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Director's OfficeDirector's Report & Announcements
During the academic year, this page is updated regularly with reports from the Director's Office to Science Planning Committee and the Science Center community. For additional clarification or guidance, please contact Tom Litwin, Science Center Director. September 17, 2009
March 25, 2009SURF Program 110 students have applied for SURF fellowships for the summer. With the help of various funding sources we are able to find support for all of them. Beckman Fellowships There are 5 eligible nominees for the new Beckman Fellowships. The SPC awards committee (Nat Fortune, Linda Jones, and Peter de Villiers) will meet to review the candidates, interview the best of them and then recommend who should receive the scholarship. The award must be made by the end of April. Classroom Furniture Associate Provost, John Davis has responded in a generous fashion to the appeal by the science faculty to fund some upgrading of current classroom spaces in this fiscal year and has allocated $15,000 to do this. A small classroom committee will need to meet to recommend how to prioritize the various classroom improvements that the faculty proposed last semester. Arrangement of Chairs in Classrooms There have been concerns expressed by faculty members about the arrangement of chairs in various classrooms – rows or circles or other patterns. We need to come to some agreement as a community about how each class and faculty member should leave the chairs for the next class. Which faculty are using which classroom at each time can be provided to departments. It is no part of the job description of the custodial staff to arrange the chairs in a variety of patterns overnight. Equipment Service Contract Review With the College’s budget constraints, the best the Science Center can hope for is a level funded budget for next year (and a substantial cut in the budget is possible). Even level funding will create a significant shortfall in the number and level of service contracts for equipment that the Science Center budget can support. I have established a committee to review all service contracts that we currently have and are likely to have to take on in the future for Ford Hall equipment. Later in the spring they will bring recommendations to SPC about how we should support service contracts for at least the next year. John Brady, Dick Briggs, Christian Lagier, Bob Newton, Stan Scordilis and Ken Shea have agreed to serve on this committee.
December 4, 2008Mentor Coordinator We are pleased to introduce Kathleen Mosley as the Clark Science Center Mentor Coordinator. Kathleen started the position on December 1 and will be working 20 hours per week in this capacity. In addition to serving as Mentor Coordinator, she will continue her work as Assistant for Faculty Recruitment & Retention in the Office of Institutional Diversity. At Smith, Kathleen has also served as Interim Associate Dean for Multicultural Affairs and as Acting Inreach/Outreach Coordinator in the Science Center. A reception to welcome Kathleen to the community is being planned. ACF Positions The ACF Administrative Director position has received budget approval and will shortly be posted internally. We are seeking a waiver to conduct the internal and external searches simultaneously to accelerate the external advertising and search process. HHMI EXceptional Research OPportunities (EXROP) Success Cristina Santarossa, ’11 Chemistry Major and mentee of Kate Queeney, has been selected as one of 80 students from across the country to participate in the HHMI EXROP 2009 summer research program. From a list of over 100 HHMI scientists, EXROP students are asked to provide HHMI with five preferred lab locations. HHMI, the student, and mentor collaborate to identify the best research project and lab for the summer experience. HHMI provides a stipend, housing and funds long-distance travel. We thank the SCCD for its help in selecting a candidate. Science Center Printers There have been ongoing problems with Macintosh printing and most of the Science Center laser printers. After much experimentation, CATS has come to some conclusions and are ready to move forward. The solution includes: * Replace the affected printers - HP has no fix. * We are moving to COLOR laser printers that allow monochrome pages at or below the same cost/page as traditional monochrome printers. We will set up BOTH monochrome and color print queues to each printer so only print jobs that require color will incur the extra cost of color. * We will replace the printers in Macintosh classrooms and most of the shared (e.g. hallway) printers -- about 14 printers total. Replacements will be performed over January break. * The large "Sabin-Reed 130" color laser will be replaced with another color laser that supports 11 X 17 paper. Eric Brewer will be contacting department chairs individually about how to handle department-owned printers and some special circumstances. Classroom Lecterns Science Center Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowships (SURF) It is time to start thinking about your students’ participation in the Science Center SURF program. The Summer 2009 list of opportunities will be available December 12th at http://www.science.smith.edu/departments/director/extranet/SURF2009.html. The application deadline is February 20, 2009. McConnell Courtyard McConnell Courtyard is scheduled for substantial renovation in Summer 2009. The Move to Ford Hall Science Center staff responsible for transitioning and supporting academic support services to Ford Hall will join the Operations Committee at its weekly meeting to begin planning the process. The goal is to produce a critical path process to sequence services and support that tracks building opening and commissioning.
