Vice President's Message

Welcome Back to a Bigger, Better Stony Brook

Welcome back! And to you who are joining our intellectual community, glad you have come! We begin the academic year with our University a third larger than it was last year at this time, with the addition of the new Research and Development Park to the west and the Southampton campus to the east. These additions of acreage presage the addition of $100 million worth of new research facilities. At the end of this week, the ribbon will be cut on a temporary home for the Advanced Energy Research and Technology Center, a building on the South Service Road of the Long Island Expressway in Islandia that Keyspan is lending to the University during the Energy Center's construction phase, which should begin some time next year. The construction road has already been cut to the Research and Development Park site of the New York State Center of Excellence in Wireless and Information Technology, scheduled to begin construction this fall. And in the spring construction is expected to begin on the STAR Center in Biomolecular Diagnostics and Therapeutics, to house expanded programs of the Centers for Advanced Technology in Biotechnology and in Sensor Systems along with the Department of Biomedical Engineering. What is notable about all of these facilities is that they are intended and are being designed from the ground up as settings where researchers with different skills, backgrounds and interests across a diversity of disciplines can collaborate in addressing profoundly important and difficult problems that are the province of no single discipline.

While the full slate of academic programs that will be offered at Southampton is still taking shape, it is already clear that undergraduates will be propelled into a multidisciplinary mode by the variety of environmental studies offerings before them. The emphasis on translational research in the renewal process for the General Clinical Research Center, which our Center will be pursuing over the next year, extends the reach of disciplines needed for a successful proposal. Single investigator-initiated research will remain a key focus, but it is apparent on every side that collaboration across disciplines is a gathering wave among our funding sources. As we plunge into the demands of the classroom tomorrow while maintaining the research energies we revitalized over the summer, I want to remind you of the standing offer from this office to buy lunch for you and your colleagues to explore with a scholar from another department/discipline how your common interests might lead to a fruitful collaboration.

On y va!

Phi Beta Kappa Membership

The campus chapter of Phi Beta Kappa would like to update its membership list and asks that colleagues who are members and are not certain their affiliation is known to the chapter to notify the chapter secretary by emailing clagrega@notes.cc.sunysb.edu Chapter president Richard Gerrig anticipates an enhanced schedule of chapter activities and invites all members to offer their participation and ideas.

Good News and Coming Events

News

Stony Brook Recognized Again by U.S. News and World Report

Stony Brook was ranked among the top 100 national universities in America and among the top 50 public universities by the annual survey released by U.S. News and World Report. The engineering program was also rated as one of the top 60 in the country. The survey is based on 15 different indicators of academic quality and defines "national university" as those universities that offer a wide range of undergraduate majors, master's and doctoral degrees.

Mathematics

The Fields Medal, which is the closest thing to a Nobel Prize in mathematics, was awarded to the 2006 recipients on August 22, but the ceremony was overshadowed by the refusal of mathematician Grigory Perelman to come to the ceremony to accept the award. Perelman was picked to receive the medal for solving a famous mathematical problem posed by Henri Poincare in 1904 called, aptly, the Poincare conjecture. Perelman used a strategy called 'Ricci flow,' which was developed at Stony Brook in the early 1980's by Richard Hamilton. Perelman met Hamilton in the early 1990's and became interested in his work. He later came back to lecture at Stony Brook and MIT about using 'Ricci flow' in relation to the Poincare conjecture. Hamilton is now Professor of Math at Columbia University.

Recent Research Results

Center for Structural Biology/Long Island High Technology Incubator

Pioneering results of a collaboration between a campus incubator graduate, LifeAFM Inc., and Prof. Steve Smith, Biochemistry and Director, Center for Structural Biology, on the pathology of Alzheimer's disease recently yielded a publication and a conference invitation. A new approach in atomic force microscopy (AFM) developed by Dr. Paul Hough, President of LifeAFM and formerly of Brookhaven National Laboratory, yields high-resolution images of hydrated proteins and allows the structure of the smallest molecular weight oligomers to be observed and characterized. Using this technology, Dr. Iris Mastrangelo of LifeAFM, Dr. Hough and Prof. Smith were able for the first time to observe unit-protofibrils, previously predicted on the basis of electron microscope measurements, and soluble oligomers, which are widely thought to be the toxic forms of the Ab42 peptide associated with Alzheimer's disease. The new ability to observe high-resolution AFM images of soluble oligomers from Ab peptides and other proteins that confer amyloid toxicity provides a basis for attempting to correlate structure with disease. The new AFM ability to characterize the size distributions of low and high MW oligomers provides a way to evaluate the effect of inhibitors on the formation and disaggregation of soluble oligomers.

