Two Men on Croft Porch ResearchHighlights Newsletter

May/June 2006

Welcome to ResearchHighlights, the online newsletter of the Office of Research and Sponsored Programs at The University of Mississippi. Archives of past issues are available here. For more information, or to submit news items or story ideas, please email the editor.

Office of Research and Sponsored Programs
University of Mississippi
662.915.7482 voice
662.915.7577 fax
Quotation Corner ~
Any darn fool can make something complex; it takes a genius to make something simple.
FOCUS: Federal Program Profile — EPSCoR

Many in the research community have heard Mississippi referred to as an “EPSCoR state,” but how many know what that designation means?

EPSCoR Background

EPSCoR is the Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research. The EPSCoR program was begun in 1979 by the National Science Foundation, and has since grown to include seven federal grant-making agencies and 26 US states and territories (including Mississippi).

Due to a variety of factors, federally-funded research activities had been concentrated in a handful of states prior to EPSCoR’s beginning in 1979. Many “under-funded” states lacked the resources and research infrastructure to be competitive in research grant applications. The NSF EPSCoR program was designed to give those under-funded states opportunities to improve their research infrastructure, thus enhancing their competitiveness in attracting funding as well as high-quality students, faculty and researchers.

NSF EPSCoR Programs

The National Science Foundation has two distinct EPSCoR-related programs: Research Infrastructure Improvement and EPSCoR Co-Funding.

The NSF Research Infrastructure Improvement (RII) program is a competitive, merit-based program in which state EPSCoR committees propose collaborative research and infrastructure enhancement projects. Mississippi has just received an award for a three-year RII project, “Innovations through Computational Sciences.” UM researchers participating in this project include faculty in Chemistry and Biochemistry, Medicinal Chemistry, Chemical Engineering, and Leadership and Counselor Education.

NSF EPSCoR Co-Funding opportunities arise when researchers submit competitive proposals to the NSF. Proposals are reviewed through standard NSF procedures. Those proposals that receive a recommendation for funding and are from researchers in EPSCoR states may then be considered for EPSCoR co-funding. If a program officer has a proposal from an EPSCoR state that she would like to fund, and doesn’t have enough money budgeted to cover all the proposals she would like to fund, she may approach the NSF EPSCoR office for co-funding support. EPSCoR co-funding allows a program officer to fund more proposals than would be possible otherwise. Often, a PI will not even know his proposal was supported by EPSCoR co-funding; the process does not involve any active request from the PI.

All proposals initiated from EPSCoR states are potentially eligible for EPSCoR co-funding, regardless of the program (i.e., for a proposal to eligible for co-funding, it need not be related to the statewide RII program). Also, the state EPSCoR committee has no role in co-funding; those decisions are made entirely within NSF headquarters.

And remember: a proposal must be competitively selected for funding before EPSCoR co-funding is considered by the NSF.

Mississippi NSF EPSCoR Committee

Each state’s EPSCoR program is run through the statewide EPSCoR committee. The Mississippi NSF EPSCoR committee is made up of the Chief Research Officers (Vice President or Vice Chancellor) of each of the state’s major research universities (UM, Mississippi State, Jackson State and Southern Mississippi), as well as several industry and state government representatives. The administrative offices for Mississippi NSF EPSCoR are housed at Mississippi State.  Statewide issues related to all EPSCoR opportunities, regardless of sponsor, are managed through the Mississippi EPSCoR committee.

EPSCoR and Other Federal Agencies

Other federal agencies have EPSCoR programs. Requirements and proposal types vary widely from agency to agency. Listed below are several other EPSCoR agencies, along with their programs.

If you have questions or would like more information about EPSCoR opportunities, please contact Patrick Brown (pbrown@olemiss.edu, ext. 7482) or Mickey McLaurin (mclaurin@olemiss.edu, ext. 7482) in the Office of Research and Sponsored Programs.

Faculty Q&A
Answering your questions

Each month we answer a question from the faculty. Please send your questions to research@olemiss.edu.

Q:
I'd like to keep up with the status of my grant account and monitor expenditures carefully. Can I do this myself somehow without bugging the Accounting Office for detailed information?
A:
PIs can request web access to their Fund 25, Fund 30, and Fund 60 accounts via the SAP to Excel Project (STEP). The STEP system is very easy to use and doesn't require knowledge of SAP. You'll need to have and know how to use Microsoft Excel on your computer, and you'll also need to become familiar with the terminology used by the system – for example, your account is called a “profit center.” The account information is updated nightly and gives more up-to-date information than the monthly budget statements. Information on how to request access is at www.olemiss.edu/projects/sap/.
Speaking of COS

Humanities and Health Sciences Opportunities Now Featured at COS
COS Funding News has been a popular feature of the COS website for quite some time, providing a weekly cross-discipline sampling of opportunities in the COS Funding Opportunities database. Last year, COS introduced COS Health Science Funding News, featuring opportunities in the health sciences, and they have just launched a new feature, COS Humanities Funding News. Each week, COS editors will select interesting opportunities to share via these special features. All three editions are also available as RSS feeds. You can have these RSS feeds collected by your desktop newsreader (learn more about RSS feeds). Links to all three of these COS features may be found on the ORSP Funding Opportunities/Recent Announcements page as well.

