As the excitement mounts for University Day on Sept. 18th, please be sure to give any departmental handouts or other “schwag” you are looking to get rid of to Mimi by Sept. 14th. This is a great way to get rid of things that may soon be outdated…as well as get the word out to folks you may not usually outreach to. Thanks again to those of you that have agreed to volunteer!
BUSINESS INCUBATOR GEARS UP FOR NEXT COHORT, WELCOMES FIVE NEW ADVISORY BOARD MEMBERS
The Oregon State University Advantage Accelerator seeks creators of new business concepts to be part of their fall cohort in the Iterate program, where startup experts help budding entrepreneurs evaluate and refine their ideas. The Iterate application period coincides with the Accelerator’s naming five new members to its strategic advisory board, including Maggie Finnerty, executive director of the Oregon Entrepreneurs Network, and former Oregon Republican Party chairman Allen Alley. The one-month Iterate program kicks off Oct. 24. Read all about it here!
OSRAA JOB POSTING
Be sure to flag for anyone that might be interested in applying! Accountant 2 – The Office for Sponsored Research and Award Administration (OSRAA) invites applications for one full-time Accountant 2 (1.0 FTE,12 month, Salary). This position is responsible for the fiscal management of a variety of funds including billing, receipt and posting of revenue, collections, financial report preparation, final cost auditing, and closing. This involves contact with and providing assistance to various principal investigators, project directors, Business Center personnel and granting agencies. This position is expected to provide financial information to granting agencies in a variety of formats as required by sponsors in a team-based setting. The position is part of the Cash and Financial Management (CFM) unit. Posting #P01159CT. Closes Sept. 17.
PHOTO OF THE WEEK
OSY CEOAS autonomous glider deployment as seen from the cabin of the R/V Kalipi, skippered by Taylor Eaton (ORI-Asst. Diving Safety Officer). Kalipi was recently refurbished and is being operated through a collaboration with CEOAS, Marine Studies Initiative, and the Research Office.
Adam Church will be moving into the new Fiscal Coordinator II position that will support the RCRV project. This position will be in OSRAA but will be dedicated to supporting the accounting and fiscal setup of the biggest project OSU has ever undertaken. The RCRV shipyard is currently ramping up and we are excited to move into the construction stage of this project. OSRAA will be recruiting very soon for a new grant accountant to take Adam’s previous position. Congrats, Adam!
AVPR POSITION POSTED
As mentioned by Cindy yesterday at our pizza party, we are actively recruiting for a new Associate VP for Research to replace Roy. That internal position posted this morning and is located here, spread the word!
UNIVERSITY DAY SEPT 18th- VOLUNTEERS STILL NEEDED!
University Day will be held on Sept 18, from noon-2pm. We still 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. MANY THANKS TO Rachel and Jillian as well as Mark P, Mark L and Karl for volunteering at the booths!
SAVE THE DATES!
Monday Sept. 18th: New Employee Breakfast- Club Level of Reser, 8:30-10am (all new employees register HERE, today is the deadline.)
Thursday, Oct. 12th: RO All Staff Meeting, 10-11:30am, Location: TBC
Thursday, Nov. 2nd: Research Office New Faculty Orientation, 2-5pm, Location: MU Horizon Room
PHOTO OF THE WEEK
Thanks to everyone who came out to eat carbs and sweets with us yesterday, celebrating a record breaking year for research at OSU! And thank you, Jenn, for your decadent baking skills…hopefully everyone has digested their Cibelli’s slices by now!
Just in case you haven’t had a chance yet to say hello, stop by Kerr B308J and welcome Anita to our office (and Corvallis!). Anita, our new Asst. VP for Research Integrity, started on Tuesday and we are very glad to have her here.
EXCITING OSU RESEARCH FUNDING NEWS
The National Science Foundation has awarded $1 million to five Oregon State University researchers to study the operation of autonomous marine vehicles. This is a particularly exciting grant as it shows the spirit of collaboration across disciplines at OSU. Read more here!
