FROM PAT HAWK: I’m very sad to announce that Aedra McCarthy will be leaving us at the end of March due to family health issues. Aedra joined the RO in 2010 and will definitely be missed. Aedra will be 100% telecommuting starting February 1, but will likely travel back to campus from time to time in February and March. Please let me know if anyone has questions or concerns.
NEW TECHNOLOGY IN A308 CONFERENCE ROOM
Chad has put together a quick step by step guide for the A308 conference room technology. We hope this is easy to follow and assists everyone in being able to enjoy the technology in our conference room. Please let Chad know if you have any questions or if anything is unclear in this document. A308 Conference room technology HOW TO
PLEASE DO NOT BRING YOUR BIKE IN TO KERR
Facilities has asked us to reminder our staff that bicycles are not to be parked inside buildings because of the safety hazards bicycles can present. The indoor areas where bicycles are prohibited include offices, laboratories, corridors, stairways, exit ways and other areas within administrative, academic, research, service and performing arts buildings. Here is a link to the entire policy.
Congratulations to proud grandma, Lydia, whose family welcomed Adalynd Elizabeth Perry to the world on 1/21 at 8:57pm, weighing in at 6lbs 14 oz. Please welcome our latest adorable jr. addition to the RO. What a beauty!
VENTURE DEVELOPMENT FUND (UVDF) – REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS
As part of its UVDF program, the OSU Research Office’s Office of Commercialization and Corporate Development (OCCD) seeks proposals to facilitate the further development and commercialization of OSU applied innovations. More information here: OSUVDF 01.2018 RFP Final
APPOINTMENT OF NEW CHIEF HUMAN RESOURCES OFFICER
Just in case you missed it!
I am pleased to announce that Jennifer Crosby will be joining Oregon State University as our new Chief Human Resources Officer. Jennifer has worked in the human resources field for 22 years and is a graduate of the University of Oregon with a bachelor’s of arts degree in sociology. She has worked across several industries, including academics, energy, and engineering, natural foods and hospitality.
Currently, Jennifer is the vice president, people services at The Scripps Research Institute, overseeing human resources, the international services office, the postdoctoral affairs office, and the counseling office. Before moving to southern California in 2016, Crosby found her love for academics and science when working at Oregon Health & Science University for more than a decade. At OHSU, she directed human resources, the office of visitors and volunteers, and the office of international affairs for the university’s research and academic mission areas. She is certified as a senior professional in human resources (SHRM-SCP) by the Society for Human Resource Management and received a mediation certification from Portland State University. Jennifer will start on February 1, working part-time with our division’s leadership team primarily from San Diego. During this initial time frame, Donna Chastain will continue to carry out the day-to-day CHRO duties, consulting with Jennifer as appropriate. From April 2nd through the first week in July, Jennifer will be on the Corvallis campus every other week and then be on campus full time thereafter.
Please join me in welcoming Jennifer to Oregon State University. I want to thank the search committee, led by Susan Capalbo, for the time and care they put into helping select a leader with the qualifications, vision and passion to lead our Office of Human Resources.
Sincerely,
Mike Green, Vice President, Finance and Administration
CONGRATS!
The RO’s very own Staci Simonich has received this year’s HERS CBL (Higher Education Resource Services Clare Boothe Luce) Award for her outstanding accomplishments in STEM. She is one of 12 women participants for 2018 with only 36 awards granted in total. Congratulations on this excellent achievement, Staci! Learn more about it here.
CENTER FOR THE HUMANITIES WINTER LECTURES & EVENTS
Many interesting seminars and events coming up in the Center for the Humanities. Find out more here:CFTH LECTURES
PHOTO OF THE WEEK
Remembering Maryann Bozza (HMSC) who left us too soon. Her Celebration of Life on January 10th was attending by hundreds at OCCC in Newport and illustrated what a dynamic and important role Maryann played in bringing people together, not only at OSU but in her community and beyond. You will be greatly missed, Maryann!
