OARS Staff

James T. Oris, Ph.D.
Interim Associate Provost for Research and Scholarship and Dean of the Graduate School
orisjt@muohio.edu

Dr. James T. Oris received a B.A. in Biology from Wittenberg University (1979) and a Ph.D. in Environmental Toxicology and Fisheries & Wildlife from Michigan State University (1985). He has been a member of the Zoology Department at Miami University since 1986 and was promoted to the rank of full professor in 1996.  He teaches classes in ecological risk assessment and environmental biology.  Oris has served as chair of the Zoology Graduate Programs, chair of the Institutional Animal Use and Care Committee (IACUC), and Executive Committee chair of University Senate at Miami University. External to Miami, he has served as consultant to a variety of Federal and private agencies, has served as President of the Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry in North America, and is currently a member of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) Science Advisory Board.
 
Oris is an environmental toxicologist with a primary interest in the fate, dynamics, and toxicity of trace contaminants and multiple stressors in aquatic organisms.  His areas of research interest include the photochemistry and toxicology of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in fish and invertebrates, the molecular regulation of the Cytochrome P-450 metabolizing system in fish, the fate and dynamics of sediment pollutants in fish and invertebrates, and the modeling and statistical analysis of toxicity dose-response relationships. Dr. Oris has received funding from the U.S. EPA, from NIEHS, and from industrial sources to conduct research in these areas. In addition to toxicology research, he is involved in the development of multimedia materials for use in the environmental science classroom.

Tricia L. Callahan, M.A.
Assistant Director for Research and Scholarship
callahtl@muohio.edu

In May 2008, Tricia Callahan joined the OARS team as our new assistant director.  Before joining the OARS staff at Miami, Tricia was the assistant director for proposal development in the Western Kentucky University Office of Sponsored Programs.  In addition, she was affiliated with WKU’s Department of Psychology where she taught introductory psychology. Tricia’s prior experience includes a position in the pre-award office at the University of Louisville and work as a part-time instructor for the Department of Psychology and the Kent School of Social Work.  Tricia is 1991 Miami alum and holds a master’s degree from the University of Louisville (1996) in experimental psychology. Callahan's research interests focus on childhood obesity, including the physiological and environmental factors that influence weight and weight management in children and adolescents.  Given her research interests, she helped to establish the Healthy Weight Kids Coalition (HWKC) of Southern Kentucky. Tricia is an active volunteer with the Grants Resource Center (GRC), the National Council of University Research Administrators (NCURA) and with the Society of Research Administrators (SRA).  For fun, Tricia enjoys bicycling, jogging, playing racquetball and being with her family.

Helen G. Kiss, Ph.D.
Assistant Director for Research and Scholarship, and
Information Coordinator
kisshg@muohio.edu

Dr. Helen G. Kiss received a B.A. in Biology from Columbia University (1982), a M.S. (1985) and Ph.D. (1989) in Plant Physiology from Rutgers University. She has been a member of the Botany Department at Miami University since 1993. Helen joined OARS in 1997. Currently, her positions include: Assistant Director and Information Coordinator for Research and Scholarship. Her research interests include: the role of plant hormones in floral growth and development, the development and physiology of ferns, and plant gravitropism. Helen has published in journals such as Plant Physiology, the American Journal of Botany, and the American Biology Teacher. She also has served on peer-review panels for the National Science Foundation. Helen is an active member of BSA (Botanical Society of America) and NCURA (National Council of University Research Administrators).

Anne Schauer, M.A., CRA
Assistant Director for Research and Scholarship
schauerap@muohio.edu

Anne Schauer joined the OARS staff in July of 2004 as Assistant Director for Research and Scholarship. Prior to coming to Miami, Anne worked in Research Administration for over 15 years as a Grants Specialist at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, and as Associate Director at the University of Cincinnati, and Bradley University in Peoria, IL. She received her M.A. in Human Service Administration from Bradley in 1998, and a B.A. in Biochemistry and Art from Brandeis in 1979, with a 3-year stint in the Master of Architecture Program at the University of Texas at Austin between the two. Anne recently earned the CRA (Certified Research Administrator) designation, and has been an active member of NCURA (National Council of University Research Administrators), and SRA (Society of Research Administrators) since 1993.  When she is not engaged in grant-related activities, Anne can usually be found buried in one of several art projects involving painting, stained-glass or pottery. She also enjoys sewing, cooking and gardening, and tries to get away with her wonderful husband on at least two camping-hiking trips each year.

