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6th Annual Symposium for Research Administrators

September 28th and 29th, 2021 - Virtual Event

Page Updated: October 5, 2021

Schedule at a Glance

Chat

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Tuesday, September 28, 2021

7:45 - 8:05 am
8:15 - 9:00 am
9:00 - 9:15 am
9:15 - 10:15 am
  • Formulating Accurate Projections: Best Practices, Tools and Tips
    Play Session Recording Slides Project Template Summary Sheet Current Rates Blank Example
    Description
    Projections are a vital part of research administration that are not only often requested by PIs, but also necessary in budget creation and accurate post-award accounting. Being able to provide the most complete picture of a project’s myriad trajectories will assist in the best usage of funds according to the sponsors requirements and alleviate headaches and various changes and transfers closer to award closeout. In this session, participants will learn effective and efficient ways of gathering all the required information to create the most accurate projections possible, while also learning new tips and tricks along the way.
    Learning Objectives
    • Discover the difference between pre– and post-award projections and why they are needed
    • Learn how to effectively communicate with PIs to discover hidden costs and the whole spending picture
    • Learn what tools are available at the University for putting projections together
    • Learn where to find the data you need how to use it
    • Discover best practices for creating projections
    • Become more well-versed at dealing with challenging situations
    Presented By
    Catherine Shults
    Catherine Shults
    Research Administrator, Mechanical Engineering
    Zach Smith
    Zach Smith
    Research Administrator, Mechanical Engineering
  • Foreign Influence - What Department Administrators and PIs Need to Know
    Play Session Recording Slides
    Description

    The University of Wisconsin-Madison values its collaborations with colleagues all over the globe. These relationships are critical to our University's vision, which states that, "In partnership with the state and with colleagues around the world, the university’s faculty, staff, and students will identify and address many of the state’s and the world’s most urgent and complex problems."

    Unfortunately, over the last few years, the federal government has raised concerns about foreign state actors who do not operate using the same values of openness and transparency that we seek to uphold. During this session, we will review concerns raised by federal government agencies. We will discuss the different ways in which researchers are expected to disclose information to UW-Madison and to federal agencies. We will also review resources that people can use to navigate questions that arise.

