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Big 5: Translational Research in the Life Sciences

Nick Haines sat down with Dr. David Livingston, the deputy director of the Dana-Farber/Harvard Cancer Center in Boston, to untangle the complicated subject of translational research.

Last fall when the Greater Kansas City Chamber of Commerce unveiled their five big ideas for moving the metro forward, they named life sciences as one of them. More specifically the initiative is branded as “Growing Kansas City’s Medical Research, From Discovery to Cure.” The overarching goal of this big idea is to make KC a nationally-recognized center for translational research.

Translational research is the hot new area in the life sciences. It means moving discoveries from the laboratory bench to the patient’s bedside.

Patrick James, managing director of Quest Diagnostics, is leading the Chamber’s Big 5 life sciences effort. He was the emcee at a major gala dinner last week to celebrate the work of the Kansas City Life Sciences Insitute. Over 600 guests gathered to hear from area scientists.

Sometimes though it takes an outsider to put your accomplishments into perspective. The gala’s keynote speaker was the deputy director of the Dana-Farber/Harvard Cancer Center in Boston, Dr. David Livingston. Nick Haines sat down with Dr. Livingston to untangle the complicated subject of translational research.

Graphic giving thanks to Big 5 underwriters Burns & McDonnnell, UMB, Kansas City Area Life Sciences Institute and Swope Community Enterprises

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Big 5: Troost Corridor Revitalization

Jim Heeter and Dianne Cleaver discuss the plan for revitalizing the Troost corridor as part of the Chamber's Big 5 Ideas initiative.

For a long time in this city, people have lamented why so little progress, so little improvement and economic development has happened east of Troost Avenue–the symbolic, geographic and racial divide in this city.

Now, the Greater Kansas City Chamber of Commerce has agreed to throw its entire weight and influence towards making big changes. As part of what it calls its Big 5 intitiative, the Chamber has picked the Troost corridor for unprecedented focus and civic attention.

The Urban Neighborhood Initiative is one of the Greater Kansas City Chamber of Commerce’s “Big 5” ideas announced in September 2011, aimed at creating economic opportunity and establishing a more vibrant Kansas City region.

The Urban Neighborhood Initiative seeks to collaborate with an interested East Side low-income neighborhood or area to identify and begin to address issues to improve the opportunities of its residents.

This initial effort will involve two phases of work – planning and implementation. Each phase will engage community-wide stakeholders and residents in a process to collaboratively identify issues and resources that can effect change.

Nick Haines sits down with Dianne Cleaver and Jim Heeter to discuss their plan of attack for the Troost corridor revitalization initiative.

Here’s a look at the focus area for the Urban Neighborhood Initiative:

Graphic giving thanks to Big 5 underwriters Burns & McDonnnell, UMB, Kansas City Area Life Sciences Institute and Swope Community Enterprises

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Big KC: A Conference on Innovation and Entrepreneurship

The Charles Wheeler Downtown Airport will the hosting the inaugural Big KC, an innovation and entrepreneurship conference, from March 26-28.

We leave you this week with a reminder that big things are on the way. Specifically to Hangar #9 at the Downtown Airport, where Big KC will bring entrepreneurs aplenty together March 26-28. It’s the successor to Silicon Prairie News’ Big Omaha and Big Des Moines events, and will feature speakers like Dan Hesse from Sprint.

Big Kansas City – Promo Video 2013 from Silicon Prairie News on Vimeo.

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Black Blizzards: Jay Antle and The Dust Bowl

History Professor Jay Antle talks about the new Ken Burns' documentary The Dust Bowl and give us a local perspective on how the Dirty 30s affected our region.

The name Ken Burns has become synonymous with some of public television’s biggest blockbuster documentaries.

The Civil War. Baseball. Jazz. The National Parks. This Sunday night on KCPT and PBS stations around the country, watch Ken Burn’s latest documentary epic, The Dust Bowl, a morality tale about our relationship to the land that sustains us–a lesson we ignore at our peril.

You can watch the first installment of Ken Burns’ The Dust Bowl this Sunday night at 7 p.m. here on KCPT. One of our metro’s most knowledgeable experts on that slice of our nation’s history, Professor Jay Antle, who is executive director of the sustainability center at Johnson County Community College, sat down with Randy Mason to give a local perspective on The Dust Bowl and to talk about what it means for us today.

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The Boss & The President: Terence O’Malley on Tom & Harry

Filmmaker Terence O'Malley discusses his latest film Tom & Harry: The Boss and The President.

