Dear colleagues,
The College of Engineering so far in Academic Year 2019 (July 1, 2018-April 4, 2019) has had an outstanding year in garnering new research awards. While the UNL as a whole is up $8.6 million in new awards, comparing year-to-date with AY18 (read article at: https://research.unl.edu/blog/nebraska-has-another-record-breaking-year-for-research-expenditures/), the College of Engineering has seen an increase of $13.8 million to date compared with AY18. With three months still remaining in the academic year, we are very close to having our most productive year in new awards, ever.
There is no single new award responsible for this increase, but rather represents growth across the board. The CIVE Department is up $5 million compared to this time last year, the MME Department is up about $2.4 million, and Midwest Roadside Safety is up about $4 million.
Congrats to our researchers for success in garnering new funding. We look forward to seeing the impactful outputs of your good works.
Mark Riley,
Associate Dean for Research
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NSF EPSCoR Research Infrastructure Improvement (RII) Track-1 State Proposal: This RFP is seeking researchers who are interested in being involved with the next Nebraska EPSCoR RII Track-1 proposal for the next funding cycle of 2021-2026. The full state proposal will be for $20 million; check the attached RFP for the amount available to the research area(s) of the proposal. The research team must be multi-institutional with an integrated scientific theme. Deadline for proposals is July 8, 2019.
In preparation for this planned RII grant submission, Nebraska EPSCoR seeks pre-proposals for research clusters from faculty groups in Nebraska research institutions that could become one of two possible research components of the next Nebraska RII grant proposal. A proposed research cluster must be congruent with at least one of NSF’s 10 big ideas. The following website will provide more information: https://www.nsf.gov/news/special_reports/big_ideas/
Contact the EPSCoR office if you have any questions.
Nebraska EPSCoR
W192 Nebraska Hall
Lincoln, NE 68588-0557
402-472-8946
epscor@nebraska.edu
http://epscor.nebraska.edu
Please contact Mark Riley if you plan to submit one of these pre-proposals.
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The Midwest Section of the American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE) invites manuscript submissions for the 2019 ASEE Midwest Section Conference, to be held September 15-17, 2019 at Wichita State University in Wichita, Kansas.
Please visit our conference website for submission details and important dates: http://www.wichita.edu/asee
The submission website is: https://easychair.org/conferences/?conf=amsc19
Important Dates:
*Draft paper submission deadline: May 31
*Reviewer comments deadline: June 28
*Final paper submission deadline: July 12
*Early bird registration deadline for all attendees: August 16
For more information or with questions, contact Yanwu Ding, ASEE Midwest Conference Chair and associate professor, Wichita State University, 1845 Fairmount St., Wichita, KS, 67260
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Colleagues,
The University of Nebraska-Lincoln is committed to its faculty, staff, students, and collaborators in facilitating open and publicly accessible research and scholarly activities both domestically and internationally. However, in some instances, restrictions may be placed on such activity in the interest of national security or protection of trade. This is especially true when federal funding is involved.
Recently, the Director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), Francis Collins, issued a “Foreign Influence Letter to Grantees” – https://www.cogr.edu/sites/default/files/NIH%20Foreign%20Influence%20Letter%20to%20Grantees%2008-20-18.pdf – and testified to the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee regarding concerns about systematic programs of foreign influence in U.S. research. Dr. Collins reminded the research community that they are required to “disclose all forms of other support and financial interest, including support coming from foreign governments or other foreign entities…in accordance with the NIH Grants Policy Statement, [on] all applications and progress reports” and indicated that NIH’s Office of Extramural Research (OER) will be providing additional information in the future.
In addition, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) issued a memo on January 31, 2019 stating that they would ban scientists from participating in foreign-talent recruitment programs. Specifically, scientists and grant recipients would be restricted from participating in programs sponsored by China or other countries suspected of using them for sensitive research. DOE also stated they would require scientists and grant recipients to disclose connections of this nature. Those disclosing these types of connections will be required by DOE to sever ties in order to obtain or maintain sponsored funding with the Department.