November 20, 2008Classroom Survey: We distributed to Science Planning reps on Tuesday, November 18 an electronic classroom survey to aid us in evaluating the current maintenance status of CSC classrooms and the types of repairs and/or improvements that a space may require. We are relying on you as the Science Planning rep to move the survey and discussion through you departments so we have a comprehensive assessment of classroom needs. Please discuss this topic with your departments and complete the survey for any classroom you use and share with other departments. Please note this survey is addressing maintenance, repair, and cosmetic types of treatments, and is not for the purpose of larger renovation planning. Please return your department’s survey to Christian by Tuesday December 2, 2008, so we can have preliminary results for the December 4th Science Planning meeting. Goldwater 2009 Nominees: Five Goldwater nominees, two from Chemistry and one each from Biochemistry, Computer Science, and Mathematics & Statistics. We need two volunteers to serve on the Awards Management Committee that in turn will recommend the four candidates to move forward in the process. Once the candidates are selected, the Science Center Office will facilitate the process to the January 15, 2009 deadline. Electrical Power Update: In an effort to determine the issues related to Sabin-Reed power issues, Facilities Management is monitoring the grid voltage feeding the campus feeders. They are determining if and when there may be power variations, and the amount of variation. Within Sabin-Reed they will be putting a meter on the main building panel to determine what is feeding into the building. They are putting a second meter on one of the electrical panels that feeds the instruments experiencing the problem. The goal is to identify issues at either or both of these locations, and evaluate remedies. In the final analysis, the only real safeguard against any potential problem is to protect the instruments with a UPS system. These systems do two things, a) they provide a constant power supply and even out any variations in the voltage that may occur, and b) they provide short term emergency power. Facilities will look at the locations of the affected equipment and see if there may be an efficient way of grouping them so that more than one can share a UPS system. Purchasing: We are reminding department members to keep their administrative assistants in the purchasing loop on all your requisitions or other purchases against departmental or program budgets. It is important for the administrative assistants to have your requisitions, so they can verify and track purchases before they reach the Stock Room. Mentor Coordinator: The search committee has selected a candidate for this 0.57 fte (20 hours/wk) position. The candidate is very interested in the position and we are finalizing the details with HR to make an offer. Our goal is to have the position begin December 20. ACF Positions: Both the Provost’s office and ACF Users Group has reviewed the organizational plan for the ACF and job descriptions are currently being reviewed by HR for three hires: ACF Administrative Director (1.0 fte) , Attending Veterinarian (0.5fte) and Veterinary Assistant ( 0.5 fte). With finalization of job descriptions, be will start the hiring process.