    Learning Objectives
    • Understand the concerns of the federal government
    • Know the means by which information is disclosed to the institution and federal agencies
    • Know where to find relevant information
    Presented By
    Tamara Kuhn Martin
    Tamara Kuhn Martin
    Assistant Dean, College of Engineering
    Jennifer Rodis
    Jennifer Rodis
    Policy and Planning Analyst, Office of Research and Sponsored Programs
  • Effort and/or Cost Share Update Form - What to Do With It
    Slides Breakout Activity Information Update Form
    Description
    Come join us for an exciting discussion about when and how to make updates to effort commitments and cost share! Kelly and Kris will teach you the ins and outs to completing the form correctly the first time. They’ll also help you work through an example and answer questions you might have.
    Learning Objectives
    • Learn when the Effort Commitment and/or Cost Share update form is needed.
    • Learn how to correctly complete and submit an Effort Commitment update.
    • Learn how to correctly complete and submit a Cost Share update.
    Presented By
    Kelly Belshaw
    Kelly Belshaw
    Effort Administrator, Office of Research and Sponsored Programs
    Kris DeArmond
    Kris DeArmond
    Advanced Accountant, Office of Research and Sponsored Programs
  • Opportunities for Research Administrators to Serve as Antiracists - Discussion
    Play Session Recording Slides
    Description
    What are the ways in which research administrators can serve as antiracists at a predominately white institution (PWI) like UW-Madison and why is it important that they do so? Join this session for an overview of current literature and an examination of future research and policy implications. Participants should have a solid understanding of privilege and oppression and how these dynamics play out in higher education.
    Presented By
    Bonniejean Zitske
    Bonniejean Zitske
    Director for Research Financial Services at Research and Sponsored Programs
10:15 - 10:30 am
10:30 - 11:30 am
  • Research Security in Sponsored Research – Cyber Security and Challenging Terms and Conditions
    Play Session Recording Slides Q&A Document
    Description
    Build upon your knowledge of foreign influence and cybersecurity as we dive deeper to examine specific terms and conditions surrounding research security from sponsors, such as DOD and DOE. We will provide:
    • Insight how these terms are handled within the contract negotiation process
    • An overview of Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC) requirements and how it applies to Department of Defense (DOD) sponsored research
    • An overview and discussion opportunity of other sponsored award terms related to research security, such as foreign government talent recruiting programs, performance of work location, and foreign national prior approvals using Department of Energy (DOE) as an example
    Learning Objectives
    • Discuss tools and tips for addressing cybersecurity compliance within DOD awards
    • Understand the challenges for Cybersecurity to offer information supporting the security needed for research projects
    • Recognize potentially problematic award terms
    • Identify proactive measures for research administrators to facilitate compliance throughout the award lifecycle for research security terms
    Presented By
    Bob Gratzl
    Bob Gratzl
    Assistant Director of Contracts, Office of Research and Sponsored Programs
    Jenny Hackel
    Jenny Hackel
    NSF/DOE Post-Award Manager, Office of Research and Sponsored Programs
    Patti Havlicek
    Patti Havlicek
    Assistant Director of Risk Management and Compliance, Office of Cybersecurity
  • Increasing the Efficiency of the Human Research Protection Program/IRB
    Play Session Recording Slides
    Description
    Join us for an overview of the many changes implemented in the past year to improve efficiency in our Human Research Protection Program (HRPP). We will talk about the restructuring of the IRB offices and IRB meeting schedule as well as tour of our new website. Our reliance and navigation team (RELIANT) will also talk about updates to their initiatives to assist faculty and staff. Finally, we will show you how to find the resources you need to assist your research community.
    Learning Objectives
    • Become familiar with how the HRPP has changed in the past year
    • Understand how RELIANT assists with collaborative research projects as well as onboarding and offboarding new faculty with human research projects
    • Know where to find resources that you can use to assist your research community
    Presented By
    Gretchen Anding
    Gretchen Anding
    MA, Director of the IRB Office
    Carol Pech
    Carol Pech
    PHD, Associate Director for the Reliance and Navigation Program
  • What You Need, When You Need It - Best Practices in Proposal Preparation – Discussion
    Play Session Recording Slides
    Description
    We all work in Research Administration, but do you ever feel like you don't know what you're doing here? Do you look at a funding opportunity and have no idea what's next? Are you at a loss when it's time to tell PIs what they need for submission? Have you wondered what other people do when things go wrong? Come see us! At this session, we'll be going over the procedures, tips, and tricks, that get us from FOA to submitted proposal, and then we'll ask you to share yours as well.
    Learning Objectives
    • Understand the importance of communicating with PIs often, early, and concisely
    • Know and adapt to your PI’s working style
    • Know how to develop a checklist
    • Know how to read an RFA from a research administrator’s lens
    • Develop a realistic timeline and plan for contingencies
    Presented By
    Chris Birke
    Chris Birke
    Pre-Award Specialist, Wisconsin Center for Education Research
    Irina Diaz
    Irina Diaz
    Pre-Award Specialist, Wisconsin Center for Education Research
    Molly Mitchell
    Molly Mitchell
    Pre-Award Specialist, Wisconsin Center for Education Research
  • Work-Life Balance in Research Administration – Discussion
    Tips and Resources
    Description
    Many of us have always struggled with work-life balance, and the pandemic this past year has only exacerbated that, at least for some. How many of us feel like we can just ignore our email over the entire weekend, without peeking once? With having to balance home life, including children and family, while also making sure the work gets done, especially when dealing with deadlines, it can often lead to challenges and interruptions. This is a discussion group, with some guided questions by the moderator, and then leaving it open for dialogue and suggestions and ideas from attendees. There will be some resources offered as part of the discussion, and attendees are welcome to bring additional resources that maybe have worked for them. Come prepared to discuss, or just sit back and listen, to hopefully get some ideas on how better to balance work-life in research administration.
    Learning Objectives
    • Resources to help people balance work-life.
    • Open dialogue/discussion to give attendees ideas to help them balance home life with work responsibilities.
    • Strategies to allow people to disconnect and focus on home life.
    • Strategies to allow people to disconnect from home life/responsibilities to focus on work.
    Presented By
    Aaron Crandall
    Aaron Crandall
    Department Research Manager, Population Health Sciences, School of Medicine and Public Health
    Jenny Yuan
    Jenny Yuan
    Post-Award Accountant, Office of Research and Sponsored Programs
11:30 am - 12:00 pm
12:00 - 1:00 pm
  • PI Research Talk: Amy Kind (SMPH Center for Health Disparities Research)
    Play Session Recording
    Title
    Aligning Towards Action in Health Disparities Research– The UW Neighborhood Atlas and UW Center for Health Disparities Research
    Description
    Many factors, including the social determinants of health, have been recognized as mechanistic components driving health disparities, yet the translation of such research to real-world change has been difficult to achieve. In this presentation, Dr. Kind will discuss how employment of implementation science principles can allow research to more rapidly translate to broad-scale action. She will discuss how discrete geospatial metrics of socioeconomic disadvantage can serve as one readily available tool to achieve such translation. The importance of open science and data democratization will also be highlighted as essential steps towards realizing real world, evidence-informed solutions. Finally, Dr. Kind will provide a brief introduction to the new UW Center for Health Disparities Research--infrastructure designed to enhance institutional capacity for action-aligned mechanistic health disparities research, linking cells to communities.
    Presented By
    Amy Kind, MD, PHD
    Amy Kind, MD, PHD
    Director of the UW Center for Health Disparities Research (CHDR) and professor of medicine in the School of Medicine and Public Health
  • PI Research Talk: Kristyn Masters (COE)
    Play Session Recording
    Title
    Disease in a Dish: Building Tissue Models to Understand and Treat Disease
    Description
    The field of tissue engineering is most often associated with the generation of healthy tissues to replace damaged organs. However, in recent years, the field has evolved to recognize the wide-ranging and near-term impacts that can be achieved through the application of tissue engineering techniques to model disease. In this presentation I will talk about the opportunities and challenges in making tissue-engineered disease models and the advancements made by my lab toward this goal.
    Presented By
    Kristyn Masters
    Kristyn Masters
    Vilas Distinguished Professor, H.I. Romnes Faculty Fellow, and Department of Biomedical Engineering Vice Chair

