Nebraska
New core facility will advance biomedical, ag sciences research
A new University of Nebraska–Lincoln core research facility shows promise to revolutionize how Nebraska scientists understand molecular foundations and bolster the university’s expertise in the biomedical and agricultural sciences.
The CryoEM Core Facility houses the state’s first cryo-electron microscope, and it is one of just a handful in the region. CryoEM microscopy is a powerful imaging technique that enables researchers to observe biological molecules, complexes and cells at near-atomic resolution.
Although the technology has existed for several decades, advancements in recent years have turned it into a leading tool for research in drug discovery and development, plant biology, infectious diseases, pathology, animal science and more.
Cryo-EM technology enables biological samples to be cooled to cryogenic temperatures — at least negative 153 degrees Celsius. This ultra-cold environment preserves the structure and function of biological specimens more effectively than traditional methods, making cryo-EM ideal for preserving proteins and providing a stable, controlled environment for working with biological samples.
UNL’s CryoEM Core Facility began operations March 19, with eight research groups already using the core. It is expected to strengthen UNL’s research collaborations with the other University of Nebraska institutions and attract new partnerships with other universities and companies across the Midwest, said Sherri Jones, interim vice chancellor for research and economic development.
“We are paving the way for transformative discoveries and research that advance the state of Nebraska, the nation and the world. … This is just the beginning of discoveries to come,” Jones said during a May 6 grand opening celebration.
There are currently three national cryo-electron microscopy centers in the United States, in California, Oregon and New York. UNL has already launched a partnership and training pipeline with one of those centers — the Pacific Northwest Center for Cryo-EM — which is expected to bolster UNL’s connection to national labs in the future.
Mark Button, dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, said the official grand opening marked “a great day for the advancement of science in the state of Nebraska.”
Button, along with other college and unit leaders, emphasized that teamwork was the key ingredient in opening the facility.
In September 2021, the Nebraska Center for Integrated Biomolecular Communication, known as CIBC, identified a need for cryo-EM capabilities to expand the university’s biomedical research capacity. Jim Takacs, professor emeritus of chemistry and then-director of CIBC, offered to allocate funding from the center’s National Institutes of Health Centers of Biomedical Research Excellence award to jump-start the effort.
From there, the Office of Research and Economic Development surveyed the campus to understand which research groups would use cryo-EM instrumentation if it became available. The Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources’ Agricultural Research Division; College of Arts and Sciences; and College of Engineering indicated strong interest and provided financial support.
“What makes UNL a special place is that we are able to bring people together to do great things that can’t be done by any group alone,” Button said.
Lance Pérez, dean of the College of Engineering, said Wei Niu is an example of a faculty member who will use cryo-EM to advance her research program. Niu, associate professor of chemical and biomolecular engineering, is developing enzymes for building manmade molecules for use in industrial and commercial chemicals. She is using clean energy sources instead of the petroleum-based products that are typically used as raw materials.
Nebraska “punches way above its weight and can do big things” when faculty from across disciplines work together, Pérez said.
Other examples of how Husker researchers plan to leverage the core facility:
- Shi-Hua Xiang, associate professor of veterinary medicine and biomedical sciences and a member of the Nebraska Center for Virology, is developing inhibitor drugs to treat the Ebola virus. CryoEM can help virologists visualize how drugs structurally bind to receptors, which could lead to significant advancements in drug design and development.
- Joseph Yesselman, assistant professor of chemistry, designs three-dimensional RNA nanostructures and nanomachines. CryoEM can be used to resolve RNA nanostructures at atomic-level resolutions. His lab is already collecting preliminary data on one of the structures it is studying.
- Kurt Piepenbrink, assistant professor of food science and technology, studies how bacteria use extracellular structures to interact with their environment. Piepenbrink plans to work with the CryoEM Core Facility to determine the structural and functional relationships for large biomolecular complexes, especially those that are not compatible with traditional determination techniques such as X-ray crystallography and nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy.
Tala Awada, associate dean and associate director of the Agricultural Research Division, said cryo-EM capabilities would expand ARD’s research capacity in plant and animal health, while supporting training of the next generation of scientists and innovators.
“It is a testament to the faculty’s vision … and the campus rallied around them,” she said.
The Nebraska Center for Biotechnology provides day-to-day oversight and management of the core facility. In addition to CryoEM, the center houses four other core facilities and has a track record of success in managing life sciences research cores, said Jen Nelson, assistant vice chancellor for research and research integrity officer.
Center director Daniel Schachtman and Shelly Cutsor, director of research finance and information systems, oversaw renovation of the Ken Morrison Life Sciences Research Center, where the core facility is housed. The renovation opened space for high-throughput equipment, including a 200kV Glacios Cryo-EM Transmission Electron Microscope, a Falcon4i electron detector camera, aberration-free image shift and fringe-free imaging.