September 24, 2008FY 2008-2009 Budget Update Increase in recurring budget $68,073 These changes break down as follows: CSC Main * Consultant: One-time budget allocation of $3,000 for Animal Care Facility external evaluation * Furniture: One-time budget allocation of $12,000 for Informal Learning Spaces (Clark Corner and McConnell Foyer) Inventory & Regulatory Affairs Animal Care Facility Computing and Technical Services Center for Design and Fabrication Staffing * Animal Care Facility: 1 FTE increase (technician) * Admin office: 1 FTE increase for Ford Hall * Center for Design & Fabrication: 0.5 FTE restored and 0.25 added for a 0.75 position (CDF and McLeish Field Station) * Mentoring & Outreach Coordinator: 1 FTE (partially funded by HHMI) * IRB/admin office: 0.75 FTE
Animal Care Facility Evaluation Update Dr. Steven Leary, DVM and Vice Provost, University of Washington St. Louis, has conducted his second site visit to Smith to evaluate our ACF programming and staffing. In the second visit, he met will all the faculty ACF users conducting teaching and research within the faculty. We await his report and recommendations. Mentoring and Outreach Coordinator Search Update The search committee consists of Wen Li, Esteban Monserrate, Doreen Weinberger, Gail Scordilis and Tom Litwin. The committee conducted its first phone interview on 9/22/08 and has a second round of phone interviews on 9/25/08. Three candidates will be invited to campus to meet with the SCCD, Center Directors, faculty and staff. Science Center Master Planning Revisited The Science Planning Committee conducted a detailed strategic plan for the science during the 1994-95, 1995-96 academic years (A strategic Plan for the Science At Smith: Planning for 2000). The plan was presented to incoming President Ruth Simmons and formed the basis for a number of initiatives that have been completed, and which continue to develop. Included in the strategic plan were proposals for the creation of an engineering program, the critical need for classroom renovation and expansion, establishing and strengthening an environmental science & policy program and neuroscience program, expanding summer research opportunities and interdisciplinarity, and a strengthening of diversity, outreach and science pipeline programming. Ford Hall and future large scale renovations are direct products of these efforts. Strategic planning is a dynamic process, the report is a point on a continuum in a dynamic process. With the passage of a decade, and many of the SPC's goals and visions accomplished or underway, what is the vision, the needs for the next decade? The SPC strategic plan has played a critical role in guiding Science Center and College funding, budgeting and academic and capital planning efforts. Many of these efforts take years to bring to fruition. What is the plan for the next decade that we should be debating and working toward? Copies of the Planning for 2000 report will be distributed at the meeting.
June 27 , 2008QuickAdmin Quick Admin is up and running again this summer in the Clark Science Center office. Service is available between the hours of 1 to 4 pm M-F for assistance with basic office tasks. Drop-in use is welcome. Custodial Services A full description of Clark Science Center custodial services is now available on a new page available on the Director’s section of the CSC homepage as below (see link on the right): Service Requests to Physical Plant Reminder - all routine service requests to Physical Plant should be initiated through your department or program administrative assistant. If your service request is non-routine or special in any way, you may also contact Christian in the Director's Office. Students should not be tasked with making requests to Physical Plant. CUR News The Council on Undergraduate Research (CUR) has sent us a copy of their Posters on the Hill 2008 abstracts volume along with a letter welcoming participation in 2009. Deadline for proposals is in November 2008. The abstracts volume and cover letter with further information can be found on the table immediately inside the Director’s Office door or on the CUR website (www.cur.org).
April 21, 2008Chemistry Lab incident Smith College issued a press release early in the morning of April 15 describing the event, and the story was widely carried by the local media. Dr. Margaret Rakas, the Chemical Hygiene Officer for Smith College, prepared a detailed report on the incident. Copies are on file in the Director’s Office. A debriefing meeting to discuss all aspects of the incident will be held on April 22nd. Dr. Rakas and the Director’s Office will continue to work closely with all of the college’s science departments to ensure that maximum levels of safety in the use of chemicals are met throughout the Clark Science Center complex. Security – reminder Miscellaneous April 7, 2008Summer Research – Smith SURF Program REMINDER: the SURF kick-off event will be held this Friday, April 11, at noon in the McConnell Foyer. There will be a free luncheon, and all SURF students and their faculty advisers are invited. More information will be given about the SURF program, and students will have the opportunity to ask questions and will be invited to participate in organizing a SURF-sponsored summer events program, to be coordinated by Heather McQueen (Science Center main office, Burton 115). Ideas for events and/or speakers are welcome from both students and sponsoring faculty members and can be submitted to Heather in person or via phone (x3803) or email (hmcqueen@email.smith.edu). Space requests update Goldwater awards Admission Tours
The activities of committees and the various planning projects outlined in earlier director reports as below remain active. March 25, 2008Summer Research-Smith SURF Program A total of 104 students have been offered summer-stipend support from the Smith College 2008 Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) program. This total includes 8 grad students, 8 graduating seniors, and 2 Beckman Scholars: Susy Ramos, 2009 Chemistry major & Neuroscience minor, sponsored by Michael Barresi and Sarah Anne Kam, 2009 Biological Sciences major & Mathematics minor, sponsored by Adam Hall. Christian Lagier managed the applications process, and award notifications were sent by email to all applicants and their faculty sponsors on March 13 and 14. Before April 11th, the applicants will receive a formal award letter with stipend terms and conditions and an acceptance form to be completed and returned to the Science Center main office. A SURF kick-off event will be held at noon on Friday, April 11, in the McConnell Foyer. There will be a free luncheon, and all SURF students and their faculty advisers are invited. At this gathering, more information will be given about the SURF program, and students will have the opportunity to ask questions and will be invited to participate in organizing a SURF-sponsored summer events program, to be coordinated by Heather McQueen (Science Center main office, Burton 115). Ideas for events and/or speakers are welcome and can be submitted to Heather in person or via phone (x3803) or email (hmcqueen@email.smith.edu).
