Month: August 2010

08/31/10

Hearing to Review Responsible Fatherhood Programs, Mark Perry Statement

From the School of Management website:

Dr. Mark Perry, professor of finance at SOM, provided a testimony at the U.S. Congress Subcommittee on Income Security and Family Support of the Committee on Ways and Means during a hearing to evaluate the effectiveness of responsible fatherhood programs on June 17th, 2010. The program is designed to promote responsible fatherhood through: parenting activities, fostering the economic stability of fathers, marriage promotion, and collaborating with non-profit fatherhood promotion organizations to develop and advance media campaigns to encourage parental involvement. In announcing the hearing, Congressman Jim McDermott (D-WA), the Chairman of the Subcommittee, stated, “I look forward to hearing how Responsible Fatherhood Initiatives have helped men play a bigger role in the lives of their children, and how the program might be built upon to improve the overall well-being of vulnerable children and their families.”

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Hearing to Review Responsible Fatherhood Programs, Mark Perry Statement

08/31/10

Staff Award

Congratulations to Jonathan Jarosz, Interim Director, University Outreach, who recently received a grant from the Cass River Greenway for the following project: Cass River Greenway Natural Lands Inventory  –  $ 12,100.

08/31/10

NIH Provides Tips to Avoid Application Errors

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) has provided new information to help applicants avoid common errors in the preparation of SF424 research and related activities forms. As the agency states, the new resources supplement the information already available to applicants. “When preparing an application, applicants MUST follow the instructions” in the relevant funding opportunity announcement and NIH application guide. The documents provide field-by-field tips on entering information, especially in fields that are required by NIH but are not required on federal-wide forms.

08/30/10

Council on Undergraduate Research Call for Submissions for Summer 2011 issue

This edition’s theme: “Undergraduate Research and the Tenure and Promotion Process”

The theme of the Summer 2011 CUR Quarterly will focus on ‘Undergraduate Research and the Tenure and Promotion Process”. We seek 4 or 5 authors who can write articles helpful to CUR members that provide insight on how the tenure and promotion process acknowledges and supports faculty involvement with undergraduate research.

We encourage articles that articulate how undergraduate research is, or can be, valued and recognized as an integral part of the tenure and promotion process.

Examples of topics of interest include, but are not limited to

  • Structuring T&P guidelines to explicitly address how UR contributes to faculty assessments;
  • How incorporating UR into T&P expectations affects faculty workload;
  • Institutional support necessary to enable faculty members to meet revised T&P guidelines;
  • Approaches to dealing with changing T&P guidelines for new hires vs. established faculty.
  • How university-wide T&P guidelines address faculty mentoring of undergraduate research across disciplines and colleges.

If you are interested in submitting an article, please prepare one or two paragraphs describing the focus of your proposed article. These paragraphs should be submitted using our online submission form by September 15, 2010. Decisions on invitations for full papers will be made by October 1, 2010.

Final articles will be about 2500 to 3000 words in length. The final text for review and editing must be submitted by November 15, 2010.

Deadlines
September 15, 2010: One or two paragraph description of article submitted online at http://cur.networkats.com/members_online/submissions/substart.asp?action=welcome&cid=73

November 15, 2010: Deadline for final text for review and editing. Directions on how to submit final papers will be sent to authors of the selected articles at a later date.

08/30/10

National Science Foundation Funding Opportunities and Grant-writing Tips for Social, Behavioral, and Economic Scientists

October 14, 2010 – 2 to 4pm
Wayne State University, Welcome Center Auditorium

Dr. Mark Weiss, Director for the National Science Foundation’s (NSF) Division of Behavioral and Cognitive Sciences (BCS) invites social, behavioral, and economic scientists from local universities to attend a session on the structure of NSF, funding opportunities offered by NSF’s Social, Behavioral, and Economic Division, and tips on writing grants for NSF.

Click here for more information and to register (required). This event is free.

08/30/10

Michigan Linguistics Society

From Dr. Kazuko Hiramatsu, Associate Professor of English:

We will be hosting the 40th annual meeting of the Michigan Linguistics Society at UM-Flint on Saturday, Oct. 23. For more information, please visit our conference site.

