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OARS Research News, November 2009 Edition

OARS Research Newsletter
November 2009

Message from Dr. James Oris,

Associate Dean for Research and Scholarship

As the end of the first semester 2009-2010 comes rushing to an end, I am happy to provide highlights of the year so far here in OARS. To date, we have had a very successful year in obtaining external funds to support research and education activities at Miami University. In the first quarter of FY2010 faculty and staff were awarded over $8.8M in funds from external agencies. Nearly $4M of these awards was from the Federal Stimulus Package (ARRA Funds), of which $1M was awarded from NIH and $3M was awarded from NSF. Our ARRA Funds will be used to support the research and education of 50 graduate students, 42 undergraduate students, and 12 postdoctoral and research associates across campus. The efforts of our faculty and staff in making strong investments in providing talented, top-notch graduates into the workforce are commendable. Examples of our strong faculty are found within this newsletter, with a profile of the teaching and research of Dr. Mary Ben Bonham (ARC) and this year’s winners of the Distinguished Scholar Awards.

Undergraduate experiential learning continues to be a focus in OARS as we provide support and funding for the long-standing Undergraduate Research Awards, Undergraduate Summer Scholars, and DUOS programs. We enter our third year of competition for the Miami University Interdisciplinary Technology Development Challenge (MUITDC) with a record number of entries (7) in the area of “Clean and Alternative Energy”. We have initiated a new, First Year Research Experience (FYRE) to initiate first year students into the research and scholarship model. In this first year, 24 students have enrolled to take advantage of a variety of research experiences made available by more than 40 faculty volunteers. Thanks to Bill Houk (UGR Committee Chair), Robert Setlock (MUITDC Committee Chair), Joyce Fernandes (FYRE CoChair), Mike Kennedy (FYRE CoChair), Linda Dixon (FYRE CoChair), Martha Weber (OARS), and Rachel Shelley (OARS) for all of their efforts to support an outstanding undergraduate research program.

In addition to our regular workshops for faculty and staff on seeking funding opportunities, writing proposals, and post-award activities, we have hosted two regional workshops this semester. In September, OARS and the School of Fine Arts hosted Miami alumnus Robert Frankel, National Endowment of the Arts (NEA), and Jami Goldstein, Ohio Arts Council, who led a day-long workshop on the NEA grant-writing process (see article in this newsletter). Over 80 people attended from Miami University and from universities and foundations throughout Ohio, Kentucky, and Indiana. On November 16-17, we hosted two NSF and OARS sponsored day-long workshops on faculty career development. Led by Timothy Anderson (Univ of Florida & NSF), the workshops provided an opportunity for early career faculty in STEM areas to learn about NSF’s CAREER Award program, to discuss career pathways in academia, and to participate in simulated grant proposal and promotion and tenure review panels. Each of the two workshops was attended by twenty faculty from Miami University and from universities in Ohio, Indiana, Kentucky, and West Virginia. Thanks to Jim Lentini (SFA), Bob Wicks (Art Museum), Heather Kogge (SFA), Tricia Callahan (OARS), and Anne Schauer (OARS) for putting these great workshops together.

We continue to see new changes and regulations on the submission of proposals and the conduct of research from the Federal Government. NIH has introduced new procedures for applications effective January 25, 2010 (article in this newsletter). Also beginning in 2010, the NSF has adopted a policy on Responsible Conduct of Research (Compliance Corner News), which will require plans for training all students, faculty, and staff in nine core areas of research activities. Attention to requirements for the control over the export of materials and information to foreign nationals or foreign countries is also increasing. If you host students from outside of the U.S. in your lab or you are planning on working in (or sending materials to) a foreign country, it is important that you contact OARS for information about restrictions. You will be hearing more from OARS about these changes throughout the coming months.

Finally, in our efforts to increase efficiency we continue taking steps toward a paper-less operation here in OARS. This includes a complete revamp of our database system and the way we will collect information from investigators who submit both internal and external funding proposals. Early next year, we will introduce the new system, complete with a newly revised Proposal Approval Form (PAF) that will help capture important information and increase our ability to coordinate pre-award activities with post-award accounting. Hopefully, you get the sense that we are busy, doing our best to encourage, facilitate, and support the Miami University community in its effort to obtain external funding for all forms of research, education, scholarly, creative, service, and outreach activities.

View the November 2009 Newsletter

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