October 2018
Feedback welcome as implementation of research priorities moves forward
It's hard to believe that Fall Break is here. Like many of you, we've had a busy start to the semester in the Office of Research and Economic Development, and I'd like to take a moment to share an update.
David Shaw is vice president for research and economic development at Mississippi State University.
MSU leading new USAID Feed the Future Innovation Lab
I hope you've seen the news about Mississippi State's leadership of a new $15-million U.S. Agency for International Development initiative. USAID funding over five years will create the Feed the Future Innovation Lab on Fish, which MSU will lead through the university's Global Center for Aquatic Food Security under the direction of Mark Lawrence, associate dean and professor in the College of Veterinary Medicine. This is an outstanding achievement by the university and an important milestone in the growth of our research portfolio. I applaud the team leading this effort. Read more at http://memo.msstate.edu/story.php?id=4785.
MSU administrative lead for $20M, 5-YEAR NSF EPSCoR grant
We are also very excited about Mississippi State's role as administrative lead for a new $20-million, five-year National Science Foundation funding award, and proud of our researchers who will be participating in this important work. The EPSCoR grant will create the Center for Emergent Molecular Optoelectronics -- an interdisciplinary research program with contributions from all four Mississippi Research Consortium member institutions. In addition to my role as principal investigator, MSU contributors include Santanu Kundu, associate professor of chemical engineering; Dong Meng, assistant professor of chemical engineering; Neeraj Rai, assistant professor of chemical engineering; Colleen Scott, assistant professor of chemistry; and Katie Echols, director of research analysis and support in the Office of Research and Economic Development, who will provide administrative support for the grant. Read more at http://memo.msstate.edu/story.php?id=4796.
Naval Academy cyber science department chair visiting
We are looking forward to a visit from the chair of the Department of Cyber Science at the U.S. Naval Academy next week. 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 public lecture is set for Oct. 16 at 9 a.m. in Colvard Student Union's Fowlkes Auditorium. Additional information is online at www.research.msstate.edu/rresources/news.php?id=6024.
Countdown to the revised Common Rule
Revisions to the federal regulations for the protection of human subjects in research are slated to begin on Jan. 21, 2019. These updates will affect both ongoing IRB studies as well as new submissions. In light of this, the HRPP and IRB want to encourage those who are engaged in human subjects research to attend these sessions. You will learn about what to expect in the coming months as they adjust MSU's policies and procedures to maintain compliance with these new regulations, and how that may affect your research. Training sessions will be Oct. 16 at 3:30 p.m. and Oct. 17 at 1 p.m. in McCain 125. A recording of the training will be posted to the Office of Research Compliance website. If you have any questions, please contact the HRPP office at irb@research.msstate.edu or 662-325-5220. Seating is limited, so please register for one of the two live training sessions at www.orc.msstate.edu/training.
Biosafety awareness luncheon coming up Oct. 19
Biosafety Month is observed during the month of October, and our Office of Biosafety and Biosecurity will be hosting an awareness luncheon for principal investigators and laboratory managers that are supported by the office or will be in the future. The lunch and program will take place Oct. 19, beginning at 11 a.m. in the Hunter Henry Center's Parker Ballroom. Please RSVP for the luncheon as soon as possible to MSU Biosafety Officer Trent Peacock at tpeacock@orc.msstate.edu or 662-325-0620. (Note: If you were sent a Doodle Poll to RSVP, please respond accordingly.)
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 Drew Hamilton, the director of the Center for Cyber Innovation and a professor of computer science and engineering, who was recently recognized by the National Security Agency for his contributions to NSA's National Centers of Academic Excellence in Cyber Operations Programs. Read more at www.research.msstate.edu/rresources/news.php?id=6025.
* Congratulations to Mark Fincher, an associate professor in MSU-Meridian's Division of Education, who has been elected vice president for research and publication for the Council for the Study of Community Colleges, the leading research organization focused on public two-year colleges. Read more at http://memo.msstate.edu/story.php?id=4793.
* Kudos to Laura Allen, as assistant professor of psychology, who is receiving approximately $2.8 million in external funding to create a tool for writing analytics and feedback, as well as to investigate how students process complex information in today's technology-driven society. Read more at http://memo.msstate.edu/story.php?id=4818.
* Congratulations to Mimmo Parisi, the executive director of the National Strategic Planning and Analysis Research Center (NSPARC) and professor of sociology, who was recognized in late August by Gov. Phil Bryant with the Excellence in Local and District Government Award. Read more at http://memo.msstate.edu/story.php?id=4774.
* Kudos to Anna Linhoss, an assistant professor in the Department of Agriculture and Biological Engineering, who is now serving as assistant director of the Northern Gulf Institute and the Geosystems Research Institute. Read more at http://memo.msstate.edu/story.php?id=4813.
* Welcome to Lux Luxion, our new director of the Alliance for System Safety of UAS through Research Excellence -- the Mississippi State-led national center of excellence for UAS. As I noted in the university's announcement, we are very pleased that Lux will be taking the controls at ASSURE and leading it into a new chapter. Read more at https://www.msstate.edu/newsroom/article/2018/10/uas-veteran-luxion-named-assure-director.
* And another official welcome to Deana Card, the university's new director of research security. A Mississippi State alumna, she brings extensive experience to this very important role on our campus. Deana and her team are focused on compliance, and also working closely with researchers to streamline the administrative process whenever possible. Read more at http://memo.msstate.edu/story.php?id=4784.
Final words
In late September, Associate Vice President Allen Parrish led a very productive retreat with the university's associate deans for research and other stakeholders to examine our strategic research priorities. As funding continues to grow ever more competitive, these priorities will guide much of our strategic investment in research over the course of the next five years. As a reminder, they're available at www.research.msstate.edu/rresources/ResearchFocusAreas.pdf.
We had terrific input from faculty, staff, and administrators as we developed the priorities, and as we move into implementation, we need that same level of feedback. Please feel free to share your suggestions, questions, or concerns about the research priorities or any of our research and economic development activities with me at dshaw@research.msstate.edu.