In this issue

Research highlights  |  Innovation spotlight  |  New awards  |  Unsung heroes
 Faculty kudos  |  Research development  |  Nuts & bolts  |  Events

KU's new BioGEM program will prepare postbaccalaureate scholars to better understand organisms’ past responses to changing environments so they can better predict and mitigate devastating future impacts — all while broadening participation in science.

How can Kansas corn help meet UN Sustainable Development Goals? Nakisha Mark, postdoctoral researcher in KU's Center for Environmentally Beneficial Catalysis, is making it happen. 
 
Mark is one of five KU postdocs from across disciplines that the Office of Research profiled for National Postdoc Appreciation Week, Sept. 18-22. You can also read stories about Sarah Weinsztok, Stephen Baca, Laura Podzikowski and Steven Wang.

The Flow Cytometry Core Lab opened its services to KU and regional researchers Sept. 1. The lab includes three new instruments that allow researchers to study individual cells within a liquid sample.

A KU communication scholar traces the history of incentive programs used to manipulate employees and consumers in his new book, “Works Like a Charm: Incentive Rhetoric and the Economization of Everyday Life.”

Michael Taylor, professor of geology, took KU graduate students to Nepal — home to eight of the world's 10 tallest mountains — to explore compelling research questions about how these landforms change over time.

In the last three years, KU filed a total of 406 new patent applications and had 240 patents issued. This activity comes from a diverse group of academic schools and departments across all campuses. 
 
“The inclusion of KU on this year’s NAI list of top 100 U.S. universities recognizes not just the number and quality of new inventions coming from KU’s research community, but also the commitment of KU in support of innovative research,” said Clifford Michaels, executive director of the KU Center for Technology Commercialization. 

KU researchers are testing heat pumps with ecologically friendly refrigerants, improving wildfire and flood resistance of housing, assessing road safety in Kansas, digitizing congressional archival materials, and more — all with the aid of external funding awarded in August.

Patti Beedles| Greenhouse Manager | Ecology & Evolutionary Biology

Evolutionary research often starts with plants. In fact, the notion of recessive and dominant inherited traits was first documented in peas by Gregor Mendel. So it’s no surprise that KU faculty still use plants in teaching and research to this day.

That’s where Patti Beedles comes in.

Beedles is the greenhouse manager for the Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology. She manages two main greenhouses, one in Haworth Hall and one adjacent to Higuchi Hall in KU’s West District.

“One of Patti’s strongest attributes in handling her responsibilities is her ability to listen to others,” said Lena Hileman, professor and chair of ecology & evolutionary biology.

“She hears the plant collections and care needs of researchers and instructors at KU, reflects on their needs and comes up with actionable plans to meet their needs in a timely manner.”

Along with supervising three staff members, Beedles identifies plant care and facility issues that need to be addressed. Conversations with faculty inform this part of her work, and she joined a national professional organization of greenhouse managers to learn best practices from others in her field.

“Recently, Patti was instrumental in helping my lab develop a new soil mixture for our research plants,” Hileman said. “This new mixture provides better drainage and helps keep our plants healthy and our research on track.”

Another element of her work is public outreach. Beedles established “greenhouse office hours” every Thursday afternoon for members of the KU community to learn about the collections and see firsthand the beauty among the plants. She also works with local K-12 educators to bring students into the greenhouse, helping younger students see the relationships between plants and people.

INTERNAL FUNDING

This award program is designed to help new faculty accelerate their scholarship and start building a sustainable research program soon after their arrival on campus.

Amount: Up to $8K / Up to $20K  |  Deadlines: Oct. 1 + March

These awards support members of our research and creative community as they apply their expertise to profound and persistent challenges related to attaining the goal of racial equity. Eligibility is open to Lawrence and Edwards campus faculty and academic staff (whether or not tenure-track), without regard for field or discipline. Questions? Attend the Racial Equity Awards Info Session on Tuesday, Oct. 3 from 11 a.m. – 12 p.m. Register on Zoom

Amount: Up to $20K | Deadline: Nov. 15

These awards recognize individuals for their accomplishments in research, scholarship and creative activity in the fields of humanities and social sciences, basic sciences, biomedical sciences, and applied sciences. Faculty from any Kansas Regents institution are eligible. 

Amount: $10K | Deadline: Nov. 1

This award honors an outstanding unclassified academic staff researcher on the KU-Lawrence campus who has had significant influence in their field and/or a productive record of important research that has expanded intellectual or societal insights. 

