Rockin’ Around the Scientific Clock: HudsonAlpha’s Bandstand Night Gives a Musical Overview of New Research, Funding Challenges, and Growth Ahead

At HudsonAlpha’s Bandstand night, on August 19, Dr. Neil Lamb, president of the HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology, delivered a comprehensive and entertaining update on the research organization’s status, framing his presentation around popular songs from the 1960s to the 2000s. 

Dr. Lamb began the event by playing “Turn! Turn! Turn!” by the Byrds and spoke about the organization’s need to diversify revenue sources beyond federal grants, effectively recognizing that different seasons require different approaches to financial sustainability.

“‘Turn! Turn! Turn!’ is all about understanding that there are different periods of time in all of our lives, in our society, and that it’s important for us to be willing and ready to turn with that new season of life,” Lamb said.

Dr. Lamb shared details of the significant multi-million-dollar funding gap that HudsonAlpha is facing due to recent shifts in federal research priorities. 

He also described the many “green shoots” the institute is excited about, promising new projects and opportunities that bring hope despite the organization’s financial challenges due to the potential federal grant cuts.

“We anticipate that as the administration aligns their priorities and restructures the mechanism for how science is funded, that we will see more of these funding announcements and more funding proposals in the years ahead, and we expect that those numbers will go back up,” Lamb said. 

He continued, “What encourages me is that I know that these green shoots actually align with things that the administration has said they want to fund.” 

Dr. Lamb said these projects HudsonAlpha is working on include “… things like chronic disease, especially Alzheimer’s, autism — which sits right at the center of our rare childhood diagnosis work, increasing roles for artificial intelligence, bio cybersecurity, food security, and onshore supply chains.”

According to Dr. Lamb, the institute has also been continually working to diversify its revenue sources, making the organization less dependent on federal funding. The institute rents space to 55 technology companies on its campus, offers tools and services that other scientists can use for a fee, and collects private donations from supporters.

“We will always be focused on research first and foremost, but how do we support the institute sustainably with other revenue so that we aren’t so dependent on federal grants? We’ve been working on this for a couple of years,” Lamb said. 

Dr. Lamb shared the following songs and topics during the evening’s engaging presentation:

• “Respect” by Aretha Franklin: Plant science and biomass production, explicitly focusing on Miscanthus campus (a type of prairie grass) and the BRIDGES Engine project.
• “Here Comes the Sun” by the Beatles: The institute’s research on Alzheimer’s disease and dementia offers hope after the “long, cold, lonely winter” of the devastating condition that affects millions of families.
• “Mammas Don’t Let Your Babies Grow Up to Be Cowboys” by Waylon Jennings & Willie Nelson: HudsonAlpha’s education programs that encourage students to become scientists, mathematicians, genetic counselors, and entrepreneurs.
• “Garden Song” (John Denver): The development of HudsonAlpha Wiregrass in Dothan, Alabama, emphasizing how things grow “inch by inch, row by row” through intentional community building and agricultural research.
• “Start Me Up” (Rolling Stones): HudsonAlpha’s startup accelerator program and innovative ecosystem supporting biotech entrepreneurs and early-stage companies.
• “I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For” (U2): Plant breeding challenges and Josh Clevenger’s work developing genetic tools to help researchers find specific DNA changes linked to desired plant traits.
• “The Hustle” (Van McCoy): The institute’s determination to work with energy, drive, and resourcefulness to achieve its mission of using genomics to make the world a better place.

Dr. Lamb concluded the evening by expressing his appreciation for his team at HudsonAlpha, particularly as the institute faces funding challenges. 

“I could not ask for a better group of people to sail through the waters and onto what comes next. They are amazing. We are also supported by an incredible board of directors that is an advocate for us and sees the work we are doing and supports it,” Lamb shared.

Lamb continued, “I just want to acknowledge the amazing people that are making the stories that I told you about actually come true. We are learning to thrive in the midst of adversity. That is the very definition of resilience—growth, beautiful growth in challenging places,” Lamb said. 

The institute’s next event, HudsonAlpha U, will be on September 16 at the Jackson Center. At the event, Kelly East, HudsonAlpha’s vice president for educational outreach and a certified genetic counselor, will discuss the relationship between DNA and disease risk.