Recently, UM faculty may well have been asking themselves the above question. In late February, many received e-mail communications from two different sources requesting the update of “expertise” information in two different locations.

Alice Clark, Vice Chancellor for Research and Sponsored Programs, asked faculty to log into COS Expertise and enter their latest publications, funding and awards received, research interests, and other updates. Elaine Pugh, Assistant Director of Media and Public Relations, asked faculty to review their entries in UM’s Faculty Experts Guide and send her any changes regarding their areas of expertise. What’s the difference in these two listings, and why do we need them both?

UM’s Office of Research and Sponsored Programs (ORSP) subscribes to COS, an Internet-based service for all disciplines, providing searches for funding opportunities, faculty expertise profiles, funding alerts and numerous other capabilities. The UM ORSP subscribes to COS services to help advance your work and that of your colleagues, and to advance our research and education programs.

UM’s Media and Public Relations publishes the Faculty Experts Guide on the Ole Miss Web site to provide a public online resource that is searchable by name and by keywords reflecting areas of expertise represented on our campus. This guide provides reporters and editors with the names and contact information of UM faculty and staff who can address topical issues. According to Pugh’s message, media representatives often ask UM experts to help explain complicated subjects, provide opinions regarding current events or provide perspectives for stories.

So the differences between the two listings come down to (1) intended audience for the information, and (2) intended use of the information.

The audience for the Faculty Experts Guide is primarily the media, who use it to access “the specialty areas of our diverse faculty available for expert commentary on breaking news or feature stories on hundreds of topics” (from the Faculty Experts Guide Web page). The Faculty Experts Guide serves a vital purpose in keeping the names and knowledge of our faculty before the public, sharing that knowledge and building public support for our academic and research programs.

With COS, the audience is other researchers, scholars and experts around the world who use COS Expertise to identify peer reviewers for articles and proposals; discover prospective collaborators for ongoing research projects; assist with multidisciplinary funding projects; leverage existing R&D efforts; keep up-to-date with basic science and academic research; and communicate directly with the researchers who possess the expertise they need. Internally, UM and ORSP use COS to keep track of internal research capabilities; publicize research capabilities externally; and systematically disseminate relevant grant information to individual faculty. For more information about COS at Ole Miss, see the Speaking of COS section below.

As a public institution, The University of Mississippi “will produce research and scholarship that is nationally recognized and supports the economic, healthcare and cultural development of the state, the region and the nation” (from Mission and Goals, Office of the Chancellor). COS Expertise and the Faculty Experts Guide are among the ways we share that research and scholarship with the public and the wider academic and research communities.

Broaden Your Funding Search
Often, funding seekers narrow their searches to only opportunities offered to citizens of their country, which seems natural – but they can miss scores of opportunities. Many funding sponsors actually open their opportunities to citizens of any country – they will fund anyone willing to tackle the intended work. Even government sponsors, such as the Engineering Research Council of Canada and the UK's Natural Environment Research Council (NERC), offer funding that is not restricted to citizens of their country.

You can easily search for opportunities open to citizens of any country by checking the “Unrestricted” box at the bottom of the Citizenship field of the COS Funding Opportunities Main Search screen. Even better, also check the “Unspecified” box to also search for opportunities for which the sponsor hasn't said whether or not citizenship will be restricted.

So the next time you run a search in COS Funding Opportunities, be sure to check "Unrestricted" and "Unspecified" along with your country of citizenship, and see how many more opportunities are open to you.

Don't Know About COS?
Check out our COS page, the January 2005 and September 2006 newsletter articles, and/or the COS home page. COS is for all UM faculty in all academic disciplines and research areas.

NIH Regional Seminar ~ April 24-26, 2007
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) and local partners will sponsor an NIH Regional Seminar on the NIH funding process – from application preparation to post-award administration – April 24-26, 2007 at the Sheraton Imperial Hotel in Research Triangle Park, North Carolina. The NIH Regional Seminar is designed for researchers and research administrators from academic institutions and private organizations in the eastern United States. Discussions of issues affecting NIH funding and grant administration will give conference participants a comprehensive, up-to-date view of NIH-sponsored research. Other discussion topics will include the fundamentals of conducting business with NIH (grant application preparation, electronic submission, peer review, budget analysis, and award determination), and current topics (strategic and financial management plans, indirect costs, and effective administration between NIH and recipients). The format will also include time for conference participants to meet informally with NIH representatives to discuss topics of special interest.
Registration is available online at www.ncbiotech.org/services_and_programs/intellectual_exchange/2007NIHRegionalSeminar.html

SICU2: An International Workshop on Historic Scientific Instrument Collections in the University ~ June 21-24, 2007
The first international conference on Scientific Instrument Collections in Universities (SICU) was held at Dartmouth College in 2004. The SICU1 conference began addressing the unique challenges faced by those who deal with university collections, while also striving to increase awareness among those who may not recognize the importance of their collections. The purpose of the SICU2 workshop (hosted by the University of Mississippi) is to continue solidifying the foundation for finding, describing, organizing, preserving, and utilizing the vast resource of historic scientific instrument collections that reside in academic institutions. These instruments are a vital part of our cultural and scientific heritage. Scientists, junior scholars, advanced graduate and undergraduate students, and people from outside academia are particularly encouraged to participate. home.olemiss.edu/~sicu2web/index.html

