that, and we have to speak to this problem directly. As the memory of the Holocaust fades, I’m often reminded of the famous admonition of our great President, Abraham Lincoln. He said famously, “The philosophy of the school room in one generation becomes the philosophy of government in the next.”

We know that that is true. And because it is true, it requires us to properly educate the next generation, to correct those who deny the facts of the Holocaust or October 7^th, and protect our Jewish brothers and sisters. It means having the courage and the moral clarity to say that denying the Holocaust is not a difference of opinion. It is a lie, and it’s a lie with serious consequences. And it means standing up for what’s right and speaking out against what’s wrong, even when those opinions, those facts, may not be as popular as they once were.

We’ve seen what happens when good people stay silent in the face of evil and this generation of leaders will not make that mistake again. No one understood this more than the man who we honor today, Benjamin Ferencz.

As a war crimes investigator during World War II, Ben was among the first outsiders to witness and record the horrors of Nazi labor and concentration camps. One of his first experiences was at Buchenwald. He recalled in vivid detail, the hungry reduced to scavenging for scraps and the countless bodies that lay like firewood, piled at the foot of furnaces that scattered the camps.

In records that Nazis meticulously kept, he uncovered the horrific scale of the crimes. Recordings like this: In Folder 119, dated September 1939, it was written: over 33,000 Jewish men, women, and children murdered in just two days. That was the massacre at Babi Yar. Folder 84, March 1942. It said there: 91,000 individuals killed by Task Force D. Another folder, Folder 111. It said: 55,000 Jews murdered in the past 10 weeks.

Folder after folder, like this, the extermination of hundreds of thousands of innocent lives all recorded with bookkeeper-like precision. By the time Ben had finished, he had personally uncovered evidence of more than one million deaths.

As the Nuremberg trials were reaching their conclusion, Ben went to his supervisor and pleaded to add just one more case. And his persistence won out. At only 27 years of age, the youngest prosecutor at Nuremberg, Ben delivered the opening statement in what would become the largest murder trial in human history.

But Ben’s pursuit of justice did not end there. His work to investigate and prosecute these crimes led in no small part to the establishment of an international system of justice. And for the rest of his long life, all 103 blessed years of it, Ben worked just as tirelessly to protect the victims of atrocity and to defend the rule of law.

Though Ben passed away three years ago, today the country he loved and served will bestow upon him the recognition he has long been due. The Congressional Gold Medal is the highest civilian honor that Congress can bestow upon anyone. And today we’re proud to confer that great honor on Benjamin Ferencz, for his life of servant leadership and his courage in the face of evil.

Ben spent his life answering the hardest questions and facing the most difficult truths. And today, let us hope Ben’s example can inspire all of us to do the same. To the Ferencz family, America will always remember your late beloved husband, father, and grandfather as a true American hero. May God bless Ben’s extraordinary legacy. May God bless the survivors among us, and may God bless you all.

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Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Morgan Griffith (R-VA)

The U.S. Forest Service announced it will issue $248 million to U.S. communities through the “Secure Rural Schools” program. “Secure Rural Schools” program funds are essentially meant to supplement Payments in Lieu of Taxes (PILT). Numerous communities in Virginia’s Ninth District will receive funds. These program funds include:

• $18,027 to Bedford County
• $97,986 to Bland County
• $8,805 to Carroll County
• $134,085 to Craig County
• $12,862 to Dickenson County
• $67,577 to Giles County
• $57,945 to Grayson County
• $19,224 to Lee County
• $23,157 to Montgomery County
• $21,134 to Pulaski County
• $3,489 to Roanoke County
• $53,560 to Scott County
• $93,298 to Smyth County
• $12,197 to Tazewell County
• $24,200 to Washington County
• $55,200 to Wise County
• $76,675 to Wythe County

In response to these awarded funds, U.S. Congressman Morgan Griffith (R-VA) issued the following statement.

“As someone who voted to reauthorize the ‘Secure Rural Schools’ program, I am glad to see these funds flow to Ninth District communities.

“It is not right for rural communities to miss out on property tax revenue from public lands that could be used for local schools and roads. I am glad that the ‘Secure Rural Schools’ program provides some relief to localities that contain tracts of federally owned national forests.”

BACKGROUND

In December 2025, Congressman Griffith voted in favor of S. 356 – the Secure Rural Schools Reauthorization Act of 2025. Later that month, President Trump signed this bill into law.

Starting in 2000, Congress passed the Secure Rural Schools (SRS) and Community Self Determination Act to help stabilize funds available to rural counties.

