Faculty members learned about how best to work with their program officers on Oct. 19th at Advance’s workshop entitled “Your Program Officer as a Guide.”

Professors from across the university served as panelists, including Jane Lehr of the Electrical and Computer Engineering Department. Lehr was previously employed at Sandia National Laboratories and the Air Force Research Laboratory.

Other panelists included:

— Interim Director of CASAA Scott Tonnigan, who has had 30 years of continuous NIH funding for his research.

— Tom Turner of the Biology Department, who is an associate dean of research in the School of Arts and Science who recently finished an appointment as a program officer at the NSF.

—  Daniel Feezell, who is an associate professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering. Feezell is involved with the Center for High Technology Materials (CHTM), and is funded by NSF, DOE, DOD, DARPA, DITRA National Labs and other private industries.

Project officers have three main functions that are important for potential applicants to keep in mind when attempting to foster a relationship with their program officer, specifically in the realm of the NIH, according to Tonnigan.

“One [of these roles] is to bounce of initial ideas to see if a particular institute … is interested in that idea … and one of the biggest challenges as an applicant will be to identify the appropriate institute for your idea,” he said.

To find the appropriate place for your submission, get in touch with a program officer, Tonnigan said.

“Another role is in the review process … they can give you feedback once you have received your summary statements …The third is monitoring the progress of your award on a yearly basis,” he said.

Tonnigan also pointed out that having a good relationship with your program officer is beneficial because they can search for other opportunities for you outside of your award given to you by the institution.

Panelists also discussed the importance of white papers.

“I always recommend starting with a white paper, and in fact, I spend more time on a white paper than I do on the proposal … because that’s what gets their attention, that is what generates excitement,” Lehr said.  

Additionally, the relevance of white papers across different institutions was discussed. Tonnigan stressed that audience members should “formalize your ideas in advance,” because not all officers are the same.

Feezell also suggested avoiding unsolicited responses to feedback to your submitted proposal, as rebuttals will not help your relationship with a program officer.

Another method of making initial contact with your program manager, aside from the white paper, according to Feezell, would be to, “try to volunteer as a reviewer … be a reviewer, go sit on a panel, and you will meet the program officer. Review for the program you want to submit to.”

Questions posed by the audience included asking the panelists if program officers take offense when someone turns down an invitation to be on a panel because of scheduling conflicts. In response to this, Lehr said to tell them about the conflict, but then say, “If there is anything I can do remotely, please ask me first.” She said telling the program officer this sends the message of still being interested.

Another question from the audience was how to appear more interested in the programs for different agencies.

“You can directly contact a program officer for the program that you are interested in and say that you would love to do some reviewing,” Turner said.

Feezell also agreed with Turner’s point, but added that attending a workshop put on by the program officer allows you to interact with the program officer of someone’s desired program.

UNM faculty received mindfulness meditation tips from Vanessa Haye on Oct. 5th at a workshop hosted by Advance at UNM.

Vanessa Haye, LPCC, a senior counselor and social worker at the UNM Counseling, Assistance and Referral Services (CARS), presented the benefits and tips of basic mindfulness meditation.

Haye began with a definition of mindfulness.

“Mindfulness is not about being totally zenned out, it’s about being with whatever you are experiencing,” she said.

Haye said being mindful relies on deep breathing. Focusing on breathing allows you to be present in the moment because you are focusing on your body, and your body always resides in the present.

Audience members participated in three different exercises: meditative breathing, mindful eating, and body relaxation. In the first exercise, Haye asked the participants to breathe deeply and try to be present in the moment. In the second exercise, Haye gave participants a grape and a piece of candy and told them to eat slowly to promote a unique eating experience. In the third exercise, Haye asked participants to send their breath to certain parts of their bodies for appreciation and relaxation.

To conclude the workshop, Haye explained the physical benefits of mindfulness meditation. Not only does it reduce stress, but breathing deeply creates “the relaxation response” which is the opposite of the fight, flight, or freeze response. This allows the body to relax and focus clearly on the present.

“[Meditation] is not something that you can fail at doing or succeed at doing. There’s no master of meditation because it is just simply the act of doing it,” Haye said.

One of the videos Haye showed to participants in the workshop.

Recently promoted associate professors learned more about their new role and responsibilities Sep.14 at an orientation for associate professors hosted by Advance at UNM.

At the event, associate professors were made aware of the resources available to them and were advised on how to transition to full professorship. Speakers included Julia Fulghum, director of Advance at UNM, Phil Ganderton, the senior associate dean and associate dean of faculty in the College of Arts and Sciences, Tina Takacs-Vesbach, a professor of biology, Rich Wood, interim provost and Mary Jo Daniel, director of UNM’s Faculty Research Development Office.

The orientation began with a presentation led by Fulghum, who gave an overview of what professors can expect in their new positions. She highlighted new opportunities for associate professors, including the chance to regain parts of life that they recently had sacrificed, the opportunity to do more community engaged research and outreach, and the ability to try out riskier research ideas including exploring new research directions and trying out more long-term ideas.

During her presentation, Takacs-Vesbach said there are challenges related to being an associate professor, but one can avoid becoming stuck in a rut through recovering, resetting, and thinking ahead.

“Once you’ve taken the steps to take care of yourself and make sure you are good in your body, your mind, and your family, it’s time to plan ahead. So you need to start thinking about where you want to be in 5, 10, 15 years, ” she said.

Daniel spoke about resources for research and scholarship UNM FRDO can provide to associate professors and how associate professors have more time to pursue research interests.

“I encourage you to reach out, if you want to get some feedback on what you’re thinking and what are the resources; we can help you find funding mechanisms,” she said.

To conclude the orientation, Wood hosted a Q&A session and talked about the vision for the future of UNM. Some of the questions asked included how minorities can be better represented at UNM and what the future of higher education is.

To hear more from the event, watch the videos below.