NORDP News

#NORDP2017 starts Monday, May 8 in Denver, CO. Keep checking back here at the blog and on our Twitter feed (@NORDP_official) for live conference updates. Register here: http://www.nordp.org/conferences.
_______________________________________________________

Who: Eileen Murphy, Ph.D., Senior Director Corporate and Foundations Relations
Where: Rutgers University
Number of years in research development: 7
Length of NORDP membership: 7
Number of NORDP conferences attended: 3 (first one was via NORDP travel scholarship – THANK YOU!)
What is the most interesting place you’ve visited? Yellowstone National Park

I, like many NORDP colleagues, discovered research development after a long career as a researcher and research manager. I switched careers from government scientist to academic administrator after my research group was dissolved due to budget cuts. The silver lining in this storm was a new career in research development. Once I embarked on this adventure, I never looked back.

Like any scientist new to a field, I searched for a professional organization where I could learn from seasoned professionals. While I had found good research administration organizations, what I really wanted was something more akin to what I was doing – research development. Rutgers University had just hired a handful of research development professionals at the time, and, together, we discovered NORDP. That was the organization I was searching for – the one  that offered advice, networking and camaraderie in the field.

I attended my first NORDP conference through the generous support of the NORDP travel scholarship. Naturally, I felt the need to “pay it back” by volunteering in every aspect that I could. Volunteering is a wonderful way to network and get to know people – even people from my own institution that I may not get to see as often as I would like. I continue to be impressed by the diversity, talent, and dedication of the people who are attracted to this field.

Conferences allow me to immerse myself in research development and to discuss challenges I may be having with colleagues from other institutions. While many of us feel like islands at our institutions, being one research development professional amidst a sea of faculty and administrators, we are all “stranded” together on that island during a NORDP conference.

It’s one week away, and I am truly looking forward to meeting new colleagues, sharing ideas, and learning from others’ experiences.

_______________________________________________________

We hope to see you at the 2017 NORDP Research Development Conference, which will be held May 8-10 in Denver, CO. For more information about the conference program or to register, visit http://www.nordp.org/conferences. Follow @NORDP_official on Twitter for all the latest #NORDP2017 updates.

If you’d like to be featured in a Conference Cameo, let us know at rdconf@nordp.org. 

Have you ever thought to yourself, “It would be great if we Any City, Anywhere research institutions could meet as a NORDP mini-group?”

Well, we’ve got an answer!  NORDP’s Board is excited to announce the implementation of a working structure for NORDP “Affinity Groups.” Such groups embrace the NORDP regional groups that have been naturally evolving and extend the concept to thematic groups of NORDP members whose professional interests might be with PUIs, HBCUs, EPSCoR states, foundation or corporate relations, the commercial sector, or particular sub-state regions, e.g.

Benefits for official NORDP Affinity Group designation include: access to the Board through a designated Board liaison to the group; a suite of administrative support resources for group activities, including listservs, access to MemberClicks or Qualtrics, and teleconferencing resources; opportunities to serve as a test bed for NORDP pilot projects; and enhanced opportunities for leadership experience.

Learn more about this initiative at the conference regional meetings on Monday, May 8^th and at the NORDP Business Meeting on Wednesday, May 10^th. I look forward to seeing you all in Colorado for what promises to be our largest annual conference to date. Safe travels to all!

Gretchen,

Your NORDP President

Today, with 10 days to go before the 9th Annual Research Development Conference starts, we’ve officially broken records! The Conference will be the biggest in the history of NORDP, with 463 registrants so far, and 12 sponsor partners. The previous record for attendance (and sponsors) was the 7th Annual Meeting in Bethesda in 2015, which had 425 attendees and 11 sponsors.

We look forward to seeing you at the Conference, and to building relationships with all our RD colleagues!

Conference Marketing Committee

_______________________________________________________

We hope to see you at the 2017 NORDP Research Development Conference, which will be held May 8-10 in Denver, CO. For more information about the conference program or to register, visit http://www.nordp.org/conferences. Follow @NORDP_official on Twitter for all the latest #NORDP2017 updates.

