HAILS!

Nichole Havranek will be joining OSRAA’s Cash and Financial Management unit on October 31 (spooky!) as a Grant Accountant (Accountant 2).  She has over 18 years of Oregon State University governmental accounting experience, including overseeing multiple university fund types such as Service Center Funds, Auxiliary Funds, Loan Funds, Agency Funds, and Foundation Funds.  She has experience interpreting and applying the unique policies and procedures that govern each fund type, and has worked in various university settings including department, central, and business center offices. Nichole brings a strong customer service focus as well as policy and contract compliance experience, and she will make a great addition to the CFM team. Please help us welcome, Nichole!

SAVE THE DATE!- RO HALLOWEEN PARTY 10/31, 12-1pm

Come one, come all to the Halloween Party… It will be held on between 12, 12 Bats… Ahh Ahh Ahh and 1, 1 1 Pumpkin Ahh Ahh Ahh.  Bring your favorite Spooky Halloween treat to share among the other ghouls, ghosts and goblins… It is unforeseen, but the Count himself will bring some Scary things as well…  Meet in the Hallway on the 3rd floor on Halloween, but beware of the bats in the belfry… Ahh Ahh Ahh.  Be there… or be SCARED!!!

WHEN/WHERE: 12-1pm on 10/31 in the 3rd flr breezeway

TIPS: Bring a treat if you’d like (optional)…the treats do not need to be desert specific, can be any potluck item. There will be prizes for the spookiest and tastiest treats.

This message brought to you by the RO Party Committee, and the letter S.

PARKING ON THURSDAY, 10/26- LOTS CLOSE AT 1pm

As most of you are already aware, most lots near Kerr will be closing at 1pm on on 10/26 for a football game. We realize the challenges this may present to those of you that drive to work. Please work with your supervisor to determine your plan for that day. Reminder that there is a free parking lot at the Benton County Fairgrounds and travel back and forth to campus in a courtesy shuttle. The shuttle will run from 4:30 a.m. through three hours after the game ends. Campus residents with parking permits will have uninterrupted access to R Zone lots throughout the day and night on Oct. 26. MOST IMPORTANTLY, THANKS FOR YOUR FLEXIBLITY!!!

Here are a few things to know and options for commuting to the Corvallis campus on Oct. 26:

• Parking flexibility. On Oct. 26, OSU parking permit holders can park in any commuter zone (Zones A, B, C and D) on campus.  However, cars belonging to employees in the orange lots on the linked map must be removed by 1 p.m. that day.
• Fairgrounds shuttle service. Instead of parking on campus on Oct. 26, utilize a free parking lot at the Benton County Fairgrounds and travel back and forth to campus in a courtesy shuttle. The shuttle will run from 4:30 a.m. through three hours after the game ends.
• Public transit. We encourage employees to use local transit to travel to and from campus. For details about routes and times of service, please see the Corvallis Transit System website.
• OSU Beaver Bus shuttle service will operate from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Oct. 26

WESTERN REGION OF NSF I CORP NODES AND SITES UPDATE

Karl Mundorff hosted the Western Region of NSF I Corps Node and Sites.  OSU had representative from the two regional nodes IN LA which includes USC, UCLA and CalTech, the Bay Area node which includes Stanford, Berkley and UCSF, UW, WSU and UC Merced. The group worked on ways to work together to influence federal and state level economic development, national agency innovation policy and ways to collaborate on programs and resources. Gust – is an online platform where startups (typically looking for funding but also looking for team members and other needs) list themselves.  The 2016 Regional US & Canada Accelerator Report is out and the OSU AA was the eight most active (by volume not deployment of investment dollars) Accelerator across the US and Canada.  Thanks for your leadership, Karl! More info here.

PHOTO OF THE WEEK- RO TIC TAC TOE YEARBOOK vol. 1

REMINDER: NEW FACULTY ORIENTATION- NOV. 2, 2-5pm

Our agenda for the New Faculty Orientation on Thursday, Nov. 2 from 2-5pm in the MU Horizon Room is coming together and will look fairly similar to last year’s. You should have received a calendar invite update with the agenda in the body of the email. I will circulate a final agenda as we get closer. As always, RO staff is encouraged to attend as much of the event as possible. The panel discussion should be a good one! Please remember to give all handout materials for the “speed dating” tables to Jane as early as possible the week of 10/30.  While it’s not imperative that RO Staff RSVP for the event, it wouldn’t hurt for catering headcount so please do take a moment to confirm your attendance here. Contact Jane Cigarran with any questions!