The Fiscal RO team (Jenn, Kim, & Ying) have two new student employees who will work a combined 20-25 hours a week. Emily Bestor and Matt McElreath will be providing project support for Kim, Ying and Jenn. Emily and Matt will sit at the workstation by Kim’s. Emily is a senior undergrad student who will graduate at the end of winter term 2018 with a Bachelor of Science, Business Information Systems, and a Bachelor of Science, Business Management, with a Minor in French. Emily’s past work experience includes two different Project Management Internships with FormFactor and Daimler Trucks North America. Emily has worked in the Auxiliaries and Activities Business Center as an Accounting Assistant since 2014 and has spent her summers working as a Sales Associate with Travel Essentials in Ashland, Oregon. Matt is a junior undergrad student who is expected to graduate June 2019 with a Bachelor of Science in Business Information Systems. Matt’s past work experience includes working at FedEx Ground as an Operations Coordinator and Matt has volunteered as a Media/Community Outreach Coordinator and received multiple awards while employed at FedEx. Please welcome Emily and Matt to RO.
KERR A308 CONFERENCE ROOM
Some updates with regard to our new conference room: To see the calendar – Listed as Kerr A308 Conference Room in the Outlook global directory. To book the conference room – Add Kerr308A@oregonstate.edu to your calendar invite so that if your meeting is adjusted or cancelled, the room reservation will also adjust.
General Guidelines
If you have a small group (2-3 folks) please try to use your own office
If your meeting cancels, be sure to release/remove the meeting from the Kerr A308 calendar
Please be conscientious of booking multiple days in a row for large blocks of time for multiple weeks/months
VPR will have meeting priority – Please be flexible if you are contacted about the possibility of moving a meeting
Conclusion of your meeting
Straighten up chairs
Wipe down table
Straighten up and put away convener/polycom on side table
Clean off white board – Information will not be saved
If you have large amounts of leftover food or containers, please remove
Meeting ends at 5pm or after – Lock doors (especially hallway door) and turn off lights. Thank you!
PHOTO OF THE WEEK
Live vicariously through Susan and check out a few lovely photos from her holiday trip to Europe! -Gondolas in Venice waiting for tourists. -“Look at me in my new red jacket purchased from Karstlefeld store in Nuremberg. I am standing in potato fields outside of Reutlingen, Germany watching the sun set.” -Panoramic view from a castle in Landshut, Germany
NICHOLE’S MASTERPIECE- the winning cookie 2017! Second place went to Sandy (anyone have a pic??)OSRAA’s Elf on the Shelf is named Elfis (live Elvis) after a naming contest last week. Cleo suggested the winning name and won the honor of placing Elfis. Well done, Cleo!Party planner EXTRAORDINAIRE, Jessica, takes a well deserved rest after pulling off an amazingly creative and festive Holiday Breezeway Party. Thank you!!
Other winners include Joe: Snowball toss/ Cindy and Ramie for “Pin The Nose On The Reindeer”/ last but certainly not least, Taylor won first prize for his “Ugly Holiday Sweater” (holiday sharks) and second place went to Vickie. Please share your photos in the comments below if so inclined. Thanks to everyone for your creativity and good cheer!
OSRAA STAFFING UPDATE
Julie Meier has accepted a new position in OSRAA as the Cayuse Administrator. She will focus on administering Cayuse functionality including supporting the backbone database, managing the flow of proposals, and exploring new functionality and upgrades. Her secondary duties will be to support the fiscal team by depositing payments and support the office with certain administrative functions. You can still find her in the same spot at the front of B306. Congrats on your new role, Julie!
FIRE INSPECTION RESULTS FOR KERR
You all may have seen the fire marshal sticking his head in your office the other day. He did notice one space heater infraction on our floor which I believe was taken care of. Please take a moment to review the safety checklist below and be particularly aware not to place space heaters under your desk. It may not come as surprise that he noted there were lots of space heaters being used in Kerr…we all know how cold it can get! Stay warm, but stay safe! Fire Saftey Checklist
PHOTO OF THE WEEK
As a final holiday treat for all of you, guess who this charming and well-coifed young man is? MERRY MERRY, EVERYONE!
HOLIDAY PARTY IS THIS COMING MONDAY!- DON’T FORGET YOUR COOKIES AND UGLY SWEATERS!
Your invited to the 2017 Research Office Holiday Party! When: Monday December 18th, Noon-2:00pm Where: Kerr 3rd floor Breezeway What: Party, Games, Food & Fun
There will be a cookie exchange and ugly sweater contest. So wear your holiday sweaters and bring a dozen cookies
or so to share if you like. Light appetizers and beverages will be provided. Games will begin at 12:30pm and there are prizes for
winning. The sweater and cooking decorating contest voting will end at 1:30 so get there early to get your cookie decorated in time.
