Lyceum with Azaleas ResearchHighlights Newsletter

October 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 ~
The only way of discovering the limits of the possible is to venture a little way past them into the impossible.
FOCUS:  “Significant Faculty Awards “ ~ What Are They, and How Can We Get Them?

The University of Mississippi is proud to have a faculty of distinguished scholars and researchers who not only impart knowledge to students but also actively engage in “knowledge creation” by study, research, discovery, and publication in their various disciplines. The many awards, grants and contracts, fellowships, and faculty achievements sought and won by UM faculty are significant throughout all disciplines, and the faculty’s success in those endeavors is important to the institution as a whole.

A new page has appeared on the Office of Research and Sponsored Programs website, in the Funding Opportunities section, entitled Significant Faculty Awards. What are these awards and how are they important to The University of Mississippi? As this article will explain, significant faculty awards are one factor in how our university is ranked in relation to other institutions.

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.

Here is where individual faculty members can really 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.

The new Significant Faculty Awards page on the ORSP website lists the awards tracked by TheCenter, along with deadline and selection process information (where available), a brief description, and links to websites and COS records for more information about each award. Note that many of these awards are available only to those who apply, some are limited submission (meaning internal selection is necessary), and some are by nomination only. Increasing UM’s rate of applications and nominations 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. [See Program Announcements and Deadlines below for an announcement of the Robert Wood Johnson Health Policy Fellowships, one of the significant faculty awards tracked by TheCenter.]

At the University of Mississippi it is our faculty who strive toward and achieve the University's mission and goals, and the Office of Research and Sponsored Programs exists to help them get that job done. 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. Contact your Program Development Specialist in the ORSP for more information and assistance.

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 have money left over in my research grant and I want to use it to support a graduate student who teaches my undergraduate courses. Is that allowed?
A:

Only if the grant says it will pay to support students who teach undergraduate courses. Any expenditures charged to a grant (or other sponsored program) must be directly allocable to that grant. We are never allowed to spend money outside the scope of the awarded project without specific permission (in writing) from the granting agency. In fact, we are never allowed to spend money for the sake of “using up” extra, leftover funds in the grant. Anything you charge to a grant account must meet the test of allowability and allocability. It must be:

  • Reasonable – a prudent person conducting the project would spend the funds in the same manner under the same circumstances
  • Allocable to the project – goods or services involved are chargeable to the project in direct relation to the benefits received
  • Consistently treated – like costs must be treated the same way throughout the university (can’t be charged as a direct cost on some projects and as F&A on other projects)
  • Allowed by the sponsoring agency and the university (some agencies don’t allow things like equipment, foreign travel, food, etc.)
Speaking of COS

COS Update Reminder Letters
Members of the UM faculty who have not updated their COS Expertise Profiles in more than a year recently received reminder letters from Dr. Alice Clark, Vice Chancellor for Research and Sponsored Programs; a second reminder will be sent in a few weeks to those who still need to update. The University of Mississippi ORSP subscribes to COS services to help advance your work and that of your colleagues, and to advance our research and education programs. To make the most of this valuable resource, it is important that your COS Profile is current and complete.

COS Profile Entry Service
As a part of its continuing effort to develop and promote UM research and researchers, the ORSP is conducting a trial run of a new COS Profile Entry Service. Faculty and research staff who wish to enter or update profile information can e-mail a CV to the UM COS Liaison. When data entry is complete, the faculty member will be notified to check the profile for accuracy and completeness, and any necessary adjustments will be made. This service is being offered on an experimental basis, to determine volume and assistance needed. If you have questions or suggestions about the COS Profile Entry Service, e-mail the UM COS Liaison.

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.

Some Upcoming Events

Going Global: The U.S. South and the World – An Interdisciplinary Conversation ~ November 2006-April 2007
The 2006 Porter Fortune History Symposium, sponsored by the UM Department of History, the Center for the Study of Southern Culture, and the UM Interdisciplinary Working Group on the Global South, will take place as a lecture series occurring throughout the academic year. Professor James Peacock, Kenan Professor of Anthropology and Director of the University Center for International Studies at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill will deliver the keynote address on Thursday, November 2, 2006 in the Tupelo Room of the Barnard Observatory. Other speakers will follow in January, February, March, and April of 2007. For a complete list of speakers, topics, and dates, please see olemiss.edu/depts/history/symposium/Events_Symposium_current.htm .

