Tag: Conference

2024 NORDP Conference Experience as First-Time Attendees

Written by Andrea Navas and Roshni Singh

Conferences are a great way to connect to people, network, and learn about new processes, practices, and guidelines. Roshni Singh, an aspiring RD professional, and a first-time NORDP attendee, and Andrea Navas-Calixto, PhD, Vice President of the Colombian Association for Research Management and Administration (COREMA), also a first-time NORDP attendee, found the 16th NORDP conference important, well-balanced, and well-organized. We were impressed by how well the conference was organized with an attractive agenda, well-set goals, and objectives.

Andrea: At the School of Engineering Universidad del Valle, Colombia, we faced multiple challenges during and after the pandemic and had to change our practices and the activities for conducting research and obtaining funding, hence, the next conference needed to be in person to understand the changes. Upon registering for the 16th NORDP conference, I was pleasantly surprised by the conference organization and its details. The Whova app was a fantastic tool that allowed me to organize my schedule, exchange valuable information, and connect with wonderful people. At the conference, everyone greeted me with open arms, and the location was very convenient in a city that had a lot to offer. The conference agenda was very enriching; however, my biggest fear was that the information in the talks would only be useful for professionals in the United States, but that was not the case. Talks were relevant to anyone in RD roles, no matter the geographical location, which I can learn from, adopt, and adapt to Colombian institutions. Moreover, I was inspired by the focus on healthy eating, zero waste orientation, and support for beautiful causes like The Sophia Way. These details are something we can also learn to implement in Colombia. From the conference, I’m taking away some great ideas regarding initiatives related to diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility (DEIA) where we still have a lot to learn and have f a lack of clear tools and processes. Additionally, I believe I’ll propose programs like the doctoral intern’s program in the research office and ideas for multidisciplinary work, among others.

Roshni: I was one of the registration award recipients which made this conference achievable for me. As a first-time NORDP attendee and an aspiring RD professional, the NORDP conference was an immensely rewarding and fulfilling experience. During my career in industry, I have been to many conferences, but this conference had the audience in mind as the sessions were for every level, whether new to the conference, new to the RD field, or working on a new initiative. I loved the idea that the conference was organized by RD professionals, which is not often the case, as the majority of the time, sponsors run the show. The sponsors, however, played an important role in the conference giving insights on their services which was helpful for me in understanding the different services academic situations require. I contribute to NORDP by volunteering for the International Working Group and Career Stories, where I write blog posts recapping the latest featured professional. The conference allowed me to meet all the RD professionals I wrote blogs on and members of the committees whom I only see online. Everyone was warm and I made many new connections who gave me advice about the field.

Some talks Andrea and Roshni enjoyed:

  • “What We Talk About When We Talk About Critique” by Susan Ferrari, Grinnell College, Kevin Boettcher, Binghamton University, Tisha Turk, Grinnell College: These types of talks motivate RDPs as they remind us of our limits. The temptation to edit proposals and rewrite is very high, especially when we work against the clock with deadlines on us.
  • “Building Pathways to Careers in Research Development: Leveraging the Graduate Student Career Exploration Program at Illinois Office of Proposal Development (OPD)”by Richard Sallee, Limited Submissions Manager, Suzanne Berry-Miller, Assistant Director, Research Strategy Center for Social & Behavioral Science (CSBS), Sneha Das, Research Development Manager Brenda Koester, Associate Director: This is a program that seems quite easy to replicate in any institution, with clear rules and mutual benefits for both the graduate student and the research development office.
  • “Lessons Learned from Seeding Interdisciplinary Teams: Outcomes, Challenges & Missteps”: this talk was valuable as it shows that programs can continue improving version after version and learning without forgetting the initial purpose, which, in this case, was to encourage teachers to engage in interdisciplinary work.
  • “Beyond RD101” by Joanna Downer, Jill Jividen, Katie Shoaf, Sharon Pound, and Amy Carroll; this interactive workshop allowed the attendees to share their opinions on future topics for effective RD training.

We both would like to thank the NORDP conference committee for a wonderful and very informative conference.

