Research News
April 2007 Issue
Table of Contents:
Pritzker Institute Seed Grants
Office of Research Integrity Report
Proposal and Award Information
NIH Reiterates Commitment to Protecting Sensitive Data
IIT Interprofessional Education Conference
International Engineering Consortium
IIT Research Day, celebrating the variety of research that takes place on campus, will take place on Tuesday, April 24th from 1pm to 4pm in the Hermann Hall ballroom. The event will feature a student poster session, the Sigma Xi lecture, and a reception with light refreshments. In addition, the Sigma Xi Awards will be announced, as well as the OSRP Research Awards.
As part of IIT Research Day, the 2007 Sigma Xi lecture will be presented by Prof. Dagmar Ringe of Brandeis University at 2:30pm.
Abstract
“Interrogating a Protein for Structure-Aided Drug Design”
The function of a protein is dictated by its ability to interact with other molecules, either small molecules or other proteins. Therefore the surface of the protein must have sites that are unique for the recognition of such molecules. The question is how to find them and utilize them for intervention in the function of the protein, the process of structure-aided drug design. Starting with a crystal structure how is the active site located if it is an enzyme? How is an interaction site located if it is a signaling protein? How is an exo-site found for the interaction of a modulator?
We have developed a number of methods that address these questions, both experimental such as solvent mapping, and computational such as THEMATICS, and have devised a strategy that combines these methods with existing ones to identify new ligands with specific properties. One of the targets is a protein whose mutants are thermally unstable. Can we find a chemical chaperone to stabilize the protein and thereby make it available to function in the cell.
Biography
Prof. Ringe is the Lucille P. Markey Professor of Biochemistry and Chemistry at Brandeis University. Dr. Ringe received her Bachelor's Degree in Chemistry from Barnard and her Ph.D. from Boston University, where she worked on protease mechanisms. Her postdoctoral training was with Hans Zachau in Munich, where she worked on tRNA synthetases. Dr. Ringe was promoted to full Professor and given the Lucille P. Markey chair in 1995, she is the first person in Brandeis history to hold appointments in both the Department of Chemistry and the Department of Biochemistry.
She has received numerous awards, including the first Margaret Oakley Dayhoff Award of the Biophysical Society, and a Guggenheim Foundation Fellowship. In
2004 she shared an award from the McKnight Endowment for Neuroscience with her Brandeis colleague, Professor Gregory Petsko and in 2005 she was elected Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.
Professor Ringe's research interests range from structural studies of enzyme mechanisms to the basis of molecular recognition to the biochemistry of neurodegenerative diseases. She has also made important contributions in the areas of bioinformatics and rational drug design. Her approach is to bring the perspective of a physical organic chemist to problems in biochemistry, cell biology, and human health. Her primary research tools are protein x-ray crystallography, computational biophysics, site-directed mutagenesis, organic synthesis and enzyme kinetics.
Effective at the beginning of the 2007-08 academic year, two academic departments names will change to reflect a recent reorganization of several disciplines. The Department of Chemical and Environmental Engineering will become the Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering (CHBE). This reflects the increased presence of biological engineering within the chemical engineering discipline. The Department of Civil and Architectural Engineering will become the Department of Civil, Architectural, and Environmental Engineering (CAEE). This reflects the recent transfer of Environmental Engineering faculty into the Civil and Architectural Engineering Department.
Pritzker Institute Seed Grants
Seed grants OF UP TO $25,000 are being made available in the area of biomedical science and engineering through the Pritzker Institute.
Information about the application process may be found on the Pritzker Institute web page.
The deadline for submission of proposals is May 1st. Awards are expected to be made around May 15th. Up to five grants will be awarded depending on submissions.
If you have questions, contact Dr. Vincent Turitto at 312-567-6927 or at turitto@iit.edu.
Office of Research Integrity Report
The ORI recently reported that two-thirds of the researchers against whom a finding of research misconduct was made in 2006 were excluded or debarred from receiving federal funding anywhere from three years to a lifetime.
