PROSPER: FALL 2024: Issue 1 by TroyUniversityArtAndDesign

PROSPER

Kerry J. Palmer, Ph.D.

Words from our Chief Academic Officer

Colleagues,

As we embark on a new academic year at Troy University, I want to emphasize the critical role each of you plays in our institution’s growth and success. Our collective efforts in teaching, research, and service contribute to the vibrant intellectual community we’ve built, and prepare us for a bold and exciting future. Below are some key areas where faculty can contribute:

1. Excellence in Teaching:

Our commitment to exceptional teaching is at the heart of our mission here at TROY. As educators, we shape the minds of future leaders, teaching them to think critically and inspiring them to make an impact in the world.

Let us continue to innovate in our classrooms, engage students, and foster an environment where curiosity thrives.

2. Research and Scholarship:

Research fuels progress. It expands our understanding, drives innovation, and addresses real-world challenges. Troy University encourages scholarly pursuits across disciplines. Whether it’s groundbreaking discoveries, creative works, or community-based research, your contributions matter. Please know that we value and support your research efforts!

3. Service to Community and Beyond:

Our commitment extends beyond campus boundaries. Engaging with local communities, industry partners, and global networks enriches our impact.

Let us continue to serve as catalysts for positive change, addressing societal needs through our expertise and collaboration.

4. Leverage the Office of Sponsored Programs (OSP):

OSP stands ready to support your research endeavors. From grant procurement to compliance, their expertise ensures that your projects thrive.

Reach out to OSP for guidance, funding opportunities, and administrative support. Together, we can amplify our impact.

5. Carnegie R2 Status: Our Collective Goal:

Achieving Carnegie R2 status is the logical next step in the maturity of Troy University. It reflects our commitment to advancing knowledge and contributing to the broader academic landscape.

Let us work collaboratively—faculty, staff, and students—to elevate Troy University’s research profile and achieve this prestigious milestone.

In the spirit of collaboration and excellence, I look forward to another remarkable year. Thank you for your dedication to TROY!

Warm regards,

Kerry J. Palmer, Ph.D. Chief Academic Officer

Trojans Talk Research

August 21 at 10 A.M. Teresa Johnson College of Health and Human Services

September Judson Edwards Sorrell College of Business

October Marie Kane and Avie Medeiros Collaboration

November 4 at 2 P.M. Hoa Dinh College of Arts and Sciences

December TBD TBD

January TBD TBD

February Priya Menon College of Communication and Fine Arts

Featuring: Dr. Teresa W. Johnson "Our Research Journey of Real Food Tube Feeding"

August 21, 2024 @ 10:00 a.m. HAL Hall of Honor, Troy Campus

This month’s event will feature the College of Health & Human Services. Dr. Teresa Johnson will talk about how her clinical observations and subsequent research completely changed her mind about how to feed patients who require tube feeding.

Trojans Talk Research is a monthly spotlight on the research interests of TROY faculty.

Would you like the chance to share your research? OSP can feature your research Contact Sponsored Programs at osp@troy.edu to sign up.

Grant Opportunities

NSF: Research Traineeship (NRT) Program

The NRT Program is dedicated to shaping and supporting highly effective training of STEM graduate students in high priority interdisciplinary or convergent research areas through the use of comprehensive traineeship models that are innovative, evidence-based, and aligned with changing workforce and research needs. The goals of the program are to:

Catalyze and advance cutting-edge interdisciplinary or convergent research in high priority areas

Increase the capacity of U.S. graduate programs to produce diverse cohorts of interdisciplinary STEM professionals with technical and transferable professional skills for a range of research and research-related careers within and outside academia

Develop innovative approaches and knowledge that will promote transformative improvements in graduate education.

Due for submission September 6, 2024

LIMITED to 2 institutional proposals

Merck KGaA Research Grants

In 2024, grants are available in the area as further specified below.

Discovery strategies for molecular glue degraders and other protein-protein-interaction stabilizers

Augmented Reality Digital Twin

AI-Driven Drug Discovery – up to 3 grants comprising AIDDISON software licenses for one year with potential further collaboration

Submission deadline 31 August 2024.

American Foundation for Suicide Prevention Research Focus Grants

“Our research grants support studies that will increase our understanding of suicide or test treatments and other interventions that save lives.”

Focus Grants

Each year we invite applications for innovative, high-risk, potentially high-yield projects that focus on specific areas of suicide prevention. These areas have been determined by AFSP and its Scientific Council, and are reviewed and updated annually. LOI Due 8.1.24

Linked Standard Research Innovation Grants

Grants awarded to investigators at any level performing research involving two or more unique sites with each site contributing unique expertise, as well as data collection. LOI Due 9.15.24

Distinguished Investigator Innovation Grants

Grants awarded to investigators at the level of associate professor or higher with an established record of research and publications.

