Vice President's Message

Summer is Here

Summer is here: graduation is coming up this Friday and with any luck the rain will have stopped so that graduates, family, friends and faculty can enjoy the landscaping that has greatly improved the appearance of the campus over the past year.

Not everything has been so sunny, however. Total research expenditures are on a downward trend that is unprecedented except in that miserable year when we installed the Oracle business system; the fact that we have the company of all SUNY’s major research campuses in this respect is cold comfort. The Federal funding climate is changing – the AAAS reports that the President’s proposed budget for FY2007 would result in an actual decline in the total federal R&D portfolio for the first time since 1996 – and this requires us to change also. The NIH budget, which declined slightly in 2006 – for the first time in 36 years – would remain flat at $28.6 billion. The NIH has made its interest in translational research quite clear: opportunities for bringing basic research findings to patient care applications are therefore increasing. Another opportunity is created by the proposed significant increases in funding for physical sciences at NSF and DOE, in response to the new American Competitiveness Initiative. Proposed increases at DOD and NASA focus on the "D" in "R&D," so that increases for space vehicles development and weapons development would far exceed the overall increase, leaving all other R&D programs with less money, although there may be potential for new resources in expanded industry partnerships.

All agencies are interested in improving training of the next generation of scientists and engineers. The recent report, "Rising above the Gathering Storm," by the National Academies of Science (one of the precipitants for the Competitiveness Initiative) recommends significant increases in the number of graduate training awards (the report is available free of charge at-http://www.nap.edu/catalog/11463.html).

And across the board there is a tendency to consolidate small science into big science that can address the big questions. Multidisciplinary research is essential to find answers to most of the big questions. Associate Vice President for Research Martin Schoonen has devoted his considerable energies to forming focus groups on campus around some of the big questions facing science and engineering today. I urge you to take advantage of these groups, which helped pull together 8 departments to produce Stony Brook’s first-ever award, providing almost $3 million over 5 years, under the NSF’s Integrative Graduate Education and Research Training (IGERT) program for multidisciplinary graduate training — even if these focus groups do not immediately provide you with your next 5 years of funding you will meet colleagues with like interests and with whom your future funded collaborations may develop. Sponsors have learned to demand evidence of an actual track record of past collaborations – not necessarily backed by substantial funding, but demonstrated by joint publications and the like – and are no longer impressed by the potential promise of future joint activity. Shared exploration and cooperation can pay big dividends.

Summer is the time for concentrated work on your research uninterrupted by committee meetings and teaching assignments. It is the time for new students to become laboratory-savvy. It is also the time to make sure that their participation in your laboratory work has been fully approved by the committees administered through Office of Research Compliance. It has come to my attention that not all faculty mentors realize their obligations in this arena. While your research may have full human subjects (IRB), animal subjects (IACUC) and/or recombinant DNA (IBC) approval, you are not in full compliance until you file and receive approval for an amendment that adds that specific student to your applicable approval. In order to receive such approval, the student will need to satisfy training requirements unique to each area. Should you plan to conduct a research project off campus or at another institution involving human subjects, animal subjects or rDNA, you STILL NEED TO HAVE APPROVAL from STONY BROOK’S compliance committees. This also pertains to students who are working on off-campus locations on projects for which they will receive credit or progress towards a degree at Stony Brook University.

So please make sure you are in compliance and have a productive summer.

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Good News and Coming Events

News

Stony Brook Announces $25 million Gift from Jim Simons

The gift from Jim Simons, former chair of Mathematics, is the largest single cash gift in Stony Brook's history. Dr. Simons was Chair of Mathematics from 1968-1976 and helped shape its reputation as one of the best departments in the nation. "Jim has Extraordinary vision," said President Shirley Strum Kenny. "He understands the critical need for support of education, particularly in science and mathematics, in America. His generosity paves the way for Stony Brook to explore new frontiers in education and research, now and in the future."

A Replica of the Fossil Skeleton of the Dinosaur Majungasaurus crenatissimus Will be Officially Unveiled in the Administration Building Lobby

The skeleton is the result of a composite of different specimens collected in 1996 by a team led by Distinguished Teaching Professor David Krause, Anatomical Sciences, from the island of Madagascar. A distant relative of Tyrannosaurus rex, the 70 million-year-old carnivore was modeled, in part, from one of the best-preserved and most complete dinosaur skulls ever found. The replica is 21 feet long and 7 feet tall and will reside in the lobby of Admin indefinitely after its unveiling on May 17. Featured on the May 15, 1998 cover of Science, the discovery helped Krause and colleagues reach exciting conclusions about the plate tectonic history of the southern super-continent of Gondwana and also provided conclusive evidence of cannibalism among dinosaurs.

