Collaboration

MedImmune Inc., a Gaithersburg-based biotechnology company, said yesterday that it has agreed to collaborate with Rockefeller University to develop a vaccine to prevent or treat illnesses caused by a virulent bacteria, Streptococcus pneumoniae.MedImmune also struck a licensing deal with the New York school for the rights to commercialize any vaccines developed from the collaboration. The two did not disclose financial details of the agreement.The bacteria MedImmune and Rockefeller have targeted is the leading cause of blood stream infections, pneumonia and ear infections in children, and the third leading cause of meningitis.

Brooklyn Brewery is on the road. The New York-based brewery is in the middle of an 11-city tour that began in Austin, Texas, before moving on to New Orleans, Nashville, Tenn., and Boston. The traveling event is a benefit for Slow Food USA. It's Baltimore's turn. The Brooklyn Brewery Mash: Adventures in Food, Film, Music, Books and Beer is in Baltimore through Sunday for a week of parties, comedy, concerts, pop-up supper clubs and readings. Among the six days of activities are a few food highlights.

A buzzword among nonprofit organizations lately seems to be "collaboration."Funding sources, eager to see their charitable dollars stretch further in today's very tight economy, are encouraging -- even forcing -- nonprofits to work closely together to meet some social service needs in their communities. The question is whether these efforts are truly collaborative.In increasing numbers, nonprofits are certainly cooperating in attacking deep-seated social problems. In other cases, they may go further and coordinate their efforts.

While the University of Maryland won't be able to reap most of the rewards of joining the Big Ten athletic conference until the move becomes official in July 2014, it will start benefiting from its academic counterpart — the Committee on Institutional Cooperation — this year. Officials from the university and the CIC met this week in College Park to start hammering out the details in preparation for this July, when Maryland and Rutgers University are set to join the 13-member cooperative, which includes the 12 Big Ten schools plus the University of Chicago.

Last year I reviewed a publication from the Amherst H. Wilder Foundation that dealt with what I believe will be a critical issue for nonprofits in the next decade -- collaboration. If nonprofits are to flourish, they will need to find innovative, creative solutions to intractable problems. That calls for strategic partnerships, in which each player adds targeted strengths to the equation.The Wilder Foundation's booklet was both thoughtful and comprehensive and reflected a commitment to high quality.

(Second of 2 parts)Collaboration as a concept may be in, but in practice too many nonprofits stop short of true collaboration. Instead, they may cooperate or coordinate -- but that's far less of a commitment than collaborative ventures.A recent report on collaboration in the nonprofit sector, published by the Amherst H. Wilder Foundation of St. Paul, Minn., provides readers with a wealth of information. The report is a prelude to a forthcoming workbook on the same topic.The authors begin this concise report by first providing the reader with working definitions of cooperation, coordination and collaboration.

Human Genome Sciences Inc., the Rockville biotechnology company mapping genetic codes, yesterday reported a net loss of $12 million, or 62 cents per share, for the first quarter of 1997.By comparison, the company posted a profit of $4.28 million, or 22 cents per share, for the same period last year.Company executives attributed the difference to a sharp variance in the company's receipt of payments from research and development partners.During the first quarter ending March 31, Human Genome said it received $1.3 million in collaboration revenue.

Colorful installations and subdued drawings contrast in Territory/Ambiguity, on display at the Maryland Art Place. Artists Paul Bartow and Richard Metzgar's massive collaboration, a site installation called "Collection Intersection," is bright and busy. Panels of wood, many of which are coated with candy-colored paints, collide with upholstered furniture, industrial building materials and Plexiglas-encased ferric chloride drawings in a large work that fills two of the gallery's three rooms.

Leading lawmakers served notice to University System of Maryland officials yesterday that they expect it to form a top-level biosciences council to increase research collaboration among its member institutions. Del. Nancy K. Kopp and Sen. Robert R. Neall told Chancellor Donald N. Langenberg and the presidents of four of the institutions that they want the system to develop a comprehensive plan to make the best use of the state's biotechnology research. For the second straight week, the educators came to Annapolis to brief House Appropriations and Senate Budget and Taxation subcommittees on their cooperative efforts in biotech, considered a vital element in Maryland's future economic development.

Early Monday morning, before other visitors arrive, artist Jo Smail introduces her students to the striking, often mysterious, results of artistic collaboration. They have gathered in the gallery at Evergreen House, another stop on Smail's own artistic journey. Her work is part of Conversations, a show which gathers the fruit of dozens of creative alliances between past and present faculty members of the Maryland Institute College of Art and artists outside that community. Some paintings grew from an exchange between a teacher and student, or between artists who are related to one another.