Standard Research Innovation Grants

Grants awarded to individual investigators at any level.

Early Career Researcher Innovation Grants

Grants awarded to investigators at or below the level of assistant professor. These grants must allocate $14,000 ($7,000 per year) of their award for an established researcher to mentor the Early Career Researcher. AFSP is available to assist you in identifying a suitable mentor.

Pilot Innovation Grants

Awarded to investigators at any level, these grants provide seed funding for new projects that have the potential to lead to larger investigations. These grants typically entail feasibility studies rather than hypothesis-driven research. Examples include manual development and new biomarker development

Fulbright International Education Administrators Award

Fulbright Scholar Awards - Search our Catalog of Awards | Fulbright Scholars

U.S. -Taiwan Two Weeks Deadline September 16, 2024

U.S. – Japan Two Weeks Deadline November 1, 2024

U.S. – Korean Two Weeks Deadline November 1, 2024

Fulbright Scholar Awards – See list

Fulbright Scholar Awards - Search our Catalog of Awards | Fulbright Scholars

NIH – Notice of Special Interest: Stimulating Research to Understand and Address Hunger, Food and Nutrition Insecurity

The purpose of this NOSI is to encourage research on the efficacy of interventions that address nutrition security and the mechanisms of food insecurity on a variety of health outcomes.

https://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-files/NOT-OD-22-135.html

Due November 29, 2024

We wanted to give special recognition to Paula Carlson for her promotion to Senior Grants and Contract Coordinator. Paula has been a tremendous asset to the Office of Sponsored Programs and I know all of you appreciate her as much as we do!

Paula Carson

AASCU & GRC

Troy University is a member of American Association of State Colleges and Universities (AASCU), with this membership we have access to Grants Resource Center (GRC). GRC has the below opportunities available to all employees:

GRANTSEARCH

Faculty, administrators, staff, and students at member institutions can use GrantSearch, AASCU’s proprietary search engine, and our customized search alters to filter through hundreds of private and federal funding opportunities.

- GrantSearch: Leverage user-friendly filters to search through 1,500+ higher education-focused funding opportunities.

- Faculty Alerts: Create personalized, monthly funding searches based on faculty research interests.

- Annual Deadlines: Identify and prepare applications for programs with established deadlines.

- Limited Submissions: Learn which programs have a maximum number of proposals they will accept per institution.

GRANT RESOURCES

GRC helps members strategically pursue funding opportunities and develop policies through a curated collection of up-to-date information on agency and sponsored programs.

- Agency Fact Sheets: Summaries that describe the funding and management profile of federal agencies that make discretionary awards.

- Sample Policy Library: Links to campus policy statements on a wide range of topics relevant to pre- and postaward administration.

PROPOSAL DEVELOPMENT SUPPORT

GRC helps members access vital resources supporting competitiveness in pursuit of grants and contracts by providing examples of successful grant proposals, assisting in finding funding opportunities, and connecting members to program officers.

- Funded Proposal Library: Leverage this continuously updated colletion of successful grant applications across several federal agencies and foundations.

- Funding Search Form: Complete this screening tool to recieve strategic guidance from GRC staff about relevant funding opportunities.

https://aascu.org/resources-expertise/grc/

Training Outreach & Opportunities

HANOVER GRANT LEARNING CENTER

OFFERS NIH AND NSF - CAREER MODULES

Hanover Research offers the Grants Learning Center (GLC)- an on-demand grant development training portal that offers enrollees self-paced, interactive, targeted training modules with step-by-step guidance and templates to develop compelling proposals.

HANOVER RESEARCH QUEUE PROPOSAL REVIEW AVAILABILITY

We have partnered with Hanover Research to allow the review of certain research focused grants. If you are interested in having Hanover review/edit your research proposal, please contact OSP to schedule. There are limited slots available, these will be on a first come basis.

SAVE THE DATE – 2 UPCOMING HANOVER WEBINARS

Friday, September 27 @ 9:00 AM – Prospecting Webinar

Friday, October 25 @ 9:00 AM – Essentials of Competitive Proposals Webinar

collaboTROY – Scheduled for August 20 @ 11:00 am

The Offices of Sponsored Programs and Sponsored Program Accounting will provide an overview of how our departments are here to assist you and to answer any questions you may have. We look forward to seeing all of you! Contact osp@troy.edu if you are able to attend.

Make plans to join us for a boxed lunch and meet the team: Sponsored Programs Sponsored Program Accounting

Tuesday, August 20

John Lewis Hall Atrium 11:00 - 1:00 p.m.

· Meet your colleagues

· Exchange ideas

Find common interests and goals

Talk about how you can collaborate

If you can join us, please reply “yes” to this email with your name by August 16th

From Sponsored Program Accounting

Welcome Michaela Couch to the team –she has worked at Troy University for four years.

