“Be bold and mighty forces will come to your aid.” Goethe
Congratulations to survivors of FY17! It has been another very good year at OSU, marked by momentous discoveries, significant accomplishments, and utter fearlessness from all corners of the research enterprise. Thanks to each of you for your steady nerves and cool heads during year-end FY17, and throughout the year. As we move into FY18, gear up and buckle in. It promises to be a wild ride! So happy we are making this trip together.
HAILS!
John Haugaard will be joining OSRAA as a temporary Grant and Contract Officer. We pulled him out of retirement after a career that included Emory and Georgia Tech. He will be in Corvallis for a few days to onboard and will then work remotely from Atlanta. He will be assisting with the rush of federal awards at the end of the federal budget year and his appointment is scheduled to end in the fall. John’s start date will be July 6. Welcome, John!
PHOTO OF THE WEEK #1- LEARNING ABOUT RESEARCH IN OREGON
The OSU Research Office led an effort with Ag Extension and PACE to bring training to K-12 STEM educators from around Oregon. The program was funded by a $20,000 grant from the Oregon Department of Education. The program provided the 30 teachers the opportunity to learn about research at OSU and how drones, robotics, and AI are advancing at Oregon’s leading research institution. Participants came from across Oregon and included representatives from the Migrant Workers summer education program and the Oregon School for the Deaf. The program also provided training for the participants to prepare to sit for the FAA drone pilot’s exam. For more information on this program contact Mark Peters.
PHOTO OF THE WEEK #2- RCRV SIGNING CEREMONY
OSU had its own executive signing ceremony with Regional Class Research Vessel (RCRV) shipyard contract this week. RCRV Co-leads Demian Bailey and Clare Reimers pose with OSU’s Vice President for Finance and Administration Mike Green and leadership (Kelly Kozisek, Tamara Gash, Deanne Lahaie-Noll) from the Procurement, Contracts, and Materials Management Office for the signing of the contract with Gulf Island Shipyard, LLC to build the nation’s next generation of ocean-going research vessels. The stack of paper in front of Mike Green is the contract, technical specifications, detailed drawings and reports, and shipyard’s proposal which together will be turned into OSU’s next research ship over the next 3 years. The shipyard is scheduled to begin work in mid-July of this year.
Dawn Alapisco will be joining the RO in a new part-time role as our Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation (NAGPRA) Coordinator. The NAGPRA Act- National Park Service (NPS), passed in 1990, provides a process for museums, state and local governments, and Federal agencies to return certain Native American cultural items to lineal descendants, culturally affiliated tribes, and Native Hawaiian organizations. Previously, Dawn was a Intern/Curation Coordinator for the Umm-el-Jimal Osteological Research Collection, as well as a Graduate Teaching Assistant Anthropology and Osteolog here at OSU. Dawn will be located within the College of Liberal Arts on the 3rd floor of Fairbanks Hall so you may not see her that much, but we are very glad to have her as part of the RO team!
IMPACTS OF OSU BUDGET REDUCTIONS ON THE RO
OSU must reduce its FY18 budget by $20M in response to state revenue shortfalls and increased costs linked to benefits and retirement. The OSU Budget Office has developed a plan to meet this target, in part, by reducing budgets in central administration. On May 23, the Budget Office communicated to me a preliminary budget allocation for the Research Office. The preliminary FY18 allocation is 7.7% (approx. $740K) below the RO’s FY17 budget. We will need to do business somewhat differently in the year ahead to meet this budget reduction. This message provides a top-level summary of the actions I plan to implement. RO staff salaries and staff lines will be protected. Moreover, Centers and Institutes will maintain current funding levels, with the exceptions of centers set to cease operations in FY18. The brunt of the budget cut will be borne by the RO’s research incentives programs. To absorb the full impact of the budget reduction, however, it will be necessary to implement additional restrictions.
Unit heads will retain 10% of year-end balances as carry-over to the next year. The remainder will be moved to the RO reserve account.
Staff travel will be limited to one out-of-state trip per year. Additional travel will be allowed only with approval of the unit supervisor.
All travel must be pre-authorized.
Look for details regarding travel in a subsequent e-mail from Jenn Creighton.
Communication allowances will be approved only for staff at the rank of director or above.
Based on input from staff, RO festivities can and will be more subdued than in the past,
Look for details regarding party plans in future communications from Jane Cigarran and others.
OSU RESEARCHER TESTIFIES AT HOUSE ENVIRONMENTAL TECHNOLOGY HEARING
Check out the press release below from Rep. Bonamici’s office on Dr. Burke Hales’ testimony today at a House Science Subcommittee on the Environment hearing. He did a great job representing his work that has led to real impacts for the Oregon coast, and he reflected well on the university. Video link at the end!