Please contact Jessica Thurner-Byers or Adam Church if you have any questions.
OSRAA OFFICE HOURS
OSRAA will be starting an office hours program next week. You can go to OSRAA’s homepage and see the schedule. Our website link is here. Although our office hours will be on Tuesdays, we intentionally designed the schedule to have morning and afternoon timeslots. This doesn’t mean that we’re only available for questions during office hours, but we hope it will give an opportunity for someone to drop in or call if they have a question.We’ll also be sharing the information with the Pre-Award Support staff in your respective colleges. Please let Pat Hawk know if you have any questions or feedback.
MARINE RESERVES PROGRAM (RO SCIENTIFIC DIVING) YEAR IN REVIEW
The RO Scientific Diving program provides training specific to marine reserves data collection, and about half the survey divers are from OSU…check out the highlights of their year in the video below!
PHOTO OF THE WEEK
Jen Akeroyd of Julvia Technologies (an Accelerator graduate and a UVDF recipient) won the TiE (The Indus Entrepreneurs) Pitch Fest yesterday (Thursday, Dec. 7). She not only won the Seed Stage category but she won the whole competition as well. She also received a surprise $50k investment from Elevate Capital at the end. Jen and her partner Bill have created a new device that assists in the suturing of wounds. It allows sutures to remain in the skin for three times longer than normal which means a much stronger and healed wound (less chance of it re-opening) and it can eliminate deep sutures and significantly reduces the number of total sutures used in an operation. Beyond working with the Accelerator, Julvia Technologies worked with Vet Med on a pig study to demonstrate product efficacy and OSU is involved in Julvia’s human trials coming up after the first of the year.
TRAVEL PROCEDURES/ DOCUSIGN
Hopefully most of us have had a chance to look over the new travel procedures. If you have any questions do not hesitate to let Kim, Ying, or Jenn know. The documents can be found on the Shared drive S:\travel procedures. In that folder you will find the Pre approval travel request (step one) that will need to be signed by your supervisor and sent to RO.travel@oregonstate.edu. Upon your return you will need to fill out the travel reimbursement that can be found in the orange packet or in shared drive there is an excel file that will calculate amounts for you. Once you return the envelope to the travel box Kim or Ying will send your travel document through DocuSign. Just follow the link in the email to sign. If you are signed up for Direct deposit you will receive an email when the money will be distributed to your account. If you have not already signed up for Docusign, please do so now! Particularly for things requiring signature from the VPR, this is the most efficiently way to do it. Thanks!
GULF DEEP DOWN IN THE GULF OF MEXICO
OSU PhD student (and scientific diver) Alexandra Avila (Heppell Lab) is at sea on a two-week NOAA cruise exploring deep habitats in the Gulf of Mexico. The live ROV feeds are impressive, and can be viewed here: http://oceanexplorer.noaa.gov/okeanos/media/exstream/exstream.html “
RO CELEBRITY SITING
And in more diving news, check out this great piece from the GT featuring cover star, Kevin Buch!
There was a Templeton sighting in Business Affairs (1st Floor) during broad daylight I’m told, so he’s back with a vengeance. Just a friendly reminder, please keep the kitchen areas tidy and don’t leave out any food. Templeton has been known to check out desk areas, so please put away all of your snacks. If you toss any food in your desk bin, please remove into the covered kitchen bin.
OSU WAVE ENERGY IN THE NEWS
Here is a great piece from NPR highlighting the work OSU (including many of you) are involved in on wave energy!
TRAVEL UPDATE: TSA IDENTIFICATION REQUIREMENT
Starting January 22, 2018, all domestic U.S. air travelers will be required to:
a) Show a driver’s license issued by a state that is compliant with the REAL ID Act or has been granted an extension. Note: Oregon has received a temporary extension until October 10, 2018.
OR
b) Show an alternative form of acceptable identification such as: passport, global entry card, U.S. Military ID and more.
Business Affairs has posted the TSA – Real ID information on their travel webpage for further clarification.
