Dear Colleagues,
The campus is thrilled with the arrival of our new president, Dr. Wood. He brings with him a vision for transformative change and a commitment to enhancing the academic experience for all of us. President Wood has set forth an ambitious agenda, emphasizing elevating student success, refining teaching methods, and fostering faculty scholarship. He set aside $1 million for the Research Enhanced Support Grant, dedicated to promoting research and scholarship involving students. This grant recognizes the direct link between faculty scholarship and student success. Engaging in research projects enhances students' academic journey, leading to coveted internships, high-paying jobs, and increased opportunities for graduate school admission. The grant provides assigned time support, allowing faculty to initiate new research projects or bolster existing ones. It's a chance to delve into innovative ideas, push boundaries, and make a lasting impact on our academic community. It's a great way to leverage the support provided by the University to attract external funding for research. This grant is not just an opportunity in itself but a stepping stone toward even greater recognition.
We encourage all faculty members to seize this chance and submit applications for the Research Enhanced Support Grant. Let's collectively contribute to the advancement of knowledge, the enrichment of student experiences, and the overall success of our University. Take advantage of this golden opportunity!
This edition of The Lens also profiles two of our faculty: Dr. Nicole Fox, a professor in Criminal Justice, and Dr. Katherine McReynolds, a Chemistry professor. We also feature the Office of Water Programs, the crown jewel of all CSU centers systemwide.
We have launched Protected Writing Time this semester. We have a dedicated place for faculty to come and write. Use this time to develop your creative ideas, start your fiction, or write a grant proposal. Consider writing 500 words a day. It's a reachable goal for most of us. In a few short months, you will have a complete manuscript. At ORIED, we are always looking for ways to serve you better. Please contact me if you have any suggestions or questions.
Thank you for your dedication to academic excellence.
Mariappan "Jawa" Jawaharlal
Interim Associate Vice President for the Offices of Research, Innovation, and Economic Development
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Assistant Professor - Criminal Justice Division
"For me, research is a chance to create multiple and meaningful synergies with my teaching."
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Dr. Nicole Fox’s research centers on the aftermath of mass violence, with a focus on how atrocity crimes shape present-day social relations. Her projects examine the aftermath of violence in the US and abroad, such as sexual assault, political violence, and racial terrorism, including genocide and gender-based violence during war and state-sanctioned violence. Through this research she has been able to reach multiple communities and audiences, including people incarcerated in Northern California Prisons through book clubs, national and international scholars, and the United Nations. Her 2021 book After Genocide: Memory and Reconciliation in Rwanda (University of Wisconsin Press, Critical Human Rights Series), represents the culmination of more than 10 years of scholarly research, and has brought her all over the world for book talks and pedagogical discussions. Recently, she had the opportunity to bring two of her students to present on some of her research at the United Nations Headquarters in Manhattan, and her data on Rwandan rescuers has been used for graduate student theses.
“For me, research is a chance to create multiple and meaningful synergies with my teaching. For example, I invite genocide survivors and scholars to speak to my classes and the university community, or integrate lessons from the international criminal court when learning about comparative criminal justice,” Fox says.
Much of her recent publications and grants have focused on genocide and mass atrocity. Genocide claims more lives than homicide, gun violence, and interpersonal violence, yet only recently has it become a research priority for criminal justice scholars.
“My research has pushed that agenda forward, as most of my scholarship uses criminological theories to understand mass atrocity. My research has also pushed this field beyond US borders. As a discipline, criminal justice has long been focused on the US and other Western countries. However, as our world becomes more globalized, so do crimes, punishments, and systems of justice."
Her scholarship has helped globalize the field by bringing in cases from African nations and presenting this research at conferences across the world. In addition, through her work she has expanded the literature on transitional justice to include memorialization as a mechanism of justice in the aftermath of mass violence. Dr. Fox is now widely recognized as a memorialization expert and has been asked to conduct various webinars and wrote the chapter on memorialization in the first handbook on atrocity crimes. Finally, criminal justice has long relied on quantitative methodologies. By contrast, her research uses a range of qualitative methods—in-depth surveys, interviews, and ethnography—and therefore deploys different units and levels of analysis. In so doing, her research has expanded this discipline’s epistemologies.