Wednesday, September 29, 2021

7:30 - 7:50 am
8:00 - 9:00 am
  • Panel on Program Orientation for NIH-funded Trainees
    Play Session Recording Slides Resource Documents
    Description
    Join us for a facilitated panel discussion on program orientation for NIH-funded trainees! Panelists are seasoned training grant administrators representing T32 programs supporting predoctoral trainees and/or postdoctoral trainees. They will share their process and experience designing and delivering trainee orientation. Attendees are encouraged to ask questions and share their related experiences.
    Learning Objectives
    • Know and understand tips for organizing and leading trainee orientation
    • Apply best practices for on-boarding trainees
    Presented By
    Mallory Musolf
    Mallory Musolf
    Associate Director, Office of Training Grant Support, SMPH
    Sarah Pavao
    Sarah Pavao
    Director of Grants Administration, Department of Surgery, SMPH
    Eric Schafer
    Eric Schafer
    Assistant to the Director, Waisman Center, OVCR
    Cheri Stephens
    Cheri Stephens
    Biotechnology Training Program Coordinator, Department of Biochemistry, CALS
  • Research Data - Where to Find It and How to Use It
    Play Session Recording Slides
    Description
    Coming Soon!
    Learning Objectives
    • Know where to find campus research data
    • Have options for meeting the reporting needs of different stakeholders
    • Understand some factors to consider in designing research tracking systems, reports, etc.
    Presented By
    Reba Ames
    Reba Ames
    Grants Data Manager, Research and Sponsored Programs
    Mike Geier
    Mike Geier
    Electronic Research Administration Manager, Research and Sponsored Programs
    Ryan Pingel
    Ryan Pingel
    Organizational and Data Analyst, Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research
  • FEDERAL/COGR/FDP Update
    Play Session Recording Slides
    Description
    UW–Madison receives the majority of our sponsored funding from federal sources. Maintaining connections with federal funding agencies and advocacy groups is important to campus. Join us for a discussion of current federal concerns and changing regulations. We’ll provide updates on the Council on Governmental Relations (COGR) and the Federal Demonstration Partnership (FDP) activities to streamline and reduce administrative burden.
    Learning Objectives
    • Gain an understanding of current federal concerns and how they relate to changes for research administrators
    Presented By
    Kim Moreland
    Kim Moreland
    Associate Vice Chancellor for Research, Office of Research and Sponsored Programs
    Mark Sweet
    Mark Sweet
    Director of Grants and Contracts, Office of Research and Sponsored Programs
  • What Do YOU Wish You’d Known Before Becoming a Research Administrator?
    Play Session Recording Slides
    Description
    Join Research Administrators at different points in their careers to discuss the triumphs and stumbling blocks they’ve faced in their path to success. Learn more about addressing challenging moments, solving roadblocks, and planning for fulfilling long-term careers. Hear from and share with RAs from across the University as we discuss, “What do YOU wish you’d known before becoming a research administrator?”
    Learning Objectives
    • Guidance on overcoming obstacles in your career
    • Understanding that all stages of a career deal with uncertainty and difficulty
    • Approaching problems with confidence
    Presented By
    Lauren Gee
    Lauren Gee
    Research Administrator, Department of Engineering Physics
    Debbie Meltzer
    Debbie Meltzer
    Assistant Dean in the School of Medicine and Public Health
    Calleen Roper
    Calleen Roper
    Assistant Director for Research, Department of Medicine
9:00 - 9:15 am
9:15 - 10:15 am
  • Single Payroll – How It Affects Grants
    Play Session Recording Slides
    Description
    The session will highlight the changes to sponsored research administration as a result of the UW's move to a single biweekly payroll and will include time to answer any questions about the transition. Join us as we give an overview of these changes and discuss their effect on our work, including updates and new information since the RED-Hot session in August. The session will include a presentation and time for Q/A.
    Learning Objectives
    • Recognize how single payroll will impact sponsored project management
    • Identify tools and resources to help manage the change
    Presented By
    Ben Biltz
    Ben Biltz
    Grants System Business Analyst, Office of Research and Sponsored Programs
    Bonniejean Zitske
    Bonniejean Zitske
    Director for Research Financial Services at Research and Sponsored Programs
    Lea Erickson
    Lea Erickson
    Assistant Director of Financial Reporting, Analysis, and Systems, Division of Business Services
  • Customer Service in Research Administration – Discussion
    Description
    We all need to provide a level of customer service to do our jobs successfully. In our jobs we need to deal with internal and external customers and gaining skills in customer service is essential to be effective. This discussion session will provide some details and overview of good versus bad customer service and a healthy discussion on what we all do to provide good customer service to our customers. Along with the discussion, we will provide some resources and tools to help you build upon your own customer service skills. Those who possess good customer service skills can be more successful in their careers as research administrators.
    Learning Objectives
    • Discuss what good customer service in research administration looks like.
    • Reflect upon and share with colleagues how to incorporate customer service into our jobs as research administrators.