More information
Proposals & Awards - Where’s the info????
You may have noticed that the detailed information regarding awards has not been publicized in a while. Due to restrictions by various sponsors, OSRP can no longer publicize detailed information regarding awards. In order to give you an idea of what our “numbers” are in regards to proposals and awards, we will provide the following graphs.
Getting Started with Grants.gov
As a faculty or staff member, there is no registration process for using Grants.gov. Only OSRP needs to go through the registration process. But in order to apply for a grant you must download the Grants.gov word processer, PureEdge Viewer, onto your computer.
Download PureEdge
(For non-windows users, see info on using the Citrix Server for Non-Windows Users, about half way down the page.)
Please note that Grants.gov is NOT a web-based system like some other systems. Instead, when you are done entering all of your information and have a completed application package, you will send the completed file to OSRP. OSRP will review the application and submit the files by uploading them onto the system. If you need assistance from OSRP, they will need additional time (beyond the internal deadlines) to complete your package.
If you have any questions, please contact the Office of Sponsored Research and Programs at 312-567-3035, or by email.
Paper applications are no longer accepted by NIH. All proposals MUST be submitted electronically via Grants.gov. More information
Reiteration of the Commitment of NIH to Protect Sensitive Data
and Information Used in Research
This notice serves to reiterate the National Institutes of Health’s commitment to protect sensitive personal data and information used in research to advance the health and well being of all Americans. A recent security breach at a non-HHS Federal facility led to the loss of a portable media device which potentially contained sensitive information.
Recipients of NIH funded research are reminded of their responsibility to protect sensitive and confidential data as part of proper stewardship of federally funded research, and take reasonable and appropriate action to prevent the inadvertent disclosure, release or loss of sensitive personal information.
This may include the safeguarding of data and confidential information by encryption of portable electronic devices including laptops, CDs, disc drives, flash drives, etc; by a combination of access controls like password protection and other means; and by transmitting research data only when the security of the recipient’s systems are known and are satisfactory to the transmitter.
NIH recognizes that protecting research data and information can be particularly challenging and can create a burden that may be viewed as interfering with the research enterprise. It is not our intention to obstruct research, but to raise awareness of the situation and to have our grantees take reasonable measures to safeguard the information entrusted to them by research participants.
NIH Bridge Awards are designed to provide continued but limited funding for new and established grantees who have submitted a competing renewal grant application that describes a highly meritorious project. The continued funding will permit the Principal Investigator additional time to strengthen a resubmission application. The Guidelines for this award are similar to those described for the High Priority, Short-Term Project Award (R56). Bridge Award recipients will receive R56 awards for a single year. More Information
IIT Interprofessional Education Conference
Join colleagues from academic, business and philanthropic organizations with shared interests in team-project based experiential learning and training that is interdisciplinary, interprofessional, and cross-functional. For more information contact Tom Jacobius, Director, Interprofessional Studies at (312) 567-3986 or by email at jacobius@iit.edu.
International Engineering Consortium - Call for papers.
Annual Review of Electronic Design
The International Engineering Consortium (IEC) is preparing the first volume of its Annual Review of Electronic Design, aimed mostly at electronic and semiconductor engineers. This publication will focus on relevant issues and challenges often faced in the engineering sector, all while emphasizing the new methods and technologies that have come about in the past year. This will present the crucial perspectives and experiences of industry leaders and will surely become a useful resource for corporate libraries, training programs, and individual study.
The IEC invites engineering professionals to submit papers for possible publication in Volume 1 of the Annual Review of Electronic Design, slated for publication in December 2007. These papers should treat subjects related to application-specific and chip level functional design; PCB and package technologies; cable and fiber interconnect design; high-speed timing, jitter, and noise; signal processing, equalization, and coding; passive component characterization and modeling; power integrity and power-aware design; electromagnetic compatibility and interference; and text fixturing and measurement methodology.
