Highlights – GlycoMIP

	The GlycoMIP User Facility at UGA supported the research of Dr. Lei Li, an Assistant Professor in the Department of chemistry at Georgia State University by providing expertise and technologies to characterize the standards. Dr. Li’s work has been published in a high-impact publication in Chemical Science detailing the synthesis of 36 unique N-glycan standards. The standards will be available as a library for determining structure-function relationships.
	Working alongside FSLI’s existing SURF program, GlycoMIP has the opportunity to plug into an existing program with a long-standing history of introducing undergraduate students to graduate-level research. The SURF program provides students valuable opportunities that include professional development workshops, first-hand laboratory experience, and one-on-one mentorship by GlycoMIP faculty and staff.
	GlycoMIP’s second annual summer school was held in the VT GlycoMIP facility June 13-17, 2022. A diverse group of 22 academic and industry scientists from 11 different universities and companies participated in the program. The in-person format allowed for instrument and technique demonstrations as well as hands-on exercises to accompany the lectures and panel discussions central to glycomaterial synthesis, characterization, and modeling. GlycoMIP 2022 Summer School @ VT supports the MIP’s goals of broadening participation and diversity in glycomaterials research and training the next generation of glycomaterial scientists.
	The GlycoMIP User Facility at Virginia Tech supported the research of Dr. Brandon Jutras, an Assistant Professor in the Department of Biochemistry at Virginia Tech and frontier researcher in understanding, detecting and eradicating Lyme disease. Dr. Jutras has published high-impact article in Nature Microbiology revealing the glycan composition of the Lyme disease spirochaete Borrelia burgdorferi’s cell wall.
	The first two commercially available automated glycan synthesizers in the United States were installed in the GlycoMIP user facility at Virginia Tech in late September 2021. The instruments are the 11th and 12th instruments produced by GlycoUniverse. Mario Salwiczek and Kim Le Mai Hoang, respectively the CEO and chief chemist of GlycoUniverse, traveled from Germany to install the instruments and provide training over the course of a week. The Glyconeers® use technology analogous to solid-phase peptide chemistry to systematically build sugars on a resin, producing a defined oligosaccharide.
	The GlycoMIP SURF program offers a unique path to reach and engage prospective graduate students. The existing FLSI SURF program offers GlycoMIP the opportunity to participate in an existing program that, for many years, has successfully introduced undergraduate students to graduate-level research. Through this partnership, GlycoMIP offers students a comprehensive experience, including professional development workshops, significant laboratory work, and one-on-one mentorship by a faculty member or research scientist.
	GlycoMIP hosted its first Summer School, a virtual event. The event featured 15 instructors and offered content aligned with the GlycomMIP Facilities of synthesis, analysis and modeling services.
	As part of its outreach mission, GlycoMIP provided education about glycomaterials to high-school STEM teachers through the Teacher Enrichment Program of the Center for Excellence in Education.