OSU Researcher Testifies at House Environmental Technology Hearing: Bonamici Invited Dr. Hales to Underscore the Importance of Federal Investment in Research
WASHINGTON, DC [06/21/17] – Today Oregon State University’s Dr. Burke Hales testified before the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology’s Subcommittee on Environment about his work to help Pacific Northwest shellfish growers adapt to changing ocean conditions that affect shellfish growth. Congresswoman Suzanne Bonamici, the top Democrat on the Environment Subcommittee, invited Dr. Hales to testify about his technology and the importance of federal investment in funding his and other scientific research.
“Strong federal investments can incentivize and drive the development of new, innovative technologies that can help us find creative solutions to our most troubling problems,” said Congresswoman Bonamici. “Dr. Hales’ research at Oregon State University is an excellent example of this. Dr. Hales used federal research grants to start developing the ‘Burke-o-Lator,’ which now helps shellfish growers across the Pacific Northwest analyze ocean acidification and determine the best time to grow larvae. The testimony of Dr. Hales and the witnesses today underscores the importance of EPA, NOAA, and other federal investments in research to help our economy and our environment.”
“I will focus my testimony here to highlight an example of the important role federal investment in ocean monitoring systems and technology innovation had for my work on the Oregon Coast to address a unique industry’s concerns for ocean acidification,” said Dr. Hales in his prepared testimony. “Ultimately, I devised a system for the robust constraint of carbonate chemistry of natural waters, popularized by shellfish aquaculturist (aka oysterman) Mark Wiegardt as the ‘Burke-o-Lator’. … With technological developments motivated by my own ocean carbon cycle research and supported by grants from the National Science Foundation and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, I was able to develop systems for these measurements that were significantly lower-cost, faster-analysis, and more-robust for dynamic coastal waters than much of the research community, and were unparalleled by any existing technology in the commercial sector.” You can watch the hearing titled, “Leading the Way: Examining Advances in Environmental Technologies,” here.
PHOTO OF THE WEEK
The A308 Conference is BACK! Well almost…we are still waiting on furniture but in the meantime there are some surplus chairs and a table in there. Contact Jane if you need instructions on how to book the room via Outlook calendar.
Please join us in welcoming Chris Young to the RO as our new eRA Project Coordinator! As eRA Project Coordinator, Chris will manage the ongoing project to transition the COI, IACUC, and HRPP operations to an electronic research administration application (iRIS by iMedRIS Data Corporation). Chris and his family will be relocating to Corvallis from Bakersfield, CA where he worked as a project manager for Aera Energy, LLC. Chris brings with him a great deal of experience handling complex information technology projects as well as research expertise as a Senior Archaeologist at the Wyoming State Historic Preservation office. Chris’ first day in the office will be Monday, July 31. Thanks to everyone who participated in the search process and welcome, Chris!
CONSTRUCTION NOISE IN KERR A312/308 NEXT WEEK
Construction Zone on June 21th and 22th. There will be some minor demolition work occurring in the A308 area as we turn the two small cubical offices back into a conference room. The temporary wall will be removed followed by repair/patching of walls and a new coat of paint. We are working to find suitable furnishing and will circulate an announcement when the space is ‘open to booking’. Once the room is available again, it will be BOOKABLE BY YOU through a shared Outlook calendar. Some of you RO old timers might remember this calendar from when the room was previously a conference room…and it’s the same one entitled “Kerr 308A Conference Room”. You can look it up in the global address book. If you have any questions on accessing this shared calendar please contact Jane Cigarran. Thank you, Kay, for leading this project. Hooray for conference rooms!
FURNITURE UP FOR GRABS
If anyone is interested in the following please contact Nicole Wolf ASAP.
The cabinet wall and cabinets currently attached to the desk Nancy is sitting at
Two rotating cabinets currently in Susan’s office
PHOTO OF THE WEEK
Cindy and Ivo from the breezeway gathering a couple of weeks ago…memories!
Winter has passed. Summer is coming. Commencement is hours away. To acknowledge the planet’s sweet slide into the solstice, Friday, June 16, 2017, is officially declared Completely Casual Friday. The RO’s usual practice and high standard of business casual dress will be suspended for the day. Don’t deny your denim! Bust out your mumu! Liberate your huaraches! Friday will be a tribute to the long days of summer and a work-a-day chance to chill…and…DONUTS. Exercise your voting power here!
