November 2018
Gelston set to retire; Martin named new associate vice president

By now, I'm sure that most of you have seen the great news about the new Center for Cyber Education and its focus on enhancing cyber education in Mississippi's K-12 schools. In mid-October, C Spire announced a $550,000 gift to the university to support the center's first official project. This program will train 30 teachers and connect 150 students from selected schools with job opportunities after completing two years of computer science coursework in high school and one year in community college. It's a terrific project to launch the center, and I appreciate those of you who are serving on its advisory board for your commitment to its success. Read more at http://memo.msstate.edu/story.php?id=4830.

Please let me take a moment of your time to share a few other items of interest from the Office of Research and Economic Development.

David Shaw is vice president for research and economic development at Mississippi State University.

Martin to lead corporate engagement and economic development

I invite all of you to join me in welcoming James F. Martin back to Mississippi State as our new associate vice president for corporate engagement and economic development. A 1985 professional accountancy graduate, Jim joins us from Kearney & Company, one of the nation's top firms providing a range of financial management services to the federal government. Prior to that, he rose to the rank of major general in the U.S. Air Force. At the time of his retirement from active duty, he was deputy assistant secretary for budget at the Pentagon. I could not be more pleased to have this outstanding Bulldog returning home to lead economic development and corporate engagement for us. Read more at http://memo.msstate.edu/story.php?id=4860.

And I also congratulate another outstanding Bulldog -- Kathy Gelston -- on her upcoming retirement as our associate vice president for corporate engagement and economic development. During her time with us, and throughout her distinguished career in state government, Kathy has been committed to making Mississippi better through efficient and effective economic development projects and programs. We appreciate everything she's done and wish her the very best as she begins this new chapter.

Research proposals and the winter break holidays

It's once again that time of year when we need to remind those of you working on research proposals that may be due during MSU's winter break between Dec. 21-Jan. 1 that the Office of Sponsored Projects closes along with the rest of the university. If you have a special need for OSP support over the holidays, please coordinate that with Kevin Enroth prior to the break. His e-mail address is enroth@osp.msstate.edu or you may call 662-325-7404.

Changes to human subjects research regulations

As you may recall, the regulations governing human subjects research have been updated, and these changes are scheduled to go into effect on Jan. 21, 2019. This revision includes adjustments that will streamline administration. For example, continuing review of "expedited" categories of research has been eliminated. In order to maintain the high quality of research here at Mississippi State and to maximize protections for participants, the university's Human Research Protection Program (HRPP) team will shift their efforts from continuing review to expand the post-approval monitoring (PAM) program. With this focus, active, non-exempt studies may be selected for monitoring. If your study is selected, the review team will schedule a time to meet and go over study materials. Once the process is completed, you will receive a report of observations and be given an opportunity to provide feedback on the PAM process. Please feel free to contact the Office of Research Compliance at 662-325-5220 or irb@research.msstate.edu with any questions or for additional information.

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 Kari Babski-Reeves, the Bagley College of Engineering's associate dean for research and graduate studies and professor of industrial and systems engineering, who has been elected president of the Board of Certified Professional Ergonomists. Read more at http://memo.msstate.edu/story.php?id=4843.

* Congratulations to David Buys, the MSU Extension Service's state health specialist and assistant professor of food science, nutrition, and health promotion, who was recently installed as president of the Mississippi Public Health Association. Read more at http://memo.msstate.edu/story.php?id=4846.

* Kudos to Jay McCurdy, Extension turf specialist and assistant professor of plant and soil sciences, who is leading the outreach effort for a multi-state initiative to address herbicide resistance in annual bluegrass as part of a $5.6-million USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture funding award. Read more at http://memo.msstate.edu/story.php?id=4844.

* Congratulations to faculty advisor Randy Follett, an associate professor of electrical and computer engineering, and the MSU students who have been invited to participate in the EcoCAR Mobility Challenge, the nation's premier automotive engineering competition. Read more at http://memo.msstate.edu/story.php?id=4847.

* Kudos to Elizabeth Gregory North, the head of the Office of Agricultural Communications, who is the newest member of the Southern Public Relations Federation's Hall of Fame. Read more at http://memo.msstate.edu/story.php?id=4825.

* Congratulations to John Forde, head of the Department of Communication, who has been inducted into the Arthur W. Page Society, a New York-based international public relations society. Read more at http://memo.msstate.edu/story.php?id=4831.

Final words

As we look forward to a short break in a couple of weeks, I hope that each one of you enjoys a very happy Thanksgiving. Please feel free to contact me at dshaw@research.msstate.edu if you have any questions, suggestions, or concerns about any of our research and economic development activities or visit www.research.msstate.edu.