LifeAFM, Inc. has developed nanotechnology-based methods and products for highest resolution, lowest damage atomic force microscope imaging of individual, functioning biomolecules and fragile polymers at sub-nanometer resolution. Its innovative controller system, LifeScan 2001™, combines microsecond sensing of cantilever deflection, with intelligent, microsecond-by-microsecond/angstrom-by-angstrom control of cantilever base and tip, sufficiently reducing the compressive force required to detect the surface so that resulting data demonstrate minimal molecular damage, improved resolution and preserved molecular structure under continued scanning. The research was supported by NIH grants to Drs. Mastrangelo and Hough and Prof. Smith. They have been invited to give a presentation on the AFM approach at PITTCON 2007, the Pittsburgh Conference on Analytical Chemistry and Applied Spectroscopy, the world's largest, most comprehensive conference and exposition for laboratory science.

Events

Wine Center Events

September 16-17: "Sustaining the Good Life: A Symposium, Celebration, and Tour," Southampton Campus

Program Information as of Sept. 5: please check the website below for confirmation.
The Saturday morning program features excursions aboard the Marine Science Center's research vessels and hands-on discovery activities with marine scientists. Local farm products and books by featured speakers will be available in the “Sustainability Store,” in cooperation with Garden of Eve, A Taste of the North Fork, Paumanok Preserves, North Fork Potato Chips, and Bookhampton. Following a picnic lunch and welcome from University President Dr. Shirley Strum Kenny, a keynote address by author Peter Matthiessen on sustainability–the challenge to live well now and maintain the well being of our planet into the future–will lead into small group breakout sessions for discussions.
For more information and a complete schedule please go to:
http://ws.cc.stonybrook.edu/sb/winecenter/southampton.shtml

Note: age 21 and over, please. The Center has a 48-hour cancellation policy.

September 25: Ribbon Cutting Ceremony for the Stony Brook Seawulf Cluster

The Seawulf Cluster is a custom-built 3.2 Tflops, 470-processor Linux Cluster devoted to providing computational resources and expertise for basic scientific research to the faculty and students of the University. The ceremony will take place in Heavy Engineering rm. 154 at 3 p.m. For more information about the Seawulf Cluster please visit the website:

www.stonybrook.edu/seawulfcluster

November 9-10: "Transforming the Culture: Undergraduate Education and Multiple Functions of the University."

This Reinvention Center conference will take place in Washington, D.C. at the Capital Hilton and is sponsored by Stony Brook and the National Science Foundation. The conference is directed at research university faculty, provosts, deans, chairs and other administrators and professional staff with responsibility for aspects of undergraduate education. For more information and a schedule of activities please go to:

http://www.stonybrook.edu/Reinventioncenter

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

Deadline extended to Sept. 13.

Call for Papers/Abstracts/Submissions requested from all areas of the Arts and Humanities. Submission Deadline: Sept. 13, 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 Waikiki Beach Marriott Resort & Spa, the Radisson Waikiki Prince Kuhio, and the Pacific Beach 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

Opportunities and Sponsor Information

Diabetes Related Research Opportunities

Grant funds are available to support diabetes and endocrinology related pilot research and to solicit proposals from interested investigators. This opportunity has arisen as a component of a larger grant application that Stony Brook University will be submitting in December to the NIDDK to establish a Diabetes Endocrinology Research Center (DERC). The intent of a DERC is to support multidisciplinary research in diabetes and endocrinology by providing shared access to specialized resources and expertise. For more information, you can access the NIH DERC grant information site at (http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/rfa-files/RFA-DK-06-014.html).

