Research Revealed: Accelerating Innovation
September 2019 | Information & Support for the BU Research Community
Insider Insights
- Since 2017, BU has cut the wait time for patents in half. If you have an idea to make the world a better place, the University wants to fast-track your patent as part of a “grand experiment” to put more BU discoveries into the world, faster. Read more
- A guide to choosing where to publish your research (BU Libraries)
- A quiz that asks: How green is your lab? (Nature)
- Tips for writing effective funding applications (Science)
Find Funding
- Technology Development is seeking pre-proposals for its Ignition Award program by November 1. The awards support early-stage projects with clear commercial potential.
- The National Science Foundation announced two new programs to fund basic research in the social, behavioral, and economic sciences: one supporting research related to global and national security, and one related to accountability and behavior in public sector contexts.
- The Foundation Center maintains a comprehensive database on US global grantmakers and grants—plus helpful trainings and resources.
Manage an Award
- International collaboration, central to BU’s research enterprise, increasingly requires transparency and vigilance on the part of federally-funded researchers. Visit this new webpage for the latest guidance about how and when to disclose foreign affiliations and activities to federal funding agencies in this shifting regulatory environment, and attend an upcoming town hall to learn more.
- Personnel activity reports must be certified and submitted to Post Award Financial Operations by October 4.
- Does your job include research compliance? RSVP for Coffee with Colleagues on October 9 for an informal discussion over breakfast.
- If you use BU’s financial system for research administration, here’s a new cheat sheet on SAP terminology and account numbers.
Conduct Research
- The DAMP Lab, located within the Biological Design Center, is one of 40+ core facilities providing BU faculty with research services and instruments. The lab supports synthetic biology-related research efforts by creating novel biological systems using a combination of liquid handling robotics, standardized protocols, and computerized software scheduling. In total they automate 28 molecular biology protocols, including DNA assembly, purification, sequencing, storage, PCR, cell transformation, and readout characterization assays. Visit the lab’s website for a menu of services.
- All interested in data modeling are invited to a November 1 book club discussion hosted by BU Digital Scholarship Services.
- For nearly all BU labs, hazardous waste pick-up requests can now be submitted in BioRAFT. The entire Charles River Campus is live in the system, as well as Evans, R, L, J, Collamore, and NEIDL on the Medical Campus. All remaining buildings will be live by late October.
Promote Your Work
- Equalize 2020, a pitch competition and symposium showcasing women inventors with start-up technology, seeks pitch applications by November 15. BU’s Technology Development office will cover travel costs for any members of the BU community invited to present.
- New to social media? BU Public Relations offers a library of best practices for faculty and researchers getting started, including a guide to building a Chinese social media presence.
- Research on Tap brings together groups of BU researchers for micro-lectures on important topics. Email us your ideas for interdisciplinary areas you’d like to see featured at a future event.
- Learn to measure your research impact at upcoming workshops about bibliometrics and SciVal, a bibliometrics tracking tool.
Notes & News
Three BU teams were selected for the first Kilachand Fund Awards, which support cutting-edge research in life sciences and engineering.
Professor Orran Krieger, Electrical & Computer Engineering (ENG), was awarded $2M from the National Science Foundation to build a testbed to explore new cloud platforms.
Professor Danielle Citron (LAW) was named a 2019 MacArthur Fellow.
Professor Alan Marscher, Astronomy (CAS), and Senior Research Scientist Svetlana Jorstad were honored with the Breakthrough Prize for imaging the event horizon of a black hole.
Assistant Dean of Outreach & Diversity Wynter Duncanson (ENG), was named an IAspire Leadership Academy 2019 fellow.
Professor John White, Biomedical Engineering (ENG), was elected as the next President of the Biomedical Engineering Society.
Professor Ioannis Paschalidis, Electrical & Computer Engineering (ENG), was awarded $1.2M from the National Science Foundation to develop accurate, personalized predictions of fertility.
Useful Links
- Research Computing: A broad menu of tools and support for computational research at BU.
- Data Visualization: Support for scientific visualization, computer graphics, and virtual reality.
- Surveys & Analysis: Upcoming tutorials on tools for creating surveys and analyzing qualitative data.