The National Science Foundation (NSF) announced key programmatic changes during its annual Directorate for Education and Human Resources (EHR) public advisory meeting on May 6, 2013. Changes include the elimination and consolidation of programs, and the introduction of new programs that impact National K-20 science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education, research, and workforce development.

A topic that provoked discussion was the elimination of the popular Transforming Undergraduate Education in STEM (TUES) program. TUES is to be replaced by a consolidated effort titled Catalyzing Advances in Undergraduate Science Education (CAUSE) that will merge TUES, Widening Implementation & Demonstration of Evidence Based Reforms (WIDER), and Science Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics Talent Expansion (STEP) with an anticipated annual budget of $123 million.

New programs emerged related to the Common Core mathematics and science standards, which are aimed at improving K-12 core competencies in areas that have seen fairly dramatic declines in U.S performance when compared internationally.  However,  according to the most recent (2011) release of Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) the U.S. is now improving, with some states advancing more rapidly than others (e.g., North Carolina, Massachusetts, and Colorado). The NSF is seeking to scale-up these success stories for the Nation and will employ a new program initiative, EHR Core Research (ECR), to develop pathways that translate how to most effectively teach, train, and recruit next generation scientists and STEM professionals.

Funding Your Idea

Once you have formulated your research idea the next step is to find an appropriate funding source for it. There are several funding sources; these include both internal and external sources.
Here is a brief list:

1.    Federal or State Funding Agencies

a.  Federal Agencies

b.  University Systems.  In our case it is the Chancellor’s Office

2.    Corporations

3.    Foundations

4.    UTPA

5.    Wealthy Individuals may fund areas that they have a particular interest in.

Once you identify the funding source, you must make sure that there is an excellent match between your idea and the mission of the funding agency. In future newsletters we will talk about additional considerations before you start developing your proposals. Please do not hesitate to contact the Office of Sponsored Projects if you would like to learn more about any of the above funding sources.

Funding Opportunities

UTPA has recently subscribed to a new and a very user friendly database to search for funding opportunities for your proposal ideas. The software is called PIVOT.  You can very easily set up your account to begin searching for funding opportunities. You may access the video related to setting up your account here, or you may contact the Office of Sponsored Projects for assistance.

Please note that the Office of Sponsored Projects has launched an online Power Point workshop in Blackboard about  finding funding sources. You can access this workshop at the OSP Online Training Page or by accessing it directly through myUTPA.  You will need to call the Office of Sponsored Projects at 665-5004 to register for the certification workshop .  You may also submit a funding search request online.

National Science Foundation Announcement

NSF recently announced that the Transformative Undergraduate Education in Science (TUES) will not be releasing solicitation for this spring and summer 2013 due to budget cuts. However, the NSF full proposal deadlines for similar programs are:

1. Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) is August 28, 2013.
2. NSF Scholarship in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (S-STEM) is August 13, 2013.
3. Louis Stokes Alliances for Minority Participation is October 4, 2013.
4. If you are considering developing a limited submission proposal, please visit the Office of Sponsored Projects website for guidelines for submission. This would allow the office to work with you to facilitate your efforts in developing the proposal

Communication with Program Officer

Please note, when you receive communications from a Program Officer for additional information, it is often an indication that the Program Officer may be considering recommending your proposal for funding. Please contact the Office of Sponsored Projects at your earliest convenience about this communication. This will allow the staff to work with you to facilitate and guide your communication with the Program Officer. Oftentimes the Program Officer may want to renegotiate the budget before an award letter is issued. Any revised budget should be developed in collaboration with the OSP staff.   They can guide you on what can and cannot be done in the revised budget to comply with the agency requirements. This saves time in the negotiation process and also leaves a positive impression about the PI and about the university on the Program Officer. Note that the Program Officers can only make recommendations for an award; they cannot issue an official award notification.  The Business Affairs division at the agency issues the official award notification.

Proposal Budget

If you are working on a new proposal and are in the process of developing the budget, you may contact OSP to help guide you on the fringe benefit rates for various categories of job classifications. Once the award is set up, soon after you fill positions, quickly check the exact fringe rates charged to your account and reconcile to ensure that you will have sufficient funds in the approved budget to meet the project obligations as originally outlined. If not, you may seek approval for a revised budget from the agency. The Office of Sponsored Projects will be able to guide you on how to proceed with this process. This must be addressed early on in the life of the project.