University of Virginia Symposium on Race and Society — In Katrina's Wake: Racial Implications of the New Orleans Disaster ~ November 2-4, 2006
The University of Virginia Symposium on Race and Society (SYMRS) is an annual conference engaging academic professionals on social, cultural, and political topics as they relate to the meeting's theme. The inaugural SYMRS will explore race in the context of Katrina and its intersections with eight academic disciplines – Business, Education, Law/Government/Politics, Health/Public Policy, Architecture/Urban Planning, Engineering, Media, and Arts and Sciences. Proposals are currently being accepted for presentations in these areas. For more information, see www.virginia.edu/symrs/.

Pandemic Influenza Preparedness Conference ~ November 13-15, 2006
The “End to End Preparedness for Pandemic Influenza: Opportunities for Public-Private Collaboration” conference will bring together senior government officials and top industry executives to explore how an effective public-private partnership can tackle the critical steps in delivering on public health preparedness for pandemic influenza. The leaders at this conference will examine each step in preparedness and identify opportunities for strengthening government-industry collaboration and to address the underlying capabilities that must be in place to ensure success. The conference will provide a unique opportunity to help position organizations in the broad-based effort to deliver on pandemic influenza preparedness. The conference also features the pre-conference Symposium: Supply Chain Readiness for Pandemic Influenza Response, where experts representing the three major components of the pandemic response supply chain—production, supply and administration—will examine the integration and coordination of the supply chain, highlight any gaps that may exist, and explore strategies for addressing those gaps. www.infocastinc.com/pand06.html

Third International Conference of The Social Capital Foundation ~ November 15-19, 2006
This conference, titled “Social Capital and Interethnic Relationships: Multiethnicity - A Boon or A Bane?,” will examine the transformations caused by multiethnicity and their impact on social behavior in a wide range of contexts. The meeting is part of The Social Capital Foundation's Social Link Cycle, a series of conferences dedicated to the bond between people within society and its contemporary crisis. www.socialcapital-foundation.org/conferences/synopsis.htm

Workshop: Astrophysics Enabled by the Return to the Moon ~ November 28-30, 2006
The Space Telescope Science Institute will host a workshop entitled “Astrophysics Enabled By the Return to the Moon” November 28-30, 2006. The workshop is organized in collaboration with Johns Hopkins University, University of Colorado, AURA, and NASA. The general philosophy of the workshop is to explore critically whether the expected return to the moon can be used for progress towards answering some of the most important questions in astrophysics today. www.stsci.edu/institute/conference/moon

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; paper submission deadline is October 23, 2006 (extended from October 13).

Applied Demography Conference ~ January 7-9, 2007
The first of the 21st century’s biennial Applied Demography conferences will be held in San Antonio, Texas, on January 7-9, 2007. The conference is sponsored by the Department of Demography and Organization Studies and the Institute for Demographic and Socioeconomic Research at the University of Texas at San Antonio. UM's David Swanson is serving as the program organizer for the conference.   A call for papers will be issued soon, followed by the conference program, which will include a list of sessions and participants.

Mississippi Academy of Sciences Annual Meeting ~ February 22-23, 2007
The Mississippi Academy of Sciences (MAS) is an organization of scientists, engineers, technicians, science educators and others from schools and universities, government, industry and business. These individuals, joined by the state's academic institutions and other MAS institutional members, support science in our state. The 2007 MAS annual meeting will be held on the Mississippi State University campus. The deadline for abstracts is November 1, 2006, and only electronically submitted abstracts will be considered. www.msacad.org/

Creating Futures Through Technology Conference ~ February 25-27, 2007
The eleventh annual Creating Futures through Technology Conference and Trade Show 2007 serves as a venue for community college and university faculty, administrators, and staff to share their best practices in course delivery, utilizing partnerships in program delivery, creative uses of new and existing technology, and planning for tomorrow’s learner. The theme for this year’s conference is “Building Minds and Community.” Faculty and staff are invited to submit proposals to make presentations at the CFTTC 2007; the call for proposals is at www.outreach.olemiss.edu/cfttc/call_for_applications.html.

