Cornerstone Monthly Gatherings
CURE-KY Collaboration
The Cornerstone Gathering series is a monthly event hosted by CURE-KY to foster interdisciplinary collaboration, showcase innovative research, and strengthen community among faculty, trainees, and research staff working in infectious disease and related fields. Each month centers on a different theme, with recent gatherings highlighting topics such as Engineering Systems and Diagnostics, Zoonotic Disease and Animal Health, Drug Discovery and Vaccines, and Microbial Pathogenesis. Presenters have shared work on molecular diagnostics, vaccine development, pathogen surveillance, host-pathogen interactions, and environmental exposure risks 鈥 spanning multiple colleges including Medicine, Public Health, Engineering, Agriculture, and Arts & Sciences.
Cornerstone events are intentionally inclusive and cross-cutting, offering early-career and senior researchers alike a chance to connect, discover shared interests, and explore collaborative opportunities. Whether you're sharing your lab鈥檚 latest findings or simply joining for conversation and community, Cornerstone is a place to engage, grow, and contribute to CURE-KY鈥檚 mission.
Directions for New Attendees
Below are two links to help with directions to The Cornerstone. The first is a google maps link you can use to get to the Cornerstone from anywhere, you just need to enter your own starting point. The second is a 好色先生Y Interactive Map link that has an area to enter a starting point but will only work if the starting point is on campus. The 好色先生Y interactive map also has parking information.
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We have the Amplify 2 and Innovation Lab Combo space reserved. It should be easy to navigate to this area once you are inside the Cornerstone building.
Have questions about Cornerstone Gatherings or want to get involved?
Feel free to reach out to curekyidc@uky.edu.
Upcoming Gatherings
November 5th - Session Theme TBD
Our next Cornerstone Gathering will take place on November 5th. Stay tuned for the scientific theme!
Past Gatherings
October 1st - Collaboration with Engineering
Our October Cornerstone gathering brought together engineers and infectious-disease investigators for a fast-paced 鈥渓ightning talk鈥 exchange. Engineering researchers delivered 2鈥3 minute presentations highlighting their labs鈥 capabilities鈥攔anging from imaging and biosensors to data science/AI, microfluidics, and biomaterials鈥攁nd how these approaches can directly support infectious disease research across CURE-KY.
The format sparked active discussion, helped match tools with real research needs, and generated several follow-up conversations for potential pilot proposals and shared resource use. To make it easy to revisit and connect, we鈥檝e posted the slide deck(s) from the session.
If you鈥檇 like an introduction to any presenter or have ideas for future joint sessions, email curekyidc@uky.edu
September 3rd - Welcome Back to Campus
Our September 3rd Cornerstone gathering served as a welcome-back mixer for the CURE-KY community. New students and lab members met faculty and trainees from across colleges while learning about CURE-KY鈥檚 mission, upcoming events, and ways to get involved (pilot funding, travel awards, seminars, and collaborative projects). Thanks to everyone who joined and helped connect newcomers with mentors, collaborators, and resources for the year ahead. A light round of team trivia鈥攆ocused on 好色先生 and infectious diseases鈥攌ept things lively and helped spark conversations among groups that don鈥檛 often overlap. The top 3 scorers took home a Starbucks gift card!
The winners from this round of trivia included:
- Brianna Doratt
- DaNaylee Long
- Gracie Eicher
May 7th - Social Event and End of Semester Celebration
The final Cornerstone Gathering of the semester, held on May 7th, brought together CURE-KY members for a relaxed social event celebrating the end of a productive year in infectious disease research and collaboration. Attendees from across colleges had the opportunity to connect, reflect on shared accomplishments, and strengthen community ties.
As a new addition to this semester鈥檚 gathering, we introduced a CURE-KY trivia challenge鈥攁 lighthearted competition that tested attendees on their knowledge of the University of Kentucky, pizza facts, and information from each of the colleges represented within CURE-KY.
Congrats to our trivia winners:
- Gracie Eicher
- Katie Keen
- Dengue Deb (Jill Pflugheber)
March 5th - Zoonotic Disease and Animal Health
This Cornerstone Gathering focused on Zoonotic Disease and Animal Health, featuring presentations from researchers across veterinary science, reproductive biology, entomology, and immunology. Topics ranged from equine herpesvirus and early pregnancy loss in horses to pathogen surveillance in ticks and mosquitoes, protozoal neurologic disease, and immune responses to emerging viruses. The session demonstrated the depth and diversity of expertise within CURE-KY, highlighting the wide range of faculty and colleges represented in our collaborative research community.
December 4th - Engineering Systems and Diagnostics
This Cornerstone Gathering featured a multidisciplinary panel on Engineering Systems and Diagnostics, highlighting research at the intersection of engineering, chemistry, and public health. Presenters shared work on single-molecule techniques for viral protein interaction analysis, microfluidic artificial lungs, multi-omics approaches to indoor pathogen detection, and quantum modeling for therapeutic design. The session showcased opportunities for collaboration across environmental surveillance, molecular diagnostics, and engineering solutions to reduce disease risk.
November 6th - Drug Discovery and Vaccines
The November Cornerstone Gathering highlighted ongoing efforts in drug discovery and vaccines across multiple disciplines. Presenters shared research on equine and companion animal vaccines, monoclonal antibody therapeutics, and antivirals targeting viral assembly and replication. Additional talks explored strategies for optimizing antimicrobial therapies in hospital settings, targeting chronic Toxoplasma gondii infections, and identifying new therapeutic targets in sepsis, wound healing, and plant virus replication. Together, the presentations emphasized the breadth of CURE-KY's contributions to advancing next-generation vaccines, therapeutics, and diagnostic strategies across human, animal, and plant health.
September 4th - Microbial Pathogenesis
The CURE-KY Cornerstone Event on September 4th was a great success, bringing together experts and researchers from across the University of Kentucky. The event fostered meaningful discussions on microbial pathogenesis, highlighting cutting-edge research and exploring collaborative opportunities. Participants shared insights, exchanged ideas, and worked toward developing new avenues for research, strengthening the foundation of our collective efforts in advancing infectious disease research. We look forward to continuing these important conversations and expanding our collaborations in the future.