As part of this application, we anticipate funding 3-5 pilot and feasibility grants directed at basic biomedical, clinical and translational research questions relevant to diabetes and its complications. The budget requests for these applications cannot exceed $50,000/year in direct costs for a maximum of two years ($100,000 total). To be considered, proposals must be received no later than 10/15/06. For more information including eligibility and related guidelines, please go to this link:
http://www.stonybrook.edu/research/derc.html
--Contributed by Lucy Kenny, Department of Planning, SBUH

Defense University Research Instrumentation Program (DURIP)

Through this DURIP competition, the DoD intends to award approximately $41 million for FY 2007, subject to the availability of funds. These funds will be awarded via grants made by ARO, ONR, and AFOSR (hereafter referred to as “agencies”). Grants will be for the purchase of research equipment costing $50,000 or more, for items that typically cannot be purchased within the budgets of single-investigator awards. An individual award may not exceed $1,000,000 in DoD funding. In FY 2006, 183 awards totaling $40.4 million were made. Awards ranged from approximately $51,000 to $1,000,000 averaging $217,000; very few awards exceeded $500,000.

FULL PROPOSAL DEADLINE: applications must be received no later than 4:00 PM Eastern Daylight Time Tuesday, 12 September 2006. URL for the full text of the announcement:
http://www.afosr.af.mil/Documents/funding_DURIP07BAA-f1a.pdf

NSF Graduate Research Fellowships

The National Science Foundation (NSF) aims to ensure the vitality of the human resource base of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics in the United States and to reinforce its diversity by offering approximately 1,000 graduate fellowships in this competition. The Graduate Research Fellowship provides three years of support for graduate study leading to research-based master's or doctoral degrees and is intended for students who are at the early stages of their graduate study. The Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP) invests in graduate education for a cadre of diverse individuals who demonstrate their potential to successfully complete graduate degree programs in disciplines relevant to the mission of the NSF.

The affiliated institution receives a $40,500 award for the costs described below. Fellows abroad receive direct NSF grant awards up to the same amount. The Graduate Research Fellowship stipend is currently $30,000 for a 12-month tenure period, prorated monthly at $2,500 for shorter periods. All awards will be for a maximum of three years usable over a five-year period. Deadlines are as follows:

• November 1, 2006, for Interdisciplinary Fields of Study
• November 3, 2006, for Mathematical Sciences and Computer and Information Sciences and Engineering
• November 6, 2006, for Social, Behavioral, Economic Sciences and Geosciences
• November 8, 2006, for Life Sciences
• November 9, 2006, for Engineering
• November 13, 2006, for Chemistry, Physics and Astronomy

URL for more information: http://www.nsf.gov/pubs/2006/nsf06592/nsf06592.htm

 

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

Funding Opportunities and COS

The University subscribes to Community of Science (COS), home to at least two data-bases that will be of interest to faculty members.

The COS Expertise database can assist in identifying experts and collaborators for your research. You can search among 500,000 profiles of researchers from 1,600 institutions throughout the world. Discover who's doing what -- current research activity, funding received, publications, patents, new positions and more.

You can also promote your research with a COS Profile that will showcase your research and expertise among researchers and scholars from universities, corporations and nonprofits in more than 170 countries.

The information that you input about your research interests will generate e-mail alerts when the COS Funding Opportunities database is updated with new grant opportunities.

Faculty can also search the Funding Opportunities database directly. The Main Search interface may be a little intimidating, so why not try the Search Wizard option. Search Wizard will allow you to do searches that are more detailed than those allowed by the Simple Search.

With its step-by-step guidance, it's ideal for helping you become familiar with the process of building a targeted funding search.

Visit the COS homepage at: http://www.cos.com/

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. Arrangements must be made with this office in advance of the meeting. 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.

Proposed Changes in NIH Grant Appendix Material

The NIH is proposing changes in grant appendix material. NIH is soliciting comments on its proposal that will virtually eliminate the use of appendices in applications submitted using the electronic Standard Form 424 R&R grant application. Comments are due September 14, 2006. The NIH goal is to encourage concise, but complete, applications. One study section member confided to me that he is annoyed by investigators who try to circumvent proposal page limitations by voluminous appendices. We don't want any annoyed reviewers!

The request for comments may be found at:
http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-files/NOT-OD-06-088.html
--Contributed by Gail S. Habicht, Vice President for Research

NIH Policy on Late Submission of Grant Applications

Notice Number: NOT-OD-06-086

NIH has provided an update (link to full notice above) and further clarification of the policy published on January 27, 2005 (Notice OD-05-030). The new dates for AREA applications are included, as is info about the New Investigator Pilot.