A Few Program Announcements and Deadlines

Robert Wood Johnson Health Policy Fellowships ~ Deadline November 17
NOTE: These fellowships are among the Significant Faculty Awards discussed in the FOCUS article above.
The Robert Wood Johnson Health Policy Fellowships Program of the National Academies Institute of Medicine provides the nation's most comprehensive experience at the nexus of health science, policy, and politics in Washington, DC. The fellowship is an outstanding opportunity for exceptional midcareer health professionals and behavioral and social scientists with an interest in health to experience and participate in the health policy processes at the federal level and to use that experience to provide leadership to improve health, health care, and health policy at the national, state, or local levels. Applicants should be mid-career professionals from academic faculties and nonprofit health care organizations who are interested in experiencing health policy processes at the federal level. Only U.S. citizens or permanent residents can apply. Fellows are able to continue their health policy activities for up to two years after the initial year in Washington. www.iom.edu/project.asp?id=5084

American Association for Cancer Research Funding Opportunities ~ Deadline December 1
AACR Research Fellowships are open to Postdoctoral Fellows and Clinical Research Fellows at an academic facility, teaching hospital, or research institution who will be in the 1st, 2nd, or 3rd year of their postdoctoral training at the start of the term. Fellowships are available for all types of cancer research, with specific grants available for research on the HER family pathway, brain tumors, translational lung cancer, and pancreatic cancer.
AACR Career Development Awards are open to junior faculty who, at the start of the term, are in the 1st, 2nd, or 3rd year of their first full-time appointment after completing postdoctoral studies, at an academic or medical institution. For 2007, Awards are available to support research on angiogenesis, breast cancer, and pancreatic cancer.
The annual AACR-Gertrude B. Elion Cancer Research Award is open to tenure-track scientists at the level of Assistant Professor, who completed postdoctoral studies or clinical fellowships no later than July 1 of the application year and ordinarily not more than five years prior to the Award year. It provides support for research in cancer etiology, diagnosis, treatment, or prevention (basic, translational, or clinical cancer research).
www.aacr.org/default.aspx?p=7249

Goldhirsh Foundation National Brain Tumor Research Awards ~ Letter of Intent Deadline January 10
The Goldhirsh Foundation provides strategic investment in brain tumor research to accelerate progress toward more effective treatment for malignant diffuse glioma tumors. The Foundation seeks responses from investigators working in the continuum between basic research and clinical application, integrating and translating knowledge in various disciplines into meaningful progress for patients. Examples of funding areas include but are not limited to oncogenomics and proteomics, genetically engineered models, the discovery and testing of small molecule therapies, unusual drug delivery systems, or improved brain imaging techniques. The Foundation also encourages submission of research projects at the interface of developmental biology and cancer along the stem cell to glial axis. www.goldhirshfoundation.org

National Endowment for the Humanities Implementation Grants for Libraries and Archives Projects ~ Deadline January 23
NEH Implementation Grants support the realization of programs that interpret and encourage the use of the collections of libraries and archives. Topics and interpretive themes should appeal to the interests and backgrounds of a wide range of people or directly to the project's target audience, and special attention should be given to the educational experience of the participants. The themes that inform the project should be organized into coherent, overarching messages that would appeal to the general public. Support is available for various activities that use a range of formats, including: book and film discussion programs; exhibitions (major or traveling); public conferences, forums, and symposia; and websites. www.neh.gov/grants/guidelines/implement_libraries.html

National Science Foundation Environmental Genomics ~ Deadline January 29
Genomics-enabled methods are beginning to be used to increase our understanding of how organisms of all types—plants, animals, and microbes--interact with their environments. The Environmental Genomics Program is intended to enhance the development of fundamental knowledge and strengthen the capacity to apply these methods in research on organisms in their natural environments. Research foci should be appropriate to the themes of interest or purviews of the Directorates for Biological Sciences (BIO) and Geosciences (GEO).
www.nsf.gov/publications/pub_summ.jsp?ods_key=nsf06611

National Association of Broadcasters Grants for Research in Broadcasting ~ Deadline January 31
The NAB announces the 41st year of this program to support projects that address issues of significance to the U.S. commercial broadcast industry. The research proposed may be theoretical or applied, but should have practical implications for the broadcasting industry. www.nab.org/research/grants

Find MORE on the ORSP Funding Opportunities Recent Announcements page

SEARCH using COS Funding Opportunities

Bits & Pieces

Project Coordinator Travel Support Awarded
Ms. Maureen Kent, Manager of Project Resources for the UM Geoinformatics Center, has been selected to receive the ORSP Project Coordinator Travel Support award for Fall 2006. This $2,000 award is designed to provide opportunities for UM personnel functioning in a grants management role to attend a conference or training workshop for advancing skills in research administration. Two awards are given by the ORSP annually, and applicants must be employed in a position involved in the coordination and management of at least one currently active sponsored program. The selected conference must be related to the employee’s grants management responsibilities. For additional information and how to apply, please visit www.research.olemiss.edufunding/orsp_internal.html#staff .