A new film that documents the relationship between President Harry Truman and Kansas City political boss Tom Pendergast opens this weekend at the Glenwood Theater in Overland Park, Screenland-Crown Center, Screenland-Armour and the Pharaoh Theatre in Independence.

Tom and Harry: The Boss and the President is the third Kansas City centered documentary for attorney and filmmaker Terence O’Malley. He also directed Nelly Don: A Stitch in Time and Black Hand Strawman: The History of Organized Crime in Kansas City.

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Box Office Home Run: The KC Premiere of ’42′

Hollywood megastars and baseball superstars walked the red carpet in Kansas City for the premiere of "42," the new Jackie Robinson movie. Randy Mason was on deck to catch the action.

Last Friday, the new movie 42, about Jackie Robinson breaking baseball’s color barrier, opened in theatres nationwide. But the night before, Kansas City got a special preview at the Barrywoods AMC Theatre to raise funds for the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum. They rolled out the red carpet, and Randy Mason was on hand to see who came down it and why.

Wide shot of press gathering at the red carpet event for the movie 42

By the way, the 42 premiere raised some $200,000 for the museum, which also has another interesting project going right now. They have teamed with the UMKC Theatre Department to produce a new play about Satchel Paige and other Negro Leagues players.

It has some jazz in it too. The play is called Kansas City Swing and it will run at the James C. Olson Performing Arts Center on the UMKC campus from April 19-28, with a special reception in the lobby before the show on April 25.

Playbill for UMKC production of Kansas City Swing

You can see some photos from the red carpet event at The Local Show Facebook page. Be sure to “like” us for updates on what to look for in upcoming episodes.

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Brain Power: Greg Graves & George Guastello

Greg Graves and George Guastello discuss the Battle of the Brains competition which had schools across the metro competing to design a new Science City exhibit.

Not everyone has been happy with Science City since it opened at Union Station in 1999.

Earlier this summer the engineering firm of Burns and McDonnell gave more than a million dollars to reinvigorate the family friendly science center.

They also launched Battle of the Brains a chance for area students to design a new permanent exhibit for Science City and with it a $50,000 prize for their school. The winner?

Olathe North High School’s winning entry explores how mechanical power is transformed into energy by running in giant hamster wheels to generate electricity. They call it Unplugged.

Burns & McDonnell CEO Greg Graves and Union Station CEO George Guastello discuss the Battle of the Brains competition which had schools across the metro competing to design the new Science City exhibit.

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Break A Leg: Arts To Do List

The Local Show shares a few clips from the KC Rep’s The Mystery of Irma Vep and the Unicorn Theatre’s Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson which are currently playing.

Kansas City is a great arts town and there’s a lot going on, particularly on our city’s stages, this weekend.

We leave you this week with scenes from two new productions. First, the fast paced farcical thriller comedy, The Mystery of Irma Vep at the Kansas City Repertory Theater.

Then there’s the political rock n rock musical Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson at the Unicorn Theater.

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A Call to Action: National Council on Educating Black Children

The National Council on Educating Black Children (NCEBC) hosted their annual convention in Kansas City, featuring an important panel discussion: “Creating a Sense of Urgency to Increase Black Male Achievement: A Call to Action.”

Last week, the National Council on Educating Black Children (NCEBC) hosted their annual convention at the Westin Crown Center Hotel. The NCEBC is a non-profit organization whose mission is to reinstate academic rigor and relevant teaching, improve the assessment of such instruction, and prepare the African-American learner for effective participation in a competitive global society.

Approximately 600 educators from across the United States and over 250 middle and high school students from Greater Kansas City attended the NCEBC Convention. The event featured discussions by both local and national education experts.

The Local Show shares some excerpts from the panel discussion: “Creating a Sense of Urgency to Increase Black Male Achievement: A Call to Action.” Among others, the panel included Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education Commissioner Chris Nicastro and the Council of Chief State School Officers Executive Director Gene Wilhoit. The NCEBC also recognized high achieving urban schools and individuals who have made significant contributions to urban education, and amongst the distinguished awardees was University Academy, founded by Tom Bloch, Lynn Brown, and Barnett and Shirley Helzberg.

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Care Before Cuffs: JOCO Mental Health Co-Responder Program

Learn more about Johnson County’s Mental Health Co-Responder Program which strives to reduce numbers of mentally ill from entering the criminal justice system.

The Local Show rides along with the police in Johnson County as part of an innovative project to reduce the number of mentally ill heading to our area jails. It’s called the Mental Health Co-Responder Program and it was developed though a partnership between the Johnson County Sheriff’s office, Johnson County Mental Health and the Olathe Police Department. What happens if a mental health worker were to accompany police on some of their calls? Would the outcomes be different?

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