“I would encourage faculty at Sacramento State to apply for both internal and external grants to support their research. Internal grants assisted me with getting the preliminary data and articles needed to support my arguments for the larger external grants. I also find writing groups to be incredibly helpful and supportive for getting articles and grants completed when you have an intensive service and teaching load."
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Professor - Chemistry Department
"I think it is important to keep one foot in the research realm at all times."
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Dr. Katherine McReynolds’ research is focused on the development of topical carbohydrate-based broad spectrum anti-viral drugs. Currently, she and her team are targeting two pandemic causing viruses: HIV and SARS-CoV-2. These viruses are from different families but share similarities in how they interact with, and ultimately infect, host cells. They envision the carbohydrate-based polymers, or glycopolymers, that they are making to serve as “molecular band-aids,” by being able to block the earliest interactions between the virus and the host cell to prevent infection. The goal is to have glycopolymers that could be applied topically to the primary site of infection like the nose or throat for SARS-CoV-2, and have it either prevent the infection from occurring altogether, or minimize the severity/duration of the illness.
Dr. McReynolds has a vibrant and busy research lab. Since she was hired, she has mentored 4 high school, 65 undergraduate, and 18 MS students in her research. These students come from diverse backgrounds and many are the first in their families to attend and/or graduate from college. These students carry out research in the lab, from setting up and running organic chemistry reactions, to purifying and characterizing their resultant products. They also attend professional scientific conferences with Dr. McReynolds to present their research results.
“The MS students are assigned the role of project lead for their thesis work and then they work with undergraduate/high school students to move the project forward. There is no way the work could be accomplished without the input and dedication of my talented team of Sac State students!” McReynolds says with excitement.
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Her work falls into an area of great potential: that of developing new broad-spectrum anti-viral agents. Currently, there are not many drugs that could be considered broad-spectrum anti-viral agents, and even fewer drugs in general that are built from carbohydrates.
McReynolds notes, “My lab is additionally focused on being able to build large glycopolymers using green chemistry. This is accomplished by minimizing the number of steps needed to complete the synthesis, using water as a reaction solvent whenever possible and using microwave-mediated chemistry to shorten the reaction time and improve the yields.”
From the aspect of broader impacts of McReynolds’ work beyond academia, she looks at one of the most important roles she serves in as a faculty member, and that’s to provide a great learning environment for students to become engaged in research and build their skillset, such that upon graduation from Sac State, they can go on to attain an advanced degree in chemistry or move into the rich industry workforce that California has to offer as a skilled chemist.
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Office of Water Programs (OWP)Centers and Institutes HighlightThe Office of Water Programs (OWP) at Sacramento State is an internationally renowned center that publishes the industry standard in drinking water and wastewater training materials and provides valuable, science-based applied research services for water management across the US. OWP’s professionals, faculty affiliates, and student assistants leverage long-standing collaborative partnerships to contribute to providing clean water for human use and environmental health. A key player in the Anchor University Initiative, OWP works with communities around Sacramento, throughout the State, across the Western US, and nationally by providing training materials for operators and managers of drinking water and wastewater utilities; technical assistance to small and disadvantaged communities facing environmental challenges; and scientific research support to local, state, and federal agencies.
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OWP was founded over 50 years ago to provide training materials for water treatment operators charged with running the technologies mandated under new federal and state laws. Now, OWP staff and subject matter experts update, improve, and deliver 20 training manuals and over 50 associated courses that operators take for continuing education units and college credit. A major redesign of the training manual library in partnership with Pearson Education and the creation of new online courses, including operator math courses, serves diverse learners in effectively accessing the material.
