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College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences

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Research News - May 2023

May. 1, 2023
Student presenting a poster at the 2023 CFAES Research Forum and Poster Competition

Inside this Issue

  • A Critical Time for Research Funding, a message from Dr. Gary Pierzynski
  • NSF’s Growing Research Access for Nationally Transformative Equity and Diversity (GRANTED) initiative has released its first program description funding opportunity
  • Welcome to our new R&GE Employees Jada Harmon and Alex Maddox
  • USDA NIFA technical assistance webinar will help you learn more about different funding opps May 9-12

*Due to technical difficulties the PDF version of the Research News is not available for May. The PDF will return for the June 2023 issue. Thank you for your understanding. 


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.

  • The Organic Center-FFAR joint Organic Research Program
    Successful projects in 2023 will connect climate change mitigation and soil health practices to production. The 2024 research grant program will focus on organic agronomic and socioeconomic research, addressing barriers preventing farmers from transitioning to organic or continuing to farm organically.
    Deadline: June 1, 2023

  • National Needs Graduate and Postgraduate Fellowship Grants Program
    This grant program supports: (1) training students for master's and doctoral degrees in food, agricultural and natural resource sciences; and (2) Special International Study or Thesis/Dissertation Research Travel Allowances (IRTA) for eligible USDA NNF beneficiaries. Awards are specifically intended to support traineeship programs that engage outstanding students to pursue and complete their degrees in USDA mission areas.
    Deadline: June 8, 2023

View All Funding Opportunities


Ohio Statehouse BuildingA Critical Time for Research Funding 

Gary Pierzynski, Associate Dean for Research & Graduate Education

As much as some people would like to ignore politics, there are times when something near and dear to you is at stake and you have to at least pay attention. This spring and summer are critical times for research funding across the nation and in Ohio in particular. At the Federal level, three key efforts could have lasting impacts on research funding, possibly for the better or worse. In June, the United States will run up against our national debt ceiling, which must be raised to avoid a government default on debt with significant negative consequences on the economy. Part of the negotiations to raise the debt limit may involve compromises on federal spending, including reductions in research funding provided by agencies such as USDA, NSF, and NIH.  

The debate on the debt limit increase will set the tone for the next federal budget, the second effort, which is supposed to be approved before October 1. Most likely the budget will not be approved by then and we will operate under continuing resolutions until it is. Any agreements that were made to approve an increase in the debt limit will start to be implemented in the next federal budget. The third effort is the negotiations on the next Farm Bill, which is set to expire on September 30. The Farm Bill authorizes USDA to spend federal funds on research in a variety of ways. Two ways that impact CFAES the most would be the spending authorization for USDA-NIFA and funding levels for our federal research capacity dollars that partially fund the Ohio Agricultural Experiment Station. The Farm Bill also offers opportunities for the creation of new programs supporting research and special projects (previously called earmarks, now generally referred to as community projects). The net effect of these three efforts remains to be seen. Optimistically, it’s possible we could see increases in funding.  

Here in Ohio our General Assembly is debating the next biennial budget and needs to have agreement by June 30. Ohio provides most of the funding for the Experiment Station (~$8.6 M federal, $36 M state). While the state economy is generally in good shape, some cuts to programs are expected although at this point it looks funding for research and Extension might get small increases. One never knows until the Governor signs! Thankfully, we have professionals at OSU in government affairs that track the important issues and advocate whenever possible. Your professional society may also advocate at the federal level. As always, high quality and impactful research is essential to justify the public funding, and CFAES is doing its part. 


Researchers in a lab wearing lab coats and handling chemicalsSpotlight

  • NSF Releases New FAQs on Proposal Preparation
    The document directs applicants to information about biographical sketches, data management plans, and safe and inclusive work environments for off-campus research, among other topics.

  • Controlled Substances Training 
    The Office of Research Compliance has created an online training for investigators using controlled substances in their non-therapeutic research in Buckeyelearn: https://go.osu.edu/consub. Alternatively, you can find the course by logging into Buckeyelearn and searching for “Use of Controlled Substances in Non-Therapeutic Research.”  This training is required for anyone working with controlled substances.  

