Bi-State Life Sciences Summit Planned March 7-9 in Kansas City

“Animal to Human Health Collaborations: Partnerships for Innovation" is the theme for the Kansas / Missouri Life Sciences Summit, planned for March 7-9 at the University of Missouri-Kansas City.

Summit organizers are planning several poster sessions to highlight regional projects and programs involving both universities and the life sciences industry.  Abstracts are being solicited in two key areas: current successful partnerships and promising areas for new collaborations. They are looking for proposals that promote and generate interest in collaboration, richer research results, and a stronger economy.
This is an outstanding opportunity to communicate exciting life sciences-related KU research to an important regional audience.  The deadline for proposals is February 5.  The call for posters is on-line.  For more information, contact Vicki Dennison at (573) 882-8800, dennisonv@missouri.edu.

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NIH Official to Speak Feb. 5 on Peer Review

Cheryl Kitt, Deputy Director of the NIH Center for Scientific Review, will speak at KU on Friday, February 5 in the auditorium of Simons Laboratories on West Campus.  The title of her 1 p.m. presentation is "New and Enhanced Peer Review at NIH."

This program is intended for principal investigators and others with an interest in the research grant making processes of the NIH. Dr. Kitt came to NIH in 1995 and was formerly director of extramural programs for the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases. She was previously a faculty member at Johns Hopkins University, and her Ph.D. degree was in biopsychology from the University of Maryland at College Park.

The program is sponsored by the KU Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology. A reception for Kitt will follow her presentation.

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“KU Works With Kansas” Highlights Economic Impact of Research

A new publication, KU Works With Kansas: Research and the Economic Development Mission of the University of Kansas,” was unveiled recently in print form and on-line. It provides examples of KU’s economic impact on companies and whole industries in Kansas, and identifies KU-related start-up companies and industry research collaborations.  The document is being used to support KU’s legislative relations and its ties to economic development programs in the state.  In her introduction, Chancellor Gray-Little notes “KU is engaged in research-based economic development as never before – through technology commercialization and business and industry outreach.  We are eager to do more – to work with Kansas as, together, we work for Kansas.”  The booklet was produced by the Office of Research and Graduate Studies.

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Learn How to Utilize Community of Science for Funding Opportunities

The Office of Research and Graduate Studies (RGS), in cooperation with Instructional Services at the KU Libraries, will present a free one-hour workshop Wednesday, February 10 on how to use Community of Science.  COS is a KU-provided tool that assists in locating funding opportunities and providing access to other investigators for collaboration. This session will focus on the Funding Opportunities and Expertise section of COS. It will demonstrate how to set up a COS account, how to perform and save searches for funding opportunities in COS, and how to set funding alerts so that you can stay informed about new funding available from federal and private sources.

Instructor for the 10 a.m. workshop at Anschutz Instruction Center is Alicia Reed.  She and Dan Coonfield at RGS produce KU’s monthly Funding Opportunities Bulletin. Enrollment is limited to 20 persons.  Go to www.infotraining.ku.edu to sign up, or call 864-0410 to register by phone.

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Tap the Proposal Preparation Fund to Develop New Submissions

Federal regulations prohibit most investigators who are 100% grant-funded or grant and cost-share committed from participating in the preparation of new or competitive renewal proposals. To allow such individuals to devote time to proposal preparation the office of Research and Graduate Studies provides temporary salary funds through the Proposal Preparation Fund (PPF). Information about the PPF and procedures for requesting support from this source are on-line at https://documents.ku.edu/policies/research/ProposalPreparationInstitutionalSupportOf.htm.

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Learn About “HIPAA and Sponsored Research” Feb. 10

The KU research community is invited to attend a free informational session on the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) and its implications for research.  The session, “HIPAA and Sponsored Research: What You Need to Know,” is sponsored by the Human Subjects Committee Lawrence (HSCL) and scheduled for Wednesday, February 10 at 2 p.m. in the Apollo Room in Nichols Hall.

Jane Rosenthal, director of the KU Privacy Office, will present a general overview of HIPAA, with specific attention to covered entities, data security, business associate agreements, and HIPAA’s role in human subjects research. The session is primarily intended for those who currently or potentially conduct research with human subjects under HIPAA regulations, as well as research administrators who deal with HIPAA.  The session is free.  To register, e-mail resadmin-events@ku.edu with your name, job title, and department.

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Applications Sought for Vice Provost’s Book Publication Award

The annual Vice Provost for Research & Graduate Studies Book Publication Award assists in the publication of book manuscripts resulting from humanities research by KU faculty members.  The author of the selected manuscript receives $1,500 for use towards publication of the book. The award can be used to pay for illustration or indexing costs, or to provide a subvention to the press publishing the book.  Should the committee decide that other applications merit funding, the Friends of the Hall Center for the Humanities have made possible additional publication awards, the sum total of which will not exceed $1,500.

