Colleagues,  

We have heard from users that the Concur system is difficult to navigate and is not delivering on its expected benefits. Based on this feedback, we are launching a project focused on improving user experience with Concur. Faculty, employees, and students use Concur to submit expense reports, request reimbursement, pre-register for trips and book airfare or lodging. The goal of our project is to gather feedback from the Concur user base and address pain points.  

There are two ways that you can help with this project:  

1.                      Visit our project website to learn more about this effort and submit your suggestions via the feedback form. Your input will be assessed and prioritized to guide future improvements. 

2.                      Help us reach a broad and diverse user group by forwarding this email to any of your colleagues who may be interested in visiting the site and submitting their suggestions about Concur.  

Thank you for supporting this important effort; your input and participation in this project is greatly appreciated.

Alex Sims

Accounts Payable | Director Vendor Payment Strategies

University Plaza, Suite 100, Corvallis, OR 97331

I am writing to let you know that King Fahd University of Petroleum & Minerals (KFUPM) has several Postdoc Fellowship openings for distinguished candidates who have obtained their PhD degrees recently, preferably within the last 2-3 years. The various Interdisciplinary Research Centers (IRCs) where the candidates will continue their research, and the sub-areas of work in the IRCs, can be found by visiting the link below: 

https://postdoc.kfupm.edu.sa/available_vacancies.html

Appended to this message is the flyer. More details of the fellowship can be found at https://postdoc.kfupm.edu.sa

If you happen to be an interested candidate with excellent research/academic records you may apply by filling out the form at the link below:

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSezjsuBf-AopUl0I0OTxpRR8TZj6fhBfCTawSmyijB2rIYRzw/viewform?usp=sf_link

Will highly appreciate it if you can also forward this brochure to other students/colleagues who have recently completed their PhD degree preferably within the last 3 years, and those who will be graduating shortly from your current university or from other excellent universities in other countries.  

Thanking you and Kindest Regards.

This professional development and leadership program prepares faculty from across Oregon State to successfully lead large transdisciplinary proposals and funded research programs. Applications for 2025-26 are due on June 6, 2025. Successful Fellows will have access to up to $50K in seed funding. Matching investments from colleges and units are required.

https://research.oregonstate.edu/ora/advancement-academy

I am writing to seek your assistance in identifying prospective students for the summer NSF-REU/Lando/CSP Program at the University of Minnesota. Undergraduate research has a long and proud history in our department and is strongly supported. We have run a successful summer undergraduate research program since 1959, and in 1974, with internal funding from the Lando endowment, the program became nationally advertised.  It has been run continuously ever since, often with additional funding from the NSF-REU program. Further details are provided in the attached flyer and on the program website at https://cse.umn.edu/chem/lando. 

Application deadline is February 3, 2025.

I also attach our department brochure, which is primarily written for prospective graduate students but will almost certainly tell you something new about our department. For example, did you know that we have more ACS journal editors on campus than any other university in the US and abroad?

Sincerely yours, 

Steve Kass   — 

Lando/NSF Summer Research Program
University of Minnesota
Department of Chemistry
207 Pleasant Street SE

115 Smith Hall
Minneapolis, MN 55455 

612-624-0026

Rich Carter

Paula Christie

Rusty Root

For more info: https://senate.oregonstate.edu

The Materials Research Science and Engineering Centers (MRSECs) program provides sustained support of materials research and education of the highest quality while addressing fundamental problems in science and engineering. Each MRSEC addresses research of a scope and complexity requiring the scale, synergy, and multidisciplinarity provided by a campus-based research center. The MRSECs support materials research infrastructure in the United States, promote active collaboration between universities and other sectors, including industry and international organizations, and contribute to the development of a national network of university-based centers in materials research, education, and facilities. A MRSEC may be located at a single institution, or may involve multiple institutions in partnership, and is composed of two to three Interdisciplinary Research Groups (IRGs), each addressing a fundamental materials science topic aligned with the Division of Materials Research (DMR).

https://new.nsf.gov/funding/opportunities/mrsec-materials-research-science-engineering-centers/nsf25-532/solicitation

• Advancing Materials for Semiconductors and Microelectronics
• Materials for Biotechnology
• Materials for Biomanufacturing
• Architected Materials Across Scales
• Materials Far-From-Equilibrium
• Alternative Approaches to Development and Processing of Clean, Sustainable Materials 

In summary, all research topics for proposed IRGs are generally expected to be aligned with areas of research typically supported by DMR.