Space requests At the March 6th Science Planning meeting, it was recommended that the deadline for department chairs and program directors to make space requests for academic year 2008-09 to the Director’s Office be moved up from May 1st to April 1st. Accordingly, chairs and program directors are urged to make their requests as early as possible to Christian Lagier. We also would greatly appreciate receiving information about space vacancies that could be made available for use by others during AY 2008-09. Miscellaneous Spring break week was generally quiet, but expect activity to pick up considerably with the end of the semester push. Christian Lagier has been away to Denmark on personal leave, and he is expected to return on Friday, March 28. The activities of committees and various planning projects outlined in previous director reports as below remain active.
March 4, 2008As of March 1, Al Curran is Interim Director of the Clark Science Center. Past activities outlined below remain active.
February 20, 2008T. Litwin Research Leave After two years of planning, I am pleased to report that I will begin a two-part research leave, March 1 - August 31, 2008 and February 1-August 31, 2009. The two part approach is to accommodate two Bering Sea pack ice seasons. With support from the Natalie Peters-Webster Trust and North Pacific Research Board, I will undertake the International Polar Year sponsored project, Thin Ice: An Exploration of the Bering Sea at the Dawn of Global Warming. The project will begin in earnest this March when I join an international research team aboard the US Coast Guard Ice Breaker Healy bound for the Bering Strait. Al Curran and Peter deVilliers have graciously agree to serve as acting Science Center Directors in my absence (Al -- March 1-June 30, 2008; Peter – June 30-August 31, 2008 and February 1-August 31, 2009). While Al and Peter will manage daily activities, I will remain involved in the Ford Hall construction project and renovation planning initiative. Goldwater Scholarships The applications of Goldwater candidates Aileen Novero ‘09, Kristin Tyler ‘09, Lela Schlenker ‘09, and Emma Schlatter ’10 were submitted in January 2008. Summer Research - Smith SURF! At the time of the Summer Research Fellow application deadline, 93 applications had been submitted. This number is in line with previous years at this stage of the process. We have one applicant for a NIST fellowship in the Gaithersburg, MD Lab and one applicant for an international HHMI summer research position. Sightlines Smith College Building Survey Tom Litwin and Christian Lagier met with Sightlines representatives to discuss Clark Science Center building and deferred maintenance issues. Infrastructure, Facelift, and renovation needs were presented for incorporation into the campus-wide report. The final Sightlines report is intended to provide the College with a comprehensive picture of building repair and deferred maintenance issues to aid in establishing priorities and budgeting timelines. . New & Improved! QUICK ADMIN The Administrative Office Administrative Assistant cluster is now offering QuickAdmin on a trial basis. A team of work-study students selected for their clerical skills will offer faculty and staff additional clerical support. A work study student will be stationed at the QuickAdmin desk in the Administrative Office. For assistance, visit the office or contact QuickAdmin at QuickAdmin@email.smith.edu. See the link www.science.smith.edu/departments/director/index.html ( the Director’s web page) for further details and times. QuickAdmin assistants are prepared to help you with:
Building 2 Planning Committee John Davis, Associate Provost and chair has convened the first meeting of the Building 2 Planning Committee. The firm of William Wilson Associated Architects has been retained to assist the committee in evaluating new construction and renovation options. The committee membership includes:
Sponsored Research Office The SRO will be implementing a modified grant processing form with the goal of improving the efficiency of data gathering required to advance a proposal submission. For the Science Center this will mean that the administrative units (i.e. Animal Care, EH&S, Director’s Office) will see the processing form earlier in the process so questions, institutional budgetary commitments and facility needs can be addressed well in advance of grant submission deadlines. The goal of the Science Center units is to help PIs develop proposals that are coordinated with the College process. A meeting is being set-up between the Science Planning sponsored research sub-committee, Director’s Office, SRO, Controller’s Office grant manager, and HR to begin conversations regarding the College hiring process and employee relations in the context of agency and foundation funded employment. In parallel to the above, the Associate Provost is re-convening the Sponsored Reseach Advisory Committee as a vehicle for receiving feedback concerning the College’s grant management process. The Science Center security proposal has been folded in to a larger college-wide review of security being conducted by the Strategic Technology Group. STG has put a college security installation package out to bid. If an acceptable bid is received by the College, a Science Center security package installation will occur in summer 2008. College funding has been provided for Blue Light security technology. The issuing of hand-held direct contact communications units for use by CSC student door monitors will happen in the week of February 25. This technology will provide a direct communications link between door monitors and Public Safety. Academic Support Assessment Ongoing In collaboration with Smith Human Resources, the Director’s Office is reviewing the assessment of the Administrative Assistant cluster’s workload and work processes. We are in the process of reviewing the recommendations with the administrative assistants in the context of a manageable workload at the current level of fte support.
December 17, 2007 - Science Center Administration Omnibus Budget ProposalDownload this report as Word Memo Total onetime funding request: $92,700 As background to what follows, a few basic points will help explain the scale and size of the CSC budget needs.
CSC Main (Org 3571)
As depicted, equipment maintenance & repair budgets are about 80% of the CSC Main Base Budget. A number of factors contribute to this situation, including expanding faculty research, more students conducting increasingly more sophisticated research, an influx of grant-funded equipment, and expensive-to-maintain computerized equipment . Equipment maintenance (service contracts) In 2006, the Center for Proteomics acquired a Liquid Chromatography-Couples Mass Spectrometer (LCMS) at an approximate cost of $175,000. This was based on a grant award from NSF to Stan Scordilis (“Acquisition of Proteomics Facilities”). The award (page 11) commits the College to assuming the service contract in February 2008. The cost of the required service contract is $23,000. Additional needs include: • Axio Imager and Stereo Lumar, Michael Barresi, $9k Request: For FY 08-09, a $88,000 increase over FY 2007-08. We anticipate 4-6% annual expense increases in subsequent years. Equipment repair As of November 2007, we have already overspent the annual repair budget after urgent equipment repairs of autoclave ($18k), cold room compressor & 3 freezers ($7k), geology microscopes ($9k) and deionized water system ($5k). Repairs to an aging equipment inventory are increasing. Request: A $10,000 increase to this line on a recurring basis. Equipment Request: For FY 08-09, one time increase of $10,000, allowing for replacement of approximately 5-6 of the oldest units Furniture Laboratory Supplies: The recently NSF funded Center for Aqueous Geochemistry Research has acquired funding that will require an annual increase in gas supplies, which the College has agreed to assume. Request: A $5,000 increase to the Laboratory Supplies line, on an annual basis. INVENTORY & REGULATORY AFFAIRS (Org 3572) Tissue Culture Suite Modified biosafety cabinet which would allow the use of a microscope while protective features of the cabinet are operating. This is a critical item for proposed work with Brugia malayi L3 stage larvae (Gates Project). Request: Onetime 20,000. Hazardous/biohazardous waste handling Although we are taking advantage of new Massachusetts waste regulations that permit neutralization of elementary corrosive wastes (essentially acids and bases only) followed by drain disposal, so far we have already spent 90% of the FY07-08 budget amount on hazardous waste containers. Also, proposed new regulations for handling of biomedical waste are expected to go into effect sometime in 2008, with one expected result being that more animal waste (tissues, bodies) will be required to be disposed of via commercial incineration. Request: A $2,500 increase to this line on an annual basis. Hazardous waste inspections and laboratory pickup Time spent on weekly routine lab waste pickups and