The proposed partnership announced earlier this month between the University of Maryland College Park and the Corcoran Gallery of Art in Washington is one of the more unusual ideas floated in recent years, not least because it would involve Maryland's flagship university investing in a privately owned institution located outside the state. Yet from what is known of the plan so far the potential benefits for both UM and the Corcoran could far outweigh the risks involved in such an arrangement, and for that reason it's worth exploring further.

For all you complaining about the less-than-stellar season six premiere, feast your eyes on the scintillating second episode. “The Collaborators” delves into themes of desire, putting on a good face for show and the sin rooted deep in Don's history: prostitution. The death and suicide images are still there, but toned down a bit from last week's one-and-a-half deaths. That's always a plus. Don runs into the good -- but not good enough for his wife -- doctor in the elevator before slipping away to sleep with said wife.

Bonnie Bessor's job can take its toll after a while. As executive director of Rebuilding Together, she's responsible for finding ways to help low-income Baltimore residents with home repair, maintenance projects and money to pay for the heat. But when work starts to pile up and her stress levels rise, all she has to do is head into her office for a quick snuggle. There she'll find her pit bull mix, Iggy, resting in his dog bed. "It definitely gives you somebody with unconditional love to go to when you're feeling kind of down," she says.

Harry Alford's March 7 commentary, "Anti-fracking legislation is premature," had me scratching my head. It completely ignored the serious and documented environmental and climate issues caused by hydraulic fracturing, the very issues the bill would address. Instead, Mr. Alford, president of the National Black Chamber of Commerce, touts the economic benefits of fracking for Maryland and for the U.S. as a whole. He even hints that this bill, designed to protect Maryland from unsafe fracking, could lead to "interfering with the shale gas boom elsewhere.

Florence P. Haseltine knows the power of scientists meeting face to face. The former researcher at the National Institutes of Health notes a list of milestones achieved through networking and collaboration at conferences, such as the deliberations that led to advances that helped slow the spread of HIV. Now Haseltine, former director of the Center for Population Research of the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development in Rockville, worries...

Like many young professionals who work in or near Baltimore, Jon and Jenny Kraft searched for city properties when they decided to build a home together. "We looked at myriad different houses and could not find one that was designed for how we live and was also located in a walkable community," said Jon Kraft. His wife noted that parking, open layout, roof deck, fireplace and a minimum of three bedrooms were also priorities. They ultimately found a tailor-made answer to their requirements in The Townes at Locust Point, an enclave of 71 three-story brick townhouses built by Ruppert Homes Urban Redevelopment.

Leaders of four Maryland public institutions of higher learning will troop to Annapolis today to tell legislators about how well they're working together to make the state a national leader in biotechnology. Chances are, the lawmakers will not be impressed. In the diplomatic language of supposedly sisterly schools, top educators at the University of Maryland, College Park; University of Maryland, Baltimore County; University of Maryland Biotechnology Institute; and University of Maryland, Baltimore will tacitly admit that they deserve less than top grades for collaboration.

"I think a big wasted resource in this county is senior citizens," says Bob Spongberg, 79, a retired engineer who lives in Columbia. That is why he has volunteered to work with pupils at Harper's Choice Middle School as part of a new collaboration between the school and the county's Office on Aging. The tutoring sessions pair seniors with pupils for an hour once a week. If the program goes well, other schools might add it. "This particular program is kind of a microcosm of what we envision," said Judi Bard, program specialist for the Howard County Office on Aging.

Many of us can remember what it feels like to be bullied as a kid in school or in the neighborhood. Perhaps you were the focus of a joke or a kick in the shin, or maybe it was the simple act of exclusion from the lunch table or the dodge ball team. Sometimes no harm was meant; other times the inflicted pain was intentional, and you remember it years later. One thing was certain, however, and that was the ability to escape the bullying in the safe haven of home. No schoolyard antagonist could penetrate the walls of home, and thus that sanctity served as an oasis where a bullied child could regroup and feel safe for a portion of each day while learning to navigate the world.

As the Ravens' new offensive coordinator, Jim Caldwell's responsibilities have grown considerably over the past five days, extending far beyond his old role overseeing quarterback Joe Flacco. Set to call plays for the first time at the NFL level after replacing Cam Cameron, who was fired Monday morning, Caldwell has to rapidly absorb the big-picture details that accompany this high-profile assignment. Everything from devising game plans, deciding when and how to run and pass, implementing protection and run-blocking schemes and pulling the trigger on the no-huddle offense he helped install is under his control.