  • National Food and Agricultural Sciences Teaching, Extension, and Research Awards RFA Technical Assistance Webinar
    This webinar includes a brief program overview, details of the Fiscal Year 2023 Request for Applications (RFA), and a question-and-answer session. This program is a partnership among NIFA, the recipient of the National Food and Agricultural Sciences Teaching, Extension, and Research Awards (TERA), and the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities (APLU). 


New & Newsworthy

A team sitting together at a table having a discussion with a bunch of words in the shape of the world map on the table like Research, Action, Strategy, Searching, and so on.NSF GRANTED Initiative

NSF’s Growing Research Access for Nationally Transformative Equity and Diversity (GRANTED) initiative has released its first program description funding opportunity. The program description has been set to accept proposals at ANY TIME (i.e., no deadline). However, funding has been allocated to GRANTED in FY23 and NSF strongly encourages proposals to be submitted as soon as possible so that proposals can be reviewed and receive funding in FY23.  

The program description encourages bold ideas that can lead to national transformation of the research enterprise. While their previous Dear Colleague Letter focused on convenings, they realize there are many ideas relevant to GRANTED and this program description is open for those ideas to be submitted. Conference, workshop and convening ideas are also welcome in response to this program description. 

The GRANTED team will continue to hold office hours on Wednesday afternoons at 3pm EDT. See Zoom link below.

More information can be found at the GRANTED website (www.nsf.gov/granted). NSF also encourages you to submit questions, requests to discuss ideas, and other inquiries via GRANTED@nsf.gov

And volunteer to be a reviewer for GRANTED: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/ZC9WVBF 

A grounding principle for GRANTED is to increase access to NSF for institutions, investigators, and students. Please do not hesitate to connect with the GRANTED team as they are excited to learn more about your interest in growing the research enterprise to support the Nation’s research competitiveness and development of the STEM workforce. 

Join ZoomGov Meeting 

https://nsf.zoomgov.com/j/1615943950?pwd=TG1wYUtOdEIzSTlsdDlub1E2UHlGdz09 

Meeting ID: 161 594 3950 
Passcode: 448174 

Get Registered

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.

Articles of Interest:

  • Editing the Research Narrative for Importance – When writing your research narrative, it’s important to remember that space and the reviewer’s attention span are both limited. We discuss how to determine the relative hierarchy of importance of information to be included in the research narrative.  

  • How a Good Website Can Help Faculty Win Grants – We discuss why faculty should maintain a good research website (reprinted from the May 2015 issue).  

  • Mission Agency Common Denominators – This article covers common features of mission agencies (reprinted from the May 2018 issue. 

Read Now

2023 Celebration of STARSCFAES STARS Cohort 2 alongside Dr. Gary Pierzynski
Last month, the second cohort of the CFAES STARS (Strategic Alignment for Research Success) program presented their final Research Action Plans (RAP) at the 2023 Celebration of STARS to an audience of peers and members of CFAES Senior Leadership. Presentations spanned from the development of ambitious training programs for youth agricultural education to mosquito control to the future of green spaces in cities across Ohio. The research that takes place inside our college is truly vast and touches all aspects of life. It was so exciting to be able to listen in to these presentations and get a glimpse of what the future of CFAES research holds.

During the 2023 Celebration of Research Week the CFAES STARS were highlighted on our social media pages. We asked our researchers, "Why did you get involved in Research?" To view their answers, click the link below and toggle between the posts. 

The application for STARS cohort 3 is now closed, so keep your eyes peeled for an announcement introducing the new participants! 

Visit STARS Website View STARS Highlights

The NSF Grants Conference 
The NSF Grants Conference is designed to give new faculty, researchers, and administrators key insights into a wide range of current issues at NSF. NSF staff will provide up-to-date information about policies and procedures, specific funding opportunities, and answer attendee questions.  

Join the National Science Foundation (NSF) for the Spring 2023 NSF Virtual Grants Conference, to be held during the week of June 5 – 8, 2023.  

Registration will be free of charge and opens on Wednesday, May 10 at 12 pm EST. In the meantime, please feel free to check nsfpolicyoutreach.com for the most up-to-date information and view recordings of sessions from previous conferences. You may also view the Fall 2022 Virtual Grants Conference recordings on the NSF YouTube page.  

For those who cannot attend the live conference, all recorded conference sessions will be available on-demand shortly after the event and posted on the NSF website and YouTube page.  