    • Learn about resources and tools that help research administrators develop their customer service skills.
    Presented By
    Aaron Crandall
    Aaron Crandall
    Department Research Manager, Population Health Sciences
    Sarah Marcotte
    Sarah Marcotte
    Senior Research Administrator, School of Human Ecology
  • National Institute of Health (NIH) Awards – A Changing Environment
    Slides
    Description
    If you work with NIH grants and contracts, you have probably noticed an increase in the administrative burden related to these awards. The agency is seeking more Just-in-time information before issuing awards; requiring the submission of monthly progress and financial reports as well as attendance at monthly meetings for certain agreements; is asking more questions about progress reports, unobligated balances, carryover, and other prior approval requests; and has changed its policy in several areas. Requests for additional information usually have a short turnaround time, often requiring a response within 1-3 days. Meeting these deadlines forces researchers, departmental staff, and Research & Sponsored Programs staff to shelve other responsibilities while gathering the requested information and coordinating a response to the agency. Join us for a lively session as we examine effective ways for departmental and central office staff with pre- and/or post-award responsibilities to navigate this changing environment.
    Learning Objectives
    • Gain a better understanding of why the administrative burden surrounding NIH awards has been increasing.
    • Be exposed to the different types of requests we receive and see examples that span the lifecycle of an award.
    • Explore changes in NIH policy that impacts UW Madison’s ability to be reimbursed for project costs and the method for submitting financial reports.
    • Develop a clear understanding of the roles and responsibilities of NIH and UW Madison staff in this changing environment.
    • Discover best practices for managing requests from initial receipt to sending a response to NIH.
    Presented By
    Brenda Egan
    Brenda Egan
    Pre-Award Manager, Office of Research and Sponsored Programs
    Dorothy Johnson
    Dorothy Johnson
    Post Award Manager, Office of Research and Sponsored Programs
    Christine (Chrissy) Pientok
    Christine (Chrissy) Pientok
    Budget Planner, Department of Pediatrics
  • Sponsored Project Contract Negotiation - Behind the Scenes - Discussion
    Slides
    Description
    What does the contract negotiation process entail? What is delaying award execution? In this session we will discuss the process of agreement review and negotiation, the daily pitfalls negotiator’s and administrator’s experience, and common roadblocks to execution.
    Learning Objectives
    • Participants will understand the lifecycle of agreement review and negotiation.
    • Participants will learn about roadblocks that occur during negotiations, not just regarding problematic terms.
    • Participants will understand the daily pitfalls we experience in the negotiation process and how campus administrators and faculty can help.
    Presented By
    Miranda Heimstreet
    Miranda Heimstreet
    Grant and Contract Specialist, Office of Research and Sponsored Programs
    Dawn Herrick
    Dawn Herrick
    Senior Research Administrator, College of Engineering
    Tamara Kuhn Martin
    Tamara Kuhn Martin
    Assistant Dean, College of Engineering
10:15 - 10:30 am
10:30 - 11:30 am
  • Vilas Summer Salary and Biweekly Payroll
    Play Session Recording Slides
    Description
    Vilas summer salary has always been a point of concern and confusion for Vilas recipients and their department administrators alike, often causing issues and resulting in cost transfers during the award reconciliation process. Our hope is for this presentation to quell these concerns and to provide clarity on any outstanding questions. Along the same vein, we seek to address the concerns and questions regarding the effects the recent switch from single payroll to bi-weekly pay will have on Vilas summer salary.
    Learning Objectives
    • Have a general understanding of the nature of the Vilas awards and their different types.
    • Understand how to properly allocate summer salary under the new biweekly pay structure.
    • Have any and all questions addressed concerning Vilas.
    Presented By
    John Douglas
    John Douglas
    Non-Federal Team Accountant, Office of Research and Sponsored Programs
    Angie Johnson
    Angie Johnson
    Post-Award Manager, Office of Research and Sponsored Programs
  • RED Peer Mentoring - How It Can Benefit You – Discussion
    Play Session Recording
    Description
    Join current and past RED Peer Mentoring Program participants to hear what we have learned and about our experiences in the program. Opportunities to collaborate, build strong relationships with other research administrators on campus, and grow as a professional abound in this program. Speakers will provide an overview of the program and talk about our experiences, and welcome questions and discussion with attendees.
    Learning Objectives
    • Learn about the RED Mentoring Program and how it works
    • Understand how mentees learn and grow through the program
    • Learn how mentors benefit from the experience
    Presented By
    Lauren Gee
    Lauren Gee
    Research Administrator, Department of Engineering Physics
    Kristin Harmon
    Kristin Harmon
    Intellectual Property Disclosure Specialist, Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research
    Dorothy Johnson
    Dorothy Johnson
    Post Award Manager, Office of Research and Sponsored Programs
    Catherine Shults
    Catherine Shults
    Research Administrator, Department of Mechanical Engineering
  • Research Administration Systems - A Glimpse into the Future
    Play Session Recording Slides
    Description

