Vice President's Message
Recognitions and Events
• Neurobiology and Behavior
• School of Nursing
• Events/Recent Research Results
• National Academies Peer Review of Regulatory Science Workshop, November 18, 2003
• Seminar Series
• Holiday Closings and Payroll Deadlines
Opportunities and Sponsor Information
• Environmental Protection Agency Graduate Fellowships
• Extramural Clinical Research Loan Repayment Program for Individuals from Disadvantaged
• Backgrounds
• Loan Repayment Program for Health Disparities Research
• Export Controls
• NIAMS Policy on Unsolicited Applications
• Interdisciplinary Seminars
• Music for Meetings
Essential Policies, Procedures and Resources
• "Do You Know . . . How to Use and Understand Org Codes?"
• RF Fringe Benefit Rates
• State Employee Health Insurance Transfer Period
• Continuing Education in Human Subject Protections
• Foreign Travel Information
For More Information
Vice President's Message
Last month the NIH released the outline of the "NIH Roadmap," the directions that NIH is going to take under its new Director, Elias Zerhouni and described in Science (302:63-65, 2003 [October 3]). Martin Schoonen, Associate VP for Research, is convening a series of meetings to discuss how Stony Brook should position itself to respond to the challenges in the Roadmap. Three themes are divided into 9 implementation groups that, in turn, are partitioned into 28 initiatives. The themes are broad-New Pathways to Discovery, Research Teams of the Future and Reengineering the Clinical Research Enterprise. Zerhouni wants the NIH to broaden its thinking and to fund high risk/high payoff research that will impact the health and wellbeing of Americans. Funds for the new initiatives will come from contributions made by the directors of all 28 NIH Institutes and Centers. Therefore, it is reasonable to expect that current funding mechanisms will be reduced and it behooves us to refocus our approaches to the NIH for funding. Please let Martin Schoonen know if you wish to participate in our campus discussions.
"The devil is in the details." In this issue we are pleased to inaugurate a new feature, "Do You Know ... .......... ?" to provide information about the myriad details related to preparing and submitting proposals, managing awards, complying with the increasing volume of Federal and other regulations, protecting intellectual property, and other issues that may critically affect the success of the research program and the sanity of the PI. We hope you will find it useful and invite you to tell us what you would like to see addressed by emailing- kduryea@notes.cc.sunysb.edu
And if, like me, you read something of interest in a previous issue of Monday Memo but can't quite put your finger on it, we are also pleased to announce that the Monday Memo archive is now fully keyword-searchable.
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Recognitions and Events
Please join in rejoicing with colleagues for achievements that have become known since the last issue.
Neurobiology and Behavior
Gail Mandel has been elected a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. Like a select few other recognitions of career academic and research achievement, there is no application process for this honor; it is driven by the initiative and judgment of peers. Congratulations to Prof. Mandel!
School of Nursing
Jane A. Fox has just been awarded a Fulbright Fellowship to advance medical sciences in El Salvador . Congratulations to Prof. Fox!
Events/Recent Research Results
Associate Professor Wei Zhu, Applied Mathematics and Statistics, will speak at a joint colloquium presented by her department and Biomedical Engineering on November 12, 10:00 a.m., Math Tower Room P 131, on her recent work: "Detection of Cancer Specific Markers Amidst Massive Mass Spectral Data."
ABSTRACT: We propose a comprehensive pattern recognition procedure that will achieve best discrimination between two or more sets of subjects with data in the same coordinate system. Applying the procedure to mass spectrometry data of proteomic analysis of serum from ovarian cancer patients and serum from cancer free individuals in the FDA/NCI Clinical Proteomics Database, we have achieved perfect discrimination (100% sensitivity, 100% specificity) of patients with ovarian cancer, including early stage disease, from normal controls for two independent sets of data. Our procedure identifies the best subset of proteomic biomarkers for optimal discrimination between the groups and appears to have higher discriminatory power than other methods reported to date. For large scale screening for diseases of relatively low prevalence such as ovarian cancer, almost perfect specificity and sensitivity of the detection system is critical to avoid unmanageably high numbers of false positive cases.
The work has been accepted for publication by the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences .
National Academies Peer Review of Regulatory Science Workshop, November 18, 2003
The National Academies Science, Technology, and Law (STL) Program intends to hold a one-day public workshop on Tuesday, November 18, 2003, in Washington, D.C., at which federal agencies subject to the newly issued "Proposed OMB Bulletin and Supplemental Information Quality Guidelines: Peer Review and Information Quality" can share their views and hear ideas and concerns from each other and from external communities, including academic researchers, about the implications, merits, and practicality of the proposed bulletin. The workshop is intended to assist the agencies in developing their agency-specific comments on the bulletin and ultimately in developing their peer review procedures.
If you would like to attend the workshop, please fill out the attached registration form and fax to (202-334-2530).
For more information please contact:
Contact Name: Stacey Speer
Email: sspeer@nas.edu
Phone: 202-334-1713
Fax: 202-334-2530
Seminar Series
The Office of the Vice President for Research will be offering a seminar series on the some of the most important substantive and procedural issues affecting the conduct of research on campus. The programs will be:
GRANT WRITING
(Session GR01) Wednesday, November 12, 12:45-2 pm , SB Union 236. What is a grant; How to find grant opportunities; How to prepare the proposal; Understanding reviewer scores; Learn from the review. Presented by Martin Schoonen, Associate VPR and Peter Saal, Research Resources Center . A light lunch will be served.
MANAGING YOUR AWARD
(Session MA01)Tuesday, November 25, 3-4 pm , HSC, Classroom155. How to process expenditures; Understanding your monthly expenditure reports; What happens when the grant terms. Presented by the Office of Grants Management. Refreshments will be served.
WHAT DO YOU MEAN I NEED MORE SIGNATURES? OR ..GETTING YOUR PROPOSAL OUT THE DOOR
(Session SI01) Thursday, December 4, 3-4 pm. HSC Classroom 155. Approval from your chair and dean; Use of hospital staff, patients or facilities; Matching/Cost sharing; Faculty from other departments. Presented by the Office of Sponsored Programs. Refreshments will be served.
EUREKA ! I'VE MADE A DISCOVERY
(Session DI01) Wednesday, December 3, 12:45-2 p.m , SB Union 236. Disclosing your invention; Common mistakes; Patents; Royalties. Presented by the Office of Licensing and Technology. A light lunch will be served.
To register for these programs , contact Linda Goodman at 2-9961, or email lgoodman@notes.cc.sunysb.edu . For a listing of additional program dates and times, visit our website at http://www.stonybrook.edu/research/new/seminar.html.
Holiday Closings and Payroll Deadlines
While most offices on campus will be closed on the Friday after Thanksgiving Day, appropriate arrangements will be offered to employees who do not wish to use their vacation or personal time for that day. In the event an alternate work assignment cannot be arranged locally, supervisors should contact Recruiting & Employment Services for assistance by November 19. Additional information may be obtained at the HRS Website- http://www.stonybrook.edu/hr
It is anticipated that similar arrangements will be forthcoming for the Fridays following the Christmas Day and New Years Day holidays - more information to come.
And on that note, Human Resource Services has issued an announcement that the upcoming holidays in December will necessitate earlier than usual Payroll deadlines. Please the updated Schedule for Personnel Paperwork that RF Payroll has posted to its website. http://naples.cc.sunysb.edu/Admin/HRS.nsf/pages/Payroll_RF_PaperworkSchedule .
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Opportunities and Sponsor Information
Environmental Protection Agency Graduate Fellowships
EPA plans to award approximately 50 graduate fellowships for master's and doctoral level students in environmentally related fields of study. A total of approximately $1.85 million is expected to be available annually, with individual fellowships providing up to $37,000 per year of support. Master's level students may receive support for a maximum of two years. Doctoral students may be supported for a maximum of three years, under certain circumstances, over a period of four years. Students do not need to be enrolled in or formally accepted in a full-time graduate program at the time they apply for a fellowship, but proof of enrollment or acceptance must be produced prior to the award of the fellowship. Students also must attend a fully accredited U.S. college or university. Only citizens of the U.S. or its territories or possessions, or those lawfully admitted to the U.S. for permanent residence, are eligible to apply. Pre-applications are due November 20, 2003 .
More information is available at-http://es.epa.gov/ncer/rfa/current/2004_grad_fellow.html.
