There is no question that rankings are important, but they can seem mysterious and, unless we work to understand them, beyond our control. The measures of past success used in many rankings can help guide decisions on funding and awards that, in turn, help determine future success. Here we explore how one key university ranking, TheCenter’s, is determined.

TheCenter is a research enterprise focused on the competitive national context for major research universities. TheCenter’s staff has developed a variety of methods for measuring university performance. Each year, TheCenter ranks over 600 individual university campuses on eight broad measures using data from a variety of sources. Some of the eight measures on which universities are ranked include total and federal expenditures for research and development, number of doctoral degrees awarded, number of post-doctoral fellows appointed, and number of significant faculty awards earned by those affiliated with the institution.

In the recently released 2004 edition of TheCenter’s Top American Research Universities, The University of Mississippi is among the universities that rank in the top 50 public universities on at least one of the eight measures. This year, the Oxford Campus is in the top 50 public universities on two of the measures: annual giving and endowment size. UM was first included in the 2003 edition of this publication, and it is the only institution in Mississippi included in the top 50 on any of the measures. (Click here to view a chart of UM-Oxford’s rankings on all eight of TheCenter’s measures.)

What Faculty Can Do to Improve UM Rankings

 “TheCenter measures many things, and many of them are so broad that they can seem out of our control as individuals, even as we make big strides overall in some categories,” observed Dr. Alice Clark, Vice Chancellor for Research and Sponsored Programs.

However, individual faculty members do make a difference in the broad effort to improve rankings. As noted by TheCenter’s website, the dollars give a good approximation of research activity, but it is the faculty overall who provide the critical resource for university success. Therefore, TheCenter ranks and reports the number of “Significant Faculty Awards” earned as one indicator of faculty distinction. In this category, individuals are the main players, and faculty members can help the University’s rankings while advancing their own scholarly careers.

Below is a listing of “Significant Faculty Awards” tracked by TheCenter, along with deadline information (where available) and links to websites for more information about each award. Note that many of these awards are available only to those who apply. Increasing UM’s rate of applications for these and other forms of research recognition and support is a goal that can bear fruit in a number of ways, and one of those ways is that it may lead to higher national rankings of the institution. The Office of Research and Sponsored Programs encourages UM faculty and post-docs to review the guidelines for these awards and, when appropriate, apply for them. Anyone interested in applying can contact Dr. Alice Clark, Dr. Max Williams (Director of Research), or your Program Development Specialist in the ORSP for assistance or with questions.

Of course, the many other awards, contracts, grants, fellowships, and faculty achievements sought and won by UM faculty are significant throughout all disciplines, and the faculty’s success in those endeavors is equally important to the ORSP and the institution as a whole. The ORSP staff is available to help with any funding opportunities, regardless of the sponsor, the award size, or whether it will appear directly in future rankings of the University.

* The ORSP is soliciting Letters of Interest for this nomination. See the HHMI Solicitation page for details.
**UM is currently seeking to be included among the institutions eligible for these awards.

ORSP Spring 2005 Workshops Schedule

Liberal Arts Faculty Forum Spring 2005 ~ March 22, 4:00 p.m., Bondurant Auditorium (reception following)
Demographic Changes In Mississippi and Their Potential Impact on University of Mississippi Enrollment
Dr. David Swanson describes selected changes in the state's demographics that are likely to impact undergraduate enrollment and explores their implications. The changing demographic make-up in Mississippi will affect the state in profound ways over the next twenty years. Along with these changes will come life course patterns and related characteristics that will affect post-secondary education in ways not yet fully foreseen.
David Swanson received his Ph.D. from the University of Hawaii in 1985. He came to the University of Mississippi from the Helsinki School of Economics, and currently serves as Chair of the Department of Sociology and Anthropology.

