{"id":3214,"date":"2023-11-20T16:09:40","date_gmt":"2023-11-20T22:09:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/research.unl.edu\/open\/?p=3214"},"modified":"2023-11-20T16:09:40","modified_gmt":"2023-11-20T22:09:40","slug":"open-book-october-2023","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/research.unl.edu\/open\/open-book-october-2023\/","title":{"rendered":"OPEN Book – October 2023"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

News and Upcoming Events<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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ORED Staff Recognition Event – Save the Date<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The ORED Staff Recognition Event will be held on Wednesday, December 13, 2023, from 11:45-3:00 at Sun Valley Lanes.\u00a0 There will be awards, bowling, prizes, food, and fun.\u00a0 Registration and more information will be sent out at the end of November.\u00a0 For now, nominate your ORED colleagues and partners for the Invaluable Services Awards.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Invaluable Service Awards – Nominations Sought<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

We have had an outstanding year of research growth and productivity.\u00a0 That success is directly related to all your hard work throughout the year.\u00a0 Now, it is time to celebrate.\u00a0 Nominations for the\u00a02023 Vice Chancellor’s Invaluable Services Award<\/strong>\u00a0are now being accepted through November 9 via this\u00a0form<\/a>.\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0
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Each year, ORED 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 ORED’s mission. These staff members went above and beyond to support the values of leadership, innovation, and initiative as they provided exceptional service to clients and to the university.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0

Occasionally, an award is also given to individuals outside ORED 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 Economic Development.\u00a0\u00a0If you have any questions, please contact\u00a0Becky Carter<\/a>.\u00a0\u00a0Thank you for all you are doing to continue driving ORED forward.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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UNL Benefits Enrollment<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Between Oct. 30 and Nov. 17, 2023, you will be permitted to make changes to your benefits plan for 2024.\u00a0NUFlex enrollment is under the Employee Self Service section of Firefly. You are encouraged to enroll early to avoid any last-minute complications. For guidance on how to use the new portal, visit our benefits enrollment help page<\/a> before you begin.\u00a0\u00a0If you have any questions, please call or email the UNL Benefits Office at (402) 472-2600 or benefits@unl.edu<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Welcome New ORED Team Members<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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George Gogos<\/strong>,\u00a0Director of the Nebraska Center for Energy Science Research and Professor of \u00a0Mechanical and Materials Engineering, became the new director on August 14<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Dr. George Gogos has been a faculty member since 1993 in the\u00a0Department of Mechanical and Materials Engineering<\/a>\u00a0and with a courtesy appointment in the\u00a0Department of Biological Systems Engineering<\/a>. He received his bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and his master’s and doctorate degrees in mechanical engineering and applied mechanics from the University of Pennsylvania. Dr. Gogos will continue his role as professor and Associate Chair for Research and Graduate Studies in the Department of Mechanical and Materials Engineering while in the role of the Nebraska Center for Energy Sciences Research director. He also serves as co-director for the Center for Electro-Optics and Functionalized Surfaces and is co-founder of two companies: one developing equipment for certified organic weed control and one focusing on thermal management using functionalized surfaces. Dr. Gogos is married to Dr. Effie Athanassopoulos, an anthropology professor at UNL. They were both born in Greece and moved to the U.S. for their higher education studies. They have two adult children with careers in medicine and robotics.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Nova Gocchi Carrasco<\/strong>, Senior Evaluation Project Manager, Methodology and Evaluation Research Core (MERC), started on October 9. Pictured left to right:\u00a0 Chico and Nova<\/em>.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

My name is Nova Gocchi Carrasco. I am thrilled to join the Methodology and Evaluation Research Core facility as the Senior Evaluation Project Manager. I have been working at the University for almost 10 years now and am excited to begin this new journey with ORED. I love spending time with my son, Elliot (or Iris), my partner, Marco, and the eclectic menagerie that we lovingly call home. I enjoy attending live music and theater events and curling up on my couch with a good book. In my free time, you can also find me and my green thumb in the dirt, tending to my garden and cherished plant babies.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Mekenzie Kerr<\/strong>, Research Portfolio Manager II, Vice Chancellor’s Office, started on October 9<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

My name is Mekenzie Kerr and I recently joined ORED’s team as a Research Portfolio Manager II. I have been with the University of Nebraska-Lincoln for 6+ years working as a project manager at an on-campus survey research and methodology organization. Along with quantitative and qualitative data collection and methodology experience, my project management positions have allowed me to work with a wide variety of clients (in-state, on-campus, you name it!) to successfully reach project and research objectives.

