Facts and fun at Researchpalooza 2022

Researchpalooza came back, and it was better than ever!

Hosted for the first time since 2019 by the U-M Medical School Office of Research (OoR), the sunny summer day last week found hundreds of faculty and staff mixing and mingling with team members from more than 50 different offices and labs who serve biomedical research across campus.

Check out fun photos from the event above or click here for an even more thorough gallery of the day’s sights! You can also find some great pics from the Michigan Medicine Health Lab team here.

Five hundred attendees used the famous “Passport to Prizes” to navigate the event and learn the latest facts and services about various groups, while having fun and getting the chance to win great prizes.

A few of the winners of this year’s prize drawings include:

• Mitra Aliabouzar, Jurassic Park gift basket from the central biorepository
• Yasmin Baig, “Henriettta’s Legacy” artwork from the research pharmacy
• Michael Callahan, Jamaican Jerk Pit gift card from the Clinical Trials Support Office
• Daniel Edwards, Pilar’s Tamales gift card from the Clinical Trials Support Office
• Brad Godfrey, $50 amazon gift card from the OoR
• Francisco Gomez Rivers, Hybridoma Core raffle
• Charu Gupta, Hybridoma Core raffle
• Tanpreet Kaur, t-shirt from the research pharmacy
• Brittany Nordhaus, Go! Ice Cream gift card from the Clinical Trials Support Office
• Alexis Ploutz Snyder, iPad from the OoR
• Shay Robison, Yeti Cooler from the research pharmacy
• Emily Sargent, Godaiko gift card from the Clinical Trials Support Office
• Rashi Singhal, Hybridoma Core raffle
• Mauricio Torres, California Coast gift basket from the Grant Services & Analysis Office
• Tiffany Wan, $2,000 for professional travel from the OoR
• Meilin Wang, stadium blanket from the research pharmacy

Each year at Researchpalooza the OoR also sponsors a Customer Service Award for participating organizations.

“Secret shoppers” wandered the event, evaluating the tables based on research knowledge and the friendliness of the staff.

This year, the Advanced Genomics Core took home the trophy, with the secret shoppers noting that the core’s staffers were very positive and knowledgeable, eager to point out that they’d be excited to have the chance to collaborate with the attendees on their research.

“After two years of working at a distance or remotely, it was wonderful to see so many smiling faces in person,” said Teri Grieb, Ph.D., associate dean for research strategy and senior director for research. “We are extremely grateful for all the hard work that is occurring every day in our labs. Researchpalooza has always been a great chance to celebrate the wide variety of people behind the scenes supporting research, but this year was extra special and a huge success.”

Questions about Researchpalooza? Contact Ann Curtis at accurtis@umich.edu.