Southern Bio-Products Conference in Jackson ~ March 22-23
The Southern Bio-Products Conference is scheduled for March 22-23 at the Holiday Inn-North in Jackson. The Mississippi Biomass Council (www.ms-biomass.org), Mississippi State University and Alcorn State University are organizing the third annual conference to focus on products produced from biomass materials. The conference will include research papers, updates on important federal bio-programs, equipment and service exhibitors, as well as discussions on the latest commercial technologies. For information on presenting a paper at the conference, sponsorship opportunities or registration, contact Duane Motsenbocker at duanem@ios.msstate.edu. Conference website: http://ms-biomass.org/conference/mbcconference/index.html.

Consortium for Computing Sciences in Colleges at UM ~ April 1-2
The Third Annual Consortium for Computing Sciences in Colleges (CCSC), also known as the Mid-South College Computing Conference, will be held April 1-2, 2005 in Weir Hall on the Ole Miss campus. The conference seeks to provide a forum for the exchange of information on computing and college-level computing education, and invites the participation of faculty, students, staff and other interested persons. For more information, visit www.msccc.net.

Bio-Chem Defense Vaccines and Therapeutics Conference and Symposium in Arlington ~ April 18-20
This conference and symposium will present the nation's bio-chem defense vaccines and therapeutics leaders as they discuss Project Bioshield, R&D program funding, and other crucial information about working with the government in its effort to develop, purchase and stockpile bio-chem defense vaccines and therapeutics. For more information: www.infocastinc.com/biovac.html.

AAAS Forum on Science and Technology Policy in Washington ~ April 21-22
The 30th Annual AAAS (American Association for the Advancement of Science) Forum on Science and Technology Policy provides a setting in which federal and industrial policy-makers and members of the scientific, engineering, and academic communities can participate in an open discussion of issues relating to science and technology policy. Attending are scientists and engineers, administrators, industrial R&D managers, policy-makers, academicians, association officials, federal grant recipients, students, science attachés, government affairs specialists, public affairs officers, and others with an interest in the intersection of policy with science and technology. Deadline for advance registration is April 6, 2005. For full details and registration: www.aaas.org/forum.

R&D Conference in Boston ~ April 27-28
DHS Science and Technology is sponsoring Working Together: R&D Partnerships in Homeland Security, to be held April 27-28, 2005 in Boston. This conference encourages R&D partnering among scientists and engineers from government, national laboratories, universities and research institutes, and private sector firms investing in R&D, to address the collective science and technology research goals of the U.S. homeland security community. The conference will bring together more than 600 attendees supporting homeland security research and development, for information exchange and subsequent collaboration. For more information, visit the conference web site, www.homelandsecurityresearchconference.org.

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.

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.

ORSP Solicits Proposals for HHMI Professorships
The University of Mississippi is among the 100 institutions invited to submit proposals for the 2006 Howard Hughes Medical Institute Professors Competition, which will provide twenty $1 million awards (over 4 years). This is HHMI’s second such competition and is intended to stimulate, support, and empower accomplished research scientists in conveying the excitement and values of scientific research to undergraduate education and to apply their innovations to advancing science education. Additional goals of the program are to introduce graduate students and postdoctoral fellows to the challenges and rewards of mentoring undergraduates and to develop a cadre of scientist-educators around the country who are leaders in research and excel in undergraduate teaching. A full description of the 2006 HHMI Professors Competition is available at www.hhmi.org/grants/individuals/professors.html.
The Office of Research and Sponsored Programs is soliciting Letters of Interest from accomplished researchers among the tenured UM/UMMC faculty in the biological, biochemical, bioinformatics, and biomedical sciences, as well as those in subfields of physics, chemistry, and engineering that relate to the biomedical sciences. The purpose of this solicitation is to select UM nominees for the 2006 HHMI Professors Competition. The UM internal deadline for Letters of Interest is April 8, 2005. The two nominees selected will be expected to submit full proposals to HHMI in September, 2005.