For over 25 years, full-time staff scientists and researchers, support staff, undergraduate and graduate student assistants, and multiple faculty collaborators from Sacramento State and other universities have provided an expanding range of services to meet the needs of government agencies and private entities for expertise in water quality data analysis, cost and management assessment, modeling and planning, and analysis of water policy. OWP’s support for the water, wastewater, stormwater, and groundwater fields includes written reports, laboratory-scale pilot tests, over 15 web-accessible tools, and the Water Seminar Series. OWP also assists small and disadvantaged communities in water systems improvements through the EPA-sponsored Environmental Finance Center (EFC) at Sacramento State and projects funded by California’s Proposition 1 and Safe and Affordable Funding for Equity and Resilience (SAFER) grant programs.
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Augmenting the full-time OWP staff is a diverse community of university scholars. Sacramento State faculty contributing to recent OWP projects represent Civil Engineering, Economics, Business, and Environmental Studies. Faculty from other CSU campuses, such as Cal State Fullerton and Cal Poly Humboldt, also contribute to OWP projects. In addition, OWP has employed hundreds of university students over the past 50 years, including 27 in the last fiscal year. Students contribute to projects in a pre-professional capacity, gaining skills applicable to professional and academic goals in engineering, computer science, communications, business administration, and other disciplines. OWP sponsors a graduate fellowship program that provides financial support to Sacramento State students fulfilling the culminating requirement of their master’s degrees.
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Grant Development Support Fund
Is there an organized training, conference, or workshop on grant proposal development or grant writing that you are interested in attending? Funds are now available from the Offices of Research, Innovation, and Economic Development (ORIED) to cover a share of the registration and/or travel costs. Awards of up to $750 will be made to cover registration costs and in-state travel. Awards of up to $1500 will be made for out-of-state domestic travel. For more, including examples of eligible trainings, click the button below.
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Now Accepting Applications to Fall 2023 IDEA ProgramThe Offices of Research, Innovation, and Economic Development are inviting applications for the next cycle of the Incentive for Developing External Awards (IDEA) program. IDEA provides up to $2,500 in additional employment or professional development funds as an incentive for faculty to write a competitive grant proposal for external funding to further their research, scholarly and/or creative activity. IDEA is open to all tenured and tenure-track faculty, and lecturers with multiyear appointments of at least 0.5 time base. Applicants must identify one specific grant solicitation or a formal request for proposals to which they are interested in submitting a proposal. For this cycle, the grant proposal submission deadline must be between Feb. 1, 2024, and July 31, 2024. IDEA applications are due by 5 p.m. Monday, Oct. 23.
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ORIED's Office of Research & Proposal Development is Here to Help!
A full range of support services are available to faculty and staff seeking external funding for their research and scholarly activities. This includes assistance with the conceptualization of project ideas, refinement of proposal narratives, and development of project budgets. Additionally, if an agency or organization is interested in contracting for your expertise, we provide guidance on the development of scopes of work, cost estimates and negotiating with the funder on the terms and conditions. For a full list of services and the associated timelines, see the ORIED Proposal Services Matrix.
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Fall 2023 Student Research Poster ForumThe Student Research Center invites applications for the Fall 2023 Student Research and Creative Activity Poster Forum. The purpose of the Fall Poster Forum is to give undergraduates, graduates, and recent alumni the opportunity to showcase their research and creative projects to the campus community in poster format. Submitted posters must be sponsored by a faculty mentor overseeing the work of submission. Each poster is allowed an unlimited number of co-authors. This event is not a competition and the posters presented at this event will not be judged.
Date and Time: The poster event will be held in person on Thursday, November 9, 2023 from 5-7pm in the Cottonwood Suite, University Union.
Eligibility: Currently registered students and alumni who received their degrees in Spring 2023 are eligible to participate in the Fall Forum. Additionally, while all presenters must be enrolled students or recent alumni at Sacramento State, co-authors need not be a student and may include faculty or others.
Registration: Students interested in participating in the Fall Forum must complete the InfoReady registration form, which includes the following fields: title of poster, names of student presenter(s) and co-authors, undergraduate, graduate, or alumni, names of faculty mentor(s), and department and college. For students, please make sure you obtain prior approval from a faculty mentor before filling out the application. Upon submitting your application, you will receive an email confirming your participation.
Registration Deadline: October 27, by 11:59 p.m.
Late applications cannot be considered. For more information on how to make a poster and poster printing, please visit the Student Poster Printing Service website.