Neal H. Sulllivan, Ph.D.
Research Compliance Officer
sullivnh@muohio.edu

Martha E. Weber, M.S.
OARS Undergraduate Research Director
weberme@muohio.edu

Martha serves as the Undergraduate Research Director, manages the OARS databases for faculty proposal submissions, generates data for annual reports, and supervises OARS support staff members involved with internal programs.

Martha coordinators a variety of Miami Undergraduate Research programs including Miami's nationally recognized Undergraduate Summer Scholars program and the First Year Research Experience (FYRE). Program details at: www.muohio.edu/undergradresearch) In addition, Martha directs the annual Undergraduate Research Forum to showcase undergraduate research projects and other creative activities.

In 2007 Martha added master’s of science degree from Miami’s College Student Personnel Program to her formal education. Before joining Miami University in 1988, Martha developed proposals for an international construction company in Atlanta. Early in her career, she lived in the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg working for Cargolux Airlines which gave her the opportunity for extensive world travel. She obtained a B.A. in French from Miami in 1972 and also speaks German and a smattering of Luxembourgish. Martha has presented at Miami’s Lilly Conference on College Teaching in partnership with Dr. Christine Heilman. In 2011 she will continue her foster academic excellent in her role as President of Miami’s Chapter 133 of Phi Kappa Phi national honor society. For entertainment she enjoys taking her golden retriever and labrador retriever to local dog parks and visiting her daughter Madeleine, a 2007 Miami graduate.

Amy Lamborg, M.S., MTSC
Regional Grant Development Coordinator - Miami University Hamilton and Middletown Campus
lambora@muohio.edu

Amy Lamborg is the Regional Grant Development Coordinator for Miami University Hamilton and Middletown campuses. Amy began her career with a BA in Geology from Earlham College and an master's degree in Geology from the University of Cincinnati, and worked in environmental consulting for 12 years. While a consultant, she developed an interest in risk communication and how people understand notions of risk. This interest led to a Master's degree in Technical and Scientific Communication (MTSC) from Miami University and a job at the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health where she was a science writer and editor. At Miami Hamilton, she has been researching and writing successful proposals, ranging in size from $200 to $1,000,000, since 2004.

Amy Stander
Regional Grant and Development Writer - Miami University Hamilton and Middletown Campus
standeae@muohio.edu

Amy Stander, Regional Grant and Development Writer, assists regional campus faculty in identifying funding sources, conceptualizing proposals and designing projects that comply with requests for proposals, developing budgets, writing and editing proposals, and shepherding proposals through the approval and submission process.  She brings 18 years’ experience at the Miami University Center for Chemistry Education (CCE), where she gained expertise in overseeing proposal submissions and managing large-scale funded projects. During her time at CCE, more than $12 million in grant funding was received. Amy holds a BA in technical writing from Miami University with a minor in history and is a member of Phi Beta Kappa. She will be located primarily on the Middletown Campus, but will be working with faculty at all three regional campuses

Reid Smith, M.B.A, B.S.
Technology Transfer Associate
smithpr4@muohio.edu

Reid Smith joined the OARS staff in 2011 as a Technology Transfer Associate under a new shared services agreement for intellectual property management with Wright State University.  Reid currently serves as Chief Intellectual Property Officer and Director of the Office of Technology Transfer & Development at WSU, where he joined on in 2008 as a Senior Licensing Associate.  He has more than a decade of experience in intellectual property licensing, serving as Associate Director for Bioscience Licensing at the University of Cincinnati from 2001 to 2008, Licensing Associate at the Center for Technology Commercialization at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Research Foundation, and Technology Transfer Officer at the University of California, Los Angeles.  Before entering the field of technology commercialization, he was a bench research scientist at the University of Chicago’s Pritzker School of Medicine and at the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine.  Reid received his M.B.A. from the University of Chicago in 1998, and a B.S. in Biological Sciences from Indiana University, Bloomington, in 1989.  Reid is actively involved with the Association of University Technology Managers, serving as co-editor of the annual AUTM Licensing Activity Survey from 2009 to present.  Reid spends part of his spare time on the restoration and maintenance of a vintage British roadster, and enjoys a variety of outdoor activities with his family.