Don't Know About COS?
Check out our COS page, the January 2005 newsletter article, and/or the COS home page. COS is for all UM faculty in all academic disciplines and research areas.

Some Upcoming Events

Council on Undergraduate Research 2006 National Conference ~ June 24-27, 2006
Learning Through Research: Dynamic Faculty, Students, and Institutions: This conference will bring together faculty, administrators, policy makers, representatives of funding agencies and other stakeholders with an interest in doing and promoting undergraduate research. The conference includes over 100 workshops; presentations by representatives of funding agencies; divisional sessions; and social interactions. www.cur.org/conferences/depauw/cur06natconf.asp

Johns Hopkins/Bloomberg Summer Institute in Mental Health Research ~ July 5-14, 2006
The Department of Mental Health of the Bloomberg School of Public Health is offering its Annual Summer Institute in Mental Health Research.  The Institute will focus on methodological and substantive topics of particular importance in mental health and drug use research. It is intended for professionals or students who are interested in research in: (a) the epidemiology of specific types of mental and behavioral disorders, (b) the implementation and evaluation of population mental health services, and/or (c) the measurement and statistical issues that commonly arise when studying mental health. For more information on courses and registration, go to www.jhsph.edu/dept/mh/summer_institute/.

Getting ROI on R&D: University Start-Ups National Showcase and Conference ~ October 22-24, 2006
The conference offers a national venue for the major players involved in start-up creation and funding to meet, discuss and network on best practices for partnering with universities, creating university-affiliated companies, and improving the national innovation economy. Four hundred attendees are expected, of which half will be angel investors and venture capitalists from around the country with an express interest in working with the nation's universities to help commercialize their R&D (including providing the seed capital). For more information please go to www.ncet2.org/.

Second International Joint Conferences on Computer, Information, and Systems Sciences, and Engineering (CISSE 2006) ~ December 4-14, 2006
CISSE 2006 provides a virtual forum for presentation and discussion of the state-of the-art research on computers, information and systems sciences and engineering. The CISSE 2006 virtual conference will be conducted through the Internet using web-conferencing tools, made available by the conference. This international conference will be held entirely on-line. The accepted and presented papers will be made available after the conference both on a CD and as a book publication. CISSE 2006 is composed of the following four conferences:

  • International Conference on Industrial Electronics, Technology and Automation
  • International Conference on Telecommunications and Networking
  • International Conference on Systems, Computing Sciences and Software Engineering
  • International Conference on Engineering Education, Instructional Technology, Assessment, and E-learning

Prospective authors are invited to submit full papers electronically in Microsoft Word format through the website of the conference at www.cisse2006online.org.

A Few Program Announcements and Deadlines

Mississippi Humanities Council Minigrants ~ Deadline July 1
July 1 is the next Mississippi Humanities Council minigrant application deadline for proposals up to $2,000. Application guidelines and forms are available at www.mshumanities.org.

NIH/NIA Retirement Economics (R01/P01/R21 and R03) ~ Deadlines October 1/February 1
The National Institute on Aging (NIA) invites applications for research on retirement economics. The research objectives of this program announcement (PA) include, but are not limited to, the determinants of retirement behavior; the variation in work patterns in later life; the evolution of health and economic circumstances of individuals through retirement and into later life; time use and life satisfaction before and during retirement; the implications of retirement trends; retirement expectations; international comparisons of retirement; and the development of innovative retirement modeling techniques.
R01/P01/R21: grants1.nih.gov/grants/guide/pa-files/PA-05-036.html
R03: grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/pa-files/PA-06-235.html

National Humanities Center Residential Fellowships ~ Deadline October 15
The National Humanities Center offers 40 residential fellowships for advanced study in the humanities during the academic year, September 2007 through May 2008. Most of the center's fellowships are unrestricted. For the academic year 2007-2008, however, candidates with an interest in the impact of recent scientific research on the human attributes of autonomy, singularity, and creativity are encouraged to apply. Individual fellowships are also available in the fields of art history or visual culture, French history or culture, Asian Studies, theology, American art history, and environmental history. www.nhc.rtp.nc.us/fellowships/appltoc.htm