Standing dates for submission can be found at:
http://grants.nih.gov/grants/funding/submissionschedule.htm

For paper format applications the dates refer to submission or postmark dates; for electronic submission the dates refer to 5 p.m. local time on the date indicated. For both paper and electronic submission if these dates fall on a holiday or weekend they are extended to the next business day. This does not apply to RFAs or PARs, which must be submitted by the date indicated without exception. For more information on NIH's policy on late submissions please go to the full notice link above.

--Contributed by Ivar Strand, Assistant Vice President for Sponsored Programs

New Version of "Introduction to the Responsible Conduct of Research

An updated version of the DHHS Office of Research Integrity's "Introduction to the Responsible Conduct of Research", by Nicholas H. Steneck, Ph.D., is available online at:

http://ori.dhhs.gov/steneck/RCRintro/

Notice of NIH Policy for Funding of Tuition, Fees and Health Insurance on Ruth L. Kirchstein National Research Service Awards

On Friday, the NIH released a revision to the policy for funding of tuition, fees, and health insurance on Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Awards (NRSA). This notice essentially corrects the policy change that was issued earlier this month. The new notice "clarifies that the new policy applies to all grant mechanisms that use NRSA funding authorities; corrects the stipend levels shown for postdoctoral trainees and fellows in the tables; clarifies F&A applicability under the new policy; and includes minor clarification to the language. There are no substantive changes to the policy itself."

http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-files/NOT-OD-06-093.html

NIH: Percent Effort to Person Months FAQs and Calculator Now Available

The NIH Extramural Newsletter addresses how the 'person months' unit of measurement collected by the SF 424 (R&R) grant application is different from the PHS 398 application "percent time and effort" measurement unit. The transition to "person months" will be addressed on these NIH webpages:
Frequently Asked Questions Regarding the Usage of Person Months,
A downloadable Excel-based interactive conversion calculator,
Both are also available on the Grants Policy and Guidance Web site.

NIH Offers PIs Resource, "What Investigators Need to Know About the Use of Animals

Principal Investigators now have a succinct resource to quickly grasp the main expectations and requirements when using animals in research supported by the Public Health Service (PHS). The Office of Laboratory Animal Welfare (OLAW) created the brochure to inform PIs of their compliance responsibilities under the PHS Policy on Humane Care and Use of Laboratory Animals. Hard copies of the document will be provided by SBU's Office of Research Compliance—please contact Mary Johnson 631-632-9036. A copy is also available online at:
http://agrnts.nih.gov/grants/olaw/InvestigatorsNeed2Know.pdf

--Contributed by Judy Matuk, Director of Research Compliance

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 have transitioned to electronic submission of the SF424 (R&R) form through Grants.
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 Multiple PI Implementation Date

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

Essential Policies, Procedures and Resources

COEUS To Provide Grants.gov Submission Module and Sponsored Programs Institutes a New 5 Business Day Deadline for Submissions

As many of you are aware, the National Institutes of Health has been transitioning to mandatory electronic proposal submission through Grants.gov. A major NIH milestone that is approaching is the mandatory submission of all RO1 grants on February 1, 2007. Some federal agencies (i.e., US Dept of Energy, NOAA, US Dept of Ed) have already instituted this mandatory electronic submission requirement and it is anticipated that other federal agencies will follow suit shortly thereafter. Currently, Grants.gov submissions at this campus are accomplished through the utilization of the Pure Edge software, which is quite cumbersome and involves substantial cutting and pasting. Alternatives to this include building an in-house "system-to-system" computer program that would communicate directly with Grants.gov and avoid Pure Edge, or purchase one of these systems from a vendor or educational institution that has built one. The Office of Sponsored Programs on behalf of Stony Brook University in conjunction with the University at Buffalo, the University at Albany, and Binghamton University have entered into a consortium arrangement to license Massachusetts Institute of Technology's COEUS software product. Currently, this product is licensed to over 90 institutions including Johns Hopkins University, the largest US recipient of NIH funding. In addition to the proposal preparation and submission module, COEUS provides internal proposal routing and approval, and modules for proposal and award tracking, research compliance and conflict of interest approvals.