IMPORTANT: One application per poster!
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Fall 2023 Create, Make, and Share Faire
The Sacramento State Create, Make, and Share Faire is an opportunity to showcase your creative side with the Hornet community. If you have a creation (painting, pottery, craft, music, etc.) that you would like to share, we encourage you to participate. This event is not a competition and submissions will not be judged. This event is open to all Sacramento State students, staff, and faculty to share a creation and to attend.
Location: StingerStudio Makerspace, Library 1529
Date: November 17, 2023
Time: 10am - 2pm
Registration Deadline: November 6, 2023 by 11:59pm
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Intellectual Property (IP) Virtual Boot Camp
The ORIED Office of Innovation and Technology Transfer (OITT) and the Carlsen Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship have teamed up to offer a virtual Intellectual Property (IP) Boot Camp for students, staff, faculty, inventors, innovators, entrepreneurs, founders and new business leaders to learn about Patents, Copyrights, Trademarks, Trade Secrets and protecting their inventions, innovations, brand names, logos, art, literary works, and other IP. James “Jim” Ritchey, Ph.D., J.D., the OITT Intellectual Property and Patent Advisor, will teach the IP Bootcamp from noon to 1:00 PM, on October 26 and 27, 2023. You can register for the IP Boot Camp here. Jim has Ph.D. in Biochemistry from Northwestern University, and a JD from the University of the Pacific McGeorge School of Law. Jim was a Professor (and now an Emeritus Professor) with the Department of Chemistry in our College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics for 45 years and an Adjunct Professor at McGeorge School of Law for 15 years. Jim is a member of the California State Bar, a registered patent attorney with the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), and a partner in the IP law firm of O’Banion & Ritchey LLP.
Office of Innovation & Technology Transfer at WorkIn April 2023, Dr. McReynolds and her graduate student, graduate teaching assistant, and student assistant for research Anthony Perez disclosed an invention to ORIED’s Office of Innovation & Technology Transfer (OITT) entitled Synthesis of Robust Oligosaccharides for Applications in Biotechnology and Biomedical Research. This invention is a method that makes it very easy to link together two sugars that are either the same or different using a minimum of steps, no protecting group chemistry, efficient and green reaction conditions, and results in good to excellent product yields. This method can be used in biotechnology and biomedical applications such as in developing new drugs and vaccines. OITT worked with Sacramento intellectual property law firm O’Banion & Ritchey, LLC to file a provisional patent application with the United States Patent and Trademark Officer (USPTO) on May 5, 2023. This was the first patent application that Sacramento State has filed in over 10 years. OITT is trying to find a company or corporation to license and commercialize this invention.
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Proposal Submission TimelinesTo successfully manage the increasing volume of grant proposals combined with new regulatory compliance requirements, please note the following internal proposal submission timelines:
- No later than 3 weeks prior to funder’s deadline – Notification to ORIED of a Proposal Submission.
ORIED recommends filling out a Proposal Intake Form as soon as you identify a funding opportunity or request for proposals/applications you are considering or for which you plan to apply. - One week prior to funder’s deadline - Initiation of Proposal Approval Form (ePAF)
An electronic Proposal Approval Form (ePAF) accompanied by a brief abstract of the project and budget must be initiated no later than one week prior to the funder submission deadline. The purpose of this form is to request approval of department chairs, deans, and administrative officials for the activity proposed by faculty or staff as required by CSU Chancellor’s Office and Sacramento State policies. - No later than 2 full business days prior to funder’s deadline - Receipt of Final Proposal Documents.
Final versions of all proposal elements have an internal deadline and must be provided to ORIED at least 2 full business days in advance of the funder’s deadline to allow for final review of documents for compliance with funder and university policies and procedures, confirmation of receipt of required institutional approvals, and preparation for submission to the funder.
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For more information or inquiries, please contact the Offices of Research, Innovation and Economic Development below.
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| California State University, Sacramento
Offices of Research, Innovation and Economic Development
Library 2520, MS 6093
6000 J Street
Sacramento, CA 95819-6065
Phone: (916) 278-6402
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