Research News Roundup - April 2025

This month’s newsletter includes an introduction of our newest OOR&GE member, lists resources available to you such as Nature Masterclasses, and links you to our third quarter reports on proposals and awards and to the National Science Foundation’s page with updates on executive orders. Check out our new series of workshops and webinars supporting research, scholarship, and creative activities; faculty highlights; news from the Leatherby Libraries; and much more!

Have questions, need help? Join the monthly office hours – see below for time and Zoom links.

Welcome Abigail! Abigail Wung, part-time technician, has spent her early career in accounts receivable with a solid background in finance and accounting. Abigail is looking to change her career focus and is currently studying at Mt. San Antonio College to become a Registered Veterinary Technician. She volunteers at wildlife rehabilitation centers in her free time, where she has gained valuable hands-on experience and a passion for care. Abigail is excited to bring her growing passions and unique perspective to the lab. She is committed to maintaining the highest standards of care while supporting the success of the research at Chapman.

Make The Most of Your Access to Nature Masterclasses On-Demand

Staying ahead of your research with a demanding schedule can be tough, but Nature Masterclasses understands and may be able to help. As a member of Chapman University, you already have Nature Masterclasses on-demand available at no cost to you!

To benefit from courses on the platform, you don't need to complete entire courses. Simply choose the specific modules or lessons that align with your immediate needs and interests. You can learn at your own pace and lessons are bite-size, typically between 10-20 minutes, allowing you to easily incorporate learning into your schedule. Sign in and get started!

Fiscal Year 2024-2025 Quarter Three Reports Now Available

Quarter three data showing proposals and awards broken down by sponsor and division is now available on our quarterly research data page.

National Science Foundation Executive Order Information

NSF continues to update and add information to the NSF Implementation of Recent Executive Orders webpage including a FAQs section.

Explore the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) "A More Perfect Union" Projects

On July 4, 2026, America will commemorate the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence and the nation’s principles of equality, liberty, and government by consent of the governed. Accordingly, in 2019, NEH launched "A More Perfect Union", a special initiative that leverages the humanities to promote a deeper understanding of America’s history and culture, advance civics education and knowledge of the nation’s core principles of government, and preserve and provide access to the nation’s heritage.

Celebrate the 250 years of America’s culture, heritage, and history by discovering NEH-supported humanities projects.

Upcoming Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee Inspection

The Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) will be holding its next inspection of all IACUC-approved animal use areas on May 19. Please ensure that all is in order including appropriate labeling of solutions/chemicals (e.g., name of contents, expiration date, name of lab/PI if stored in common use area, etc.,), disposal of expired materials (or otherwise label with “expired; not to be used on live animals”), and removal of materials that are not impervious to moisture/cannot be completely sanitized (e.g., unsealed wood). The IACUC will also be reviewing all aspects of Chapman’s animal use and care program to include personnel qualifications and training, disaster planning and emergency preparedness, review of protocols, occupational health and safety, security, reporting of concerns, and, veterinary care.

Institutional Review Board Updated Guidelines

The Institutional Review Board (IRB) has updated the Informed Consent Guidelines and Use of Raffles/ Drawings in Research Guidelines. You can view these updates on our IRB Policies page.

G2025 Adult Student Priorities Survey (ASPS) Extended

Check your email! On Wednesday 3/12/25, you received an invitation from The Provost Office to participate in the 2025 Adult Student Priorities Survey (ASPS). This survey provides you with an opportunity to express your level of satisfaction with various campus services. You are encouraged to participate and complete the survey. Extended due date: April 11th.

Faculty Highlight! Faculty Story

Chapman researchers found that 40% of America’s most popular seafoods are mislabeled. Why should we care?

Kudos to Chapman Faculty Award Recipients

Please join us in congratulating the following faculty who have received a new award in 2025. Keep up the amazing work!

Andrew Jordan for "Structured Illumination for Superresolved Remote Sensing" from an Incoming subcontract from the University of Rochester (prime sponsor is the Air Force Office of Scientific Research) for $470,307.00

Christine O’Connell and Chris Kim for "RAPID: Heavy Metal Deposition in Urban Soils Following the 2025 Los Angeles Wildland-Urban Interface Fires" from NSF for$49,478.00

Susan Duff for "Quantifying Motor Asymmetry to Predict Severity of Hemiparesis in Infants at Risk" from CHOC Children’s Hospital for $34,107.00

NEW! Series of Workshops Supporting Research, Scholarship and Creative Activities

We’re excited to announce a new workshop series designed to support faculty, graduate students, and post-doctoral researchers in every stage of their research journey. These sessions will help you: Use PIVOT more effectively for targeted funding searches, strengthen your grant writing in the context of the new administration’s priorities, and explore best practices for external collaborations. Upcoming topics will include industry funding, interdisciplinary research, and building strong community partnerships.
Whether you're just starting out or looking to broaden your funding and collaboration strategies, these workshops will offer practical tools to help you succeed.

