OPEN Book is the Office of Research and Innovation’s internal monthly electronic newsletter that highlights upcoming activities, office news, and accomplishments. The OPEN Book newsletter is sent on the last business day of the month.
News, Information and Upcoming Events
Research & Innovation Winter Apparel Store is open!
The Office of Research and Innovation has launched on online apparel store. To show you our appreciation for all the work you are doing to support and elevate Nebraska Research, R&I will cover up to $35 of your apparel order. The coupon code is RI2026and can be entered at checkout. The will remain open until 11:00 p.m. on Thursday, January 22nd.
Orders for local employees will be delivered to your campus office on either Monday, February 9 or Tuesday, February 10. You will be asked for a campus building at checkout.
Fully remote employees will have items shipped directly to your home via USPS and can take 1-5 days to arrive depending on distance. Please enter N/A for building at checkout.
Thank you for all you do!
Staff Recognition Event – Save the Date February 19
We will continue the tradition of celebrating our colleague’s accomplishments and enjoying time together. We will return to Sun Valley Lanes on Thursday, February 19, from 11:45-3:00 p.m. for our annual recognition presentation and afternoon of bowling and prizes! Registration will be sent out at the end of January.
Nomination for the Vice Chancellor’s Invaluable Service Award – accepted through Jan. 19
Nominations for the 2025 Vice Chancellor’s Invaluable Services Award are being accepted now through January 19. Each year, Research and Innovation gives special recognition to those who have made outstanding contributions to the past year’s successes. The Vice Chancellor’s Award for Invaluable Service is given to individuals who excelled in their work and demonstrated commitment to R&I’s mission. These staff members go above and beyond to support the values of leadership, innovation, and initiative as they provided exceptional service to clients and to the university. Nominate a colleague!
Occasionally, an award is also given to individuals outside R&I to honor their impact on our efforts to achieve our goals. You can use the same form to nominate someone outside the Office of Research and Innovation.
If you have any questions, please contact Becky Carter.
Performance Management App – Trakstar Perform
Trakstar Perform has a new look/user interface. The same features are still available. To learn about what’s changed, check out this guide: Welcome to the New Trakstar Perform UI.
The new performance conversation window opens on Monday, January 12, 2026.If you have any questions, please contact Becky Carter.
Welcome New R&I Team Members
New Hire Announcement
Autumn Bergers started on December 15, as an Animal Care Program Technician II on the Animal Care Program team. Autumn reports to Katelin VanDerslice and will be located at the Life Sciences Annex. Attached is an organizational chart which can also be found at https://research.unl.edu/open/staff/ .
Autumn’s role will be to:
- Provides variety of basic to skilled animal care duties to support research activities in the Animal Care Program (ACP) centrally managed facilities.
- Responsibilities include general care and husbandry for multiple species of animals, maintenance of equipment, and collection of research data.
- Oversee daily health care and perform technical tasks.
If you see Autumn, please introduce yourself and welcome them to the team. More information will be in the next OPEN Book introducing them.
Farewells
Matthew Walters’s last day with Sponsored Programs was January 5, 2026. In the interim, please contact Craig Goodrich.
Kudos to Our Colleagues
Ashley Washburn, director of research communications, is serving as a judge for the annual scholarship competition sponsored by ACES: The Society for Editing, the nation’s leading organization of editing professionals, educators and students. ACES members represent digital media, print media, corporate communications, academia, government, book publishing and beyond.
The Certified HealthierU Department program recognizes campus units that actively promote the well-being of their employees and equip them with the knowledge and resources to live healthier and happier lives. To achieve gold level, a department must have at least 25 points from all 8 of the dimensions of wellness. Accepting the recognition for the Office of Research and Innovation was (left to right) Brooke Goedert (Nebraska Innovation Campus) and Becky Carter (Research and Innovation) with Annalisa Davenport (UNL Employee Wellness). To learn more about the program visit https://healthieru.unl.edu/department-well-being/certified-healthieru-department/.
R&I Staff in the News
Open Position Announcements
Business Operations Associate, Sponsored Programs, application review date begins 1/12/2026
Awards Coordinator I, II, or III, Sponsored Programs, application review date begins 1/12/2026
The Month in Pictures