Office of Research Compliance

Institution Review Board

For your convenience the new electronic IRB application submission process that has been implemented can save a significant amount of time in the application review and approval time. The IRB applications should be submitted directly to the IRB portal at irb@utpa.edu. If you have a time sensitive application related to a grant award, it is advisable to make arrangements with IRB a couple of weeks in advance before the application submission. This will alert IRB of the need and the IRB will coordinate the application submission with you. Always review the IRB website for the required documentation that is needed to submit a complete application. You may access information regarding what is required for a complete application at the IRB web pages. Feel free to contact IRB at 956-665-2093if you have any questions or drop an e-mail to irb@utpa.edu.

Time & Effort Reporting

On all sponsored projects, UTPA is required to comply with time and effort reporting. So who is responsible to certify the time and effort? The agencies require all PIs or the Project Directors to certify their own time and effort and also of all individuals compensated for their time and effort on the project.  What are the consequences of not certifying? It can result in a freeze on sponsored projects until the certification is completed.  To learn more about this requirement you may visit the Time & Effort website.

Responsible Conduct of Research

Effective January 2010, all NSF and NIH grant awards require documentation for compliance with Responsible Conduct of Research training. The Office of Research Compliance offers online training through the CITI group via ORC’s webpage.  On the Responsible Conduct of Research page, find the link to Training, then  create a user name and a password to access this training.  Be sure to select UTPA as your affiliated institution. It is important to note that NIH and NSF require substantial face-to-face discussions about the various aspects of responsible training in addition to the online training. These face-to-face discussions must also be documented. These requirements apply to all faculty, research personnel, and students engaged on the project. Learn more at Responsible Conduct of Research. Please do not hesitate to contact the Office of Research Compliance within the Office of Research at 665-8991 if you have any questions regarding RCR. Note that these RCR requirements apply to all research, scholarly and creative activities regardless of whether it is funded or not.

Export Controls

An export involves the transfer or transmission of oral, written information, or visual disclosure or shipment of federally controlled commodities to a non-U.S. entity or individuals including students and visiting scholars regardless of where they are located.  The university is required to make sure that any restricted technology or information is not disclosed, transferred or transmitted. The same applies to such acts within the U.S. to foreign nationals. This is referred to as “deemed export.” If you have any questions related to export controls, please do not hesitate to contact the Office of Research Compliance at research@utpa.edu, or go get additional information at the Export Controls web page.

We welcome your comments and suggestions.  Send them to research@utpa.edu or you may call 965-665-2889

For additional resources you may visit the new website of the Office of Research

The Institutional Review Board is now totally online.   Changes to the application submission process to make the approval process more efficient.

We have gone completely electronic!

Please visit the new IRB website for the application, templates, and electronic submission forms. All IRB applications should be submitted to irb@utpa.edu.   Please plan ahead, the IRB process can take up to 4 weeks. This time can be significantly reduced if you ensure that the application you submit for review and approval is complete. In order to ensure a complete IRB packet and ensure a prompt approval, please include all appropriate documents (see IRB Application Requirements on the IRB Website).

Continuing Reviews can now be electronically submitted on the IRB Website. Researchers will be able to access the continuing review form online, and will be able to submit the completed/signed form through an electronic submission form.  A reminder will be sent to the researchers via email when their study is coming due for continuing review. It will be the PIs’ responsibility to submit the continuing review form and support documents to the IRB on time. Expiration dates can be located at the top of your consent forms as well as the Memo of Approval.

Modification requests can also be electronically submitted on the IRB Website through an electronic submission form.

Need training?  We offer that too with two sessions.  Pick either session, either Wednesday, April 24 at 11am or Tuesday April 30 at 2pm.  Both will be held in the REIN conference room.  Email irb@utpa.edu for more information

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact the IRB at irb@utpa.edu.

“Her research involves a lot of different disciplines.” says her mentor, Dr. Michael Minor.  “While her area has the possibility of making a large impact on marketing, so too does the work being done by other doctoral students here at UTPA.  Other students are working on human-robot interactions, the victim-relief worker relationship in disaster situations, and the list goes on.”

Yi-Chia Wu points to the Apple logo as she instructs her subject, Xi Wang.  The computer at the left will measure Wang’s brain waves once the experiment begins.

And we at the Office of Research look forward to seeing the fruits of Yi-Chia’s work when her dissertation is published – and then we can call her Dr. Yi-Cia Wu.