To store the massive amounts of data generated, Schachtman’s team worked closely with the Holland Computing Center and the University of Nebraska’s Information Technology Services to develop a sophisticated system for data storage and processing.
Schachtman also hired the core facility’s first director, Eduardo Romero Camacho, who joined the university in 2022 and had a pivotal role in the Morrison Center renovation and equipment installation.
Jiantao Guo, professor of chemistry and CIBC director; Mark Wilson, professor of biochemistry; and Limei Zhang, associate professor of biochemistry, provided scientific vision and oversight throughout the project. The CIBC External Advisory Committee shared input on how to establish the core facility, including instrumentation and staffing.
Jones thanked the university leaders who supported the project.
“Acquiring cutting-edge equipment is part of UNL’s role as the state’s Big Ten research institution. Equipment investments are crucial to positioning our faculty for grants and awards success; recruiting talented researchers and students; and offering our students high-quality research experiences.”
Nebraska
No. 24 Nebraska wins slugfest over Indiana
A windy day led to a wild slugfest at Hawks Field Saturday, but No. 24 Nebraska baseball knocked off Indiana, 12-7, clinching the conference series for the Cornhuskers while running Nebraska’s home record to 11-0.
The Huskers scored three runs in the first and two in the fourth to build a 5-0 lead. The Hoosiers answered with three in the sixth and one in the seventh to cut the NU lead to 5-4. Nebraska took control of the game with seven runs in the bottom of the seventh to grow the lead to 12-4. IU scored one in the eighth, but drew no closer.
Drew Grego was 2-for-4 with two RBI. Dylan Carey drove in five runs and hit a home run, while always drawing a pair of walks. Case Sanderson was 2-for-3 with an RBI and a pair of walks. Jeter Worthley added a 2-for-4 showing with an RBI and a walk. Carson Jasa (5-1) earned the win, throwing 5.2 innings for NU. He allowed four hits while striking out 10 and walking five. For Indiana, Owen ten Oever was 1-for-3 with three RBI. Cooper Malamazian was 2-for-4 with an RBI.
The Huskers aim for the sweep Sunday at Hawks Field against Indiana. First pitch is slated for noon with pregame coverage at 11:30 a.m. on KLIN.
Nebraska
No Kings protests return to Nebraska, draw hundreds and thousands
LINCOLN, Neb. (Nebraska Examiner) – Hundreds of Nebraskans protested against the Trump administration Saturday along Nebraska Parkway in Lincoln, and thousands protested near Northwest Radial Highway in Omaha as part of No Kings demonstrations statewide.
The third iteration of No Kings protests organized border to border gatherings to vent displeasure at President Donald Trump and his administration’s policy decisions. The Lincoln protest was held on the Helen Boosalis Trail between North 27th Street and North 56th Street.
“I don’t like what’s going on … I know it’s not the world I want to live in,” said Ford Kloepper, a 17-year-old Lincoln resident.
Kloepper said people his age are going to take the “brunt” of Trump’s “mistakes.” He pointed to the recent U.S. conflict in Iran as a motivator to protest for him, as he doesn’t want to get “drafted into a war in the Middle East for no reason at all.”
Many of the protesters, much like previous demonstrations, held anti-Trump signs with slogans like, “Trump lies” and “Stop Trump, save democracy.” Others held American flags and wore costumes. Volunteers from different groups gathered signatures for ballot initiatives and at least one candidate. One of the petitions sought to let voters decide on a state constitutional amendment requiring larger majorities to repeal or change any law passed by voters. Volunteers for nonpartisan U.S. Senate candidate Dan Osborn collected signatures to get him on the November ballot.
Organizers planned 18 protests across Nebraska. In Omaha, the rally was held at Gallagher Park, with thousands of protesters filling the sidewalks and grassy areas near the intersection of Maple Street and the Northwest Radial.
Organizers said the spot let protesters draw attention to historic Benson and all of the restaurants, galleries and coffee shops that have made the neighborhood a cultural destination since 1887. Among the crowd filled with a variety of ages and races was Lorin and Elwin Moseman, waving signs that said, “End Wars Before Wars End Us” and “No Kings No ICE.”
It was the Mosemans’ third anti-Kings rally, and despite the chill of the day, they said they wouldn’t have missed it.
“It could have been an ice storm,” said Elwin, who was motivated in particular by “the Epstein files and Trump being in them, this stupid war we’ve got involved with Iran.”
His wife, Lorin, said she came to “stand up for democracy.”
“I want to show up, stand up and speak out about our country,” she said, decrying “leadership incompetency from the very beginning.”
She said the nation needs a presidential job description and interview, and she was not short on words to describe her disgust and disappointment about current leadership: “Shameful, disgusting, exhausting.”
