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College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences

CFAES

Research News - December 2022

Dec. 5, 2022
Dr. Benjamin Bohrer and Yifei Wang in the lab, analyzing a piece of meat

Inside this Issue

  • A message from Dr. Gary Pierzynski: New CFAES Wooster Campus Signage, transition to a one college, three campus model.
  • The 2023 ORIP application is now open! This summer's program will span 10 weeks, starting May 15 and closing on July 28.
  • Join us in welcoming Branden Ritter and welcoming back Shannon Hollis to the R&GE Team!
  • NSF has issued its 2023 Major Research Instrumentation solicitation with a new competition track and a new deadline.

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Funding Opportunties 

As funding opportunities are announced we will compile a full list on our website. The web page will be updated periodically as new opportunities are discovered.

  • President’s Research Excellence (PRE) Program
    The President's Research Excellence (PRE) program provides seed support for cross- and interdisciplinary research that have the potential to attract external funding in two programs: Accelerator awards of up to $50,000 and Catalyst proposals of up to $200,000.
    Deadline: January 23, 2023

  • Climate Change Research Seed Funding
    To increase national impact and stimulate a higher level of collaborative NC research across institutions, NCRA directors will support a focused, innovative, high-quality, and action-oriented supplemental effort with an NC-led multistate research project and a 2023 thematic focus on climate change.
    Deadline: January 31, 2023

View All Funding Opportunities


New CFAES Wooster SignNew Signage for the CFAES Wooster Campus

Gary Pierzynski, Associate Dean for Research & Graduate Education

Some of you may have noticed that the signs at the entry points for the Wooster campus are being replaced. OARDC will no longer be indicated on these signs as we continue to transition to a one college, three campus model and use OSU CFAES Wooster as the designation for this location. While OARDC has always been a statewide program supporting research in agriculture and natural resources, to many people it also designates a place. I have a great respect for the history and identity behind this designation. Overall, however, the advantages of moving away from using OARDC to designate a place outweigh its continued use in that fashion.

We receive approximately $44 million each year from Ohio and the Federal Government in capacity funds to support our research enterprise. Of that, approximately 40% is used for the Columbus Campus, 53% for the Wooster Campus, and 7% for the Statewide Campus, demonstrating the distribution of these resources across all three campuses. In the previous fiscal year, the capacity funds were leveraged to create $53 million in additional research expenditures from grant activity.

More importantly, the one college, three campus model reinforces the importance of all of our locations for teaching, research, and extension as well as that each CFAES employee is on the same team working toward common goals. From a research perspective, the model also reinforces one of our greatest strengths which is to utilize the entire spectrum of basic to applied research to address critical issues for society. We are incredibly fortunate to have these resources supporting our research enterprise across all of Ohio.


Two men sitting and discussing something on a benchSpotlight


Young researcher in lab wearing goggles next to, "2023 CFAES Research Internship Program - Apply Now"New & Newsworthy

2023 OSU Research Internship Program (ORIP) on the CFAES Wooster Campus
The CFAES Wooster Campus provides an annual summer research internship opportunity for motivated graduating high school seniors and current underclassmen at college or university over the age of 18. ORIP is tailored specifically to enhance student interest in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) disciplines. Past ORIP participants have been involved in research ranging from bee abundance, to grapevine health and soil quality, to cross-reactivity of human coronavirus-specific antibodies. The 2023 application is now open! This summer's program will span 10 weeks, starting on May 15 and coming to a close on July 28.

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FFAR Request for Information
FFAR Request for Information: Data Solutions for Accelerating Climate-Smart Agriculture Research and Action. This Request for Information (RFI) is intended to gather further insight from relevant research and data science communities as to the need for the identified strategies, the scope of effort(s) required and the technology solutions appropriate to the purpose. Interested parties who respond to this RFI may be contacted for a follow-up strategic discussion.

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Applications are open for the annual OSEP awards
In collaboration with Ohio State Energy Partners (OSEP), the Office of Academic Affairs has opened a call for grant proposals that align with the university’s sustainability goals; advance diversity, equity and inclusion goals; or provide research opportunities to students who have had limited exposure to undergraduate research and experiential learning opportunities. Submissions are due Feb. 10, 2023. Faculty, staff and students are eligible to apply. Awards range from $10,000 to $50,000.

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New Faces in the Office for Research & Graduate Education
Join us in welcoming Branden Ritter, Grants and Contracts Specialist, Pre-award, and welcoming back Shannon Hollis, Grants and Contracts Management Senior Analyst, to the R&GE Team! In their new roles, Brandon will act as a key resource for our research community, assisting with grant proposal development and Shannon will provide pre and post award support for the CFAES funded research portfolio. R&GE is thrilled to have these new and returning members on our team and to continue to provide our researchers with the skills, knowledge, and support needed to be successful in their funding endeavors.