It Takes a Village to Build the NORDP Mentoring Community: #NORDP2024 Conference Reflection

Written by: Mentoring Committee Marketing and Communication Team (McMc)

A Big Thank You to all the volunteers who have dedicated their time and effort for the Mentoring Committee (MC) this past year! The MC sponsored a mentoring volunteer appreciation dinner at the 2024 NORDP Conference in Bellevue, WA, where 17 members were able to participate. In fact, the MC group photo was this year’s photo contest winner — many thanks to Hilda McMackin for instigating the photo-opp.

At the MC Lightning Storm, eight speakers shared a wide range of mentoring experiences, highlighting lessons learned about being a mentor or a mentee from thought-provoking perspectives and contexts. For example, Samarpita Sengupta presented her personal RD journey sharing unique challenges from an immigrant’s perspective and highlighted lessons learned for mentors with immigrant mentees; Kelsey Hassevoort shared how she developed her mentor network using informational interviews. Rounding out the speakers of the MC LIghting Storm are: Monica Castañeda-Kessel. Sonya Craig, Joanna Downer, David Hopfe, Hilda McMackin, and Sarah Robertson, with Hilda, David, and Elizabeth Lathrop as the moderators.

The conference breakfast on Monday 4/29 was a great time to connect with NORDP committee members and hear about the work done by the MC committee. The MC breakfast table was packed with conference attendees eager to learn how to join the committee sessions, events, and programs, and to meet the more experienced mentoring “veterans.” The committee members rose to the occasion and showed up early, ready to share experiences and advice. The extra chairs pulled from nearby tables to accommodate everyone joining the conversation were a great testimony to the committee’s hard work and dedication to communication, openness, and pure awesomeness! 

The conversation in front of the MC poster during the Tuesday Poster Session was as lively as the breakfast talk from the previous day. Supported by visuals via the MC evergreen poster, we were able to recruit at least a dozen mentoring volunteers and new mentors/mentees. A heartfelt thank you to Jan Abramson who made mentoring buttons and provided a large box of chocolate truffles. She sent them via snail mail since she was unable to attend #NORDP2024. The chocolate treats definitely helped attract the crowd’s attention and interest. 

Finally, we are so excited that MC co-cair Elizabeth Lathrop was recognized with a 2024 Rising Star Award during the Awards Ceremony. [Insert picture from photographer] We are so proud of everything you have done to lift the Mentoring Committee, Elizabeth! In addition, Mentor Training Team lead Paula Carney was also awarded the Mentoring Award along with Tisha Mullen this year – Congratulations! 

The MC is looking forward to a new enriching mentoring season! 

Inspired? You can learn more about MC committee work by reaching out to mentorprogram@nordp.org

ReCON brings the Program Officers to you

Registration is now open for the inaugural NORDP ReCON fall virtual conference, to be held November 1-3, 2023, on the Whova platform.

The afternoon of Wednesday, November 1 (“PreCON”), will be dedicated to representatives of funding agencies and organizations–offering attendees the opportunity to hear about new programs and funding priorities, and ask questions about how best to support your researchers. Two presentations will run concurrently, and most will be recorded for viewing post-event. 

Speakers include:

2-3 pm ET/11 am-noon PT

Erwin Gianchandani, PhD, Assistant Director, NSF Directorate for Technology, Innovation & Partnerships (TIP)

Melissa Menzer, PhD, Senior Program Analyst, Office of Research & Analysis, National Endowment for the Arts

3-4 pm ET/noon-1 pm PT • NIH Panel

Deborah Hodge, PhD,  Program Officer, NIAID

Mercy Prabhudas, PhD, Program Officer, NIAID

Brittany Haynes, PhD, Program Director of Workforce Diversity & Equity, NIMH

Keren Witkin, PhD, Program Director, NCI

3-4 pm ET/noon-1 pm PT • Social Sciences & Humanities Panel

Aixa Cintrón-Vélez, PhD, Program Director, Russell Sage Foundation

John Paul Christy, PhD, Senior Director of U.S. Programs, American Council of Learned Societies (ACLS)

4-5 pm ET/1-2 pm PT • NSF GRANTED

Kimberly Littlefield, PhD, Program Director

Dina Stroud, PhD, Program Director

Get to Know a NORDP Committee: The Conference Committee

If you attended the recent NORDP 2023 in Crystal City, VA, you experienced firsthand the work of the NORDP Conference Committee. This group of NORDP volunteers supports many of the elements of the annual NORDP Conference, from putting out the call for abstracts to creating the conference schedule and planning the social and networking activities associated with each conference. 