“We’re in a broken world,” she said.
Nearby, a bundled up woman in a wheelchair held onto a sign that said, “I’m mad about everything.”
Sara Peterson led buses carrying about 75 protesters from First United Methodist Church of Omaha. She said people felt a sense of unity and joy seeing the chanting crowd, which she said reflected her group’s makeup — diverse in age, ethnicity and political party.
“We’re not alone,” she said “It’s an exciting day to be a part of.”
Peterson called the rally a “tangible sign of people coming together … for democracy.” Her group included church members and their friends — some of whom never participated in such a protest or rally before but felt the urge and were nudged “out of their comfort zone to take back our country and democracy.
Since the return of Trump for a second term, the anti-Trump group has organized national protests. Nebraska, much like the rest of the nation, saw multiple demonstrations throughout 2025.
The group also bought ads in local newspapers ahead of the Saturday protests. Nebraska Republican Party chair Mary Jane Truemper had no immediate comment on the protests.
As Election Day gets closer, political observers have wondered how organizers might harness the political energy, whether the demonstrations might signal a coming wave of change at the polls, or whether momentum will fizzle after the crowds go home. Some have argued Democrats and progressives are good at mobilizing people for large-scale protests but have lagged conservatives in building local infrastructure to affect sweeping policy changes.
Back in Lincoln, Erik Betts, a University of Nebraska-Lincoln student, said the political winds are in Democrats’ favor, and he feels the possibilities are endless, even in a reliably red state. He said he thinks Osborn could beat Republican U.S. Sen. Pete Ricketts, and he hopes the “blue” wave might be large enough to beat Nebraska 1st Congressional District Republican U.S. Rep. Mike Flood, a former speaker of the Legislature.
“We need to really show up this time …We’ve got to take this motivation … and make a difference,” Betts said.
Betts said events like these help him stay hopeful because it reminds him that he is not alone.
“When you are in your own house and just scrolling on social media, it’s easy to feel just defeated,” Betts said. “So I come out as much to show support for everyone else, to feel that maybe a bunch of people agree with [me] and things can change.”
Nebraska Examiner is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Nebraska Examiner maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Aaron Sanderford for questions: info@nebraskaexaminer.com.
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Copyright 2026 KOLN. All rights reserved.
Nebraska
Omaha woman fighting for medical debt relief in Nebraska
OMAHA, Neb. (WOWT) – For many families, beating a cancer diagnosis isn’t just about physical recovery. One Omaha cancer survivor is now using her voice to fight for medical debt relief across Nebraska.
Diana Gleisberg Meredith thought she had an upper respiratory infection in January 2024.
“In January of 2024, I felt like I had some kind of upper respiratory – maybe Pneumonia, RSV…” Meredith said.
She was sent from her primary care doctor to the emergency room to a hospital by ambulance in a five-hour span.
“The ER doctor identified that it was cancer, likely lymphoma,” Meredith said.
Diagnosis came as new mother started treatment
The diagnosis came as Meredith became a new mom. She knew she had to immediately start treatment.
“It’s life changing. You go from not having a care in the world to thinking you’re going to die and how is that going to affect my baby. It was the hardest thing I’ve ever had to go through emotionally, physically and mentally,” Meredith said.
Meredith said there’s an invisible burden that comes with the diagnosis.
“Not everybody is lucky to have the financial support or the human support to help them,” Meredith said.
Treatment costs could add up to millions
Meredith had 12 chemo treatments. Each used four medications, with one of those costing more than $130,000. For one family, this could add up to millions.
After Meredith entered remission, she began fighting for medical debt relief for other Nebraskans.
“Nebraskans all throughout the state and right here in Omaha – they’re having to make those decisions about should they save their life, or how do they care for their family,” Meredith said.
Advocacy group plans Washington trip
She works with Blood Cancer United alongside other Omaha mothers whose children are cancer survivors. They hold fundraisers like “Light the Night,” collecting thousands of dollars and supporters.
In May, they’ll travel to Washington, D.C., for training on how to push for change at the federal level.
“Our office of public policy gets together to help train these volunteers, help them get to know each other better and develop familiarity with what it means to go to a lawmakers office in Washington DC,” said Dana Bacon, senior director of government affairs for Blood Cancer United.
Meredith is fighting for lower interest rates on medical debt, no foreclosures on homes over medical debt and paused interest rates.
“It’s probably the most stressful thing that you’re going to go through, and then having to add medical debt on top of it? To be honest it’s hell,” Meredith said.
Other states are already protecting families from medical debt. Meredith said Nebraska should be next. Iowa is one of the states that limits liens and foreclosures when a family is drowning in medical debt.
Copyright 2026 WOWT. All rights reserved.
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