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Events

Provost's Lecture Series

June 8: "Obesity and the Body Politic"

Susie Orbach is a psychotherapist and international expert on eating problems and body image. She is the author of Fat is a Feminist Issue and On Eating, and co-founder of The Women's Therapy Center (London), The Women's Therapy Center Institute (New York City), and Psychotherapists for Social Justice. 7:30 p.m. Student Activities Center Auditorium.

July 5–July 29 Science and Research Awareness Series: "Topics in Cell and Molecular Biology as Related to Clinical Sciences"

Over the course of four weeks this lecture and workshop series is designed to bring awareness to enthusiastic students on different aspects of clinical sciences and modern cell and molecular biology. The topics to be presented will try to bridge the gap between basic and clinical sciences, introducing the aspect of translational and applied research as applied to human health and safety. Faculty members who are experts in their fields will assist in the educational program. A $500 minimum donation is suggested. For more information, a copy of the schedule and to download a registration form please go here:
http://anes.anesthes.sunysb.edu/teaching/sas.html

January 12-15, 2007: "5th Annual Hawaii International Conference on Arts and Humanities"

Call for Papers/Abstracts/Submissions requested from all areas of the Arts and Humanities. Submission Deadline: August 23, 2006

The 5th Annual Hawaii International Conference on Arts and Humanities will be held from January 12 (Friday) to January 15 (Monday), 2007 at the Renaissance Ilikai Waikiki Hotel in Honolulu, Hawaii. The conference will provide many opportunities for academicians and professionals from arts and humanities related fields to interact with members inside and outside their own particular disciplines. Cross-disciplinary submissions with other fields are welcome. Performing artists (live dance, theater, and music) interested in displaying their talents will be accommodated whenever possible. Sponsored by: Asia-Pacific Research Institute of Peking University and University of Louisville - Center for Sustainable Urban Neighborhoods.

For detailed information about submissions see:
http://www.hichumanities.org/cfp_artshumanities.htm
Web address: http://www.hichumanities.org
Email address: humanities@hichumanities.org

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Opportunities and Sponsor Information

New AAMC Program in Enhancing Team Effectiveness

Applications for the Association of American Medical Colleges program, Enhancing Team Effectiveness are due June 15. Open to all health professions faculty, the six-month program (Sept. 2006-Feb. 2007) is organized as a professional development research activity to study team dynamics and organizational learning and apply that learning to the enhancement of productivity. A full program description and application are accessible on the AAMC website at http://www.aamc.org/meetings.

NSF Research Assistantships for High School Students (RAHSS):
Supplemental Funding to Current BIO Awards to Broaden Participation in the Biological Sciences

The Directorate for Biological Sciences (BIO) will fund supplements to current BIO awards that: Foster interest in the pursuit of studies in the Biological Sciences; and
Broaden participation of high school students, particularly those who are women, underrepresented minorities, and persons with disabilities. The establishment of Research Assistantships for High School Students (RAHSS): Supplemental Funding to Current BIO Awards to Broaden Participation in the Biological Sciences reflects the continuing effort by BIO to promote increased participation of women, underrepresented minority students, and those students who are persons with disabilities. The Principal Investigator must be the PI of an active BIO award. There are no deadlines for RAHSS supplemental requests, but requests should be made as early as possible in the fiscal year.

The complete text of the "Dear Colleague" letter can be found at: http://www.nsf.gov/pubs/2006/nsf06027/nsf06027.jsp

NSF Navy Civilian Service Fellowship Scholarship Program

This program supports students at the bachelors, masters, or doctoral levels in the disciplines of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) who agree to commit to spending a year as a civilian employee at a Naval R&D Center for each year of support received.