Branden Ritter Headshot

Branden Ritter
Grants and Contracts Specialist
ritter.1410@osu.edu
614-247-8204

View Bio

 

 

Shannon Hollis Headshot

Shannon Hollis
Grants and Contracts Management Senior Analyst
hollis.69@osu.edu
614-292-1748

View Bio

 

 

Shannon Hollis NCURA YouTube ThumbnailEditing Proposals: Helping PIs to Write Strong Proposals, Part I
Just as Shannon returned to R&GE, a presentation that she gave for the National Council of University Research Administrators (NCURA) was highlighted on the NCURA YouTube channel and via their email list. This presentation centers around developing strong proposals and will be of great interest to our research community. Congratulations to Shannon on this recognition and thank you for providing our investigators with this useful resource!

NSF Releases 2023 MRI Solicitation - Additional Application Category
NSF has issued its 2023 Major Research Instrumentation solicitation with a new competition track and a new deadline (February 21st), and it has removed all cost sharing requirements for the next 5 years, as required by the recently passed Chips and Science Act. The solicitation is linked below with changes summarized on the first page of the document.

As you are aware, the University has already concluded its competition for the Track 1 and 2 proposals, so we will NOT be re-opening that competition. However, with the addition of a new, ‘Track 3’, we are permitted to submit one additional proposal in this track. ‘Track 3’ MRI proposals are those that request NSF funds of $100,000- $4,000,000 that include the purchase, installation, operation, and maintenance of equipment and instrumentation to conserve or reduce the consumption of helium. As a reminder, all NSF MRI projects must enable NSF-applicable research and workforce development that is not currently possible with existing instrumentation at or readily accessible to the applicant organization. The internal intent deadline is 12/08/2022.

Learn More Solicitation PDF

F&A Waiver Requests
Several years back we implemented a policy for college level approval for a waiver of some or all Facility and Administration (F&A) cost recovery on grant submission. Compliance was good initially, but we have noticed an increase in issues recently, as outlined below.

  • Prior approval not obtained from the Office of Research and Graduate Education for a reduction or elimination of F&A cost recovery.
  • Proposals have been submitted to the sponsor without the submission of a formal waiver request, the epa-005 is completed after the fact, leaving no time for an appropriate review of the reduced F&A rate being proposed.
  • Recently there have been numerous requests for a reduction of F&A to meet a match requirement utilizing unrecovered F&A versus first pursuing other sources of match other than release time. Unrecovered F&A should be close to the last resort for meeting match requirements.
  • Department level approval for a reduction in F&A have been offered to faculty without seeking prior college approval.
  • A misperception among a number of faculty that that a reduced F&A rate, universally across sponsors, makes their proposal more competitive. This is simply not true, especially for submissions to funding agencies or programs that allow F&A to be recovered.

As a reminder, individual faculty members and the department school do not have the authority to waive F&A. A waiver must be requested and approved in advance of the completion of the epa-005 and submission of the proposal.

F&A recovery reflects the true cost of conducting projects at Ohio State including infrastructure, IT, utilities, and other costs that generally cannot be charged directly to a grant. The F&A rates used by Ohio State are competitive with comparable universities, and much lower than the elite, private universities.

View Waiver

D.C. Days 2023
We regret to inform that DC Days will NOT take place in May 2023, due to the inability to visit some of the major sponsors we typically go to while in Washington. We will look ahead to Spring 2024 and hope to return to Washington D.C. then.

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EPA Research Funding Opportunities
The Research and Mentoring for Postbaccalaureates (RaMP) in Biological Sciences program invites the submission of proposals to establish networks to support full-time research, mentoring, and training for recent college graduates who have had few or no research or training opportunities during college in research fields typically supported by the Directorate of Biological Sciences (BIO). A strategic focus of the National Science Foundation is to foster the growth of a globally-competitive and diverse research workforce. To that end, proposals submitted to this program are expected to create strong evidence-based, inclusive and culturally-aware mentorship programs that will advance the goal of creating a competitive and highly representative science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) workforce in the U.S. with a focus on the biological sciences.

Projects are expected to train individuals for a range of potential career pathways in the biological sciences including: research-focused M.S. or Ph.D. graduate programs; entry-level positions in industry, federal, tribal, or state agencies, education and research centers, or not-for-profit science-based organizations; or other STEM careers. Individuals from groups underrepresented in STEM, first generation college students, and students at under-resourced institutions frequently have limited opportunities to participate in the undergraduate research experiences that are necessary to be competitive for graduate programs or other STEM career pathways. This program will provide postbaccalaureate research experiences for cohorts of trainees, either in ongoing research programs, existing research networks, or in new research projects designed specifically for the RaMP networks. Studies of capacity-building and training across diverse disciplines have emphasized the importance of inclusive training via cohort mentoring and networks of individuals working together towards a common purpose. Due Feb. 16.