Dear Colleagues:

Here is an update regarding sequestration and how we may be able to prepare to address the challenges that we may face.

The federal agencies are now preparing themselves as to how they may implement the cuts mandated by sequestration. Here is what they are communicating.

1. Cut the number of new awards for new proposals submitted.
2. Some will renegotiate the award dollars for existing multiyear awards. Continued funding may also depend upon the progress on these projects.
3. They may not grant no cost extensions.
4. Put new funding programs on hold.
5. May enforce strict evaluation of the progress reports and continuation. Some of the continuation awards may be denied.

For additional information, please visit the Sequestration Resource Center.

What strategies you may consider:

• It is best not to plan on seeking approval for no cost extensions, plan accordingly to complete the project. Denial of no cost extensions would be an easy way for the agencies to implement cuts.
• Develop competitive proposals. Have colleagues critique it for you before submission.
• Submit proposals on the same idea to multiple funding agencies, where there is a funding opportunity to maximize your chances. In the end you can accept an award from only one agency.
• OSP staff can assist you in  identifying funding opportunities through the PIVOT software.
• Consider submitting proposals to Foundations where your idea can support the Foundation’s mission and goals.
• Consider developing inter- and multidisciplinary proposals to make them competitive.
• Consider collaborating with colleagues at other institutions to make your proposals competitive.
• OSP can deliver workshops on strategies for developing competitive proposals or meet with you one-on-one to guide.
• Submit an intent-to-submit far in advance so that OSP staff can work with you to maximize your chances for a successful award.
• Plan to prepare your proposal far in advance.

Please do not hesitate to contact the Office of Sponsored Projects on how we may be able to help.

For additional resources you may visit the new website for the Office of Research

His discipline is big and his plans bigger.  Dr. Hyun-chul Lee studies the stars, or more specifically, he studies galaxies.  His plans are to grow the discipline of astronomy at the UTPA.

After five years of post-doctoral research at Washington State University under a large grant from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Dr. Lee brought his passion for astronomy to the UTPA.  His NASA grant funds his use of the Hubble Space Telescope.  Dr. Lee works with Dr. John Blakeslee  at the Dominion Astrophysical Observatory  in Canada,  Dr. Young-Wook Lee  at Yonsei University in Korea and Dr. Joseph Jensen at Utah Valley University to determine the chemical composition and star formation history of certain galaxies.  Dr. Lee’s NASA funding was supplemented in 2009 and 2010 by grants from the Space Telescope Science Institute, again to explore galaxies.

Since Dr. Lee’s arrival at the UTPA in 2009, he has enticed over 700 students per year into his introductory classes – enough to cause the creation of an Astronomy Minor.  The rapid growth of the program has led to hopes of creating a Major in Astronomy – and of course, eventually, a graduate program.

As part of these ambitious plans, Dr. Lee hopes to build an observatory for students to use in their research.  Owing to the light pollution on campus, he is hoping to create an observatory with remotely operating and robotically controlled telescopes located at the Moore Field Air Base north of Mission.  Students and researchers would be able to control the telescopes from their computers at home or on campus.

Dr. Lee is delighted that he has three undergraduate students currently doing research.  Juan Guzman was once an art major, but after taking an astronomy course, he changed his academic focus.  With help from the STEM Education grant under the direction of Dr. Cristina Villalobos, Juan made a presentation at the recent American Astronomical Society’s winter meeting in Long Beach, California.

Holding a globe that illustrates the night sky, Dr. Hyun-chul Lee explains a point of astronomy to sophomore Daniela Leal.

If he is proud of his students, they seem equally happy to have Dr. Lee as their professor.  Words like “tough but fair” and “very interesting classes that keep me involved” were common as the students were asked about their taking astronomy classes.  “I think many of them are interested in astronomy because they are curious” says Dr. Lee about his students.  “Things all people want to know:  Where did we come from?  Why are we here?  What is the history of our home planet?”

As scientific research continues to flourish and expand at the UTPA, Dr. Hyun-chul Lee brings a new discipline – and a passion for the stars.

Interdisciplinary Research Seminars

Please join us as Dr. Anne Rath Rentfro, Interim Associate Dean and Professor at the College of Nursing, University of Texas-Brownsville speaks on

Insulin Resistance in Prevention of Type 2 Diabetes:  Linking Biological and Behavioral Measures in Nursing Science.