UM Interdisciplinary Working Groups
Recognizing that interaction and collaboration among disciplines is increasingly important in many research endeavors, a new UM internal grant program will provide limited internal support for Interdisciplinary Working Groups (IWoGs) to spawn active research connections across departments and units. A Request for Proposals for this program was issued on Friday, February 11, 2005; guidelines and application materials are available on the ORSP Funding Opportunities/Internal Support page. Applications are due in the ORSP on April 11, 2005.

NASA Offers Prizes to Students with Revolutionary Ideas
NASA's Institute for Advanced Concepts (NIAC) is offering up to four $9,000 fellowships to students with ideas that can dramatically advance the Vision for Space Exploration. The NIAC Student Fellows Prize program provides opportunities for creative college students to develop revolutionary advanced concepts in aeronautics, space, and the sciences. NIAC seeks concepts that stretch the imagination and that are based on sound scientific principles. Student fellows are required to team with an experienced mentor in an aerospace-related field from academia or industry. The deadline for proposal submissions is April 15, 2005. Awards will be announced in May. For application procedures, eligibility and program requirements, visit www.niac.usra.edu/files/students/call/NIAC_Student_Fellows_2005-2006.pdf.

National Science Foundation SBIR/STTR Solicitation
The National Science Foundation (NSF) has released its FY06 SBIR/STTR Solicitation. The main topics for this solicitation are Electronics and Security Technologies. Proposals will be accepted beginning May 8, 2005 and the closing date is June 8, 2005. Subtopics offered under the main topic of Electronics can be found at www.nsf.gov/eng/sbir/Electronics.jsp and subtopics offered under the main topic of Security Technologies can be found at www.nsf.gov/eng/sbir/Security.jsp.

National Science Foundation ~ Coastal Observing Systems and Benthic Boundary Layer
NSF is soliciting proposals to develop technologies for coastal observing systems and the study of benthic boundary layer (BBL) processes. The goal is to advance interactive observing technologies and understanding of the coastal BBL. Proposals are due May 18, 2005. For more information: www.nsf.gov/publications/pub_summ.jsp?ods_key=nsf05556.

National Science Foundation ~ Instrument Development for Biological Research
This NSF program supports the development of novel or substantially improved instrumentation likely to have a significant impact on the study of biological systems at any level. The development of new, or substantial improvement of existing, software for the operation of instruments, analysis of data, or the analysis of images is also supported where these have the effect of improving instrument performance. Proposals aimed at concept or proof-of-concept development for entirely novel instrumentation are encouraged. Support for the conduct of eligible activities in academic environments is emphasized. Proposals are due October 5, 2005 and the first Wednesday in October annually thereafter. For more information: www.nsf.gov/publications/pub_summ.jsp?ods_key=nsf05536.

Department of Defense ~ DARPA
DARPA is soliciting proposals to develop technologies within a broad spectrum of the science and engineering research communities. Technical topic areas include (1) new materials, materials concepts, materials processing and devices; (2) advanced mathematics; (3) defense against weapons of mass destruction; (4) applications of biology to defense applications; and (5) novel technologies to improve the human consequences of transformation. Proposers are encouraged to submit white papers prior to submission of full proposals, which are due February 7, 2006. For more information: www.fedgrants.gov/Applicants/DOD/DARPA/CMO/BAA05-19/listing.html.