SURAfund Network for Start-Up Companies
Ole Miss is an active member of the Southeastern Universities Research Association (SURA).  Chancellor Khayat is a member of the Circle of Presidents and Dr. Alice Clark is on the Board of Trustees.  SURA's goals are to foster excellence in scientific research, to strengthen the scientific and technical capabilities of the nation and of the Southeast, and to provide outstanding training opportunities for the next generation of scientists and engineers. SURA has formed the SURAfund to connect early-stage startup companies across the Southeast US with interested private investors. It is a unique, organized network designed to enable efficient deal flow for investors of seed stage ($100,000-500,000) capital into university spinouts. The current solicitation opened October 2. Your company does not even have to be formed yet.  The investors, if interested, will create a company from scratch around a unique technology. Please see www.sura.org/surafund for details and contact Walt Chambliss, Director of Technology Management (wchambli@olemiss.edu, x7134) if you have any questions or would like help in participating in the program.

ORSP News

Division of Research
:: Faculty Research Program ~ At the October 2 deadline for the 2007-2008 Faculty Research Program competition, the ORSP received a total of 77 proposals from UM faculty. The Vice Chancellor for Research and Sponsored Programs makes FRP funding decisions based on evaluations of the review committee and availability of funds. Decisions will be announced by December 8, and project start dates of January 16 are anticipated for this year's awards.
::
September Proposals ~
Proposal Development Specialists Lesha Agnew and Mickey McLaurin processed 37 external funding proposals during September 2006.

Division of Research Integrity and Compliance
:: Fall IACUC Orientation ~ The IACUC will hold its Fall Orientation session Wednesday, October 25, 2006, at 2:00 P.M. in 110 Lyceum. Interested persons are asked to RSVP to Sandra Allen, ext 7482, by October 20th.
:: Responsible Conduct of Research ~ A session on research ethics will be conducted for graduate students November 7, 2006 at 6:00 p.m. in the Library Writing Center, hosted by the Graduate School.

Division of Sponsored Programs Administration
:: September Awards ~ SPA Division staff (Scottie Casey, Euphiazene Gray, Anita Randle, Linda Stone) processed 26 external funding awards during September 2006.

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 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 Signature

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

PI Name
PI Department/Unit
Co-PI Name/s
Bass, H. National Center for Physical Acoustics
Chambers, J. National Center for Physical Acoustics
Cheng, A. Civil Engineering Holt, R.
Christoff, K. Psychology
Clark, A. Office of Research and Sponsored Programs
Durham, D. Office of Research and Sponsored Programs
Ethridge, R. Sociology and Anthropology Johnson, J.
Gabrynowicz, J. National Remote Sensing and Space Law Center
Gilbert, K. National Center for Physical Acoustics
Hamann, M. Pharmacognosy
Higdon, C. Communicative Disorders
Highsmith, R. National Institute of Undersea Science Technology Slattery, M.
Woolsey, R.
Hollis, K. Chemistry and Biochemistry
Jacob, M. National Center for Natural Products Research
Johnson, J. Sociology and Anthropology
Manly, S. National Center for Natural Products Research
Marshall, T. Physics and Astronomy Stolzenburg, M.
McCook, L. Biology
McElreath, D. Legal Studies Corban, R.
Pasco, D. National Center for Natural Products Research Pugh, N.
Khan, I.
Moraes-Cerdeira, R.
Raspet, R. Physics and Astronomy
Slattery, M. Pharmacognosy Gochfeld, D.
Speth, R. Pharmacology
Walker, L. National Center for Natural Products Research
Wilkin, N. (2 awards) Pharmacy Administration

September Proposals Submitted: 37

September Awards Received: 26 totaling $13,102,035

FY06 Year-to-Date Number of Active Sponsored Projects: 415

FY06 Year-to-Date Number of Active Investigators: 213

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