    Efficiently managing the entire Research Administration process, from proposal development and pre-award requirements through post-award financial management and reporting, requires that we rebuild our current systems and processes. ATP will expand our capabilities and modernize our technology to meet the ever-changing requirements of the world-class research enterprise across the campuses of the University of Wisconsin System.

    To make this possible, we will expand our use of the Huron Research Suite, which will handle pre-award through post-award functions. We will also move many of our functions to Workday, an enterprise resource planning (ERP) system that will unite most financial functions in a single, cloud-based platform. These two systems will work together to streamline the work of researchers, principal investigators (PIs), and administrators.

    This session will provide a thorough update on implementation of these new technologies and provide more details about what functionality you can expect. We’re even hoping to provide a demonstration of some features.

    Learning Objectives
    • Understand the exact scope of RAMP and what features the Huron Research Suite will provide.
    • Understand the exact scope of the Workday implementation and what features this will provide.
    • Understand the timing and how they can get involved in all these exciting initiatives.
    Presented By
    Kurt McMillen
    Kurt McMillen
    Research Administration Strategy Lead, Administrative Transformation Project
  • Writing Cost Transfer Justifications for the Approvers and the Auditors – Discussion
    Play Session Recording Slides
    Description
    Further examination into the cost transfer justification structure and understanding how justifications are reviewed. Discussion about better ways to write good, better, and best justifications. Practical situations in which cost transfers may be needed will be discussed via case studies to understand what is involved in the justification process.
    Learning Objectives
    • Attendees will understand the needed components of a cost transfer justification and how different individuals may interpret justifications.
    • Attendees will be able to write justifications for others, focusing on the “why”: why originally charged, why moving, and why can they move?
    • Attendees will learn to write justifications for others, focusing on explaining the reasoning to an audience that knows little to nothing about the transfer situation.
    • Attendees will be able to develop justifications without using generalized or canned statements and instead clearly articulate benefit of the reallocated cost to the award
    • Attendees will understand what wording can be avoided and what wording can assist as others review transfers
    Presented By
    Sandy Fowler
    Sandy Fowler
    Assistant Dean, College of Agricultural and Life Sciences
    Bridgett Molinar
    Bridgett Molinar
    Accountant in the Office of Research and Sponsored Programs
    John Varda
    John Varda
    Assistant Director, College of Letters and Sciences
11:35 am - 12:15 pm