HAILS! AVPR – RESEARCH INTEGRITY, ANITA EISENSTADT
I am pleased to announce that Anita Eisenstadt will be joining the Research Office as the Assistant Vice President for Research Integrity. Anita brings with her broad expertise in research compliance, scientific integrity and intellectual property. Anita has extensive experience in the U.S. National Science Foundation, Department of State, and National Academies. Most recently, she served as research staff member with IDA – Science and Technology Policy Institute in Washington, D.C. Anita’s appointment is conditional upon the usual clearances, after which an official announcement will circulate to campus. She will join us August 15, 2017. Thanks to Dr. Steve Reese and the search committee for assisting with this hire.
ROY ON LEAVE THROUGH JULY 5
Roy will be on annual leave Tue., Jun 13 – Thu., Jul 5. Please see below for specifics regarding coverage while he is gone:
Approvals that I normally handle (space requests, small financials, travel reimbursements, some policy waivers, etc.) will need to go to Cindy for signature. Please cc: Jane Cigarran.
Proposal approvals that I normally handle (for centers and institutes) can be handled in OSRAA by Zach Gill or Pat Hawk
For other matters that I handle and that need to be resolved before Jul 5, please contact Kay White. I don’t think there should be many of those, but Kay will help get a resolution with the best person.
If there is anything urgent, please send an email and put “Urgent” in the subject header. I’ll check email once a day and I will answer anything with that flag.
I will have an auto-response on that provides most of this information
VOLUNTEERS NEEDED FOR UNIVERSITY DAY -SEPT. 18
University Day will be held on Sept 18, from noon-2pm. We will need volunteers from each department to work the Research Office booth. If you are interested in volunteering, please advise Mimi. This year Advantage and the Research Office will share a booth.
NEW RO EMPLOYEES- PLEASE REGISTER FOR THE NEW EMPLOYEE BREAKFAST ON 9/18
OSU’s 9th annual New Employee Welcome Breakfast will be held on University Day*, Monday, September 18, 2017 at 830 am in the Club Level of Reser Stadium. New employees with a hire date on or after September 15, 2016 will be hosted by Provost and Executive Vice President Ed Feser and joined by President Ed Ray, and others. The Welcome Breakfast is a great way for new employees to meet colleagues and learn about the university community and to kick off University Day festivities. Seating is limited and registration by September 1 is required: http://oregonstate.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_eDou6Oc21D5iP2JQuestions regarding the New Employee Welcome Breakfast may be directed to Jen Eaton. Jennifer.Eaton@oregonstate.edu
PHOTO OF THE WEEK
A lovely view of the moody and magnificent Flatirons in Boulder, Colorado. The National Organization of Research Development Professionals (NORDP) conference was held in Broomfield, Colorado where the 470 participants had stunning views of the front range and famous Flatirons. A bit of Rocky Mountain High along with an impressive range of workshops and informative presentations. http://www.nordp.org/ PHOTO CREDIT: Susan Emerson
Join us for a farewell party for Ivo Bezency TODAY at 1:30 in the Breezeway. Coffee and cookies will be provided…stop on by and say hello!
FROM PAT: Through my work in the National Council of University Research Administrators (NCURA), OSU has provided a two-week internship May 22 through June 2 for Ivo. Ivo serves as a Project Consultant and Manager at Mendel University in Brno, and his goal is to learn more about our processes and organizational matters connected with pre-award and post-award grant management. He is very interested in learning about the relationships between principal investigators and research administrators, systems of projects development and management and related budget preparation and financial management. Ivo has been employed at Mendel University in Brno since 2004, and was there when their sponsored programs office was created. He has also worked as a project manager on certain EU funding sources for European Structural Funds. He is an active member of the European Association for Research Managers and Administrators (EARMA), which is a sister organization to the National Council of University of Research Administrators (NCURA). Mendel University in Brno is the oldest independent specialized university is the Czech Republic, first founded in 1864 as an agricultural university in Moravia. The University of Agriculture in Brno has been primarily an agriculture and forestry institution since its creation. In 2010, the University was renamed to Mendel University in Brno.
LAST CALL FOR TRY-ATHLON!
This is the last call for participants for the TRY-Athlon. As of right now, we need 3 runners, 4 swimmers, and 2 walkers to make a team. If you have already emailed me I thank you for the participation, if we do not get enough people I will be sending out directions on how to register as an individual. If you would like to participate, the event is on June 9th from about 11:30-1pm. With Prizes at the end! Please email Kimberly.reese@oregonstate.edu of you would like to join us out in the sun for lunch!
RO STAFF IN THE NEWS
Check out this great piece from the brand new Terra Magazine that features the RO’s very own Drone expert, Ben Lester! On stands now…grab a copy.
PHOTO OF THE WEEK
There is no better way to start the weekend than with a burst of EXTREME CUTENESS brought to you by the adorable Cordelia (who paid a visit to the office yesterday!). In the second photo mama Chrystal introduces her to sand for the first time. She’ll be registering for MSI undergraduate classes before we know it.