Our keynote speaker will be Dr. Diane Lillo-Martin (University of Connecticut), who studies (among other things) how children acquire American Sign Language.

Source

08/28/10

Glen-Wood: Restoration of Spirit Project

From Dr. Janet Haley, Assistant Professor of Theatre:

Restoration of Spirit seeks to increase community spirit and pride by way of engaging local audiences with a nearly-forgotten historical place, Glenwood Cemetery. In 1857 it was established as a Rural Cemetery, a public, park-like place for all residents to escape the hustle and bustle of urban life. It was created as a place to stroll, to picnic, to breathe clean air. It was a place to gather with family and friends in gentle recreation. It was a place to lay ancestors to rest…as well as daily troubles.

We believe these 19th century intentions for public use can be activated within our 21st century community…and we hope to raise awareness for this treasure of local history and outdoor beauty with community-based, community-created performance.

An original theatre production entitled Glen-Wood: Restoration of Spirit will be created from interviews and scholarly/historical research. The creative team is comprised of UM-Flint faculty, students and community partners such as Glenwood Cemetery and Genesee County Historical Society. Academic articles will be published about the making of this project, and archival documentation of the process will be featured in writings for publication. The performance will tour the grounds of Glenwood Sept 23-Oct 3, 2010.
Restoration of Spirit is the recipient of a 2010 Arts of Citizen fellowship with UM-Ann Arbor’s Ginsberg Center.

DATES TO REMEMBER

Community Conversation and Project Open House
Saturday, August 7, 2010 (2-5 pm) on the grounds of Glen-Wood Cemetery, 2500 E. Court Street, Flint, MI
An opportunity for the creative team & cast to engage with the public about the project, gather stories and experiences from community for the script, and promote the production. Do you have a story to share of Glenwood Cemetery? Do you have questions or thoughts to share? We’d love to hear!

Performance Dates
September 23 through October 3, 2010
Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday – Twilight Performances
Each twilight performance will be followed by refreshments and conversation.
Performances take place on the grounds of Glen-Wood Cemetery, 2500 E. Court Street, Flint, MI
Information on performance times, ticket prices, how to reserve tickets, etc. coming soon.

For more information, email us at [email protected]

Source

08/20/10

Workshop Lineup for the FREE Grants Resource Center External Funding Conference Webinar

As a reminder, from August 23-25, the Office of Research will host a series of FREE webinars with live feeds from the Grants Resource Center’s External Funding Conference in Washington, D.C.  There will be several sessions each day, listed below.  All sessions will be in the Office of Research Seminar Room, 530 French Hall.

Monday, August 23

9:15 – 10:15  Keynote I: Teacher Education Policy Overview

With the pending reauthorization of the Education and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), better known as No Child Left Behind, change is definitely coming in Washington.  In this session, the speaker will give perspectives on how this upcoming policy change will affect teacher education programs over the next several years.

Presenter: Gary Huggins, Director of the Commission on No Child Left Behind, Aspen Institute (invited)

10:30 – 11:45  Keynote II: Science Policy and Funding

With the pending reauthorization of the America COMPETES Act comes debate on which agencies (the National Science Foundation, U.S. Department of Energy, and National Institutes of Standards and Technology) and topics (climate change, STEM education, national defense, healthcare, and innovation) will take greatest priority. This session will describe the expectations for discretionary science funding during the next two fiscal years, followed by agency and field perspectives on grants administration.

Presenters: David Blockstein, Senior Scientist, National Council for Science and the Environment
Kei Koizumi, Assistant Director for Federal Research and Development, White House Office of Science and Technology Policy

2:30 – 3:30 NSF Faculty Rotator Perspective

A faculty member from a GRC institution, who spent four years as a National Science Foundation rotator, will share the knowledge he gained from his NSF experience about writing excellent NSF proposals.

Presenter: Michael Briley, Professor of Physics and Astronomy, University of Wisconsin Oshkosh

3:45 – 4:45  NIH Peer Review and Application Changes

The National Institutes of Health has undergone monumental changes in its peer review system, as well as its application form. The speaker will address these changes in order to better prepare the audience to write competitive NIH proposals.