Monthly Effort Reporting

Who completes monthly effort reporting forms? All employees who perform work on a sponsored project that are funded by federal, non-federal, or federal pass-through organizations, regardless of whether the effort is paid or unpaid, must submit monthly effort reporting forms. Effort reporting is a process designed to ensure that effort committed to a sponsored activity, as presented in the awarded budget, budget narrative or proposal, was confirmed after the fact, as having been performed as committed or at some other level. Confirmation of the actual effort worked allows the University to ensure that the sponsor is appropriately charged for actual effort worked, as opposed to what was originally budgeted. Part of this process entails the certification of effort by the individual who was directly engaged in the work, or in some cases by an individual who possesses suitable means of verification that the work performed. The effort devoted to sponsored projects, whether charged to the sponsor or cost-shared by the University, must be reflected in the University’s payroll system and its associated system of records. While the effort of Principal Investigators/ Project Directors and the award’s key personnel are of particular concern, federal regulations require that any individual who is compensated by federal funds or by university funds in support of a sponsored project must

certify effort directly or by an individual with suitable means of verification.

What is the difference between effort reporting and payroll distribution? Payroll distributions and effort reports are not the same thing. Payroll distributions are the distribution of an individual’s salary, while effort reports describe the allocation of an individual’s actual time and effort spent for specific projects, whether or not reimbursed by the sponsor. Thus effort reporting is separate from and can be independent of salary charges. Effort is not just a verification of the salary or payroll distribution. Cost-shared or contributed effort must be included in effort reports.

Why is effort reporting required? Federal regulations issued by the Office of Management & Budget require employees performing work on sponsored agreements to certify University work efforts as a distribution of 100% of total compensated time worked. Effort reports constitute one of the primary auditable documents to support salary costs on a sponsored project. The Uniform Guidance Section CFR 200.430 states:

“Charges to Federal awards for salaries and wages must be based on records that accurately reflect the work performed. These records must be supported by a system of internal controls which provides reasonable assurance that the charges are accurate, allowable, and properly allocated.”

What is 100% effort? The total amount of effort expended to accomplish the professional activities of faculty, staff, and students regardless of the actual number of hours expended on those activities. This

normally includes all effort expended on compensated sponsored research, administration, teaching, unsponsored scholarly activity, and other activity. 100% effort is not defined as a single, standard number of hours or days per week, since it will likely be different for each person and may vary during the year. The number of hours implicit in an individual’s 100% effort must be reasonable and supportable to department, university and external reviewers, if requested.

Can the total effort listed on the Effort Certification Form be less than or greater than 100%? No. The effort percentages on the Effort Certification Form must total 100% – neither more or less. All effort must be accounted for; and obviously the sum of the individual effort categories cannot be greater than 100%.

What about other kinds of activities I do for my sponsored research? Uniform Guidance states that charges to sponsored agreements may include reasonable amounts for activities contributing and intimately related to work under the agreements, such as delivering special lectures about specific aspects of the ongoing activity, writing reports and articles, participating in appropriate seminars, consulting with colleagues and graduate students, and attending meetings and conferences. Writing applications or proposals for future grants or contracts does not benefit any existing award; therefore, federal regulation explicitly excludes this from allowable direct costs. Thus, effort expended on writing for future awards is to be included in institutional duties.

Student Corner

Students looking to fund research projects can look through these opportunities, or feel free to contact osp@troy.edu and let us help you find something!

Internships at the Smithsonian - https://internships.si.edu/

Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowships - https://www.nist.gov/surf

National Science Foundation – Research Experiences for Undergraduates - https://new.nsf.gov/ funding/opportunities/research-experiences-undergraduates-reu

Sigma XI – Grant in Aid of Research - https://www.sigmaxi.org/programs/grants-in-aid-ofresearch

National Institutes of Health – Undergraduate Scholarship Program - A college scholarship program for undergraduate students committed to careers in biomedical, behavioral, and social science research. https://www.training.nih.gov/research-training/pb/ugsp/

Botany & Beyond: Plants Pathways Program - https://botany.org/home/awards/travel-awards-forstudents/plants-grants/plants.html#:~:text=The%20PLANTS%20grant%20is%20a,within%20 the%20field%20of%20botany.

Emergency Nurses Association (ENA) Foundation Scholarships - https://www.ena.org/ foundation/scholarships

American Society of Plant Biologists (ASPB) Undergraduate Research Fellowship - https://aspb. org/awards-funding/aspb-awards/surf/

National Wildlife Federation Fellowships (Graduate students) – https://www.nwf.org/ EcoLeaders/Get-Involved/Fellowships

National Strength and Conditioning Association (Graduate Students) - https://www.nsca.com/ about-us/nsca-foundation/grants/#:~:text=Up%20to%20two%20grants%2C%20no,and%20 open%2Daccess%20publication%20fees.

