OPEN Book – January 2024

R&I’s Internal Newsletter

News and Upcoming Events

Staff Senate Nominations Sought – New Senators

Nominations are being accepted for individuals to serve on the University of Nebraska-Lincoln Staff Senate.

The body, which represents and advocates for all staff employees, is tasked with providing input and guidance on relevant issues to university leaders. The senate includes 53 voting members, representing specific areas of the campus community, and four ex-officio, non-voting members from the NU system.

Senators will serve three-year terms beginning in July 2024. For 2024, there are 19 seats up for election with each district having between one and four openings.  Nominations will be accepted through 5 p.m. Feb. 9. Each district’s members will receive a ballot to vote for their representatives in March. Elected senators begin their three-year term in July.

Complete details about the Staff Senate, including nomination form, current senator information, and meeting times, are available online.
 
Information taken from the January 19, 2024, Nebraska Today news article.   

Staff Senate Nominations Sought – Staff Awards

The Staff Senate is seeking nominations for their new eight staff awards honoring the accomplishments of our employees. These awards are directly connected to our N2025 strategic plan outcomes. Nominations are being accepted through March 15.

Welcome New R&I Team Members

Tony Delaney, Research Project Manager I, Project Management Office, started on January 8, 2024.

I’ve spent the past decade or so working in various competitive research settings in areas spanning from biochemistry/biotechnology, plant genetics, agronomy, food science, virology, nutrition and health science, etc., but during that time I developed a passion for bridging the world of science with the community to develop solutions to real-world issues. My wife Anna and I have three kids, the oldest is our son Rowen (7) and Remy and Rae (3) are our twin girls, so our house is pretty chaotic. When I’m not juggling my children’s various activities (sports, swim lessons, cooking, etc.) you can catch me relaxing and watching soccer or working on various projects that my wife assigns me. I’m thrilled to be part of the R&I team and if you ever see me around don’t hesitate to say hello!

Endeliza Hampton, License Compliance Coordinator, NUtech Ventures, started on January 10, 2024.  

  

Endeliza is an expert in regulatory compliance with extensive knowledge in ensuring that organizations comply with all relevant laws and regulations related to their industry. As NUtech’s License Compliance Coordinator, her job is to manage all aspects of compliance for the organization’s license portfolio. This includes maintaining a database of all agreements, tracking obligations, and ensuring compliance for all financial and non-financial transactions. She also oversees the license compliance aspects of industry-sponsored funding agreements, ensuring licensee fulfillment of obligations and royalty distributions. 
Endeliza holds a Bachelor of Science in Geography and a law degree with a concentration in technology and communications. In her free time, she enjoys painting, lapidary, and attending industry conferences to stay updated on the latest developments in her field.  

Farewells

Tori Solomon‘s last day with Center for Brain, Biology and Behavior was January 16. Tori has accepted a position as a Financial Specialist with the Oldfather Business Cooperative. If you need assistance, please contact Brande Dicks.

Jackson Slechta‘s last day with Sponsored Programs – Awards Team will be February 1. Jackson is going back to his solo law practice. If you need assistance, please contact Brian Sabata.  

KUDOS to Our Colleagues

Nick Glass (Vice Chancellor’s Office) graduated from the APPA (formerly the Association of Physical Plant Administrators) leadership program, January 11.  Way to go, Nick!
Rachel Wenzl (Research Compliance Services) presented at the national PRIM&R conference in Washington D.C. held December of last year with colleagues from various institutions, including the Big Ten, the NIH, and the Federal Office of Human Research Protections. Topics included use of Exemption category 4(i) public datasets that contain private identifiable information and the topic of consent form readability. Pictured:  Rachel in front of the national Christmas tree and the Washington Monument. 

Do you know someone who should join our team? Share these opportunities!

Research Assistant (Part-Time), Center for Brain, Biology & Behavior, application review begins 2/22/2024
Awards Coordinator I, II, or III, Sponsored Programs, application review begins 2/8/2024
Trailside Museum Coordinator (Crawford, NE), University Museum, application review begins 2/2/2024

The Month in Pictures

Emma Carstens, (Methodology and Evaluation Research Core) welcomed her son, Camilo Sebastian Padilla, born November 20, 2023, weighing in at 7 pounds, 9 ounces, and measuring 22 inches. Both Mom and baby are doing wonderfully, and Emma will be back in the office next month.  Congratulations, Emma and family! 
Gamze Randolph and Reneé Welstead (Sponsored Programs) attended NCURA’s Level I: Fundamentals of Sponsored Projects Administration Workshop in Austin, TX in December.  The 2.5 day workshop covered the grants process starting from finding a funding opportunity to closing of an award.
The Office of Sponsored Programs (OSP) Pre-award team along with the OSP Director, Sam Mombou, visited one of their PIs, Eric Markvicka (Mechanical & Materials Engineering), at his lab where they were introduced to several ongoing projects that Eric and his team are working on.  