#NORDP2017 starts Monday, May 8 in Denver, CO. Keep checking back here at the blog and on our Twitter feed (@NORDP_official) for live conference updates. Register here: http://www.nordp.org/conferences.
_______________________________________________________

Who: Peggy Sundermeyer, Director, Sponsored Research, Academic Affairs
Where: Trinity University
Number of years in research development: 10
Length of NORDP membership: 8
Number of NORDP conferences attended: 7
What is the most interesting place you’ve visited? China, where I attended a traditional wedding.

Like many other research development professionals, I have a diverse background. I got started in the field when I was working for the VPR, developing materials with faculty and for faculty on the Responsible Conduct of Research, using my background in adult education and prior career as a federal employee in grants and contracting. Most of the development work was over and it was becoming less creative and very routine. The VPR asked if I would look at some of the interdisciplinary initiatives coming from the federal funding areas and think of ways we could inspire and support faculty and graduate students to start “crossing department lines,” as he put it. It wasn’t long before I learned that the large, interdisciplinary program and center grant applications overwhelmed the available resources. My faculty colleagues and I put together some ideas on how the VPR’s office could better support these large efforts, and the “research development” experiment was off and running. Some of our ideas worked and others not so well, but the general concept took hold and colleges started putting together their own individuals and teams to support faculty and departmental efforts.

I’ve been involved in NORDP since the beginning. I was one of a couple dozen individuals that convened at the University of Maryland, College Park, for a 2-day meeting, almost 10 years ago. Most of us had come together as a result of a phone call from Holly Falk-Krzesinski who tracked us down from our websites. After comparing notes for a couple days, we realized that we all did essentially the same thing and collectively decided that there was an emerging profession. With Holly’s continuing guidance and energy, we self-assembled, continued to meet over the phone, started writing goals, set up a website, organized a 2^nd conference in Chicago, approved a charter and doubled our membership each year for 3 years.

Being one of the “originals,” it’s great to see NORDP’s success in the professional development it offers its members and in its goal to make the organization an important partner in the arena of discovery and knowledge creation. I treasure the working relationships and friendships that I have with other NORDP’ers. They are the most talented, earnest, dedicated, creative, and energetic people I know. EVERYONE is welcoming and supportive!

If you are new to the conference, there is really no best or wrong way to participate in the conference. It’s a great balance of useful materials presented by peers, inspiring key note speakers, and lots of colleagues to share with and learn from. The IDEAs Showcase, though, is truly THE “don’t miss” event.

After the conference, I always bring back at least one idea to try out at my institution.

_______________________________________________________

We hope to see you at the 2017 NORDP Research Development Conference, which will be held May 8-10 in Denver, CO. For more information about the conference program or to register, visit http://www.nordp.org/conferences. Follow @NORDP_official on Twitter for all the latest #NORDP2017 updates.

If you’d like to be featured in a Conference Cameo, let us know at rdconf@nordp.org. 

#NORDP2017 starts Monday, May 8 in Denver, CO. Keep checking back here at the blog and on our Twitter feed (@NORDP_official) for live conference updates. Register here: http://www.nordp.org/conferences.
_______________________________________________________

Who: Jessica Sheehe, Ph.D. candidate
Where: University of Vermont
Number of years in research development: 1
Length of NORDP membership: 1
Number of NORDP conferences attended: 2017 will be my first one!

My interest in RD started when I was writing my grant proposal for becoming a Ph.D. candidate at the University of Vermont. I was surprised at how much I enjoyed the process and the challenge of not just articulating my research, but also “selling” my ideas to my thesis committee. I already had four years of writing consultation experience from working at writing centers at my undergraduate and graduate universities. I realized that I wanted to combine my science and writing consultation skills in some way, but didn’t know how to do that or, shockingly, that RD was a field.

Around the same time, I happened to see a presentation by the Grant Proposal Manager at UVM and sent her an email requesting to chat
so I could learn more about what she does and how she made her way to that position. She was a wealth of knowledge and suggested I attend a NORDP-NE regional meeting in August of 2016. I felt very welcomed at the meeting. It was small–people easily recognized a new face, and therefore I was approached quite frequently. When I excitedly told my friends and family about the conference I described it as “a group of people who speak both my science and writing center lingo.” It solidified my decision to become an RD professional, particularly to help faculty articulate their research in a concise, clear, and compelling manner. Since attending the regional meeting, I have sought out additional proposal and manuscript development opportunities. I currently work with postdoctoral researchers, graduate students, and, more recently, with an Assistant Professor I anticipate completing my Ph.D. research this summer and am actively applying for RD positions.