Date:  Friday, February 22, 2013
Time:  11:45am – 12:45pm
Venue:  REIN 1.102 (Conference Room)

This series is supported by the Office of Research and Sponsored Projects, the College of Health Sciences & Human Services and the College of Science and Mathematics.

As promised when we first reported on Dr. Dumitru Caruntu’s winning of a $281,323 grant  from the National Science Foundation, this is a follow-up on the once hoped-for biomechanics laboratory.

Dr. Dumitru Caruntu of the Mechanical Engineering Department stands amidst the equipment he acquired through a National Science Foundation grant and watches as some of his undergraduate students prepare an experiment.  The installation of a Biomechanics Laboratory is a major leap forward for UTPA’s research capabilties and a draw for students.

Senior Thania Martinez points out data on the computer as part of an experiment using the instruments in the Biomechanical Laboratory.

Senior Thania Martinez hurt her knees in high school.  After completing her associate’s degree in engineering at South Texas College, she heard about the biomechanics classes at UTPA and the research being done on the human knee joint.  As she readies the computer for the experiment, she works with Adan Salinas, another senior, who is being outfitted with the sensors used to examine the knee kinematics during the experiment.  Matthew Harlan, a senior who already owns a degree in biology, attaches the sensors while he explains that biomechanics is a lot of fun.  The three talk comfortably as they work.

“The instrumentation system we purchased with the NSF grant does three things simultaneously”, says Dr. Caruntu.  “First, it has special cameras that follow the reflections from sensors placed on the subject, then it measures the amount of force that the subject’s foot puts on the floor while walking, then third, it measures the electrical activity given off by the muscle the subject is using while walking.  All of that data is combined and can be analyzed by the computer with a very high degree of precision.”

While Dr. Caruntru looks on. Senior Adan Salinas walks across the field of view of special cameras that record the actions of his knees.

Results garnered from such experiments on the knee have a very high practical value in Deep South Texas. “We’re not interested only in treating injured athletes;  we also want to help the overweight population of the Valley.  Many obese people have knee problems.  Our data can be added to the body of knowledge of knee mechanics.  Not only will other researchers learn from our work, but Valley orthopedic surgeons can work on their patients using the norms we have established here” continues Dr. Caruntu.  “Soon, we hope to be working with local medical researchers and surgeons.”

The biomechanics program was started only three years ago, yet has been so popular as an elective that the classes are oversubscribed.  The new laboratory has only added to its attractiveness.  “Hopefully, someday, we’ll be adding more faculty to the program.”

The lab has been important for students.  Besides the three undergraduates, there are also two graduate students doing active research.  On occasion, entire graduate classes observe and work on experiments.

Senior Matthew Harlan calibrates the instruments prior to conducting an experiment in the Biomechanics Laboratory.

UTPA has the only biomechanics laboratory south of San Antonio.  As more research is done and more papers published, more grants are expected to bring in additional instrumentation as well as research projects.  “We have another grant proposal pending at the National Science Foundation now, and another is being written for the National Institutes of Health” says Caruntu.

“Yes, I am passionate about our work here.  We have so many positive things going on.  Our students are doing original research – in fact we have undergraduates who are being published.  We have the foundation of to establish a Biomechanics Research Center and biomechanics program.  We have something that will improve the quality of life for Valley residents” adds Caruntu.  Then, with a smile he says “And it will fit right in with the new UTPA biomechanics initiatives part of the new larger Valley university plan.”

Adan Salinas shows off the sensors placed on his body prior to conducting an experiment.

The Office of Research and Sponsored Projects would like to thank Ms. Liana Ryan for her years of service as she transitions full-time to her new position at the Office of Institutional Research and Effectiveness, February 1st.  Thank you, Liana, for all your hard work and professionalism!

We welcome Mr. Armando Salinas who will be joining the team at ORSP starting February 6, 2013.  He brings several years of pre-award experience with him to the position.  If you get a chance, please come by and introduce yourself to Mr. Salinas and let him know of your research interests.

Also, Mr. Christopher Gomez left ORSP to pursue other endeavors, prior to the holidays.  To ensure continued support to the campus community, we are currently in the process of filling Mr. Gomez’s position.

The Office of Research and Sponsored Projects requests that any proposals submitted within the next 3-4 months be submitted to our office seven working days prior to the deadline for processing to help us deal with this temporary staffing shortage.  If you have any questions, please feel to contact me at casas@utpa.edu.

Tony M. Casas, Interim Director, ORSP