PIVOT – Finding the Right Funding Opportunities and Collaborators – A Hands-On Workshop

Join us on Thursday April 24, 2025, from 10am-11am in BK401 for a hands-on workshop to set-up and refine your profile to receive the best-fit of funding opportunities for your research and scholarly activities. Be sure to bring your laptop. The Pre-Award team will be able to assist you in setting up your profile and refining search terms. PIVOT for Research Funding is available to all faculty, graduate students, and postdoctoral researchers. RSVP here!

Grant Writing Skills in the Context of the New Administration’s Priorities – Upcoming workshop

Sharpen your proposal strategies with our upcoming workshop on Grant Writing Skills in the Context of the New Administration’s Priorities. Learn how to align your research with evolving federal priorities and craft compelling, competitive proposals in today’s funding landscape. Stay tuned for more details.

Working with External Collaborators – Upcoming Webinar

Collaborating with researchers outside Chapman? Don’t miss our upcoming webinar on Working with External Collaborators, where we’ll cover best practices for successful partnerships, along with key administrative and compliance considerations (e.g., sponsored research agreements, service agreements, Material Transfer Agreements, data agreements, or Non-Disclosure Agreements) to keep your projects on track. The webinar is targeted to be held in late May-early June - stay tuned!

New! One-on-One Support

Need additional assistance from our Pre-Award team to help with your PIVOT Profile, SciENcv or setting up ORCID? Visit our SPS Pre Award & Non-Financial Post Award office hours! The first Thursday of every month from 11:00-12:00pm on Zoom.

On Campus Office Hours and Shared Table with VPR Martina Nieswandt

Have you always wondered what the Office of Research & Graduate Education (OOR&GE) does? Are you questioning how best to get your research, scholarship, and creative activities to the next level and wonder how the OOR&GE can help in addition to the support you get in your college/school? Come join Martina during her spring semester Orange campus office hours or at the Rinker campus shared table event!

April 30th Shared Table Lunch @ Rinker Campus from 11:30am - 1:30pm
May 4th Office Hours @ Orange Campus in LL 420 from 11:30am - 1:00pm

Save the Date! Chapman University School of Pharmacy Research Day

The Art of Delegation

If you are doing everything yourself and various tasks keep you from research and writing, it’s time to rethink the do-it-yourself strategy to focus your energy on the things that really matter. Evaluate your tasks and delegate: Which tasks must be done by ME, which tasks can be completed by SOMEONE ELSE? Keep reading at NCFDD – Don’t have an account? Create one using your Chapman email address.

Recruitment and Retention of Research Participants

When recruiting and retaining participants for education research, successful strategies are built on thorough preparation, effective communication, flexibility, and strong relationships. Check out some tips.

We are here for you! Join us in our office hours to get answers to your questions; discuss trends and news from funding agencies and federal guidelines; get tips about proposal development for grants, IRB and IACUC protocols; or to find out what’s all the talk about inventions, patents, and industry partnerships.

SPS Pre Award & Non-Financial Post Award: The first Thursday of every month from 11:00-12:00pm. Zoom Link.

SPS Post Award: The last Tuesday of every month from 9:30-10:30am. Zoom Link

IRB: The first Tuesday of every month from 9:00-10:00am. Zoom Link.

IACUC/COI/Export/Import: The fourth Tuesday of every month from 9:00-10:00pm. Zoom Link.

Industry Alliance and Commercialization: The third Thursday of every month from 3:00-4:00pm. Zoom Link.

Graduate Education: The last Thursday of every month from 10:00-11:00am. Zoom Link.

For a full schedule including quarterly and semester specific dates for additional departments and for Zoom information visit our events page.

Deadline Approaching for 2025 Library Faculty Research Award

Supporting Open Access Research and Scholarship (SOARS) program is designed to assist Chapman University assistant and associate faculty with the costs associated with publishing the results of their research, scholarship, or creative activity in an Open Access (OA) journal. The SOARS program provides up to $3,500 in reimbursement for OA article processing charges (APCs). The final submission cycle for this academic year will conclude in late April 2025. Interested participants can view the application here.

Unlocking the Power of R – Spring 2025 Introduction to R Programming Workshop Series

The Leatherby Libraries is pleased to host a 3-part hybrid Introduction to R Programming Workshop Series, designed to introduce students, staff, and faculty to fundamental coding concepts in R. Whether you are a beginner or looking to improve your programming skills, these workshops will provide an overview of R programming fundamentals and best practices that everyone will find helpful.

Unpacking the Past – Chapman Community Now Has Access to “Interrogating Colonial Documents and Narratives”

Chapman researchers now have access to the “Interrogating Colonial Documents and Narratives” module of Research Methods Primary Sources from AM. The module consists of over 70 essays and videos, plus 200 primary source pieces introducing essential concepts in colonial history and research while guiding researchers on how to work with different primary source types.

To be entered into the next monthly drawing pop in to one of our department office hours!

Contact our office for inquiries using our Jira ticketing system.