PHOTO OF THE WEEK: GETTING READY FOR THE APOCALYP…I MEAN THE ECLIPSE!
The RO offices, along with the rest of campus, will be closed on Monday. Here is a link to more data on the eclipse! Have fun, be safe and enjoy the excitement courtesy of mother nature. http://communications.oregonstate.edu/space
Please make sure to get your telecommunication agreements in place if you are planning on working from home during the Eclipse closure Supervisors please have these submitted to Jane by Thursday, August 17th in order to obtain Cindy’s VP signature on Friday, August 18th . Telecommute agreement can be found: http://oscar.oregonstate.edu/Resources/SubNav.aspx?NavPage=14&submenu=T14
A RO policy in regards to telecommuting will be rolled out soon for all RO staff.
TRAVEL PER DIEM RATES
A friendly reminder on what the 2017 OSU Travel per diem rates are located here: 2017_osu_travel_references_sheet on pager, please use this document as a reference sheet when in travel status. Note: this document also includes a reminder on what are non-reimbursement expenses. Also, please be aware that overages must be paid from our meager foundation funds, the only truly discretionary money that comes to the office. Please do whatever is possible to operate within the rate. If you have additional questions please let Jennifer, Jane, Ying or Kim know. There are tips and tricks with regard to booking affordable hotels, flights, etc.!
SAVE THE DATES!
8/31, 12pm– RO Pop-up pizza party in the breezeway…celebrating a record breaking year!
10/12, 10am– RO All Staff meeting w/ Rod Ray, location TBC
11/2, 2-5pm– Research Office New Faculty Orientation, location: MU Horizon Room
PHOTO OF THE WEEK
While attending the IAAP Conference in New Orleans last month I (Jane) was incredibly excited to find that the North American Scrabble Championship was taking place at the same hotel! Anyone who has seen the documentary “Word Wars” knows what I’m talking about!
The RO has just closed the books on another year of record research revenue. Congratulations, everyone, on bringing home $441M in research revenue! We are now THE LARGEST RESEARCH UNIVERSITY IN OREGON!
To acknowledge our ascension to supremacy, the VPR is launching an unofficial slogan contest. Your submission:
May convey OSU’s utter and complete domination in research
May not use of foul language or suggest abuse of our neighbor to the south
Can be submitted by RO staff, staff friends, staff family and members of the Graduate School
Must be received by COB, Monday, August 14
Submit your entry to Jane Cigarran at jane.cigarran@oregonstate.edu. Entries will be given a unique identifier and submitted anonymously to a blue ribbon panel of RO talent: Mimi Poitras, Susan Tillitt, and Susan Emerson. Panelists will review entries and make a recommendation to the VPR. The winner will be announced in the next edition of the Research Office newsletter and will receive a certificate from one of Corvallis’s finest restaurants. Good luck and may the best punster win!
CALL FOR VOLUNTEERS- RO PARTY COMMITTEE
You may recall that in a recent office poll we have asked you to let us know your thoughts on planning RO events, holiday parties, etc. Your responses told us that the majority of you enjoy our office gatherings but don’t necessarily need them to be fully catered or after hours. Breezeway events and lunch time potlucks are also enjoyed by most. Given our need pay attention to financial constraints, we are hoping to plan more office fun gatherings but with a somewhat reduced budget. We also want to make sure that the RO team has role in planning these events. To that end, we are looking for volunteers to join an RO Party Committee! If this sounds like something you would be interested in participating in, the time commitment would be minimal and creative, new ideas for RO team fun are required! Thanks for considering joining the committee…do to so, send mail to: jane.cigarran@oregonstate.edu
KEURIG MACHINE IN B306 OUT OF ORDER
As we think about possible fixes for this woe, is anyone using the Keurig machine that is located in B308? We believe the one in B306 is still being used by some. If the B308 Keurig is not being used we may move it to A312. Please let Mimi know if the B308 Keurig IS being used by staff, in which case we’ll leave it as is.