Eligible applicants are KU faculty. Eligible manuscripts result from humanities research, were written by KU faculty members and have been accepted for publication by a refereed press. A committee appointed by the Hall Center Director selects the award recipient.

All application materials must arrive at the Hall Center on or before March 8 at 5 p.m.  Receipts for expenditures must be received within 12 months of the deadline.  The application cover sheet and instructions are on-line.

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Graduate Student Research Events Deadline Looms

January 29 at 5 p.m. is the application deadline for KU graduate students to submit a research abstract for the March 25 Capitol Research Summit and the March 31 Graduate Student Research Competition.  Both events are co-sponsored by the Office of Research and Graduate Studies and KU’s Graduate and Professional Association.  More information, including FAQ’s and an application form, is on-line.

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Adam Banks to Deliver Langston Hughes Lecture Feb. 25

Adam Banks, the 2010 Langston Hughes Visiting Professor in the Department of English at KU, will deliver a public lecture on Thursday, February 25 in Alderson Auditorium at the Kansas Union.  The lecture -- “Rememory, Remixed:  Reimagining African-American Rhetoric for a Digital Age” -- will begin at 3:30 p.m.   A reception will follow in the Malott Room.

Banks is an associate professor of writing and rhetoric at Syracuse University, where he teaches courses in African-American rhetoric, community literacy, and rhetoric and composition theory. He is the author of the award-winning Race, Rhetoric, and Technology: Searching for Higher Ground, published in 2005 and described by Keith Gilyard of Penn State as “the most sweeping, intelligent, and provocative articulation we have of racialized rhetoric and social justice, and their connections to issues of technology and design.”

The Langston Hughes Visiting Professorship was established at the University of Kansas in 1977 in honor of the African-American poet, playwright and fiction writer who lived in Lawrence from 1903 to 1916.  The initiative is coordinated by the KU Office of Diversity and Equity, in cooperation with a faculty committee.  Over the years, the visiting professorship has attracted prominent or emerging ethnic minority scholars to the university campus, involving a broad range of disciplines and academic departments/schools. This one-semester appointment provides the recipient with a stipend, a small travel allowance, and housing.

Banks is teaching two courses this semester at KU: “Barack Obama and the African-American Rhetorical Tradition,” and “African- American Rhetoric 2.0: Digital Griots.”

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Structural Biology Center Named for Former Chancellor Shankel

The Structural Biology Center (SBC) on KU’s West Campus will be named for Del Shankel, chancellor emeritus and professor emeritus of microbiology, in honor of his 50 years of leadership, teaching, scholarship and service to the university.  The Kansas Board of Regents approved the designation in December.

The $22.2 million, 44,000-square-foot building was built in stages.  The east wing opened in 2004 and the west wing opened in 2008.  The facility is a hub for biosciences research, including the Center of Excellence in Chemical Methodologies and Library Development, the High-Throughput Screening Laboratory, the COBRE in Protein Structure and Function, the COBRE in Cancer Experimental Therapeutics, and the Specialized Chemistry Center.

Chancellor Gray-Little said naming the SBC for Shankel is a fitting recognition of his dedication to the sciences, mentorship to students and leadership.  It “will be a reminder for years to come of his service to the university and state,” she said. “Throughout his academic and administrative career, Del has remained devoted to his scientific discipline of microbiology. He maintained an active laboratory program and advised countless master’s and doctoral students. He is the consummate university professor, fostering interdisciplinary communication and confluence whenever he could.”

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KCALSI Annual Dinner and Symposium Coming in April

The Kansas City Area Life Sciences Institute will hold its 2010 annual dinner on Wednesday, April 21 at the Hyatt Regency Crown Center in Kansas City, MO.  A research symposium will be held the next day at the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation in Kansas City.  The theme for both events is “Translational Medicine: Critical Link Between Discovery and Patients.”  More information will be available as the dates approach.

KCALSI is the voice for the region’s life sciences initiative, designed to transform the area between Columbia and Manhattan into a nationally recognized center of excellence in life sciences. Each year, the annual dinner refocuses this vision for the region’s civic and scientific leadership’s agenda. This year's dinner will provide insights into the important role of translational medicine in advancing life sciences research, development and commercialization.