Amount: $10K | Deadline: Nov. 1

The Staff Achievement Award and the Postdoctoral Achievement Award are intended to recognize the numerous contributions of unclassified professional staff and postdoctoral researchers to the research mission of KU, honoring outstanding individuals who have had a tangible impact on the research labs and projects in which they work. 

Amount: $5K | Deadline: Nov. 1

NETWORKING

How well do you know University of Kansas core laboratories? Join us at Coretoberfest 2023 to learn how these state-of-the-art facilities and the experts who lead them can support your research.  

Door prizes. Networking. Appetizers + drinks.  

Coretoberfest 2023 
Thursday, Oct. 12 | 3:30 – 5:30 p.m. 
Burge Union, Forum C 

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

The National Science Foundation’s Ethical & Responsible Research (ER2) program seeks fundamental research on what constitutes or promotes responsible or irresponsible conduct of research and why, as well as how to best instill responsible conduct of research into researchers, practitioners and educators at all career stages. In this webinar, Jason Borenstein, program director of NSF’s Directorate for Social, Behavioral & Economic Sciences, will provide a brief history of the ER2 program, describe the types of proposals it supports, explain its merit review process, and take questions. 

NSF Ethical & Responsible Research (ER2) Overview 
Wednesday, Oct. 18 | 12 – 1 p.m. 

GENERAL

The Office of Research, Center for Research Computing and KU IT are engaged in a project to replace the Research File Storage (ResFS) appliance later this fall. We want all ResFS users to be aware that this essential hardware upgrade will impact access to ResFS over for a brief period in mid-November.  

Beginning at 5 p.m. Friday, Nov. 17, all access, connections or processes that involve data stored on ResFS and the research cluster will be temporarily suspended; any open sessions will be terminated while this upgrade is performed. We anticipate that the upgrade will be complete and full network access restored by 6 a.m. Monday, Nov. 20.

In a recent message to KU deans, directors and department chairs, Provost Barbara Bichelmeyer shared guidance from key campus offices about several areas — including research, sponsorship and mentoring programs — in light of the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision on affirmative action in college admissions. If you have specific questions about an existing program or a funding opportunity to which you are applying, please contact Alicia Reed at amreed@ku.edu. 

RESEARCH ADMINISTRATION

The Office of Research would like to introduce you to Jen Arbuthnot, a new grant coordinator who will manage KU’s limited submissions process. Limited submissions are funding opportunities where the sponsor limits the number of proposals an institution may submit. You may have already received emails from Jen announcing new limited submission funding opportunities. 

She would like to highlight some key facts about limited submissions that you won't want to miss. 

The National Institutes of Health is soliciting feedback on its draft Scientific Integrity Policy (.pdf) through Nov. 9. As highlighted in NIH Director Mike Lauer’s blog post, the policy aims to provide a cross-agency definition of scientific inquiry, identify key positions at NIH to manage scientific integrity, and protect against inappropriate interference. 

The Office of Research will submit an institutional response and invites you to share your comments, questions and concerns with Alicia Reed. You are also welcome to submit your feedback directly via NIH’s online form. 

The National Science Foundation has been transitioning from Fastlane to Research.gov over the past few years, as detailed on the Fastlane Decommissioning webpage. As of Sept. 30, the FastLane homepage will redirect to the Research.gov homepage. Functionality changes include:     

The National Science Foundation will begin enforcing its mandate to use SciENcv for preparation of biographical sketches and current & pending (other) support for new proposals due on or after Oct. 23. Pre-Award Services is ready to assist you with this transition from fillable PDFs to the SciENcv platform. 

There are also multiple resources to assist with preparing biosketches and current & pending support: 

If you are ready to submit a proposal, please contact kucrpremgmt@lists.ku.edu to request assistance. If you have questions about KU support or use of SciENcv, please contact Brad Bernet at bbernet@ku.edu. 

RESEARCH INTEGRITY

There's still time to register to join us for this month's Final Friday Human Research Ethics Hour! The September session will bring together staff from the Human Research Protection Program and Pre-Award Services to discuss the connection between the two departments.

IRB + Pre-Award Intersection 
Friday, Sept. 29 | 11:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. 

Annual COI reporting is a requirement of your KU employment or participation in KU research. Your participation in the process is essential and very much appreciated.

Questions? Comments? Content suggestions?
Mindie Paget  |  Office of Research  |  mpaget@ku.edu

KU Office of Research
2385 Irving Hill Road
Lawrence, KS 66045
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