EPA Funding Opps RaMP Info

Fall 2022 NSF Virtual Grants Conference
Did you miss the Fall 2022 National Science Foundation (NSF) Virtual Grants Conference? No worries! Recordings of sessions from the conference are now available on the NSF Policy Office Outreach Website. Presentations span from proposal preparation, to the merit review process, to award management. There are also sessions targeted to individual directorates. Go and check out all the offerings available to you for FREE!

Learn More

Man at desk in an office, working on a laptopERIK Growing Research Opportunities (GRO)
Now accepting nominations! As part of the 2023 GRO Academy, you will complete an 8-week research leadership development program designed for faculty across disciplines. Participants will be recognized as GRO Research Leadership Fellows and will begin a relationship with the Office of Knowledge Enterprise, which offers support for interdisciplinary team formation and large, complex proposal development.

 Learn More

Happy Holidays to you and yours from CFAES R&GE!
GDSU and OSP will be unavailable to assist with proposal submission and pre and post award management, December 23-January 2, 2023, due to the university holiday and closure. Hard deadlines, such as proposal submissions and reporting deadlines that fall within this timeframe must be fully completed and submitted prior to COB 12/19/2022. Staff will not be available during the closure. Please plan accordingly.

Research Development & Grant Writing News
We invite you to access the current issue of Research Development and Grant Writing News. The Enterprise for Research, Innovation, and Knowledge | Research Development Office provides access to this subscription-based newsletter for the entire campus community.

Highlights Include:

  • NSF Reproducibility and Replicability in Science – Reproducibility and replicability are an increasing concern in research. We discuss a recent NSF Dear Colleague Letter describing how NSF sees this issue.
  • DOE Guide for the Submission of Unsolicited Proposals – We discuss new DOE programs and how to submit an unsolicited proposal to DOE. 
  • Telling Your Reviewers What They Need to Know – We discuss how to write your Significance/State of the Art section, including what to include and what to leave out (reprinted from the July 2015 issue).
  • Make Your Case for Value-Added Benefits – We discuss four domains in which you can frame your arguments for value added by funding your project (reprinted from the Aug. 2015 issue).

Read Now


Recent Awards

Michel Brooker - FABE, $497,704: Developing scalable harmful algal bloom (HAB) prevention technologies in the Ohio region, Army Engineer Research and Development Center

Jessica Cooperstone - HCS, $110,000: Improving apple quality to fill gaps in the U-pick market, Ohio Dept. of Agriculture

Katrina Cornish - FABE/HCS, $201,959: Surface modified fly ash for value added products (SuMo fly ash), University of Illinois

Kellie Claflin - ACEL, $19,620: Factors impacting student career interest, Ohio Soybean Council

Anne Dorrance - Plant Path, $792,581: Developing the perfect molecular markers and new germplasm for rapid incorporation of resistance to soilborne pathogens in soybean - Year 3, SmithBucklin

Mary Gardiner - ENT, $400,050: From twigs to trees: Harnessing vacant land for climate resilience and biodiversity conservation, Mitre Corporation

Reed Johnson - ENT, $53,545: Investigate the biotic and abiotic stresses in honey bees and pollinators, Central State University

Andrew Kirk - Ashtabula Station, $114,375: Small farm diversification through the adoption of specialty annual fruits, Ohio Dept. of Agriculture

Matthew Kleinhenz - HCS, $91,250: Advancing high tunnel production: Research-based support and technologies to speed and enhance grower success, Ohio Dept. of Agriculture

Chanhee Lee - ANSCI, $180,000: Manipulating dietary sodium and anions to reduce the environmental impacts of dairy cattle: sodium excretion and ammonia emission from manure, United States-Israel Binational Agricultural Research and Development Fund

Devin Peterson - FST, $100,000: Sweetness perception in coffee - Sensory analysis and identification of key compounds, Coffee Science Foundation

Hannah Scott - Piketon South Centers, $199,974: Improving the rural economy of Ohio and West Virginia through cooperative development, USDA Rural Development

Ajay Shah- FABE, $399,869: Co-firing switchgrass and waste coal in a power plant: A techno-economic and life cycle evaluation for the Ohio River Valley, US Department of Energy

Kichoon Lee - ANSCI, $260,607: Generation of sterile surrogate quail and zebra finch via CRISPR/Cas9-mediated gene editing to produce allogenic and xenogenic donor PGC-derived offspring, Revive & Restore

Nicole Wright - CLEAR Ohio Sea Grant, $26,059: Advancing the Great Lakes aquaculture collaborative, University of Michigan


Events & Opportunities


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