I am excited to meet new people at the upcoming NORDP National Meeting in May and to learn as much as I can about the RD field as a whole. My recommendation for other attendees (and myself) is to overcome any inhibitions they might have and just talk to people. The relationships I have built with people, both personal and professional, have been invaluable in achieving my goals and moving into this new career trajectory.

_______________________________________________________

We hope to see you at the 2017 NORDP Research Development Conference, which will be held May 8-10 in Denver, CO. For more information about the conference program or to register, visit http://www.nordp.org/conferences. Follow @NORDP_official on Twitter for all the latest #NORDP2017 updates.

If you’d like to be featured in a Conference Cameo, let us know at rdconf@nordp.org. 

From Gretchen Kiser, NORDP President

The National Organization of Research Development Professionals (NORDP) is a peer network of research development professionals who, through a set of strategic, proactive, catalytic, and capacity-building activities, serve the research enterprise at large by supporting individual faculty members, teams of researchers, and central research administrations in attracting extramural research funding, fostering relationships, and developing and implementing strategies that increase institutional competitiveness and innovation.

NORDP believes that a strong research enterprise is essential for the nation’s economy and the world’s innovation. We believe that it is in the national interest to support research in the sciences, arts, and humanities. Whether research and scholarship are devoted to understanding human experience, discovering the building blocks of the universe, or reducing human suffering, they require adequate funding, a pro-research climate, and an informed public.

We encourage our members to advocate for the research enterprise, especially at this time where we see an undervaluation of the roles science and scholarship play in our society. You may want to participate in one of the many March for Science events on Earth Day (April 22). You may want to work with your government relations office to articulate strong support for research in Washington DC or in your state. We urge you to directly contact your elected representatives to make your views known. Consider engaging in targeted outreach to thought leaders, policymakers and members of the public. Or you may use your creative research development skills to find new ways to advocate for research. If you need help in your advocacy efforts, reach out to NORDP at info@nordp.org or on the member listserv or by commenting on the NORDP blog. And be sure to share your story to help inspire us all!

#NORDP2017 starts Monday, May 8 in Denver, CO. Keep checking back here at the blog and on our Twitter feed (@NORDP_official) for live conference updates. Register here: http://www.nordp.org/conferences.
_______________________________________________________

Who: Tess Powers, Director of Faculty Research Support
Where: Colorado College
Number of years in research development: 8
Length of NORDP membership: 1
Number of NORDP conferences attended: 2017 will be my first one!
How do you unwind? Dancing

I attended Bryn Mawr College, a small liberal arts college outside of Philadelphia and one of the “Seven Sisters” women’s colleges. I wanted a career that involved writing. Thinking of perhaps a career as a science journalist, I decided to major in chemistry so that I would have a rigorous foundational understanding of one of the sciences.

After graduating, I attended a federal program called “Science and Engineering Research Semester” (SERS), which appears to now be defunct, where I, with many other recent graduates, conducted a semester of research at a national laboratory in order to determine whether I wanted to pursue a PhD. From this research experience I learned several important life lessons, one of which was that I like to work in draft form: Do something quickly, and perhaps badly, and then go back and do it better, again and again. I found that conducting good science is not particularly amenable to this approach.

I moved to Colorado Springs with a fellow SERS researcher, now my husband, and began working at the local alternative newsweekly. Over six years, I rose from receptionist to Managing Editor. I discovered that I loved managing projects and meeting deadlines. I also developed an appreciation for the Colorado Springs community, which was interesting and diverse in large part due to the presence of Colorado College, a small liberal arts college with a student body of approximately 2000 students.

I began my career at Colorado College in Development, as Assistant Director in the Corporate and Foundation Relations Office. I had neither grant-writing experience nor experience in philanthropy, but the College was willing to take a risk with me. My first assignment was to write a three-page letter, requesting $3 million. It wasn’t funded, but it was a powerful introduction to my new career: Writing a letter could produce dramatic and tangible results.