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Important Research Administration Updates

NCURA Peer Review Report is Now On-line

At the request of Steve Warren, vice provost for research and graduate studies, the National Council of University Research Administrators (NCURA) conducted an evaluation in 2009 of KUCR's research administration processes. The evaluation included a peer review team site visit and employed national standards to assess the effectiveness of the sponsored programs operation. The final report is on-line at http://www.kucr.ku.edu/-ssi/ncurareview.pdf.   KUCR is using recommendations and insights contained in the report to make changes and improve service to the KU research community.

NIH Updates Responsible Conduct of Research (RCR) Requirements

On November 24, 2009, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) issued a notice as an Update on the Requirement for Instruction in the Responsible Conduct of Research (RCR).  The Update outlines specific expectations for the required training components for RCR.  The Updated policy is effective for all new and renewal applications submitted on or after January 25, 2010 and for all continuation (Type 5) applications with deadlines on or after January 1, 2011.  The NIH requirement applies to NIH training, fellowship, career development and other programs with a training component.  NIH requires the submission of an instructional plan addressing the responsible conduct of research, and this requirement will be incorporated in the appropriate funding opportunity announcements.

Specifically, this Notice: 1) adds a number of new subject areas to the applicable training, such as ethics courses – professional and clinical, and instruction in the use of vertebrate animals, if applicable; 2) states that on-line training courses are “not considered adequate as the sole means of instruction”; 3) requires that individuals receiving NIH training and career development support are expected to undertake training “at least once during each career stage, and at a frequency of no less than once every four years”; and 4) suggests that the issuance of certificates or documentation of participation upon course completion will be important for trainees who continue their education at different institutions.

NIH Restructured Application Forms and Instructions are Now Available

Are you planning to submit an NIH grant application in 2010?  If so, please note that all applications intended for due dates on or after January 25, 2010 require the use of new forms and instructions. Major changes include:

• Restructured forms to align with review criteria
• Significantly shorter page limits
  
  

These changes apply to all competing applications, so whether you are submitting a new, renewal, resubmission or revision, you must take action now to ensure a successful submission! 

Return to the updated funding opportunity announcement to download the latest application package and instructions.

• FOAs are in the process of being updated.  See http://enhancing-peer-review.nih.gov/parent_announcements.html for more information.

• Be sure to choose the correct forms.  Applications intended for due dates on or after January 25 require new forms.
• For Electronic SF 424 (R&R):  ADOBE-FORMS-B
• For Paper PHS 398:  Revision date “June 2009”
• Read the updated FOA and new application instructions carefully.
  
  

 For more details, the Enhancing Peer Review Web site has a page dedicated to the upcoming application changes. 

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People of RGS

Each month, we introduce you to staff in the Office of Research and Graduate Studies (RGS) who make a difference on campus and in their community. Is there someone you’d like to see featured? Contact kboatright@ku.edu.

Joanne Altieri
Title:	Assistant Vice Provost for Research and Graduate Studies, and Director of Research Administration
Years at KU:	Joanne has served at KU for a total of 18 years.  She was assistant vice provost for research and director of contract negotiations and research compliance before leaving KU in 2005 to serve a year in the Peace Corps in the Dominican Republic.  She then spent three years as director of sponsored programs at Iowa State University before returning to KU in her new role in July 2009.
Duties:	Her areas of responsibility are Proposal Services, Post-Award Services and Contract Negotiations.  Anyone who submits a proposal through the KU Center for Research, Inc. works with staff who report to Joanne. Joanne has a special understanding of the relationship between federal regulations and investigators.  “Research Administration is increasingly complex and regulated,” she says. “The government continually adds new restrictions and requirements that make doing research more challenging. My role is to minimize the administration complications to allow the investigators to do what they do best. We’re here because of them.  I do customer service that hopefully allows investigators to carry out their academic and research endeavors.”
For Fun:	Joanne is a silversmith and the adoptive mother of Jack, a three-year-old mutt from the Dominican Republic.  She has a B.A. degree in Spanish from KU and is continuing graduate work at Baker University toward a master’s degree.  Her daughter graduated from KU in 2006 and her son is a current student.  “KU is where my heart is,” says Joanne.  “I bleed red and blue.”

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Hall Center for the Humanities Competition Deadlines

All Deadlines are 5 p.m.

February 22

• Andrew Debicki International Travel Scholarship in the Humanities (Graduate Students)
• The Richard and Jeannette Sias Graduate Fellowship in the Humanities
  
  

March 8

• Faculty International Travel Grant
• Vice Provost for Research and Graduate Studies Book Publication Award
  
  

March 22

• Collaborative Research Group Grant
• Hall Center Scholar Award
• Graduate Summer Research Award
  
  

March 29

• 2010 Fall Faculty Colloquium Participant Competition
• 2010 Fall Faculty Colloquium Graduate Student Competition
  
  

April 5

• Humanities Summer Graduate Internship Competition

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