Each year in mid-late summer, the Conference Committee begins its work planning on the next year’s annual conference (typically held in April-May). “There are a number of facets to conference planning, so it’s important we start early. This also means that there are numerous ways for volunteers to contribute to both conference planning and execution!” says Conference Committee Co-Chair, Jessica Moon (2022-2024).

Conference Committee volunteers have oversight of a host of elements involved in planning and hosting the NORDP conference, including abstract solicitation and review, branding and communication, DEIB considerations, speaker support, planning social and networking events, and more. Committee members have the opportunity to volunteer for the specific working groups that most interest them. “Working groups have been a great way for conference committee members to participate in the aspects of conference planning that interest them most, without feeling overwhelmed about all the things that need to get done,” says Conference Committee Co-Chair Katherine Duggan. “Having a core group that can develop and execute a timeline for abstract review, or which questions to ask in the session evaluations, means we can have more focused conversations, more productive meetings, and more equitably spread the workload. This smaller group setting also means it’s easier to get to know your fellow conference committee members and to be empowered to contribute.”

One exciting recent win for the Conference Committee is the success of the inaugural NORDP Has Heart initiative at this year’s conference, which raised more than $5000 for Carpenter’s Shelter, an organization local to the 2023 Conference host region that supports people experiencing and at risk of homelessness to achieve sustainable independence through shelter and housing placement, guidance, education, and advocacy. Said Committee Co-Chair Jess Brassard, “This idea came from the creativity of Carolynn Julien, who served on the conference committee this year. She pushed our committee to think about how we can leave a positive mark on the community that hosts our conference. Carolynn took the enthusiastic response of the committee and ran with it. Conference attendees obviously loved the opportunity to give back to the community in a real tangible way. We are excited to find similar place-based ways to make an impact at future conferences.”

For those who may be on the fence about volunteering to serve on the Conference Committee, co-chair Becca Latimer offers the following advice: “Serving on the Conference Committee allows you to interact with all facets of NORDP – from committees to task forces to the Board of Directors. The experience is involved and can be demanding, but the reward far surpasses anything else. It has truly been one of the most exciting NORDP adventures I’ve been a part of and I encourage any enthusiastic NORDP member to consider joining this committee.”

The Details:

  • Committee meeting scope/schedule: The conference committee creates the vision and mission for the conference every year. They work heavily with NORDP’s contracted event planners as well as coordinate with the executive conference committee (ECC), the NORDP board, and other committee co-chairs to create an event that meets the needs of the NORDP membership.

    The committee meets every three weeks, adjusting for holidays and vacations. The committee may meet more frequently leading up to the conference. 
  • Current Co-Chairs: Jessica Brassard, Jessica Moon, Katherine Duggan, Becca Latimer (outgoing committee co-chair)
  • You might enjoy serving on this committee if: You are energized by creating spaces for people to come together (hello all you facilitators out there!); you have burning ideas for NORDP programming that you think is missing for membership now; you like working with a creative and diverse team of doers; you like navigating the ins and outs of event management; you appreciate a good Gantt chart with concrete deliverables; you love stretching your skills and trying lots of different tasks.
  • How to get involved: Email the committee co-chairs at rdconf@nordp.org (We love for members to be involved for the whole conference planning year, but welcome people to join anytime!)

ARIS 2023 Summit: Special Discounted Registration for NORDP Members

Advancing Research Impacts in Society (ARIS) is offering two discounted registrations for NORDP members to attend its 2023 Summit: Research in Service to Society. The Summit will take place March 22-24, 2023 at the Baltimore Convention Center in Baltimore, Maryland.

This special offer reduces the cost of registration by $150 and includes a one-year ARIS membership. More details about the Summit are available on the ARIS Summit homepage.

NORDP members who are not current ARIS members are eligible for this rate.

This discounted registration offer is available on a first come, first served basis. Interested individuals should send a request to tgilreathmullen2@unl.edu by March 1, 2023.