NSF Networking Technology and Systems (NeTS) ~ Deadline January 10
The National Science Foundation NeTS program solicitation invites research proposals in the field of networking and covers all aspects of networking research. It includes research on future end-to-end Internet architectures; sub-network architectures enabled by disruptive technologies such as programmable wireless, mobile wireless, wireless sensors, and optical networks; and strategic research on current Internet including measurement, modeling, and understanding of complex networks. The NeTS program also seeks to develop innovative curricular and educational materials that will help prepare the next generation of networking professionals. www.nsf.gov/publications/pub_summ.jsp?ods_key=nsf06516

Find MORE on the ORSP Funding Opportunities Recent Announcements page

SEARCH using COS Funding Opportunities

Bits & Pieces

Resource for Proposal Writing: UM Facts & Figures
The ORSP website includes a page titled UM Facts & Figures (in the Researcher's Toolbox) which should prove useful to many proposal writers as well as anyone seeking to learn more about our university. Gathered on the page are numerous links to such UM basics as mission and goals, organization charts, statistical data, and recent accomplishments, as well as faculty expertise, facility descriptions, and data about our city and state. If you can suggest other online information that should be added to this resource page, please send a message to orspweb@olemiss.edu.

New Web Source for R&D Opportunities
DoD TechMatch is a Department of Defense (DoD) sponsored web portal that helps industry and academia find R&D opportunities from FedBizOpps, Grants.gov, and SBIR/STTR solicitations. In addition, DoD TechMatch offers a central location to find DoD Licensable Patents, Labs and Facilities, Hot Technologies, Technology Needs, Calendar Events, and Success Stories. DoD TechMatch uses a keyword matching function to send you information relevant to your business. The keywords are selected when you register with DoD TechMatch. As information comes into the system it is assigned keywords and is then cross-referenced with the registered user keywords. DoD TechMatch sends a daily e-mail to each registered user that has a matching keyword. A link to DoD TechMatch has been placed on the ORSP Funding Opportunities web page.

Notice to Grantees of the U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs
On April 3, 2006, the Grant Adjustment Notice (GAN) module went live in the OJP Grant Management System. All GANs must now be processed electronically through the GAN module. OJP requires a GAN for any programmatic, administrative, or financial change associated with a grant. Examples of changes that would require a GAN include: change in the point of contact or authorizing official for a grant; request for a no-cost extension of the grant period; or altering the programmatic activities of a grant, among others. With the GAN module, OJP believes that its grantees will experience shorter processing times and faster approvals for changes to their awards. The UM account for the OJP Grant Management System is held by the Office of Research and Sponsored Programs (ORSP). Post-award adjustment requests for OJP grants should be directed to the ORSP for submission via the GAN module.

ORSP News

Division of Research
:: Faculty Research Fellows Luncheon ~ On May 5 the 2006 Faculty Research Fellows were honored at a luncheon where they were welcomed and congratulated by the Chancellor, the Provost, and the Vice Chancellor for Research and Sponsored Programs. Around 60 people attended, including most of the fellows, their deans and chairs, and ORSP staff.
:: Traveling Workshops ~ On April 28 Proposal Development Specialists Lesha Agnew and Mickey McLaurin presented a workshop on the National Institutes of Health's transition to the new Grants.gov online system for proposal submission. Grants.gov workshops are available for presentation to your school, department, research center, research group, or any other combination of researchers – just let us know if you would be interested in scheduling a session. Also available is a workshop on the COS Funding Opportunities and COS Expertise services offered through the ORSP in support of research on the UM campus.
:: April-May Proposals ~ Proposal Development Specialists Lesha Agnew and Mickey McLaurin processed 23 external funding proposals during April and 51 during May 2006.

Division of Research Integrity and Compliance
:: A New Look ~ The Animal Research page on the ORSP website has gotten a facelift to make it easier for researchers to find information, forms, guidance, etc. Log on to www.research.olemiss.educompliance/animal/index.html and check it out. Let us know about any problems you experience. IACUC staff can be reached at ext. 7482 or irb@research.olemiss.edu.
:: Compliance Forms ~ Be sure to always check the Compliance Forms page and download the current version of any IACUC or IRB form you need rather than revising an old form saved on your computer. Principal investigators using older versions of any form will be asked to resubmit their information on the current version.
:: Meeting Schedules ~ IACUC and IRB meeting schedules are posted as follows:
IACUC: www.research.olemiss.educompliance/animal/animal_meetings.html
IRB: www.research.olemiss.educompliance/human/meeting_schedule.html
:: UM Vivarium Per Diem Rates Increase September 1 ~ Beginning September 1, 2006, per diem rates will increase from 1/3 to 2/3 of costs. PIs working with animals housed in the UM Vivarium should include the increased per diem charges in grant applications and prepare for the rise in costs for existing projects. For rates, see www.research.olemiss.educompliance/animal/vivarium_perdiem_rates.html.
:: A New Face in the IACUC Office ~ There has been a change in the IACUC office staff. Jonas King, current IACUC Graduate Assistant, will be leaving his position to focus on his studies. Taking his place is Gina Stewart, an experimental psychology doctoral student with a concentration in behavioral neuroscience. If you have not already met Gina, come by the IACUC office for a visit and/or assistance between 2:00-4:00 p.m. The IACUC office is located at 113 Old Chemistry.