AEJMC MC&S Research Awards ~ Deadline May 1
The Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication (AEJMC) Mass Communication and Society (MC&S) Division offers the MC&S Research Award to encourage high-quality research on media and society. Research may be on any topic that advances mass communication research, especially at the societal or macrosocial level. Proposals must emphasize the interaction with society and fit with the division's mission. All methods are welcome, whether qualitative or quantitative. Research funded by the grant will be submitted to Mass Communication & Society for review within two years of the award.
AEJMC Website: http://aejmc.net/mcs/researchaward.php
COS Record: http://fundingopps.cos.com/cgi-bin/getRec?id=98379

NSF Broadening Participation in Computing ~ Deadline June 4
The Broadening Participation in Computing (BPC) program aims to significantly increase the number of U.S. citizens and permanent residents receiving post secondary degrees in the computing disciplines, with an emphasis on students from communities with longstanding underrepresentation in computing: women, persons with disabilities, and minorities. Included minorities are African Americans, Hispanics, American Indians, Alaska Natives, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders. The BPC program seeks to engage the computing community in developing and implementing innovative methods to improve recruitment and retention of these students at the undergraduate and graduate levels. Because the lack of role models in the professoriate can be a barrier to participation, the BPC program also aims to develop effective strategies for encouraging individuals to pursue academic careers in computing and become these role models.
NSF Website: http://www.nsf.gov/pubs/2007/nsf07548/nsf07548.htm
COS Record: http://fundingopps.cos.com/cgi-bin/getRec?id=91548

NSF Informal Science Education ~ Deadline September 13
The National Science Foundation's Informal Science Education (ISE) program invests in projects that develop and implement informal learning experiences designed to increase interest, engagement, and understanding of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) by individuals of all ages and backgrounds, as well as projects that advance the theory and practice of informal science education. Projects may target either public audiences or professionals whose work directly affects informal STEM learning. ISE projects are expected to demonstrate strategic impact, collaboration, and innovation.
NSF Website: http://www.nsf.gov/pubs/2006/nsf06520/nsf06520.htm
COS Record: http://fundingopps.cos.com/cgi-bin/getRec?id=75632

NSF Developing Global Scientists and Engineers ~ Deadline September 15 (anticipated)
For the United States to remain at the forefront of world science and technology, it needs an educated science and engineering workforce capable of operating in the international research environment and a global market. The National Science Foundation's Office of International Science and Engineering programs complement and enhance the foundation's broader research and education portfolio and provide a set of programs designed to assist young scientists and engineers at several critical stages early in their careers. This solicitation describes support for International Research Experiences for Students (IRES) at the undergraduate and graduate level and support for Doctoral Dissertation Enhancement Projects (DDEP). The goal of these activities, and the related activities described below, is to build a more inclusive and globally engaged workforce that fully reflects the strength of our diverse population.
NSF Website: http://www.nsf.gov/publications/pub_summ.jsp?ods_key=nsf04036
COS Record: http://fundingopps.cos.com/cgi-bin/getRec?id=70085

APS Franklin Research Grants ~ Deadline October 1 (anticipated)
The American Philosophical Society's (APS') Franklin Research Grants program awards small grants to scholars in order to support the cost of noncommercial research leading to publication in all areas of knowledge. The grants are intended to help meet the costs of travel to libraries and archives for research purposes; the purchase of microfilm, photocopies, or equivalent research materials; the costs associated with fieldwork; or laboratory research expenses. The grants are not intended to meet the expenses of attending conferences or the costs of publication.
APS Website: http://www.amphilsoc.org/grants/franklin.htm
COS Record: http://fundingopps.cos.com/cgi-bin/getRec?id=32867

Find MORE on the ORSP Funding Opportunities Recent Announcements page

SEARCH using COS Funding Opportunities

SURAfund Solicitation Opened
The Southeastern Universities Research Association (SURA) has announced the opening of the latest SURAfund solicitation (www.sura.org/surafund), an early-stage investment program designed specifically for university spin-outs seeking seed stage funding. The new solicitation opened March 12 and will close April 9, 2007. Partners are seeking plans in biotech, nanotech, IT/communications, bioenergy, and other technology areas. For all the details or to submit your five-page business plan, please visit www.sura.org/surafund.

The Southeastern Universities Research Association is a consortium of over sixty universities and colleges throughout the US, including The University of Mississippi. Jefferson Science Associates, a joint venture between SURA and Computer Sciences Corporation, operates the US Department of Energy's Jefferson Lab, a premiere nuclear physics research facility. SURA also manages initiatives in information technology, coastal research and technology commercialization. See www.sura.org for more information.

Proposal Activity ~ Proposal Development Specialists Lesha Agnew and Mickey McLaurin processed 30 external funding proposals during February 2007. For a complete listing, see the Monthly Report page.

Award Activity ~ SPA Division staff (Scottie Casey, Euphiazene Gray, Anita Randle, Linda Stone) processed 23 external funding awards during February 2007. For a complete listing, see the Monthly Report page.

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

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 calendar month. 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, Ph.D.
Vice Chancellor for Research and Sponsored Programs

Monthly Report: A list of awards received and proposals submitted by The University of Mississippi in the previous month.

February Proposals Submitted: 30

February Awards Received: 23 totaling $5,810,224

FY07 Year-to-Date Number of Active Sponsored Projects: 509

FY07 Year-to-Date Number of Active Investigators: 227