This program invites university PI’s who are currently supported by an NSF award from the Directorate for Engineering (ENG), or have a Science and Technology Center (STC), Integrative Graduate Education and Research Traineeship (IGERT), Nanoscale Interdisciplinary Research Team (NIRT), or Nanoscale Science and Engineering Center (NSEC) award to apply for support for their eligible students who are working in areas of interest to one of the Navy’s R&D Centers. The faculty member must also partner with a scientist or engineer at one of the Navy R&D Centers and have that person listed as co-PI on the proposal. Proposals submitted without a Navy co-PI will be returned without review. The funding will be provided for up to two years of fellowship/scholarship support plus a cost of education allowance. At the completion of their degrees, the students will accept civilian employment at a Navy R&D Center for one year for each year of support received.
The deadline for supplement proposals is June 30, 2006. Awards will be made by August 31, 2006.
The full text of the announcement can be found at:
http://www.nsf.gov/pubs/2006/nsf06031/nsf06031.jsp

Upcoming Funding Opportunities

For a complete list of upcoming deadlines, please go to -
http://www.stonybrook.edu/research/fndopp/deadlcal.html

Interdisciplinary Seminars

Please remember that, in an effort to encourage interdisciplinary research on campus, this office will supply $100 toward a speaker's luncheon when your department invites a Stony Brook colleague from an unrelated discipline to give a seminar. Please contact Ann-Marie Scheidt amscheidt@notes.cc.sunysb.edu to determine eligibility. You will be asked to provide a copy of the seminar notice annotated with the number of attendees and a brief description of any anticipated collaborations with the speaker's department.

Music for Meetings

Please remember that the OVPR would like to assist those of you who are planning a research meeting on campus by providing musical interludes. If you would like to have Stony Brook student musicians play at the reception for your meeting it can be arranged by contacting Ann-Marie Scheidt amscheidt@notes.cc.sunysb.edu. OVPR will make a payment to the Department of Music and the Department in turn pays the students. You get to listen to some nice music.

All R03, R21, R21/R33, R33 and R34 Grant Applications Must Use SF424 (R&R) and Grants.gov for the June 1, 2006, Submission Date and Beyond

The purpose of this Notice is to remind the research community that the R03, R21, R21/R33, R33, and R34 grant programs will transition to electronic submission of the SF424 (R&R) form through Grants.gov for applications intended for the June 1, 2006, submission date and beyond.
For details and the full text of NIH Notice NOT-OD-06-068, May 4, 2006 go to:
http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-files/NOT-OD-06-068.html

NIH Announces Plans to Eliminate Mailing of Paper Assignment and Change of Assignment Letters

Effective June 1, 2006 NIH will no longer send paper notification of assignment and change of assignment letters. In September 2005, NIH announced the elimination of the mailing of Peer Review Outcome Letters and Summary Statements (see NOT-OD-05-075; http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-files/NOT-OD-05-075.html). A major motivation for this change is that effective May 10, 2006 all applications submitted to NIH must include the eRA Commons User name for all Project Directors/Principal Investigators (PD/PIs).

Applicant Organizations must be registered in the eRA Commons before an account may be established for its investigators. The NIH strongly encourages Principal Investigators to contact their institution's Office of Sponsored Programs for registration guidance. For assistance, registration and updates please go to
https://commons.era.nih.gov/commons/
For the full text of NIH Notice NOT-OD-06-066, May 3, 2006 please go to:
http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-files/NOT-OD-06-066.html

NIH Multiple PI Implementation

The National Institutes of Health will recognize multiple Principal Investigators (PI) on a selected set of grant programs beginning in September, 2006 (http://grants2.nih.gov/grants/multi_pi/). This notice reminds the research community that the multiple PI option will be available only for programs involved in the pilot; that all participating PIs will need to be registered on the NIH Commons prior to submission; and that Multiple PI applications must include a leadership plan. Finally, this notice describes the management strategies for Multiple PI projects that are in place for the pilot initiatives and special review criteria that will be used for these pilots. Other policies and management strategies will be announced as they are developed. Further details are available at:
http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-files/NOT-OD-06-069.html

Change in NIH PI Signature Policy

Effective May 10, 2006, NIH is implementing a change regarding the signature of the Principal Investigator (PI) as a part of applications, post-submission information, progress reports, and post-award prior approval requests and the corresponding implementation of a new Institutional compliance requirement to secure and retain the PI signature as part of the institutional review/approval process. The signature of the Principal Investigator will no longer be required as a part of a submitted application. Instead, a new compliance requirement is now implemented whereby the applicant organization agrees to secure and retain at the organization a written assurance from the Principal Investigator (PI) prior to submitting an application to the PHS. While this assurance is no longer required as part of the submitted application, it remains a compliance requirement. Therefore, organizations must retain a unique signature and date for each submitted application. This assurance must be available to the sponsoring agency or other authorized HHS or Federal officials upon request. Such an assurance must include at least the following certifications: (1) that the information submitted within the application is true, complete and accurate to the best of the PI's knowledge; (2) that any false, fictitious, or fraudulent statements or claims may subject the PI to criminal, civil, or administrative penalties; and (3) that the PI agrees to accept responsibility for the scientific conduct of the project and to provide the required progress reports if a grant is awarded as a result of the application. When multiple PIs are proposed in an application, this assurance must be retained for all named PIs.