FLU SEASON IS UPON US- FLU SHOTS AVAILABLE ON CAMPUS

Get your flu vaccine and help us build herd immunity at OSU. Faculty, staff and students are eligible! Bring your ID and insurance card and wear short sleeves if possible. Many insurance plans are accepted. Cash price is $30. All flu clinics will be held in the MU Journey Room from 10 a.m.- 3 p.m. on the following dates: Thurs., Oct. 19; Wed., Oct. 25; and Tues., Nov. 7. Protect the Herd! Get your flu shot. Sponsored by PEBB.

EARTHQUAKE PREPAREDNESS- OCT. 19th SHAKE OUT

Join other OSU faculty, staff, and students in the Great Oregon Shake Out!On October 19 at 10:19 am, join the rest of Oregon and the nation and Drop, Cover, and Hold-On for 60 seconds to simulate the response to an earthquake. Folks in the RO are encourage to participate but of course we understand that it might not be possible given busy schedules. Either way, check out details on quake preparedness here.

NETWORK OUTAGE ON SAT. OCT. 14

Network Services contacted us today requesting approval for a building-wide network outage from 7:00 – 8:00 AM next Saturday, October 14 so they can switch the Kerr network over to the new building router.   Please let me know by Monday at noon if there is any reason they should not proceed as planned.

PHOTO OF THE WEEK

HAILS!

We are pleased to welcome our new Commercialization Catalyst to the Advantage Accelerator staff. Sanjai Tripathi is an alumni od OSU with a dual masters in microbiology and an MBA. Sanjai has worked in a number of technology startups, been a client of the Accelerator and was an active mentor as well. Last year, Sanjai was voted mentor of the year at the Willamette Angel Conference. He is a welcome addition to the Accelerator/Advantage/Research Office team. Sanjai started on Monday, September 18.

YOU ARE INVITED TO BREAKFAST WITH THE VPRS

Join Cindy Sagers and our interim Associate VP for Research, Brian Wall on Tuesday, Oct. 10th from 7:30-8:30 in Cindy’s office. As we have done previously, this is an opportunity for you to bring items to our attention that you feel should be addressed, or just a chance to get to know each other better. It will be a fairly intimate gathering,  so please RSVP soon if you are interested! We  do these breakfasts throughout the year…so if this timing doesn’t work for you, perhaps another one down the road will. Please email jane.cigarran@oregonstate.edu if you’d like to attend.

THANKS FOR VOLUNTEERING AT UNIVERSITY DAY!

Thanks Ben, Mark P. and Mark L., Jillian, Rachel, Jessica, Karl and Susan E. for volunteering at our University Day booth. Your help and assistance was much appreciated! The reports from the trenches are that at first people just stopped for goodies but then started interacting with interest and questions about the Research Office. We also heard reports that people were excited to see the tomato seeds back again this year. A special thanks to Mimi for coordinating our popular give away goodies, which are always a hit (lip balm, seeds, fake tattoo’s,  OCCD grocery bags, mugs, umbrella’s…you can’t get much better than that!).

PLEASE KEEP THE RO CLEAN

Two dirty pizza boxes were found on the floor behind the B308 confidential shred bin. Please note, these boxes can’t be recycled if they have any food debris on them. In future, please take them out to the trash bins located at the south end of Kerr by the loading dock. With the cooler/wet weather coming we want to avoid attracting Templeton and family. On a similar note, a huge thank you to Susan T., Carolyn and Kay for cleaning out the fridges, they are SPARKLING! It takes a village to keep them that way…thanks for your help!

MARINE STUDIES INITIATIVE (MSI) OPEN HOUSE:

Please Join Us! On Friday November 3 from 3-5 pm, we will host an informal gathering in the Marine Studies Initiative Office, located in Strand Ag Hall 300, to celebrate the beginning of a new academic year and the Initiative’s progress.

At 3:30 pm, we will gather for a brief update about MSI. We will also share the design of the MSI Building that will be constructed at the Hatfield Marine Science Center in Newport, starting in Spring 2018. Light appetizers and beverages will be available for the entire event.

Although RSVP isn’t necessary, we would appreciate your response to help us plan for food and space. Go to: http://oregonstate.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_etFMEDCJuIe5gBD

PHOTO(S) OF THE WEEK

UNIVERSITY DAY – CALL FOR SCHWAG/ HANDOUTS

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

OSRAA UPDATE

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

ANITA EISENSTADT HAS ARRIVED!

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!

ACTION ALL STAFF: TELECOMMUTING AGREEMENTS

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 17^th 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

OSU RESEARCH SLOGAN CONTEST- A MESSAGE FROM CINDY

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

FAREWELLS

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 21^st, 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 21^st, 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

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!).

A MESSAGE FROM CINDY SAGERS

“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!

NEW RESEARCH OFFICE LOGOS AVAILABLE

You can now download the Research Office logo from Box https://oregonstate.box.com/s/5frhrt4bp44jc45ygjuq72wes715zn7y

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.