The consortium is planning on having the proposal preparation and submission module up and running by January 1, 2007, in anticipation of the NIH implementation, with the other modules being phased in at a later date. Therefore, it is vital for the Office of Sponsored Programs to know which principal investigators are planning to submit for the 2/1/06 deadline. My office will work with these investigators to get trained on COEUS so they will be in a position to successfully submit these proposals. Further, OSP will continue to utilize the Pure Edge software between now and 2/1/07, so if there is anyone that requires training on Pure Edge immediately please contact me at your earliest convenience.

And finally, since electronic proposal submission can be a complex and system dependent endeavor, the Office of Sponsored Programs is instituting a five business day internal deadline for the receipt of the complete and final proposal accompanied by a signed SB299 form for both paper and electronic submissions effective 10/1/06. Please note the proposal should include the final scope of work and administrative components of the proposal including all required documentation from proposed subrecipients and collaborators. This deadline is irrespective of the SOM deadline. Should an individual faculty member fail to comply with OSP's deadline, we can make no guarantee that these proposals will be successfully submitted. Should anyone have any questions, please call me at 2-4402, or e-mail me at IStrand@notes.cc.sunysb.edu

--Contributed by Ivar Strand, Assistant Vice President for Sponsored Programs

Research Foundation Web Site Redesign: Principal Investigators Portal

The Research Foundation is rolling out its new and improved portal-based Web site. The principal investigator (PI) portal is one of five audience-based portals that allow the new RF Web site to provide personalized content based on the user's needs. This portal is intended for the use of project support staff as well as principal investigators.

You will need a user name and password to access the PI portal, which you can request through the new RF Web site at www.rfsuny.org immediately upon receipt of this information. The user name and password you currently use to access the PIAI are separate from your new portal user name and password and will not change after the portal rolls out. To make it easier to remember, you can make both passwords the same (at least eight characters with one numeric character).

The features and benefits of the PI portal include:
· PIAI access from anywhere – Currently, you can only get details on your projects and awards in the Principal Investigator Award Interface (PIAI) from your SUNY network (campus) connection. Now with the new site, once you log in to the RF portal from anywhere there is Internet access, you can log in to PIAI using the same user name and password you currently use for PIAI and access your information.
· Information written for principal investigators – Information is provided specifically for principal investigators. Rather than detailed policies and procedures, you will find high-level definitions and policies associated with managing your awards.
· Web site access from anywhere – Information on the internal Web site and EPSS, where RF policies and procedures documentation is contained, is currently only accessible through a SUNY network connection. Now when you're working off campus, you'll have the capability of accessing this information from anywhere simply by logging in with your user name and password.
· Funding Opportunities – Links to sources that provide electronic notification of funding opportunities to you in your field of research. Simply access any of the sources from the PI portal home page and sign up to receive e-mail alerts about possible opportunities for funding your next research project.
· RF News – Scan headlines quickly for the news you really need and click for more detail, without having to scroll through several articles that contain information that doesn't interest you.
· Improved search functionality – The search tool, accessible from any page at the top of the site, provides refined and usable results because each piece of content on the site is identified with keywords that you enter into the search tool to locate the information you need.

For instructions on creating a portal website user account please click this link:
http://www.stonybrook.edu/research/portal.html

--Contributed by Aaron Rosenblatt, Assistant Vice President for Grants Management

Power Outages and Other Emergencies

As the heart of the hurricane season approaches, please remember that the campus Website has an Emergency Management page and its components include links to status reports and means of communication:

Emergency Status
http://www.stonybrook.edu/sb/emergency/status.shtml

Emergency Communications
http://www.stonybrook.edu/sb/emergency/comm.shtml

It should also be noted -- thanks to Executive Director of Campus Operations and Maintenance Amy Provenzano -- that as a major electricity user the campus is a participant in a statewide electrical load reduction program that requires us, when called upon because of a statewide electrical system-wide emergency, to reduce the total electrical load to 33.7 MW from our normal load of 36MW for the duration of the emergency. The campus has already been notified that an emergency will likely be called for some period this afternoon, and tomorrow and Wednesday as well. The emergency responses include
- slowing down speeds of noncritical air handlers
- turning off unnecessary lighting (including perimeter garage lighting)
- turning off down escalators
- turning off certain elevators where there are more than one in a building