CLOSURES OR CURTAINMENT OF OPERATIONS/ HOLIDAY SCHEDULE
If it becomes necessary for the University to close or curtail operations due to inclement weather or hazardous conditions, employees will be notified that they are not to report to work. Information regarding closures and curtailments are located here:Closures or Curtailment of OperationsAlso, please see the 2018 Holiday Schedule for operations at OSU here: 2018 Holiday Schedule
PHOTO OF THE WEEK- SPECIAL EDITION- HALLOWEEN PARTY RECAP!
This was one of the most impressive displays of GOULISH GOODIES I have ever seen! From the Templeton cheeseball to the marshmallow caramel dirty Q-Tips…it was all seriously amazing. Thank you RO Party Planners for pulling it all together!
Each year Childcare and Family Resources leads a Joy Drive to provide student families in need with gifts for the winter holiday season. They invite departments on campus to participate by sponsoring a family. The Research Office has participated in the Joy Drive for the past few years, providing gifts and a grocery store gift card for the family we sponsored. Jillian Coleman has offered to help coordinate the Research Office’s participation in the Joy Drive this year. In the past, we have asked people who are interested in participating to donate to a fund which will then be used to purchase gifts for the families. If you are interested in participating, please let Jillian know by November 7th. Participation involves making a donation in any amount you choose to help purchase the gifts. If you’d like to help with coordinating our participation or shopping, you can do that too. They are also accepting donations of wrapping paper, ribbons, tape, etc. Please feel free to contact Jillian with any questions.
ACCELERATOR IN THE NEWS
Advantage Accelerator earns top-10 ranking among U.S., Canadian incubators
The Oregon State University Advantage Accelerator has earned a top-10 ranking among business incubators in the U.S. and Canada by a leading online network for angel investing. Go Beavs! Read all about it here.
UPCOMING RO EVENTS!
Tuesday, 10/31: Don’t forget to bring a spooky treat, costume or attitude to our Halloween party in the Breezeway from 12-1pm! Prizes for the spookiest!
Thursday, 11/2: Join us in the MU Horizon Room from 2-5pm for our New Faculty Orientation. If you are hosting a speed dating table please drop handouts off with Jane ahead of the event (or bring them with you!).
TRAVEL PROCEDURE CHANGE FOR RO- IMPORTANT!
A Pre Approval Travel Request will be needed to be completed for any in-state and out-of-state travel. The Pre Approval Travel request will be needed for any part of travel for which you are seeking reimbursement. For example, if you are seeking reimbursement for conference registration only and no other additional travel related expenses, please complete the Pre Approval Travel Request prior to attending the conference. This Pre Approval form will serve as an approval from your supervisor to attend an OSU Business related travel activity and your release time from your regular OSU work schedule. We have created Orange RO Travel Envelopes; please feel free to take one of these with you as you embark upon your trip as they contain helpful reference materials. Within this Travel envelope you will find:
• Research Office Travel Envelope sheet that will have our contact information and explains the contents of the envelope
• An envelope for your receipts
• Travel Reference sheets
• Travel Reimbursement Form (feel free to complete by handwriting or typing)
These Travel Envelopes can be picked up from hanging travel boxes from the side of Ying’s desk in Kerr 322 or from Kerr 306 by the in & out going mail.
Upon return from your travel please make sure within 30 days (this allows for processing time to meet the OSU 60 day requirement) to submit your reimbursement form and receipts back to our Travel inbox which is hanging from the side of Ying’s desk in Kerr 322. You and your supervisor will then receive a DocuSign approval request to authorize your travel reimbursement. In addition to an email that Jenn circulated on 10/19, you can also find these documents under the shared drive: \Travel procedures. If you have additional questions please let Kim, Ying, or Jenn know.
PHOTO OF THE WEEK
BREEZEWAY BUDDIES: Vickie and Cindy enjoying donuts to celebrate Chad’s birthday! Happy belated birthday, Chad!
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
Read this imagining in the voice of the count… Ahh Ahh Ahh…
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
The first in what we hope to be a continuing photo series. Submit your yearbook photos to Jane for consideration in future Tic Tac Toe boards. Adam and Jane both went to Crescent Valley High at the same time and have the pictures to prove it!
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
Thanks to Denis for these pics from the Hazelnut Fall tour. They are a couple weeks out from harvest) Dr Shawn Mehlenbacher is speaking in this photo. Hazelnut Season is upon us (in addition to flu season)!