Outside of the office you can find me tending to my plants and propagations, hanging out with my pets (1 dog, 2 hermit crabs, 3 hamsters), or working on some crafty project venture.

I am so very excited to be a part of the ORED team. I look forward to meeting everyone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Sherri Jones<\/strong>, Interim Vice Chancellor for Research and Economic Development, started on October 10

I am thrilled to be part of the ORED team, which has a great reputation across campus.\u00a0 I am originally from Nebraska having grown up on a farm near Clatonia.\u00a0 I am the youngest of 7 children, one of whom is my identical twin (Sheila lives in North Carolina). I have 3 degrees from UNL. My 3 children have 6 degrees from UNL.\u00a0 My daughter-in-law and my son-in-law have 3 degrees from UNL. I am proud of my family and our connections with UNL.\u00a0 I love to cook and have a large collection of cookbooks that cover cuisine and culture from around the world.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Alisson Rios<\/strong>, Intellectual Property Specialist, NUtech Ventures, startd on October 23<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Hello, my name is Alisson Rios. I am joining the NUtech team as the new Intellectual Property Specialist. Prior to this position, I was a paralegal with a law firm in Lincoln specializing in business law and estate administration.\u00a0 I am originally from Southern California, my fiance’ and I moved to Lincoln a little over two years ago for him to go to UNL College of Law. I received my B.A. in political science from California State University-Fullerton. I enjoy spending time with my fiance’ and our two cats, Jojo and Snoopy.\u00a0 I love reading, fashion, and all things cat related!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Elyse Watson<\/strong>, Research Project Manager I, Vice Chancellor’s Office, started on October 24<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

I received my BS in Fisheries and Wildlife at UNL in 2009. Since then, I’ve worked in a variety of roles including education at the Omaha Zoo. I started my tenure as a staff member at UNL in the fall of 2016, starting in the School of Natural Resources as a recruiter and then undergraduate advisor. Last fall, I moved from student services to research, becoming project manager for the STOICH Project, an NSF EPSCoR Track-II grant. I’m excited to start this new role in ORED where I can still assist in grant project management, but also get to once again work with undergrads. When I’m not at work I’m either playing outside or hanging out on the couch with my husband and two black cats.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Peter Educate<\/strong>, Evaluation Project Associate, Methodology and Evaluation Research Core, started on October 25<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Peter Educate graduated the University of Nebraska-Lincoln in May of 2023 majoring in Sociology while minoring in Statistics. As an Evaluation Project Associate, his tasks include data collection, analysis, and reporting for a number of different projects.\u00a0 He is passionate in research of almost all areas and is excited to be a part of the MERC team. Outside of working for MERC, he enjoys spending time with friends, listening to music, and traveling.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Farewells<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Emily Shultz’s<\/strong> last day with Research Compliance Services will be November 8.\u00a0 In the interim, please contact\u00a0Sara Quinn.

Katie Pelland’s<\/strong> last day with Office of Proposal Development will be November 10. Katie, who is returning to the east coast to be closer to family, has accepted a position in research development at the University of Virginia.\u00a0 In the interim, please contact Tisha Gilreath Mullen.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Kudos to Our Colleagues<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Matthew Dwyer<\/strong>, Senior Proposal Development Specialist, Office of Proposal Development, was honored with a Kudos Award at the University of Nebraska Board of Regents meeting in October. These awards recognize the accomplishments of employees from across the University of Nebraska system. (https:\/\/nebraska.edu\/regents\/awards-and-recognition\/kudo-awards\/2023\/10\/matthew-dwyer<\/a>)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Pictured from left to right: Harry Brislin, Kate Engel, Vickie Palmer\u00a0<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Nebraska Innovation Campus named Outstanding Research Park at AURP’s 27th Annual Awards of Excellence in Innovation<\/strong>

Nebraska Innovation Campus was named Outstanding Research Park at the Association of University Research Parks’ (AURP) 2023 International Conference held Oct. 16-19 at the University of Delaware’s STAR Campus. AURP is the leading nonprofit organization representing research parks, innovation districts, tech hubs and all communities of innovation.
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The Outstanding Research Park Award recognizes research parks and innovation districts and their leadership for their achievements and encourages continuous evaluation and development of best practices for the research park community. The award also highlights research parks and innovation districts which have created an exceptional ecosystem that supports bringing technology from inception to market thereby positively impacting the sustainable growth of scalable businesses, creation of jobs that are higher paying than the regional average and contribute to the economic health of the region where they are located. Full Story>><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Do you know someone who should join our team? Share these opportunities!<\/h2>\n\n\n\n