Geological Society of America – Undergraduate and Graduate Students - https://www.geosociety. org/GSA/GSA/grants/sectionResearch.aspx

American Psychological Association - https://www.apa.org/apags/programs/scholarships

We Provide Study Support:

- Professional Tutoring Instruction

- Peer Tutoring Services

- Textbook/Resource Library

- Instructional Lab with Computers

- Academic Workshops

We Provide Financial Assistance:

- Grant Aid Scholarships

- Financial and Economic Literacy Information Information

- Budgeting Strategies

- Financial Counceling

We Provide Counseling Services:

- Guidence/Mentoring

- Career Planning/Resume Help

- Counseling Workshops

- Various Types of Assessments

We Provide Counseling Services:

- Graduate School Visits/Tours

- Cultural/Educational Enrichment Excursions

- Book Club

- Student Advisory Council (SAC)

- Movie Nights

- Community Service Opportunities

- Game Nights

Applications are Available at:

Troy University

Trio Aspire Student Support Services (SSS) 109 Shackelford Hall Annex Troy, AL 36082

Regular Office Hours: M-F, 8:00-12:00 & 1:00-5:00 Phone: (334) 670-5985

Congratulations to our 2023/2024 Funded Awardees

Academic

Academic Affairs Continuing Education

Academic Affairs International Arts Center

Arts & Sciences

Biological and Environmental Sciences

Arts & Sciences

Biological and Environmental Sciences

Arts & Sciences

Biological and Environmental Sciences

Center for Public Service

Laura Chambliss, Jessie Rosa

Lee Vardaman, Andrew Swain

Carrie Jaxon (2)

Brian Helms and Caitlin Keefover

Jonathan Miller and Clark Harris

Janet Gaston (3)

Jonathan Miller and Alvin Diamond

Brian Helms*

Alvin Diamond (2)

Kaelyn Fogelman*

Brian Helms, Jonathan Miller*

Kaelyn Fogelman, Brian Helms, Jonathan Miller (2 for group)*

Joong-Wook Park, Danielle Nichols, Fiolrella Alger*

Chris Boyd, Xutong Niu (2)*

Thomas Vocino (12)

Thomas Vocino, Steven Taylor

Laura Chambliss

Arts & Sciences

Arts & Sciences and CCFA

Chemistry & Physics

Geospatial Informatics

History & Philosophy

Mathematics

Political Science

History & Philosophy and Art & Design

Shaoyang Liu*

Steve Ramroop

Nicholas Hazelton*

David Carlson, Tim Buckner*

Kenneth Roblee

Michael Guo-Brennan*

Robert David Carlson, Timothy Buckner, Avington Medeiros, Karen Ross, Chris Stagl*

Business

IDEA Bank

Business Manuel H. Johnson Center

Business Small Business Development Center

CCFA

Art & Design

CCFA (and Common Ground TROY) Art & Design

CCFA Dean’s Office

CCFA English

CCFA Journalism and Communication

CCFA Theatre & Dance

Education ACCESS

Education AMSTI

Education Coleman Center

Lynne George, Mauree Alice Porter

Allen Mendenhall (4)

Juliana Bolivar

Chris Stagl

Kelly Berwager (Clint Free - Common Ground TROY)

Michael Thrasher*

Scott Nokes

Stefanie East

Shari Hoppin, Michael Gray

Tori Averett

Casey Mack, Robin Bynum

Sherrie Blackmon, Robin Bynum (2 for group)

Jacqulyn Ketchum (9)

Education Counseling, Rehabilitation & Interpreter Training Judy Robertson (2)

Education Counseling, Rehabilitation & Interpreter Training Samantha Booker and Sherrionda Crawford

Education Counseling, Rehabilitation & Interpreter Training Joel Willis, Sharon Weaver

Education Counseling, Rehabilitation & Interpreter Training Joel P. Willis, Sharon Weaver, Judy Robertson*

Education eLearning Robin Bynum (2)

Education Southeast Alabama Regional Inservice Center

Education

Robin Bynum, Cindy Miller

Southeast Alabama Regional Inservice Center Robin Bynum, Mondarious Brantley

Education

Teacher Education Dana Evans

Teacher Education Shannon Dadd and Eva Marie Kane*

Education Technology in Motion

Robin Bynum, Charise Snell

HHS Social Work and Human Services Javier F. Boyas (3)

HHS Dean’s Office LaGary Carter

HHS Nursing Wade Forehand

HHS Social Work Javier Boyas, Amy Cox & Onick Lewis*

HHS Social Work and Human Services, Dean’s Office, Javier Boyas, LaGary Carter

Kinesiology and Health promotion and Brandon Sluder

JWS Center Civic Engagement

Lauren Cochran, Jonathan Cellon, Jayden McQueen, Tracey Young

JWS Center

Civic Engagement

Library Library

Library

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