The Office of Sponsored Programs will be ensuring that NIH proposals are compliant with this requirement by modifying the certification section (page 4) on the SB299 (aka "4 page form") for all proposals. Effective immediately, please utilize the updated version of the SB299, which can be accessed at the below link. If you have already obtained signatures on the old version of the SB299, OSP will honor that form prior to 5/10/06. Should you have any questions please contact Ivar Strand, Assistant Vice-President, Office of Sponsored Programs at 2-4402, and via e-mail at IStrand@notes.cc.sunysb.edu.
http://www.stonybrook.edu/research/forms/ors/susb299.html

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Essential Policies, Procedures and Resources

Change in Facilities and Administrative Rate for Evaluative Testing Agreements

Effective July 1, 2006, The Office of the Vice President for Research will be raising the Facilities and Administrative Rate for Evaluative Testing, which includes pharma sponsored and initiated clinical trials from 20% to 25%. This is being done at this time to bring the rate more in-line with the other SUNY schools so that negotiating master agreements with companies will be less cumbersome and to align it more closely with the nationwide rates which currently range from 25-35%. Therefore, all proposed budgets on Evaluative Testing Agreements submitted to the sponsor on or after 7/1/06 should reflect a rate of 25%. Should anyone have any questions, please contract Mr. Ivar Strand, Assistant Vice President, Office of Sponsored Programs at 2-4402, or via e-mail at IStrand@notes.cc.sunysb.edu.

New Foreign Travel Policy

A new Foreign Travel Policy has been established to provide the latest information on international travel. This policy includes information about travel warnings that are issued by the U.S. government, and the RF documentation required if travel is necessary to a country with a travel warning.

In keeping with the Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act of 2004, passports will soon be required for travel back into the U.S. from various North American countries and this policy gives the dates and details of this new legislation.

In addition, advanced approval is required--the approval process details will be forthcoming. Please click here to go to the new policy on-line.

Research Foundation Summer Work Schedule

President Kenny's email of April 20, 2006 offered the opportunity to participate in voluntary Summer work schedules. For Research Foundation employees this period would extend from Monday May 22 to Friday August 25. Research Foundation employees participating in a compressed 4-day workweek schedule should begin their summer schedule on a Monday and end on a Friday. For more information here is a link to the Memorandum from Lynn Johnson, Director of Human Resource Services: Summer Work Schedule Memorandum.

Spring 2006 Newsletter from Human Resource Services

The latest version of the HRS Newsletter is linked online here.

Rules and Regulations for RF Summer Employment Positions

Vital Research Foundation rules and regulations regarding the temporary summer employment of RF faculty and project aids in any capacity may be viewed online at the HR Website at:
http://naples.cc.sunysb.edu/Admin/HRS.nsf/pages/HRS_Focus_SummerEmployment

Summer salary info for 9 month faculty is included in a link here. The official begin date for summer employment Is May 22. These regulations may directly affect your ability to hire and retain RF Faculty, Project Aides, undergrads and graduate students over the summer semester. Please check through all of the appropriate rules and regulations concerning this.

--Contributed by Rick Sadetsky (richard.sadetsky@stonybrook.edu), Human Resource Services

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For More Information

Gail S. Habicht is Vice President for Research. She can be reached at (631) 632-7932. An abundance of specific information for the research community is available on our Website, where past issues of this bulletin can also be found.

Office of the Vice President for Research -
http://www.stonybrook.edu/research/

Monday Memo archive - http://www.stonybrook.edu/research/monmemo/mmarchive.html

All Past issue of Monday Memo are keyword searchable.

And if you are challenged by the embarrassment of riches in the over 2,000 individual Web pages that comprise the Website, you may find the alphabetical site index helpful. The index can be accessed at - http://www.stonybrook.edu/research/sitemap.html.

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