Dr. Markvicka works with a metal called gallium, like mercury it is also a metal that is liquid at room temperature. He asked the team if anyone wanted to play around with it, and naturally Melina Luethje couldn’t pass that up! She is squeezing the gallium out of a tube to make various shapes. One of the neat properties of gallium that he shared with the team is that it has a high surface tension, meaning it retains its shape well in liquid form (water does this too when it forms droplets), as explained by Melina. 
Anna Fitzwater, (Institutional Animal Care Program) along with husband Ben and daughter Eliana, welcomed Emilia “Millie” Noelle on December 14.  Congratulations, Anna, Ben and Eliana!
Jenn Rutt, (Methodology and Evaluation Research Core), visited England over winter break! Accompanied by a dear friend, they explored iconic landmarks like Buckingham Palace, Tower Bridge, and the Tower of London. From Christmas markets to St. Paul’s Cathedral and the Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre, the itinerary captured the essence of England’s rich culture. 

Visits to Millennium Bridge, Westminster Abbey, and Big Ben were complemented by stops at King’s Cross Station, cable car rides, and the awe-inspiring Stonehenge (pictured on the left). Jenn also delved into the Roman Baths in the City of Bath and Kensington Palace. The trip culminated in a New Year’s Eve Thames River cruise with spectacular views of the London Eye fireworks (pictured on the right).
Erin Coufal (Research Finance) and husband Tyler welcomed a baby girl, Layla Abby Coufal on Wednesday, January 3rd at 7:24pm weighing in at 7 lbs 4 oz.  Congratulations, Erin and Tyler!
Riley Kimbrough (Research Compliance Services) and Noah Habrock got engaged on January 12th, 2024, at Trattore Farms in California.  Best wishes, Riley and Noah!
Alisson Rios (NUtech Ventures) and Jose D. Jaimes got married at the Flamingo Hotel in Las Vegas, NV on Jan. 13. They were joined by many friends and family, and of course their two cats Snoopy and Jojo!  Best wishes, Alisson and Jose!
Melina Luethje (Sponsored Programs) with new daughter, Ganymede (Gany) Luethje who was born on January 18th weighing 8 lbs. 3 oz.  Mom and baby are both doing well and adjusting to life as a family of 4.  Enjoying all the love and snuggles.  Congratulations, Melina and family!
The Heartland Robotics Cluster team housed at Nebraska Innovation Studio has a new mascot, the robot dog! The team is having fun programming it to walk, run, sit, jump and shake.  Watch the Robot Dog >>   Pictured left to right: Elijah Paulson, Travis Ray, Isaac Regier
John Strope and Elijah Paulson (Nebraska Innovation Studio)madethese trophies for NMotion as part of Mayor Leirion Gaylor Baird’s Proclamation naming January 2024 Lincoln Startup Jubilee Month. 
Braving the cold temperatures outside to enjoy wonderful food and conversation at the R&I Potluck held on January 17.  
On Jan. 19, the NUtech Ventures team had some stress relieving fun at Smashin’it 402. Pictured on left: Casey Lundberg and Cheryl Horst.  Pictured on right: Jessica Minnick and Joy Eakin.

OPEN Book Submissions

If you enjoyed the news and photos, please consider sharing some for the next OPEN Book Newsletter. 

Thank you to the OPEN Book reporters:
Mardi Bonner (Office of Sponsored Programs)
Megan Ebbers (Institutional Animal Care Program)
Tisha Gilreath Mullen (Office of Proposal Development)
Nova Gocchi Carrasco (Methodology and Evaluation Research Core)
Brooke Goedert (Nebraska Innovation Campus)
Mari Greer (Vice Chancellor’s Office)
Casey Lundberg (NUtech Ventures)
Suzanne Spiehs (Industry Relations)
Sara Quinn (Research Compliance Services), and
Ashley Washburn (Research Communications).

If you have anything you would like to include in the monthly OPEN Book newsletter, please reach out to one of these reporters or send it directly to Becky Carter (Vice Chancellor’s Office).

OPEN Book is a monthly electronic newsletter that highlights upcoming activities, office news, and accomplishments.  To read previous OPEN Book newsletters, go to research.unl.edu/open.