September 2018
Kicking off fall with Alan Alda and communicating science
I hope you had a chance to attend Alan Alda's "Getting Beyond a Blind Date with Science" lecture last week. It was a great way to get a new academic year started. In addition, a number of faculty and others were able to participate in extraordinarily insightful workshops led by the Alan Alda Center for Communicating Science and Kavli Foundation. I'm very appreciative for the Robert M. Hearin Foundation's support of this program, as well as Vice President John Rush and his team at the MSU Foundation, and also thank Leilani Salter in the Office of the President and Courtney Honnoll in the Office of Public Affairs for their tireless behind-the-scenes efforts to make it all a success.
Please let me take a few minutes of your time to share an update from the Office of Research and Economic Development.
David Shaw is vice president for research and economic development at Mississippi State University.
New class for Departmental Administrator Working Group
I was honored to congratulate the recent graduates from our Departmental Administrator Working Group in last month's letter, and this month, I'm privileged to announce our newest class of DAWG participants for 2018-19: Schanna Beckham, College of Business; Doug Bedsaul, Center for Environmental Health Sciences; Meredith Betts, Mechanical Engineering; Stephanie Childress, Dean of Engineering; Coleman Grimmett, Delta Research and Extension Center; Elizabeth Hall, Coastal Research and Extension Center; Rhonda Hannah, Biological Sciences; Mona Howell, Parking and Transit Services; Silas Knox, College of Arts and Sciences Dean's Office; Kimberly Lewis, Sponsored Programs Accounting; Ashley Massey, MAFES/FWRC; Janice Nichols, Coastal Research and Extension Center; Anna-Marie Nickels, Wildlife, Fisheries and Aquaculture; Jessica Northcutt, Office of Technology Management; Brittany Oliver, Psychology; Robin Pigg, Biochemistry, Entomology and Plant Pathology; Amanda Reed, Student Leadership and Community Engagement; Sandra Reynolds, Center for Advanced Vehicular Systems; and Hannah Thach, Raspet Flight Research Laboratory.
Led by the Office of Sponsored Projects, the primary goal of DAWG is the development and application of knowledge and skills in the area of sponsored projects administration. It also helps departmental administrators grow professionally and create relationships with their peers across campus.
ITAR, export control briefing this week
The Office of Research Security will host an ITAR and export control briefing open to all faculty and staff on Tuesday, Sept. 5, at 1 p.m. in Conference Room 20 at the High Performance Computing Collaboratory. Jonathan Barnes, a special agent with the Bureau of Industry and Security's Office of Export Enforcement, will lead the one-hour session, and you can learn more about this very important presentation at https://www.research.msstate.edu/rresources/news.php?id=5924.
Deadline for travel grants and undergrad research grants
The application deadline for fall semester travel grants and for undergraduate research grants is coming up Friday, Sept. 7. Complete details about these programs, including all requirements, are available online at https://www.research.msstate.edu/funds and you may direct any questions about them to Devon Brenner at facultysupport@research.msstate.edu or 662-325-3570.
Naval Academy cyber science department chair to visit
We are looking forward to a visit from the chair of the Department of Cyber Science at the U.S. Naval Academy in October, and I encourage you to save the date on your calendar for her visit. Commander Tracy Emmersen will discuss the Naval Academy's vision of cyber operations as an academic major, including the contributions of many different disciplines -- computer science, electrical and computer engineering, systems engineering, psychology and political science -- as well as the Navy's role in offensive and defensive cyber operations. Her lecture is set for Oct. 16 at 9 a.m. in Colvard Student Union's Fowlkes Auditorium. Additional information is online at https://www.research.msstate.edu/rresources/news.php?id=5979.
Good clinical practice training course
I mentioned last month that NIH has revised its definition of a clinical trial to include studies with a health-related behavioral outcome. The revised definition will cause some social/behavioral research to fall into the clinical trial category and thus trigger the requirement for Good Clinical Practice Training. The Office of Research Compliance is happy to help you work through any questions you have about this change. You can find more information at www.orc.msstate.edu as well as instructions to access the CGP training in myCourses. Feel free to give them a call at (662) 325-5220 or send an email to irb@research.msstate.edu.
Kudos and congratulations
Every month, I look forward to sharing faculty and staff success stories with you, and here are a few that have crossed my desk recently:
* Kudos to Mark Horstemeyer, the Center for Advanced Vehicular Systems Chair in Computational Solid Mechanics in the Bagley College of Engineering's Department of Mechanical Engineering, and Yobel Technologies, LLC, for receiving a HeadHealthTECH Challenge grant from the National Football League and Football Research, Inc. Read more at https://www.msstate.edu/newsroom/article/2018/08/starkville-company-ties-msu-research-gains-tech-challenge-grant-nfl.
* Congratulations to Mimmo Parisi, the executive director of the National Strategic Planning and Analysis Research Center (NSPARC), who was recently honored with the Excellence in Local and District Government Award from the Mississippi State Personnel Board. Read more at https://www.msstate.edu/newsroom/article/2018/08/msu-s-parisi-honored-excellence-government-award.
* Kudos to James Chrisman, head of the Department of Management and Information Systems, who was recently recognized as one of the most-cited researchers in business and economics in the world. Read more at https://www.msstate.edu/newsroom/article/2018/08/msu-college-business-professor-among-most-cited-world.
* Congratulations to Robert Moorhead, the director of the Geosystems Research Institute and the Northern Gulf Institute and professor of electrical and computer engineering, who has been selected for N.C. State University's Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering Alumni Hall of Fame.
* Kudos to Jan Chambers, Jesse Grady, Brandon Barton and Christine Calder for contributing fascinating articles about their research to The Conversation this summer. They're online at https://theconversation.com/institutions/mississippi-state-university and if you're interested in writing for The Conversation, I'd encourage you to contact Allison Matthews at amatthews@opa.msstate.edu or Harriet Laird at hlaird@opa.msstate.edu in the Office of Public Affairs for details.
* And welcome to Kevin Enroth, our new director of the Office of Sponsored Projects. Kevin previously served as a senior grants and contracts administrator in OSP. Prior to joining the MSU team, he negotiated grants and contracts on behalf of NASA at Stennis Space Center and provided post-award support. Also, special thanks to Tina Hood for her many contributions as interim director during this leadership transition, and to Associate Vice President Allen Parrish for leading the search committee, which did a terrific job.
Final words
As I mentioned last month, I'd encourage you to join me for a Research Resource Fair on Sept. 17 from 1-3 p.m. This come-and-go event in Colvard Student Union's Foster Ballroom, Section S, will give faculty, research staff, postdoctoral scholars, and graduate students ample opportunities to discover the many resources available to them, network with colleagues, and visit with me about their research. Our center and institute directors will also be on hand, along with representatives from all of ORED's supporting units. I look forward to seeing many of you there. Additional information is available at https://www.research.msstate.edu/seminars.
Please feel free to share your suggestions, questions, or concerns about any of our research and economic development activities with me at dshaw@research.msstate.edu.