Pending further discussion and resolution at the Federal level, this memo is being issued in order to ensure UNL faculty, staff, and students are aware of these requirements and the resources available in order to comply with them. Policies and procedures are already in place for the campus to comply with export control regulations, reporting foreign research support and collaborations, and personal financial interests associated with both foreign and domestic entities. With the heightened sensitivity on these issues nationally, we wish to remind you of your obligations to report on international research and scholarly activities. The following is a list of resources and reporting requirements:
Please reference the RCS Conflict of Interest website -- https://research.unl.edu/researchcompliance/conflict-of-interest/ -- for policies, FAQs, and guidance information.
Disclose your outside professional activities and financial relationships, whether compensated or uncompensated, through the Interest and Outside Activity Reporting Form (IOARF) in NUgrant -- https://nugrant.unl.edu/system/login. Disclosures must include, but are not limited to, all work for, or financial interests in or received from, a foreign institution of higher education or the government or quasi-government organization of another country.
Comply with all disclosure requirements related to public sharing of your research. These requirements will be detailed by the conflict of interest in research committee if you have a management plan regarding a financial conflict of interest in research. However, many sponsors, journals, presentations and other publications also have expanded requirements for disclosure.
Please reference the International Travel Services website -- https://travel.unl.edu/ForeignTravel -- for policies, FAQs, and guidance information regarding international travel security and travel to high-risk countries.
Comply with the University of Nebraska Travel Policy -- https://nebraska.edu/-/media/unca/docs/offices-and-policies/policies/policies/university-of-nebraska-travel-policy---march-2019.pdf -- and completion of trip requests in Concur.
Following completion of your pre-trip travel request in Concur, you will receive an automated notification from NUgrant. If you are traveling to a country of concern, the notification will request that you also complete the Export Control International Travel Checklist. This checklist must be completed prior to your travel.
Please reference the Office of Sponsored Programs website -- https://nebraska.edu/-/media/unca/docs/offices-and-policies/policies/policies/university-of-nebraska-travel-policy---march-2019.pdf -- for policies, FAQs and guidance information.
Disclose to Sponsored Programs all sponsored projects you may be involved in that include any foreign sources of funding.
Individual researchers may not make arrangements or commitments that would contractually bind the University. Appropriate involvement, review and approvals from the institution and applicable signatory official(s) is required.
Please reference the NUtech Ventures website -- http://www.nutechventures.org -- for policies, FAQs, and guidance information.
Disclose intellectual property to NUtech in a timely manner, including any IP that involves international collaborations or involvement.
Please reference the RCS Export Control website -- https://research.unl.edu/researchcompliance/eccp/ -- for policies, FAQs, and guidance information.
Comply with U.S. export control regulations when your work involves publication restrictions, traveling internationally, participating in international collaborations, restrictions from the sponsor or contract, using proprietary information or software, working with international faculty, staff, or students, hosting international visitors, shipping materials internationally, or engaging in international transactions.
Compliance with these regulations also require that UNL will not host visitors, enter into contracts, do business, or engage in any activity with entities listed on a United States Government Restricted Party List. The Export Control Compliance Program can easily and quickly screen people and entities to ensure they do not appear on any such listing.
We thank you for your attention and compliance with these requirements. UNL depends on your disclosure and participation in these reporting processes in order to help us ensure that your interests and the University’s are protected. If you have any questions about these requirements or resources, please contact the Director for Research Compliance Services, Sara Frizzell at sfrizzell2@unl.edu.
Bob Wilhelm, Ph.D.
Vice Chancellor for Research and Economic Development
Dan Hoyt, Ph.D.
Institutional & Empowered Official, & the Office of Research Compliance Services (RCS)
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Nathan Meier has been named assistant vice chancellor for research, effective May 6.
Meier has held multiple leadership roles in the Office of Research and Economic Development, and brings expertise in faculty engagement and research initiative development at Nebraska and the University of Alabama at Birmingham.
He will report directly to Bob Wilhelm, vice chancellor for research and economic development, and serve on ORED’s senior leadership team. The position is focused on advancing institutional research goals and fostering faculty success in implementing high-priority partnerships, projects and programs
https://research.unl.edu/blog/meier-to-return-as-assistant-vice-chancellor-for-research/