Authors may also consider the current and potential markets in these areas, the business models adoptable by companies, pricing and fee structures, regulatory and standards issues, etc. Global case studies will be considered if they are non-promotional and written by the participating company or organization.
All submitted papers are reviewed in-house to determine acceptance for publication. Although a general discussion of particular engineering applications and products is permissible, papers should be noncommercial in nature and should not focus on specific brand-name products or solutions.
The submission deadline for the Annual Review of Electronic Design, Vol. 1 is Thursday, May 31, 2007. Please submit your paper via e-mail to the following address: asulluchuco@iec.org.
Annual Review of Communications
The International Engineering Consortium (IEC) is preparing the next edition of its Annual Review of Communications, the Consortium’s longest running publication, which was first published in 1945. Since that time, the Annual Review has evolved each year along with the telecommunications and information industries to become a key resource for professionals at every level of organizational responsibility. Because it presents the crucial and timely insights, perspectives, and experiences of industry leaders on an annual basis, the Annual Review is considered to be one of the most useful resources for corporate libraries, training programs, and individual study.
The IEC invites communications professionals to submit papers for possible publication in the Annual Review of Communications, Volume 60, slated for publication in December 2007. These papers should cover subjects related to IP and Internet communications; core and access network technologies and architectures; broadband communications; emerging services and applications; wireless and mobile communications; operations and network management; quality control and customer services; and security.
Authors may also cover the current and potential markets in these areas, the promising business models for companies, pricing and fee structures, regulatory and standards issues, etc. Global case studies will be considered if they are non-promotional and written by the participating company or organization.
All submitted papers are reviewed in-house to determine acceptance for publication. Although a general discussion of particular technology applications and products is permissible, papers should be noncommercial in nature and should not focus on specific brand-name products or solutions.
The submission deadline for the Annual Review of Communications, Volume 60 is Thursday, May 31, 2007. Please submit your paper via e-mail to the following address: asulluchuco@iec.org.
Submission Guidelines
- Papers should be between five and 20 pages (approximately 2,500 to 10,000 words) in length and noncommercial. Include each author's name, title, and organization. Submit only a complete, final version of the paper (no drafts, excerpts, or works in progress).
- An electronic copy of the paper in MS Word format must be submitted via e-mail to asulluchuco@iec.org.
- Please save the text and any accompanying graphics (figure, tables, charts, etc.) as separate files. Be sure to reference in the text where those graphics should be placed.
- All text within figures, tables, charts, etc. should be clearly printed in a sans-serif font (e.g., Arial, Helvetica) and in a size that is large enough to be read easily.
- Graphics should be high-resolution JPEG, TIFF, EPS, PowerPoint, or Excel files. NOTE: All graphics are published in black and white (grayscale) only.
Acknowledgements
Editor and Production Coordinator: Julia Chase chasej@iit.edu
Ali Cinar, Ph.D.
Dean of the Graduate College and
Vice Provost for Research
(312) 567-3637 cinar@iit.edu
Ganesh Raman, Ph.D.
Associate Dean for Research
(312) 567-3554 raman@iit.edu
The Staff of Research Support Services:
Toni R. Allen
Associate Director
Office of Sponsored Research & Programs
(312) 567-3035 allen@iit.edu
Pamela Andrews
Associate Director
Office of Sponsored Research & Programs
(312) 567-3022 andrewsp@iit.edu
Glenn Krell, M.P.A, C.R.A
Director
Office of Research Compliance and Proposal Development
(312) 567-7141 krell@iit.edu
Robert Lapointe, M.B.A
Manager, Research Marketing & Business Development
Graduate College
(312) 567-7135 lapointe@iit.edu
Domenica G. Pappas, C.R.A
Director
Office of Sponsored Research & Programs
(312) 567-3035 pappas@iit.edu
Flo Redmond, M.B.A
Associate Director
(312) 567-3340 redmond@iit.edu