Presenter:  Lynn Mertens King, Chief, Scientific Review Branch, National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research, National Institutes of Health

Tuesday, August 24

8:15 – 9:15  Support for Nursing Programs

This session will focus on support for schools of nursing and nursing faculty provided by the Health Resources and Services Administration, Division of Nursing.

Presenter: Aisha Mix, Lead Nurse Consultant, Nursing Workforce Diversity Program, Division of Nursing, Health Resources and Services Administration

9:30 – 10:30 Workforce Development Initiative

There is a pending memorandum of understanding (MOU) between the U.S. Departments of Education and Labor that could help shape workforce development.  This session will discuss what role colleges and universities would have, any pending priorities, and possible funding opportunities should the MOU come to fruition.

Presenter: Glenn Cummings, Deputy Assistant Secretary, U.S. Department of Education

10:45 – 11:45   NIH and NSF Social and Behavioral Sciences Research

Because there is no U.S. Department of Behavioral and Social Sciences, finding support for projects in these areas is not often obvious. There are, however, divisions within the National Science Foundation and National Institutes of Health, that promote funding of basic behavioral and social sciences research.

Presenters: Ron Abeles, Office of the Director, Office of Behavioral and Social Sciences Research, National Institutes of Health; Fahmida Chowdhurry, Program Director, Directorate for Social, Behavioral, and Economic Sciences, National Science Foundation

1:30 – 2:30 DOE Office of Science: Past and Future

After years of flat budgets, and now more significant financial commitments to alternative energy by the current administration, the Department of Energy’s Office of Science looks to continue its commitment to basic research investment.  The speaker will discuss biological and environmental research programs and scientific facilities for energy, climate, and the environment.

Presenter: Anna Palmisano, Associate Director of Science for Biological and Environmental Research, U.S. Department of Energy 

2:45 – 3:45  NEA Grants and Goals

Discussion will be focused on arts funding opportunities and the NEA’s programs, which have enabled institutions to preserve cultural traditions, provide hands-on learning experiences, create and present new art in various mediums, and provide access to art in underserved communities. 

Presenter: Jan Stunkard, Division Coordinator of the Performing Arts Division, National Endowment for the Arts

Wednesday, August 25

8:00 – 9:00  What’s New With TRIO: Member-Led Q&A

Application delays, new five-year cycle, Upward Bound evaluation debacle…TRIO has been entangled in more than its share of controversies over the last few years.  But, TRIO is still the hallmark of the U.S. Department of Education. This general session will be an informal opportunity for participants to ask questions and generate discussion about upcoming TRIO program competitions and what to expect in the future with the reauthorization of the Higher Education Opportunity Act.

Presenters:  Virginia Pinkney, Senior Education Program Specialist, U.S. Department of Education; Gaby Watts, Program Officer, U.S. Department of Education

08/17/10

Free External Funding Webinars: Grants Resource Center

On August 23, 24, and 25, the Office of Research will host a series of webinars with live feeds from the Grants Resource Center’s External Funding Conference in Washington, D.C.  There will be several sessions each day, listed below.  Please give us a call to let us know you’d like to attend –   810-762-3147 or [email protected].  These sessions are FREE of charge!

The sessions included:

Monday, August 23rd
9:15  am  –  10:15 am     Education Policy Overview
10:30 am  –  11:45 am    Science Policy and Funding
2:30 pm  –  3:30 pm       NSF Faculty Rotator Perspective
3:45 pm  –  4:45 pm       NIH Peer Review and Application Process

Tuesday, August 24th
8:15 am  –  9:15 am        Support for Nursing Programs
9:30 am – 10:30 am        Workforce Development Initiative
10:45 am  –  11:45 am    NIH  and NSF Social and Behavioral Sciences
1:30 pm  –  2:30 pm       Department of Energy – Office of Science:  Past and Future
2:45 pm  –  3:45 pm       National Endowment for the Arts:  Grants and Goals

Wednesday, August 25th
8:00 am  –  9:00 am        What’s New with the Department of Education’s TRIO:  member led Q & A