Learn More Questions

New Institutional Membership Offers Free Qualitative Data Sharing to Ohio State Researchers 
The Ohio State University Libraries has become an institutional member of the Qualitative Data Repository (QDR), which preserves and shares digital data and documentation from social science research. The membership offers Ohio State researchers access to curation and archiving services for qualitative data at no cost and access to member-only events. Ohio State already has an institutional membership to the Dryad Data Repository, which allows researchers to archive their quantitative data for free, including a citable digital object identifier (DOI) and expert review that ensures the data is well-documented and easy to discover online. The QDR membership offers the same benefits for qualitative data, which often requires additional security and access controls to protect participant privacy.

Read More

Woman sitting at a laptop looking at a man on the screen during a webinarUSDA Grant Support Technical Assistance Workshop
Are you a faculty member new to teaching, research and/or education? Have you applied for a federal grant before and have not been successful? 

If so, USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) will have a technical assistance webinar to help you learn more about different funding opportunities. This five-day event will focus on competitive programs, strengthening grant writing and developing skills to write for success as well as award process and management. The workshop is virtual and runs May 9-12, 2023.

Day 1: NIFA Grant Pre-Application Process 

  1.  Pre-application Requirements 

  1.  Understanding the Request for Applications 

  1. Logic model/Data Management Plan 

  1. Open session for Questions and Answers 

Day 2: Application Review and Tips for Success 

  1. Mock Panel: Application Review Process  
  2. Tips for Competitive Grant Applications  
  3. Open session for Questions and Answers 

Day 3: Competitive Program Funding Opportunities 

  1. Agriculture Food and Research Initiative Overview  

  1. Education and Outreach  

  1. Small Business Innovation Research and Small Business Technology Transfer  

  1. Animal Health and Production and Animal Products  

  1. Plant Health and Production and Plant Products  

  1. Open session for Questions and Answers

Day 4: Competitive Program Funding Opportunities  

  1. Bioenergy, Natural Resources, and Environment   
  2. Agriculture Economics and Rural Communities  
  3. Agriculture Systems and Technology  
  4. Minority Serving Institutions  
  5. Food Safety, Nutrition, And Health  
  6. Open session for Questions and Answers 

Day 5: Awards and Management 

  1. Award Terms and Conditions  

  1. Automated Standard Application for Payments  

  1. Impact  

  1. REEport  

  1. Project Director Transfer  

  1. Open session for Questions and Answers 

Get Registered

Financial Management for Grants and Clinical Trials: Tools and How to Use Them 

Part 1: Introduction to Financial Management Tools: Clinical Trial Style 

Presenter: Karla Gengler-Nowak, Grants & Contracts Administrator, College of Optometry 

When: June 6 from 11:00-12:00 via Zoom 

Do you know where to find the financials for your clinical trial award managed by the Office of Sponsored Programs? And do you know what all the numbers and terms mean and how your clinical study is a bit of a square peg in a round hole? Join us for this session that will introduce you to the tools you have as a researcher to understand how much you have to spend, what you’ve spent, and what you’ve committed to spending, as well as a plethora of other useful information for managing your awards.  

Part 2: Using Financial Management Tools to Manage Your Grants and Contracts 

Presenter: Karla Gengler-Nowak, Grants & Contracts Administrator, College of Optometry 

When: June 13 from 11:00-12:00 via Zoom 

Once you know how to access and understand the information in the financial management tools and reports at your disposal, it’s time to use them to manage the funds for your clinical study. Learn how to think about your award’s financials in a proactive way, spot problems and research them, and – critically for clinical trials – what kinds of information are not available in the tools. 

Get Registered

New Faces in the Office for Research & Graduate Education
Join us in welcoming Jada Harmon, Executive Assistant to Dr. Gary Pierzynski, and Alexandria (Alex) Maddox, Grants and Contracts Specialist and CFAES Internal Grants Program (IGP) Coordinator, to the R&GE Team! In their new roles, Jada will be responsible for maintaining Gary’s calendar and providing senior level administrative support to Gary and the R&GE Team and Alex will support students, faculty, and staff during their grant proposal preparation and Coordinate the annual IGP. R&GE is thrilled to have these new 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.