accumulation inspections is preventing the Chemical Hygiene Officer (0.57fte for the Sciences, Art, Theatre)) from performing detailed laboratory safety inspections, biosafety protocol audits, laser safety inspections, and general safety evaluations work-study students are used for required weekly waste inspections but cannot perform tasks that require annual RCRA training since this is an inappropriate task and risk. To address this situation, we prose contacting with Clean Harbors who can provide trained chemical technicians through an annual contract based on 4 hrs/week of service. Request: The creation of a $20,800 line, funded on an annual basis. The Chemical Hygiene Plan, last reviewed in 1997, is the cornerstone of a successful safety program and a major revision (plus associated training) is needed to ensure safety in the labs and minimize Smith’s liability. Since 1997 and post 9/11, the chemical hygiene landscape has changed dramatically. With the creation of the Picker Engineering Program, and significant the increase in Biology, Chemistry, Biochemistry, and Neuroscience Departments faculty and student research, both policy updating and training protocols are required to address the handling of acute toxins, reproductive toxins, and physical hazards. This is a fundamental Health & Safety Program need. Request: Onetime funding of $10,000 that could be distributed over FY 08-09 and FY 09-10. Consultant Services for Biosafety, Radiation Safety, and Recombinant DNA protocol development We anticipate another 3-4 reviews involving the NIH Guidelines during Spring – Fall 2008. In addition we recommend the initiation of a laser safety inspection and laser occupational health review program. To undertake these initiatives, specialized consulting services are required. In addition, the ongoing compliance initiative regarding NIH Recombinant DNA Guidelines requires a Certified Biosafety Professional to review protocols and advise the College’s Biosafety Officer. We anticipate reviews needed of three additional biologists in addition to evaluating and supporting the ongoing programming needs of the Williams Lab/Gates initiative. It is our assessment that theses initiatives are emblematic of what will be an ongoing process of regulatory compliance needs and the programs that provide compliance support. Request: The creation of a $7,500 line, funded on an annual basis. ACF – ANIMAL CARE FACILITY (Org 3574) Update security system It is essential that the animal facility be secure in the face of changing societal attitudes regarding the use of animals in teaching. The current system was installed in 1997 and is in need of replacement. Request: Onetime $5,000 Supplies Since 2002, the annual feed allocation has been $6,200. Concomitantly, annual animal usage has risen from ~900 animals in 2002 to ~4500 in 2006. The 2006 figures do not include the significant additions of the Zebra Fish research initiative, or ongoing amphibian use. Annual use figures are expected to continue rising. The single biggest cost in running an animal care program is “room and board” or per diem costs. The cost of supplies for the program is 5 times the cost from 4 years ago, with no corresponding adjustment in the animal care budget. At the expense of other ACF line items, we transfer funds to the feed line, since the animals must be fed. Request: Onetime $2,000 to stabilize the line item, with subsequent annual increases of 2-3%. Animal care use training To meet and document researcher and IACUC training requirements, institutional animal care programs typically utilize on-line training programs. For the past seven years, the Smith program has been able to use a training system that was free of charge. This service is no longer available and must be replaced right away in order to remain compliant. To meet this need we must now subscribe to a fee-based service. Request: The creation of a $3,000 line, funded on an annual basis. Memberships & Accreditation Memberships and accreditation fees have increased annually. For example AAALAC accreditation has gone from $2300 in 2001, to $3275 in the current year. There has not been a concomitant budget increase to address fee increases. Request: Onetime funding of $1200, bringing the line item to an annual $4,475. Equipment (microisolators and changing station) The equipment line in the animal care budget has not been sufficient to upgrade caging materials as needed. Although a small amount of static microisolator caging has been purchased on an annual basis, there is currently only