When Max Williams agreed to serve as a half-time Director of Research in the Office of Research and Sponsored Programs three years ago, he never dreamed there could be so much to do. Retiring after a distinguished career as Professor and Chair of Sociology and Anthropology and Director of UM’s Center for Population Research, the energetic Dr. Williams couldn’t imagine just sitting at home – so he answered the call of his University and signed on for a limited engagement in the world of research administration. Max is one of those gregarious people who knows and is known and liked by everybody – he also knows the power of listening to people’s concerns and working toward solutions that build support. Dr. Alice Clark, Vice Chancellor for Research and Sponsored Programs, saw him not only as a problem-solver but also as a good-will ambassador for the research enterprise.

One of the first challenges Max encountered after joining the ORSP was the Faculty Research Program (FRP), UM’s internal funding program. After a couple of years without a Director of Research in place to spearhead it, the FRP was experiencing low participation (only 12 proposals and eight awards in 2001-2002). Max worked with ORSP staff to reorganize the FRP and raise its profile on campus, and he made it his mission to meet personally with every FRP applicant (or, for that matter, any UM faculty member or group) who wanted to discuss research endeavors and learn about the services of the ORSP. Among the FRP’s new features during Max’s tenure are an awards luncheon each spring honoring new FRP recipients (now called Faculty Research Fellows) and a poster symposium each fall to showcase FRP research projects nearing completion. In the most recent competition (2004-2005), 62 FRP proposals were received and 37 awards were made, for a total of $279,956 of institutional research support.

Several new programs soon became part of Max’s repertoire as Director of Research. In 2003-2004 the Faculty Travel Support program began offering institutional support for research-related faculty travel; over two years, nearly $114,000 has been allocated through the monthly competitive travel application and review process. In 2004-2005 a Request for Proposals was issued for Interdisciplinary Working Group Development, in an effort to jump-start the kind of cross-discipline collaborations increasingly favored by external funding agencies. The competition attracted 17 proposals from UM/UMMC faculty, and five groups were selected for funding. For the past three years, Max has also helped coordinate a summer internship program for students from the Mississippi School for Math and Science to allow them research lab experience with University faculty. Four students and four faculty are slated to participate in the program during the second summer session this July.

In the midst of overseeing the Division of Research and all these new and improved programs, Max has also traveled the state many times representing the ORSP, Dr. Clark, and the University. He has applied his extensive knowledge of the demographics of Mississippi and the South in meetings on everything from economic development to heritage tourism. The tools and experience gained in his “first” career have served us all well in the many responsibilities of his “second” career as Director of Research.

Now, Max has decided it’s time to find out what real retirement is like. If you ask him, he might say he’s going to be a full-time grandpa and yardman. As his remaining days in the Director’s chair count down, the rest of the ORSP staff are trying to figure out how we will make do without his good humor and upbeat attitude. One thing is certain: in the past three years as Director of Research, Dr. Max Williams has crowned his career and made a significant and lasting impact on research, scholarship and creative activities at Ole Miss – pretty good for a part-time research administrator.

Community of Science (COS) Profile Management Tips
If you have trouble finding time to build and update your COS profile, try these suggestions:

• Work on your profile one section at a time, whenever you can spare a few minutes.
• Have a research assistant or graduate student take care of basic text entry for you, then edit or update as needed.
• Once your profile is up to date, just a few minutes every few months is all you’ll need to maintain it.
• Save time managing your CV and related information by keeping it all updated in one location: your COS profile.

Why should you do this?
The COS Expertise database is searched by corporations, research institutions, societies, and others who are looking for peer reviewers, consultants, and speakers. Two of the biggest Expertise searchers are the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the National Science Foundation (NSF). And of course, other scholars and researchers search COS Expertise for collaborators. If you think you know everyone in your field and they know you, try a COS Expertise search and find out! COS Expertise is an international database, and you’ll find researchers and scholars all over the world working in the same or related fields.

Don't know about Community of Science?
Check out our COS page, the newsletter article published last January, and/or the COS home page at www.cos.com.

To date, 102 UM researchers have published Full Profiles on the COS Expertise system ~ have YOU done yours yet?