Extramural Clinical Research Loan Repayment Program for Individuals from Disadvantaged Backgrounds
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the National Center on Minority Health and Health Disparities (NCMHD) announce the 2004 Extramural Clinical Research Loan Repayment Program for Individuals from Disadvantaged Backgrounds (ECR-LRP or Program). The ECR-LRP provides for the repayment of educational loan debt of up to $35,000 annually for qualified health professionals from disadvantaged backgrounds conducting clinical research for domestic non-profit or government entities. In addition, the program will cover up to 39 percent of the federal tax liability resulting from loan repayments, and may provide reimbursement for state and local tax liabilities. Participants must conduct research for 50 percent of their time, or not less than 20 hours per week based upon a 40-hour work week, for a two-year period. ECR-LRP applications will be accepted from September 1 through December 31, 2003 . They must be submitted via the NIH Loan Repayment Website, http://www.lrp.nih.gov . The full text of the announcement may be found at-
http://grants1.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-files/NOT-MD-04-002.html .
Loan Repayment Program for Health Disparities Research
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the National Center on Minority Health and Health Disparities (NCMHD) announce the 2004 Loan Repayment Program for Health Disparities Research (HDR-LRP or Program). The HDR-LRP provides for the repayment of educational loan debt of up to $35,000 annually for qualified health professionals conducting minority health or other health disparities research for domestic non-profit or government entities. In addition, the program will cover up to 39 percent of the federal tax liability resulting from loan repayments, and may provide reimbursement for state and local tax liabilities. Participants must conduct research for 50 percent of their time, or not less than 20 hours per week based upon a 40-hour work week, for a two-year period. HDR-LRP applications will be accepted from September 1 through December 31, 2003 . They must be submitted via the NIH Loan Repayment Website- http://www.lrp.nih.gov .
The full text of the announcement may be found at-
http://grants1.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-files/NOT-MD-04-001.html.
Export Controls
As some of you already know, US Export Control Regulations have been with us for some time. However since September 11, 2001 , the Department of State (ITAR) and the Department of Commerce (EAR) have become much more vigilant in their enforcement of the rules. The Office of Sponsored Programs has recently posted a presentation on Export Controls on its website, which can be accessed at www.stonybrook.edu/research/spo/export-controls.pdf. Richard Johnson, former General Counsel for the Commerce Department and legal consultant to the Research Foundation on export control matters, presented this material at a recent meeting of Sponsored Program Administrators in Albany . The Office of Sponsored Programs is currently working with RF's Central Office to enact a formal process for reviewing proposals in light of these rules.
Should you have any questions, please contact Ivar Strand, Director of Sponsored Programs at 632-4402, email istrand@notes.cc.sunysb.edu .
NIAMS Policy on Unsolicited Applications
The National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS) (http://www.niams.nih.gov/) is updating its policy on the acceptance of unsolicited applications requesting direct costs of $500,000 or more for any one year. Details may be reviewed at:
http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-files/NOT-AR-03-004.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.
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Essential Policies, Procedures and Resources
"Do You Know . . . How to Use and Understand Org Codes?"
What's in an "org code"?
The designation of the organizational code for your sponsored activity has a major impact to your department as well as to the campus. The organizational code should reflect either your home department as the PI, or for interdisciplinary awards, an interdepartmental or interschool designation (regardless if there are indirect costs awarded). The org code affects the F&A formula returns to the academic departments as well as the information we provide for the national reports in which the campus participates.
For example, an award comes in for research that is conducted by two departments - say Anesthesiology and the Center for Biotechnology - and the departments agree to share the effort distribution equally. If the org code is marked "050 Anesthesiology," the F&A formula return will only be distributed to the chair and dean for Anesthesiology. The Center for Biotechnology would not receive any of the return. Additionally, on national reports such as the recent NSF R&D Survey, Anesthesiology will reflect the total expenditures. Again, the Center for Biotechnology will not receive any credit. However, if the org code correctly reflects an interdisciplinary designation, such as in this case "050 Interschool Unit Program" (other terms include "050 Interdepartmental") then both departments will receive an F&A formula return (based on F&A expenditures), prorated accordingly, and receive similar credit in national reports.
