Research News Roundup - February 2023

Our February newsletter has a name: Research News Roundup. The winning name was submitted by Margaret Puentes, Librarian. A thank you to all who sent their name suggestions.

Highlights of this month’s newsletter are a brief bio of our newest OOR team members, the announcement of the call for proposals for our internal grant funding (the Faculty Grant for Research, Scholarship and Creative Activities), a new feature: News from the Leatherby Libraries, a variety of tips for grant writing, and many more announcements and tips.

Please join us in welcoming three new members to our OOR team!

Esther “Judith” Maniago Tran, Senior Compliance Administrator, is a highly experienced regulatory compliance professional with close to 20 years of experience in human subject and preclinical research. She holds the Certified Clinical Research Professional (CCRP) and Certified Professional IACUC Administrator (CPIA) credentials and has an MBA from Santa Clara University. Before joining Chapman University, she served as Lead Regulatory Coordinator at the University of California Irvine’s Center for Clinical Research, where she provided comprehensive regulatory management of studies. She also served as Program Director for Research Integrity at SRI International, where she oversaw the Human Research Protections Program and the animal use program as well as the maintenance of AAALAC accreditation.

Larissa Wong, Research Analyst, is a graduate of UC Irvine with a Bachelor’s degree in Public Health Sciences and a minor in Educational Studies. Before joining our Office of Research, she worked at UCI overseeing NIH-funded studies and ensuring regulatory compliance. She has a passion for improving community health and well-being and has over eight years of experience in human subject research, particularly in adolescent physical and mental health, behavior, and development. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with her husband and dog, trying new restaurants, and reading books.

Stephanie Monne, Research Analyst, comes to Chapman from the City of Long Beach where she worked as program analyst for the Homeless Services Bureau managing over $20M in state funding. Stephanie has a Master’s degree in Justice Studies from San Jose State University and a B.A. in Criminal Justice from CSU San Bernardino. Prior to working for the City of Long Beach, Stephanie worked on an NSF-funded project at CSU Dominguez Hills as the liaison for the project’s network of institutions, and trained faculty leads on the best methods and procedures for recruiting and retaining Hispanic and Latinx students, while assisting on grant administration tasks. Stephanie will provide support for faculty in the areas of proposal development and award management.

New! Faculty Grant for Research, Scholarship & Creative Activities

The Faculty Grant for Research, Scholarship and Creative Activities (FGRSC) provides competitive, merit-based support for research, scholarly, and creative activities in all disciplines and fields. The FGRSC will support projects that will lead to the development of new and innovative scholarship and creative activity or the production of publications, attract external funding, increase competitiveness for external awards, and enhance the national visibility and reputation of Chapman faculty.

Applications are due March 17, 2023 @ 5 PM.

Guidelines and application materials for the 2023 submission are available HERE.

NIH Encourages the Use of the ARRIVE Essential 10 Checklist in all Publications Reporting on the Results of Vertebrate Animal and Cephalopod Research (NOT-OD-23-057): The purpose of this Notice is to encourage award recipients to include the ARRIVE Essential 10, which are. essential elements of study design, in all NIH-supported publications describing vertebrate animal and cephalopod research. https://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-files/NOT-OD-23-057.html

NSF announces solicitation for postdoctoral fellowships in STEM education research: Individual Postdoctoral Fellowships: Solicitation (23-544) is for awards to individual postdocs conducting STEM education research with a sponsoring researcher at a host institution. (https://beta.nsf.gov/funding/opportunities/science-technology-engineering-mathematics-0).

Chapman’s Institutional Eligibility

As a growing research university, Chapman’s eligibility for some funding opportunities is ending while others open. Unclear? Reach out to us at sps@chapman.edu; we can verify Chapman’s eligibility for an opportunity.

Frequently asked Eligibility questions:

Are we eligible for NIH R15?

Yes, overall for 2023 Chapman is eligible for this program. However, there two opportunities and you should reach out to your Research Administrator to discuss which one you are applying to and if your college/school is eligible.

Do we qualify for NSF – RUI/ROA?

Chapman does not strictly qualify for this designation due to the number of PhD degrees issued by the Attallah College of Educational Studies. However, some NSF directorates judge this criterion based on an individual school rather than the entire university. If you desire to apply under this designation, please contact the program officer of the RFA for approval and submit their approval with your proposal.

Become More Competitive when Applying for NIH Funding!

Get an inside look at the NIH review process by becoming a Peer or Early Career Reviewer! Participating in the proposal review process gives you invaluable insight into how researchers in your field identify the most promising grant applications, how impact scores are determined, and how to improve your own grant-writing skills. Whether you are an established investigator or a New or Early Stage Investigator, there are opportunities for you to participate in the review process. Please visit the links below for more information:

Becoming a Peer Reviewer: https://grants.nih.gov/grants/peer/becoming_peer_reviewer.htm

Early Career Reviewer (ECR) Program: https://public.csr.nih.gov/ForReviewers/BecomeAReviewer/ECR

Take advantage of the many resources for enhancing rigor in animal research and raising the level of NIH-funded animal research: https://nexus.od.nih.gov/all/2023/02/10/take-advantage-of-our-many-resources-for-enhancing-the-rigor-of-animal-research/

Grant Writing Tips

Developing a successful grant takes work and time coordinating the different components of a proposal and if applicable, all the activities of your team members on the proposal.

Start early.
Read the solicitation and proposal submission guidelines thoroughly.
Start the Cayuse SP record
Make a checklist of the required documents, divide tasks, set timelines, and outline accountabilities checks.
Always incorporate the funder’s language in your application, which demonstrates that you read the call for proposals carefully and matched your work with the funding priorities.
Have others proofread your proposal, particularly when multiple people contribute pieces to it. It needs to be coherent, precise, tell a good story that enthuses the reviews, and includes quantitative and/or qualitative data as well as engaging examples of the impact of your proposed activities.
Take extra time and effort on the abstract. The abstract is the first impression reviewers get about you and your proposed work; it should not be an afterthought and instead the roadmap of your entire proposal.
Create a budget in relation to the projects timeframe and that fits all personnel’s needs to successfully complete the proposed project. Start by prioritizing your needs and identify how the work will be divided by your team.

Stay tuned for tips about successful collaboration on a grant in our March newsletter.

Access to the Wall Street Journal Website:
https://blogs.chapman.edu/library/2023/01/12/the-leatherby-libraries-now-has-access-to-the-wall-street-journal-website/

Access to the New York Times for Faculty and Staff: https://blogs.chapman.edu/library/2023/01/11/faculty-and-staff-now-have-access-to-the-new-york-times/

LibGuides: an easy-to-use repository of librarian-created content: https://blogs.chapman.edu/library/2023/01/31/libguides-an-easy-to-use-repository-of-librarian-created-content/

What else you would like to see in the newsletter? What are we missing? Send your feedback to officeofresearch@chapman.edu