The Chemstores is excited to host Millipore Sigma on Thursday January 16, 2025.

Time: 10:00 am – 11:30 am

Location: Chemstores Hallway, 154 Gilbert Hall

Enjoy snacks, coffee, games, and giveaways!

The College of Science is planning a workshop for faculty members who plan to apply for the NSF CAREER award in July 2025 and beyond. We’d like to share our preliminary plans for this workshop which will be held on March 11^th, 2025, 8:30am-noon.   

There will be two main components of the workshop (draft agenda below). First, Dr. Elise Lockwood (Professor of Mathematics, CAREER Award Recipient, and former NSF Program Officer) will provide an overview of the NSF CAREER Award and the associated review process. This presentation will be followed by a panel discussion focused on strategies for developing a successful CAREER proposal. Panel members will be COS faculty who have received the CAREER Award and/or have served as reviewers for this award.  

The panel will be followed by a review of each applicant’s “Overview and Objective” portion of their project description (~1-2pgs) by past awardees. We aim to pair each applicant with an awardee from an aligned research field. We would like to encourage the applicant and the awardee to develop a mentor-mentee relationship, with the goal of the mentor providing a complete review of the mentees full 15-pang project description sometime before the July submission deadline.  

Please share this information with all your pre-tenure faculty and encourage them to RSVP for this workshop. Additionally, please share this information with any of your senior faculty who may be interested in serving as mentors. Ideal mentors would be past CAREER award recipients and individuals who have served as NSF program officers or have had substantial success receiving NSF awards. All inquiries and RSVPs should be sent to Chris Suffridge (suffridc@oregonstate.edu) who is coordinating this workshop.   

Thanks! 

 Draft Agenda: 

8:30                Catered breakfast provided by COS 

9:00                Welcome by the COS Dean and ADR 

9:10                Introductions 

9:20                Overview of NSF CAREER award, review criteria, and the importance of “grantsmanship”. (Elise Lockwood) 

10:00              Panel with past recipients: Developing Strategies for Success and leveraging OSU’s education outreach infrastructure  

11:00              Review of PI Overview and Objective Statements 

11:45              Share-out of Review, plan future review deadlines  

12:00              Adjourn 

Dear Colleagues – 

Thank you for your attention and care to campus operations during the COVID-19 response and beyond. As we continue to gear up for winter term, I wanted to share an update on the discontinuance of servicing trashcans in individual offices and cubicles on the Corvallis campus. On Aug. 26, 2020, we notified employees that trash cans will no longer serviced in private offices and cubicles to allow custodial staff to perform daily deep cleaning measures to help reduce the spread of COVID-19. Employees were directed to use larger trashcans in lunchrooms, breakrooms and other common spaces to dispose their trash. 

This change to trashcans operations will continue indefinitely. By choosing to not provide plastic trash can liners, the university has realized savings in multiple areas. These savings have been diverted to expanding custodial operations. In addition, the reduction in plastic waste due to not providing trashcan liners aligns with the university’s sustainability efforts. The time saved not emptying trash cans has allowed custodians to focus more of their efforts on disinfecting high touchpoint areas like elevator buttons and doorknobs.  It has also helped the university reduce its carbon footprint.

If desired, we will begin removing trashcans over the next few weeks. Please set your can outside the office door in the hallway if you would like for us to remove it.   Going forward, employees can choose to keep their existing can or provide a personal trash can in their office or cubicle. In keeping with our sustainability goals, no trashcan liners or trash emptying service will be provided by custodial staff.

Any employee with accessibility concerns regarding this change should contact the Office of Equal Opportunity & Access to inquire about an accommodation. Reasonable exceptions to the trashcan services are made on an as-needed basis; email facilities@oregonstate.edu to request an exception. 

Thanks for doing your part in:

• Helping redirect labor to areas that can help reduce the spread of infectious diseases.
• Reduce Carbon Footprint
• Increasing efficiency of resources.
• Improving sustainability efforts.
• Reducing pests in campus buildings by eliminating food waste in offices.
• Encouraging recycling.
• Better utilizing university resources

Joseph Majeski | Director 

Facilities Services |

830 SW 35^th Street | Corvallis, OR 97331 | Phone:  541-737-7646 |    

Joe.Majeski@oregonstate.edu |  http://oregonstate.edu/facilities/