Division of Sponsored Programs Administration
::
Professional Activity ~ SPA Division staff Robin Buchannon and Linda Stone, along with Nina Cheshier, UM Director of Accounting, attended the National Council of University Research Administrators (NCURA) Region III Annual Meeting in Miami, May 7-10.  Nina and Robin co-presented, with a colleague from Georgia Tech, a session on Cost Share.
:: April-May Awards ~ SPA Division staff (Scottie Casey, Euphiazene Gray, Anita Randle, Linda Stone) processed 19 external funding awards during April and 29 during May 2006.

Division of Technology Management
The University of Mississippi, along with several other organizations from around the state, sponsored a booth at the 14th Annual International Convention of the Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO). This was the first time Mississippi had been represented at the annual conference and we received a lot of traffic and inquiries over the three days we were open. The entire exhibit hall at BIO 2006 filled about 176,000 square feet with exhibitors from 43 states and 36 nations. MDA designed our display and it emphasized the research capabilities within each of the four MRC institutions.

For complete information about the ORSP — mission, structure, services, responsibilities, and more — visit the Office of Research and Sponsored Programs page

Congratulations from the VCRSP

The Office of Research and Sponsored Programs oversees funding for research, service,
education projects. These activities complement the fundamental aspects of The University of Mississippi’s mission and are among its most tangible contributions to the future. Funding for these activities is one of the best measures of a university’s success in engaging with national and international communities.

All of us who have sought funding to test our ideas know that it is difficult and that the communities to which we belong are highly competitive. That spirit of competition is critical and it contributes more than a little to the relief and excitement a researcher feels on receiving a funding award.

Listed below are our colleagues who have been notified of external funding awards in the last two calendar months. Please join me in congratulating them. The news of their discoveries and the importance of their contributions are part of all of our futures and the future of Ole Miss.

Alice M. Clark Signature

Alice M. Clark, Ph.D.
Vice Chancellor for Research and Sponsored Programs

PI Name
PI Department/Unit
Co-PI Name/s
Altinakar, M. National Center for Computational Hydroscience and Engineering
Bass, H. National Center for Physical Acoustics
Bass, H. Physics and Astronomy Keppens, V.
Brown, P. Office of Research and Sponsored Programs
Byrd, H. Pharmacy Practice
Clark, A. Office of Research and Sponsored Programs Tschumper, G.
Davis, S.
Ritchie, J.
Wadkins, R.
Doerksen, R.
Sukanek, P.
Wells, A.
Cremaldi, L. Physics and Astronomy Summers, D.
Easson, G. Geology and Geological Engineering
Easterbrook, N. Ford Center for the Performing Arts
Elsherbeni, A. Electrical Engineering  
ElSohly, M. National Center for Natural Products Research Khan, I.
Ferreira, D. Pharmacognosy
Gabrynowicz, J. National Remote Sensing and Space Law Center
Glisson, A. Electrical Engineering
Gross, A. Psychology
Kartiganer, D. English
Kellum, G. University Relations
Majumdar, S. Pharmaceutics
Marting, D. Modern Languages
McCaffrey, D. Center for Pharmaceutical Marketing and Management Bouldin, A.
Nagle, D. Pharmacognosy Zhou, Y.
O'Haver, J. Chemical Engineering
Oakley, C. National Food Service Management Institute
Rhodes, P. Computer and Information Sciences
Sabatier, J. National Center for Physical Acoustics
Seiner, J. National Center for Physical Acoustics Ukeiley, L.
Seiner, J. National Center for Physical Acoustics
Shackelford, K. Social Work
Shariat-Madar, Z. Pharmacology
Sufka, K. Psychology  
Sukanek, P. Chemical Engineering  
Sullivan, K. Center for Educational Research and Evaluation Harper, M.
Wang, S. National Center for Computational Hydroscience and Engineering
Wilkin, N. Pharmacy Administration Yang, Y.
Willett, K. Pharmacology
Woolsey, R. Mississippi Mineral Resources Institute

April Proposals Submitted: 23

May Proposals Submitted: 51

April Awards Received: 19 totaling $10,066,266

May Awards Received: 29 totaling $7,908,068

FY06 Year-to-Date Number of Active Sponsored Projects: 493

FY06 Year-to-Date Number of Active Investigators: 234

Copyright ©2006 The University of Mississippi. All rights reserved.
Please send comments and suggestions to ORSP web page manager.
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