NIH Regional Seminar at Purdue ~ June 22-24
This National Institutes of Health Regional Seminar on Program Funding and Grants Administration is intended to help demystify the grant application and review process, clarify federal regulations and policies, and highlight current areas of special interest or concern. It serves the NIH missions of providing education and training for the next generations of biomedical and behavioral scientists. NIH policy, grants management, review, and program staff will provide a broad array of expertise and encourage personal interaction between themselves and participants. Conference web site: www.purdue.edu/research/NIHSeminar/index.html. Email: NIHSeminar@purdue.edu.

14th International Scientific Congress in Havana ~ June 27-30
Every five years, the National Center for Scientific Research holds its International Scientific Congress, which will take place this year on June 27-30, 2005. The meeting aims to: (1) allow a gathering as well as a fruitful scientific-technical exchange among an important number of national and international specialists in their research fields; and (2) offer an opportunity for showing new products and technologies from the medical, pharmaceutical and biotechnological industries. For more information, visit www.cnic.edu.cu/14Congreso/Bienvenida.htm.

7th Annual NIH SBIR/STTR Conference ~ July 28-29
The 7th Annual NIH SBIR/STTR conference will be held on the National Institutes of Health (NIH) campus in Bethesda , MD. This free two-day conference organized by the NIH will focus on SBIR and STTR funding opportunities available explicitly to small businesses that have innovative biomedical or behavioral research ideas with commercial potential. Companies considering submission of SBIR/STTR proposals to NIH are encouraged to attend this event. To view the NIH website for the 7th Annual conference and register, go to: grants.nih.gov/grants/funding/SBIRConf2005/index.htm.

Conferences on Economy and Community ~ September 21-22 and 23-24
The Social Capital Foundation invites all interested persons or organizations to present a paper to one or both of its upcoming international, interdisciplinary conferences that will be held next September in the beautiful island of Malta.
Conference on Social Capital ~ 21-22 September, 2005
Conference on Economy and Community ~ 23-24 September, 2005
Paper proposals may take the form of a one-page detailed abstract. For more information on either conference, visit www.socialcapital-foundation.org/TSCF/TSCF%20conferences.htm.

2005 Fuel Cell Seminar ~ November 14-18
Over 2,200 participants representing over 36 different countries attend the annual Fuel Cell Seminar, presented this year in Palm Springs, California. Participants include technical leaders, scientists, educators, researchers, developers, investors, students and manufacturers of fuel cell products. The simultaneous technical sessions discuss progress in four main areas -- utility, residential, vehicle and portable -- and also challenges in costs, fuels, storage, reliability, lifetime and adoptability. An award is offered to recognize students (graduate or undergraduate) in the field of fuel cell related technologies and includes a medal, a cash award, and a complimentary registration to the seminar to present a poster presentation. More information is available at www.fuelcellseminar.com/student_award.asp.

ORNL Center for Nanophase Materials Sciences User Proposals ~ Deadline July 22
The Center for Nanophase Materials Sciences (CNMS) at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) is now soliciting user research proposals requesting access to facilities and staff expertise for User-Initiated Nanoscience Research in the new CNMS building that will open October 1. This program provides users with no-cost access to a broad range of CNMS capabilities in order to understand nanoscale phenomena and develop functional nanomaterials systems. For complete information, visit cnms.ornl.gov.

Howard Hughes Medical Institute Undergraduate Science Education Competition ~ Deadline October 18
The University of Mississippi is among the 203 institutions invited to participate in the next round of the HHMI’s Undergraduate Science Education Competition. These institutional awards are intended to strengthen education in the biological sciences and other scientific disciplines as they relate to biology. Some of the program objectives are to:

• integrate research and teaching in undergraduate education and to support student involvement in faculty research.
• prepare undergraduates for graduate studies and for careers in biomedical research, medicine, and science education and to increase science literacy for all students.
• bring fresh perspectives to established scientific disciplines and to develop novel programs, curricula, activities, and courses in emerging areas, such as computational biology, genomics, and bioimaging.
• foster linkages between universities and elementary and secondary schools, community colleges, and other institutions in order to broaden access to science.
• develop approaches that encourage teamwork and mentorship experiences among faculty, postdoctoral fellows, graduate students, and undergraduates.