RF Equipment Insurance - Rate Reduction

The RF insurance carrier has reduced the rate for the Property Floater Insurance Policy to $.86 on the $100 value (down from $.95) effective July 1, 2006. Since the University has no other funding to provide for damage to, or loss of equipment, this is your only vehicle for protecting your equipment. This low cost coverage through AMSURE protects equipment against loss anywhere in the world. Most sponsors allow equipment insurance to be charged to grants and contracts (for the current budget period) as an acceptable way to protect the equipment necessary to conduct the project. We strongly recommend that you consider this option. Your Grants Management Specialist can give you additional information regarding this insurance as well as claim settlements and policy regulations.

For detailed information please refer to the Equipment Insurance Guide at: http://www.stonybrook.edu/research/gmo/equipins.html

--Submitted by Aaron Rosenblatt, Assistant Vice President for Grants Management

Change in Facilities and Administrative Rate for Evaluative Testing Agreements

Effective July 1, 2006, The Office of the Vice President for Research has raised 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.

Updated Fringe Benefit Rates

An updated Fringe Benefit Memo has been posted here on our website for your reference. Please note at this time the FY07 rates have been approved by DHHS and the FY07 rate breakdown has been updated.

If you have any questions please contact your Sponsored Programs Administrator or Coordinator at 2-9949/2-4402.

Office of Clinical Trials

The goals of this office are to streamline the process of industry sponsored clinical trials by utilizing the office as a single point of contact between industry sponsors and Stony Brook University Hospital. The Office of Clinical Trials will review and track all paperwork submissions, match sponsors with investigators that have the resources (staff, experience, and subject population) for the best overall study outcome. The office will provide assistance as needed with mentoring new investigators, coordinators and regulatory submissions.

As of September 1, 2006 all potential industry sponsored studies must go through the Office of Clinical Trials for review. The paperwork to be sent to the office includes:

Site Questionnaire
Confidentiality Agreement
Protocol
Draft Contract
Budget
Site Implementation Plan (SIP) (form attached)

The fee for the office to review, negotiate and track these studies is $250.00. If IRB submission is needed through this office a separate fee of $300.00 will be charged. This fee includes one year renewal. These fees will be factored into the budget as part of the non-refundable start up fees prior to execution of the contract.

In addition to reviewing the studies, negotiating the budget, and submitting the applications to the IRB, a study coordinator services will be available, if necessary. The study coordinator fee will be determined based on need and % of effort.

For more information feel free to contact
Silvia Muniz, Regulatory Specialist (P) 444-9016 (F) 444-7292
silvia.muniz@stonybrook.edu
Teresa Hunt-Goncalves NP, CCRC (P) 444-8302
teresa@osa.sunysb.edu
Sharon Nachman, MD, Director (P) 444-7692
sharon.nachman@stonybrook.edu

--Contributed by Sharon Nachman, Director, Office of Clinical Trials

Travel Warnings and the Threat Level

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security issued a fact sheet about the raised threat level for all airline passengers. The threat level has been raised to SEVERE, or Red, for all travel between the United Kingdom and the United States and to HIGH, or Orange, for all other travel. These levels mean that the government has implemented much more stringent controls at airports. The list of restricted materials has increased significantly as has the time that it will take to clear through airport security checkpoints.
If RF staff or principal investigators plan any work-related (or personal, for that matter) travel of this nature, please have them familiarize themselves with the fact sheet at the following link:
http://www.dhs.gov/dhspublic/interapp/press_release/press_release_0976.xml

Two countries have been added to the U.S. Department of State's "Current Travel Warnings" list: Sri Lanka on 8/15/06 and Kenya on 8/10/06, which can be accessed at the following link:

 http://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/tw/tw_1764.html

September Issue of "Procurement News"

The September, 2006 edition of the Procurement Office Newsletter, "Procurement News" is available for your viewing. You may access the newsletter at the Procurement website at
http://www.stonybrook.edu/procurement/news/

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/index2.html.

If you have information you would like to contribute to Monday Memo please email it to the editor, Adnan Rangwala, at marc.dempsey@stonybrook.edu