Headshot of Alex Maddox, Grants and Contracts Specialist, and CFAES Internal Grants Program (IGP) CoordinatorAlexandria (Alex) Maddox
Grants and Contracts Specialist, CFAES Internal Grants Program (IGP) Coordinator
maddox.59@osu.edu
(614) 247-8204

View Bio

 

 

Headshot of Jada HarmonJada Harmon
Executive Assistant
harmon.105@osu.edu
(614) 292-0162

View Bio

 

 


Recent Awards

Martha Belury - FST, $294,000: Walnuts, the Gut-Brain Axis and Cognitive Function, National Institute of Food and Agriculture

Kirk Bloir - OSU Extension, $1,220,113: YEA: Empowering the Next Generation Ag & Food Systems Workforce via Experiential Learning, Engaging Diverse Youth & Enhanced PYD Programs, National Institute of Food and Agriculture

Darren Drewry - FABE, $649,882: Developing Field-Based High-Throughput Phenotyping for Coffee Yield, Physiological Performance and Disease Resistance, National Institute of Food and Agriculture

Mary Gardiner - ENT, $736,956: Aligning Investments in Greening and Mosquito Management to Support Bee and Human Health in Cities, National Institute of Food and Agriculture

Monica Giusti - FST, $600,000: Upcycling agro industrial byproducts to develop the next generation of food colorants derived from nature, National Institute of Food and Agriculture

Sami Khanal - FABE, $799,996: PARTNERSHIP: Sustainable hydrothermal manure management practice to improve nutrient use efficiency for enhanced agroecosystem services, National Institute of Food and Agriculture

Sami Khanal - FABE, $749,939: Closing the Cover Crop Yield Gap: Using Big Data Analytics to Identify Environmental and Management Factors to Maximize Cash Crop Yield and Ecosystem Services, National Institute of Food and Agriculture

Ashley Leach - ENT, $736,956: Bees & the bottom line: uncovering the effects of insecticides on crop pollination and yield, National Institute of Food and Agriculture

Chia Lin - ENT, $93,435: The golden forage: Mustard cover crop as a floral resource and potential control for Vairimorpha (Nosema) infection in honey bees, Project APHIS

Laura Lindsey - HCS, $799,996: National Screen of Commercially-Available Biological Seed Treatments for Soybean, National Institute of Food and Agriculture

Brian Roe - AEDE, $622,962: An innovative, accessible, and flexible approach for household food waste measurement, Foundation for Food and Agriculture Research

Ajay Shah - FABE, $294,000: Alternative whole-plant cotton logistics and pre-cleaning system for process improvement with residue utilization, National Institute of Food and Agriculture

Clay Sneller - HCS, $476,610: A Multi-Purpose Cooperative Trial To Improve All Phases Of Cultivar Development, National Institute of Food and Agriculture

Hanping Wang - OSU South Centers, $974,939: Development and validation of sustainable aquaponics model systems to enhance resiliency of urban, indoor, and emerging food systems, National Institute of Food and Agriculture

Lingying Zhao - FABE, $1,000,000: Abate poultry disease and heat stress by climate-smart housing and environment control intervention for sustainable cage-free egg production, National Institute of Food and Agriculture

Ohio Soybean Council

  • Amanda Douridas - ANR, $29,708: Educational programming for Ohio's crop industry
  • Jason Hartschuh - ANR, $46,000: Understanding yield and soil health in Ohio soy
  • Laura Lindsey - HCS, $57,500: Foliar Fungicide & Insecticide Evaluation – YR 2
  • Laura Lindsey - HCS, $25,000: Battle for the Belt: Corn vs Soybean
  • Horacio Lopez-Nicora - Plant Path, $61,000: Monitoring SCN population in Ohio
  • Horacio Lopez-Nicora - Plant Path, $31,000: Biology and management of white mold in Ohio
  • Horacio Lopez-Nicora - Plant Path, $51,000: Interaction between SDS & SCN in Ohio
  • Horacio Lopez-Nicora - Plant Path, $10,000: Society of nematologists 2023 conference in Ohio
  • Feng Qu - Plant Path, $55,000: Combating soybean root rot with a new virus vector
  • Christopher Zoller - OSU Extension, $7,000: Evaluation of Plantskydd repellent on soybeans

Events & Opportunities


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