PET PHOTO OF THE WEEK
Say hello to former OSU VPR Rick Spinrad’s latest research project…an adorable 12 week old yellow lab (didn’t get a name). It really doesn’t get much cuter than this. Submit your pet pictures and prove us wrong!
Jianbo Hu is leaving OSU’s to take a new position at Penn State University on September 14th. Jianbo developed many patents, licensing agreements, provided counsel, and gave countless contributions toward the success of OCCD/OSU programs. We wish Jianbo and his family all the best and continued success at Penn State.
RO OFFICE CLOSURE PROCEDURES FOR AUG.21- ECLIPSE!
As you most likely are aware, OSU announced a partial campus closure for the eclipse. The RO will be closed on Monday, August 21st, 2017. For questions about how to record your leave or adjust your schedule, please refer to the details below according to your employee classification:
*Unclassified non-exempt employees may take paid leave (vacation or comp time); work from home, if appropriate; request leave without pay; or work with their supervisor or manager to organize their schedule to work a full week over the remaining four days of that week.
*Classified employees may take paid leave (vacation, personal or comp time); request leave without pay, or work with their supervisor or manager to request an irregular or flexible work schedule for that week. An Irregular or Flexible Work Schedule Request form is not required to be completed for the week of Aug. 20 to accommodate the closure on Aug. 21, but may be referred to for conditions of employment (http://oregonstate.edu/admin/hristeam/irrflex.pdf).
*Unclassified exempt employees who are scheduled to work at any time during the week of Aug. 20 do not need to take leave on Aug. 21. If an employee is scheduled to be off (such as for vacation) for the entire week of Aug. 20, the employee would record appropriate use of leave (such as for vacation) on Aug. 21.
*Supervisors of student employees please remember to tell your student employees RO will be closed on Aug. 21 and communicate their modify work schedules as needed for the week of Aug 21.
If you have additional questions about deadlines and specific expectation for your positon on Monday, August 21st, 2017, please make sure to work with your supervisor ahead of time.
IMPORTANT PROCESS CHANGE FOR ALL HR REQUESTS
For those of you that are currently or in the future will be engaged in UABC HR actions, the first step in that process is making sure all new action requests are filtered through one portal vs. UABC HR receiving requests for new hires, FTE changes, etc. by various people in the RO. Moving forward, when you require UABC HR support, instead of reaching out directly to Ginny, Michelle, (or any other business center contacts) please send an email to this address: RO-HRsupport@oregonstate.edu
The UABC HR Processes (00000002) document (click link) might be helpful guide to review before initiating future requests. I have created a folder on Box for this document and other general HR guidance including the most updated templates that should be used for all action requests (Unclassified, Classified, Temporary, Student and Academic Wage). Many people are using old templates so we will guide staff to Box for the latest and greatest. You should have received an invite to this folder on Box. If not, please let Jane know! We realize it could take some time to remember to do this, but thank you in advance for doing your best! If you have any other questions or concerns at this time, please let me know!
RICOH COPIER TIP OF THE WEEK
Is the Ricoh Scanner jamming? It is? Try this tip before you call for service: You will see three sensor holes on the scanner platform. Use the microfiber cloth that comes with your Ricoh and wipe off the sensors. These sensors become dusty and can’t judge the paper size so causes a jam.
PHOTO (and clip) OF THE WEEK
The American Academy of Underwater Sciences has elected our own Kevin Buch as “Director-At-Large.” The AAUS provides a forum to share information on diving research, methodologies and funding while staying up with the latest standards of practice for training, equipment, diving procedures and managerial and regulatory experience. Kudo’s to Kevin for sharing his expertise and putty OSU front and center within a nationally recognized organization.
And while we are appreciating diving at OSU, check this link out as well, shot by OSU scientific diver and PhD student Jack Koch (Weis lab) during fieldwork in Anacortes, WA (spoiler alert: giant Pacific octopus at 8:36!).
“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