The little box at the bottom of Page 2 of the Proposal/Award Processing Form (fondly known as the "4 page form") has a big impact as it contains information we use to assign an organizational code. Should this section be left blank, the default is for us to designate 100% effort to the lead PI's department. While we make every effort to ensure that we record the effort distribution correctly on the abstracts and oracle system, we encourage you to review the designations carefully as well when you receive the initial award abstract. Please bring any questions or discrepancies to the attention of your sponsored programs coordinator or contracts & grants administrator to process updates or corrections. We especially encourage chairs to review the abstracts as well.
--Contributed by Kris Duryea, Office of the Vice President for Research, kduryea@notes.cc.sunysb.edu
RF Fringe Benefit Rates
RF Central has notified the campus of increases in future year fringe benefit rates, for both Regular Employees and SUNY Employees (IFR), charged to grants and contracts from sponsors, agency agreement accounts and administrative accounts. The increases are being projected in response to health insurance costs that are rising faster than the Consumer Price Index, escalations in the cost of funding retiree health benefits (which are currently 100% non-contributory for the retiree), and a reduction in salary growth which means that since salary increases for existing employees are growing at a slower rate the monies that they contribute to the fringe benefit pool are also growing at a slower rate. The increases, which reflect projections based on current trends, are being announced at this time to ensure that employees' health insurance coverage is protected; The Research Foundation will be negotiating with DHHS in the near future to confirm these rates. However, over the next several months the Central Office will also be assessing a variety of health insurance plan designs, contribution strategies and vendors, as well as collective purchasing approaches, in order to try to reduce the increases below the levels currently being projected.
For the current fiscal year and subsequent years, the following rates are projected:
Regular Employees
When budgeting, please use:
31.0% for FY04 (7/1/03-6/30/04)
35.0% for FY05 (7/1/04-6/30/05)
37.5% for FY06 (7/1/05-6/30/06)
38.5% for FY07 (7/1/06-6/30/07) and increase by 1% for subsequent years
SUNY Employees (IFR)
When budgeting, please use:
35.94% for FY04
40.31% for FY05
Questions concerning the policy should be directed to: John Brennan, Vice President, Employee Services Tel. (518) 434-7088 email: john.brennan@rfsuny.org
State Employee Health Insurance Transfer Period
The 2003 transfer period, during which State employees may elect to transfer their health insurance coverage to one of the other available health insurance options, began on November 1 and will end 30 days from the date that premium information was distributed. A "Choices" booklet gives the specific coverage under each plan - please call 2-6165 or e-mail Deborah.Giacopelli@stonybrook.edu for "Choices" and any forms you may need.
Continuing Education in Human Subject Protections
Those of you who satisfied the education requirement in human subject protections when it was first offered in the Fall of 2000 must now renew your certification, which was valid for 3 years. At this institution, the continuing education requirement is satisfied via the webbased CITI program (regardless of whether or not you obtained your initial certification via the live lecture, or on-line via the CITI 'Core' Course). To register for the continuing ed program:
Proceed to www.miami.edu/citireg.Click on the link for the CITI Continuing Education Course. Click on the link for SUNY CE Course Site.
This will take you to the registration page. Follow directions to register. Once you receive your user name and password, complete the continuing education for the modules you originally completed, i.e., modules 1-11 if you don't work with drugs, devices, or biologics (research category #1), modules 1-12 if you DO work with drugs, devices, or biologics (research category #2), or modules 1,2,5, and 6 if you do not deal directly with human subjects (i.e., you only deal with human data and/or tissue; research category #3).
Questions regarding this process may be sent to Ms. Laura Wessels, Office of Research Compliance, 2-9036 (lwessels@notes.cc.sunysb.edu).
Foreign Travel Information
For those on travel outside the U.S. on official RF business, such as conducting sponsored research, for 14 days or more, please forward your location, number of people working on your Research Foundation activity and the time period of your travel to Kris Duryea, OVPR, Tel. 632-9347, Fax 632-6963, email kduryea@notes.cc.sunysb.edu. Your information will be forwarded and kept on file with RF Central, where Carol Landau (Tel. 518-434-7091, email carol.landau@rfsuny.org) can assist you with this benefit. Medical, safety and travel information is available on the Research Foundation public Web site (http://www.rfsuny.org ) through the Assistance Abroad portal. Membership is sponsored by the RF and is free to RF and state employees who are on official RF business.
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For More Information
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
Note: All past issues of Monday Memo are now 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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