The SRS program helps rural counties that possess tracts of federally owned forest land that are tax-exempt. SRS projects reward localities as a result of various Forest Service activities on these lands, like grazing and timber, that produce revenue.

Funding for the SRS program lapsed in September of 2023. The last authorized SRS payments distributed to counties took place in early 2024.

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Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Nydia M Velázquez (D-NY)

WASHINGTON – Today on Yom HaShoah, Holocaust Remembrance Day, Rep. Nydia M. Velázquez (D-NY) re-introduced legislation to award a Congressional Gold Medal to Rabbi Michoel Ber Weissmandl, whose heroic actions saved countless lives during the Holocaust.
 
“On this day of remembrance, I am proud to introduce legislation to award a Congressional Gold Medal, the highest civilian honor, to a man who dedicated his life to saving others from Hitler’s unconscionable attacks on the Jewish people,” said Velázquez. “After the war, Rabbi Weissmandl made his way to New York City where his legacy in the Jewish community is still heavily felt today. He is in every way deserving of this award.”
 
During World War II, Weissmandl spearheaded multiple efforts to prevent the deaths of the Jewish people of Slovakia facing the Nazi regime. In his role as a key member of an underground organization called the Bratislava Working Group, Weissmandl led an effort to negotiate ransom with German and Slovakian officials in order to delay mass deportations. Weissmandl also wrote the first known appeal for the use of aerial bombs to destroy the rail lines and tunnels leading to Auschwitz.
 
In 1945, Weissmandl arrived in New York, where he immediately started working to better the lives of Holocaust survivors. To do so, Weissmandl established a home for survivors and the Yeshiva of Nitra in Mount Kisco, New York, the first Yeshiva campus in America.
 
“The Congressional Gold Medal was designed to honor those whose remarkable achievements live on in our history,” said Velázquez. “During some of humanity’s darkest hours, a period we must never forget, Rabbi Weissmandl undertook great personal risk to save others and lessen the suffering of the Jewish people.”
 
Representative Velázquez previously introduced the legislation in the 115^th and 116^th Congresses.  Introduced as HR 2740, in the 115^th Congress, the legislation passed the House by voice vote.  

For a copy of the bill, click here. 
 

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Sharice Davids (KS-3)

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-09)

WASHINGTON – Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-9) today announced four grants totaling $2,525,665 from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to the University of Tennessee Health Science Center and St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.

Congressman Cohen made the following statement:

“I am pleased to see these substantial investments in our world-renown medical research institutions. The work undertaken with this funding will lead to new discoveries and potentially save lives.”

One grant to St. Jude, from the National Cancer Institute for Dr. Asya Agulnik for $665,701. This grant is to better understand how capacity at clinics, and the resources needed for a clinical intervention, like certain surgeries or medications, impact Pediatric Early Warning Systems which help detect worsening symptoms in children with cancer. More than 90 percent of children with cancer live in areas with low access to resources and survival there is only around 20 percent. A second grant to St. Jude, for $614,231, is for diabetes and kidney disease research for work directed by Dr. Jian Xu. The grant is from the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases,  Dr. Xu’s work seeks to better understand an underappreciated and under-studied portion of the genetic code, called retrotransposons – a portion of our genetic code which can move to different parts of the chromosomes and regulate other genes. A certain type of these retrotransposons, called the L1 are required for the propagation of acute myeloid leukemia cells. Better understanding how these elements function will help in the development of new drugs for this type of cancer.  

UTHSC will receive a grant of $642,758 from the National Institute on Drug Abuse for research into the social environment-associated effects of nicotine which encourages use. Dr. Chen’s work specifically examines a portion of the brain, called the amygdala, which plays a central role in fear responses, amongst other functions. This project will study a certain gene, and its network of other biochemical reactions, which are associated with a greater likelihood for a person to continue using nicotine. The research is under the direction of Dr. Hao Chen. A second grant to UTHSC, for $602,975, is from the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases for research on kidney function and blood pressure in aging. It is under the direction of Dr. Zhongjie Sun, director of the UT-Methodist Cardiovascular Institute. Dr. Sun’s team will study whether the release of exosomes – a ‘package’ of proteins, DNA, RNA, and lipids used to ‘communicate’ from one cell to another – released by a type of kidney cells, play a role in the regulation of kidney function and blood pressure. Dr. Sun’s group will also investigate how the reduced release of these exosomes contribute to age-related kidney dysfunction and hypertension. This project will further our understanding of kidney disease and is essential for the development of novel therapeutics. 

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