Find MORE on the ORSP Funding Opportunities Recent Announcements Page

SEARCH for Funding Opportunities Using Community of Science

Call For Entries ~ Science and Engineering Visualization Challenge
When the left brain collaborates with the right brain, science merges with art to enhance communication and understanding of research results—illustrating concepts, depicting phenomena, drawing conclusions. The National Science Foundation and Science, published by the American Association for the Advancement of Science, invite you to participate in the annual Science and Engineering Visualization Challenge. The competition recognizes scientists, engineers, visualization specialists and artists for producing or commissioning innovative work in visual communications. Over the past two years, NSF and the journal Science have partnered to encourage scientists and engineers to share their visualizations with the larger community that supports the global research enterprise. Approximately 400 entries have been received for the first two competitions, coming from several states and foreign countries. The work of investigators at the outermost frontiers of science and engineering is becoming more understandable and exciting to the general public thanks to increased use of images, illustrations, diagrams and multimedia.
Awards Categories: Photos/Still Images, Illustration, Explanatory Graphics, Interactive Media, Non-Interactive Media. First place awards in each category will be published in the September 23, 2005 issue of Science and Science Online and displayed on the NSF web site. Complete Entry Information: www.nsf.gov/od/lpa/events/sevc. Entry Deadline: May 31, 2005.

NIH Policy on Enhancing Public Access to Archived Publications Resulting from NIH-Funded Research
Elias A. Zerhouni, M.D., Director of the National Institutes of Health, has issued an NIH Public Access Policy, published in the NIH Guide to Grants and Contracts in February and slated to appear in the Federal Register soon. The NIH is committed to preserving permanently peer-reviewed research publications resulting from NIH-funded research. This policy applies to all research grant and career development award mechanisms, cooperative agreements, contracts, and National Research Service Awards, as well as NIH intramural research studies. The Policy requests that beginning May 2, 2005, NIH-funded investigators submit to the NIH National Library of Medicine’s PubMed Central (PMC) an electronic version of the author’s final manuscript, upon acceptance for publication, resulting from research supported in whole or in part with direct costs from NIH. These manuscripts will be preserved permanently in the PMC archive for use by the public, health care providers, educators, scientists, and NIH. The submission of the final peer-reviewed manuscript to PMC provides an alternate means of fulfilling the current NIH requirement to provide a copy of each publication in progress reports. PMC will provide a secure Web site for PIs to log in, deposit, and manage their manuscripts. Information for submitting authors can be found at http://nihms.nih.gov. Given the critical importance of this Policy, NIH is establishing a Public Access Advisory Working Group.

NSF Consultant Rate Increased
The National Science Foundation’s Current Maximum Daily Consultant Rate of Pay has been increased to $537.00, effective January 1, 2005; see www.nsf.gov/bfa/dias/policy/.

Vice Chancellor's Office
Throughout the month of February, Vice-Chancellor Alice Clark met with individuals in state and federal government positions (including NASA, DHS, USDA, and NOAA's Undersea Research Program) as well as business leaders and university researchers in order to advance UM programs, centers, and initiatives.

Division of Research
In response to the invitation for The University of Mississippi to submit proposals for the 2006 Howard Hughes Medical Institute Professors Competition, the Office of Research and Sponsored Programs has designed and posted a Solicitation for Letters of Interest (with guidelines, form and instructions). The ORSP Division of Research will receive and process faculty letters of interest and supporting materials, and will manage the review, selection and nomination procedures. The focus of this competition is primarily on tenured faculty with established research and educational programs. The University intends to choose two nominees who will be expected to develop full proposal packages for submission to HHMI next September. For complete information, please visit the HHMI Solicitation page.

Division of Research Integrity and Compliance
• IACUC Form Revision: The IACUC Protocol Amendment Form has been revised by adding a checklist. Please use this revised form, which can be found on the Compliance Forms page (www.olemiss.edu../../../compliance/compliance_forms.html). Amendments submitted using the old version of the form will be returned, which may delay the review process.
• IACUC Bulletin #3: Just in Time Submissions has been posted on the IACUC Bulletins page (www.olemiss.edu../../../compliance/animal_bulletins.html). This new bulletin describes the Division of Research Integrity and Compliance’s policy for Just in Time Submissions of protocols involving laboratory animals in grants and contracts. Please see the time frame for protocol submissions.
• IACUC Meeting Schedule: The schedule for full IACUC meetings is now online (www.olemiss.edu../../../compliance/animal_meetings.html). For assistance, contact the Division of Research Integrity and Compliance at x3929 or irb@research.olemiss.edu.

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