After so many years aiming for impartiality at the newsweekly, I found it meaningful to write with a perspective and an argument. I began to develop relationships with a number of faculty across the College, individuals involved in interesting projects and research. As the College didn’t have an Office of Sponsored Research, the CFR office became the central office for supporting faculty research grants. I began to learn the distinctions between research grants and philanthropic grants, not realizing that I had begun a career in research administration.

After five-plus years in Development, I moved over to the “academic side” and, for the last eight years, have staffed a one-person “office” supporting the research of approximately 170 faculty in the Office of the Dean. I work with faculty in all divisions, on the pre-award side and the post-award side, and oversee research compliance matters. During the last decade, the College has experienced a significant shift in the culture of grant-seeking. We’ve moved from supporting two or three faculty applications annually to about 20, with many more faculty engaging in research development activities that move them closer to being competitive for external funding.

I have been hearing about NORDP from a professional list-serve, particularly my co-presenter Kendra Mingo from Willamette University, and I am very interested in learning more about it. This will be my first NORDP conference, and I’m very much looking forward to it.

_______________________________________________________

We hope to see you at the 2017 NORDP Research Development Conference, which will be held May 8-10 in Denver, CO. For more information about the conference program or to register, visit http://www.nordp.org/conferences. Follow @NORDP_official on Twitter for all the latest #NORDP2017 updates.

If you’d like to be featured in a Conference Cameo, let us know at rdconf@nordp.org. 

#NORDP2017 starts Monday, May 8 in Denver, CO. Keep checking back here at the blog and on our Twitter feed (@NORDP_official) for live conference updates. Register here: http://www.nordp.org/conferences.
_______________________________________________________

Who: Xia Wood, Research and Grant Awards Specialist II
Where: Johnson C. Smith University
Number of years in research development: 6
Length of NORDP membership: New member
Number of NORDP conferences attended: 2017 will be my first one!
How do you celebrate submitting a grant application? Ring the bell!

I entered the Research Development field in late 2011 at Johnson C. Smith University (JCSU) in Charlotte, North Carolina after several years’ work in public health research. The previous research jobs not only provided me with enormous experience in writing grant proposals and scientific manuscripts and implementing research projects but also helped me discover my great passion for research administration

My job as a Research and Grant Awards Specialist II in the Office of Government Sponsored Program and Research at JCSU includes all pre-award and part of post-award services such as researching and analyzing funding resources to match faculty members’ research background and interests, assisting faculty with identifying collaborators and building partnerships, providing training in grant writing to faculty and staff, and reviewing and monitoring the compliance of grant and contract applications.

I learned about NORDP from my current supervisor who has attended the NORDP conference before. She recommended that I look into the organization, and I joined NORDP in February 2017!

I have not attended the conference yet, however, I was already informed by former speakers and presenters after I read the previous conference reports and “lessons learned.” The previous conference sessions, such as “Team Science” and “Building an NIH Portfolio Without a Local Medical School,” provided insights into enhancing our university’s research environment and improving our research funding profile.

Dr. Gretchen Kiser, NORDP President, said “NORDP is the leading professional organization designed to provide professional training, mentoring and networking opportunities in the challenging field of Research Development.” I agree wholeheartedly with this statement! NORDP does offer a lot of useful information and good advice for the trickiest part of research development for different levels of researchers and research administrators.

I particularly like the fact that NORDP provides free webinars and free courses such as “Circle” to members. No matter if you are from a big or small university, a research or teaching institution, NORDP has a huge network and numerous experts in research development who will provide solutions to the problems you have. I feel I am already in love with NORDP before even meeting anyone from NORDP in person!

At the upcoming 2017 conference, I look forward to receiving training in the areas of interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary research development for a Predominantly Undergraduate Institution (PUI).

_______________________________________________________

We hope to see you at the 2017 NORDP Research Development Conference, which will be held May 8-10 in Denver, CO. For more information about the conference program or to register, visit http://www.nordp.org/conferences. Follow @NORDP_official on Twitter for all the latest #NORDP2017 updates.

If you’d like to be featured in a Conference Cameo, let us know at rdconf@nordp.org.