Additional details of the program are available at www.hhmi.org/grants/institutions/universities.html or from the ORSP. The deadline for submission of proposals is October 18, 2005. Four-year awards ranging from $1.2 to $2.2 million each will be announced by HHMI in the spring of 2006. If you are interested in becoming involved in the University of Mississippi’s intended application to this program, please contact Mickey McLaurin in the Office of Research and Sponsored Programs (phone 7482 or email Mickey).

National Science Foundation Computer Systems Research ~ Deadline November 11
The Computer Systems Research (CSR) program supports innovative research and education projects that have the potential to lead to significant improvements in existing computer systems by increasing our fundamental understanding of such systems; produce systems software that is qualitatively and quantitatively more reliable and more efficient; or, to produce innovative curricula or educational materials that better prepare the next generation of computing professionals. The CSR program is also interested in projects that expand the capabilities of existing systems by exploiting the potential of new technologies or by developing innovative new ways to use existing technologies. The CSR program contains four topical areas: embedded and hybrid systems, parallel and distributed operating systems, advanced execution systems, and systems modeling and analysis. Projects may range in size from single investigators to teams of several investigators. For more information: www.nsf.gov/pubsys/ods/getpub.cfm?nsf04609.

ONR Cross-Disciplinary Approach to the Modeling, Analysis, and Control of Wireless Communications Networks ~ Deadline November 18
The Multidisciplinary University Research Initiative (MURI) program, including the Office of Naval Research (ONR), supports basic science and engineering research of critical importance to national defense. The program is focused on multidisciplinary research efforts that intersect more than one traditional science and engineering discipline. The objective of a cross-disciplinary approach to the modeling, analysis, and control of wireless communications networks is to use insights from multiple disciplines in networking and complex systems to develop analytical models and tools for describing, analyzing, predicting, and controlling the behavior of mobile ad hoc networks. Optional white papers are due August 12. For more information: www.onr.navy.mil/02/baa/.

Find MORE on the ORSP Funding Opportunities Recent Announcements page

SEARCH for Funding Opportunities using Community of Science

Southern Growth Policies Board Summit
Rising Together: Summit on the Rural South is the title of the Southern Growth Policies Board’s regional summit held June 12-14 in Point Clear, Alabama. The conference celebrates successful rural development initiatives and explores new strategies for creating rural prosperity. The conference features the release of the 2005 Report on the Future of the South, national and regional speakers focusing on financing rural prosperity, the business of the rural south and sharing success stories and best practices from the South’s rural regions. Attending and participating are rural experts, leaders from government, the private sector and economic and community development. For more information about the Southern Growth Policies Board, visit www.southern.org.

Division of Research
Research Division staff are helping to coordinate the next statewide proposal to the NSF EPSCoR Research Infrastructure Improvement Program. Faculty in NSF-relevant areas who are interested in becoming involved in the research, outreach, or evaluation components of the proposed statewide project should contact Mickey McLaurin for further details and deadlines (phone 7482 or email Mickey).

Division of Research Integrity and Compliance
The Compliance Division has moved out of Vardaman — lock, stock and barrel — to join most of the rest of the ORSP staff on the first floor of Old Chemistry. From now on, if you need to meet with or deliver something to DRIC staff, head for the new ORSP reception desk in 113 Old Chem and you’ll be directed to their new offices. Here are the details of contact information:

Division of Technology Management
The Division of Technology Management would like to congratulate the following UM faculty members on patent-related activity for the second quarter of 2005.

Patent Applications Filed:

1. Mitchell Avery, Kannoth Muraleedharan
2. John Matthews

Issued Patents:

1. Mark Hamann: Manzamines for Treatment of Drug Resistant Infection

For a complete list of current Technologies Available for Licensing (inventions by UM faculty, staff, and students), relevant policies and procedures, or information on how you can submit your own invention for review, please visit the ORSP Division of Technology Management web pages.

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

May Proposals Submitted: 41

May Awards Received: 28 totalling $5,838,297

FY05 Awards to Date (July 04-May 05): $65,837,611