enough equipment available to house approximately 10% of our animal population under microisolator protection. Microisolator housing requires the use of a portable changing stations or biosafety cabinets which make it possible to open the cages without exposing the animals to unfiltered air. The Smith ACF has no changing stations to support microisolator use. Request: Onetime funding for additional microisolator caging ($8000) and required changing station ($10,000) for a total of $18,000. CATS – COMPUTING AND TECHNICAL SERVICES (Org 3579) Computer classroom support As the number of computer classrooms has grown in the Science Center, so has the unmet budgetary increases associated with supporting those classrooms. In 2000, CATS was of supporting 75 computers in classrooms and teaching labs. Today, that number has grown to approximately 250 computers. In, addition, funding for Laser printers still reflects the 75 computer number. Since 2000, we have added support of the entire Picker Engineering program and its classroom/lab space, EVS&P’s Spatial Analysis Lab, assumed responsibility for an ITS resource center, increased the number of computers in the Math classrooms, and been called upon to provide printers in all of the spaces CATS now supports. The computers are now used by virtually every department in the Sciences and hence, every student. We now have 152 computers and 10 printers in the public spaces, plus 15 servers. With each new initiative, the Dean has generously supported the purchase of the new equipment. However, our base budget for replacement and software support has not changed. The only reason we have been able to support this growth has been the steady decline in the cost of computing power. What once cost us $3500 per workstation can now be purchased for under $2000. “Old” computers are cycled around into other uses, including the research labs and chem/bio teaching labs. Still, we are steadily falling behind in the replacement cycle and have no budget whatsoever to replace aging printers. Tape Library Upgrade Request: Onetime funding of $14,460. Center for Design & Fabrication (Org 3583) Teaching Lab Materials & Supplies Inventory With the rapid transformation of the “machine shop” from largely a repair service to an active and busy teaching lab (i.e. the Center for Design & Fabrication, CfDF), these is an acute need for an inventory of raw materials and fasteners. This need is analogous to the teaching supplies inventory that would be required to support any other teaching lab. The current supply inventory reflects that of the “machine shop” era. As the CfDF, the facility now supports: EGR 100 - Engineering for Everyone CfDF consumables will be used to serve all of our teaching and research user’s projects. Users come from most every department in the science center, with projects ranging from building research apparatus to supporting class instruction. Stocking an adequate inventory of supplies is the most efficient approach and the one used in any other teaching lab. Request: Onetime funding of $6,000 to establish a baseline inventory, with subsequent annual funding of $2,000 to replenish inventory.
December 13, 2007Informal Learning/Common Space Proposals The proposals to develop McConnell Foyer into an informal learning space and to convert Clark Corner into a student common space have been forwarded from the Provost’s Office to the Senior Administrators, the step before ACRA. John Davis, Jim Callahan and Tom Litwin will meet on Wednesday, December 12, to coordinate funding request to ACRA. These requests will be the subject of the December 18th SPC meeting. Goldwater Scholarships The SPC has endorsed the Awards Management Committee Goldwater nominees, who are Aileen Novero ‘09, Kristin Tyler ‘09, Lela Schlenker ‘09, and Emma Schlatter ‘10. All four candidates have accepted the nomination. Science Center Security College funding has been provided for Blue Light security technology (hand-held direct contact communications units) which the vendor has confirmed is suitable for use by student monitors. Public Safety is moving forward on implementation which will include CSC door monitors. The proposal to install card swipe technology on selected CSC doors has been tabled pending the security technology decisions for Ford Hall. Insuring compatible technologies for all science buildings is the goal. Report of the Inreach/Outreach Committee
Sponsored Research Sub-committee Bob Merritt will provide a verbal report at the December 18th SPC meeting. Smith SUmmer Research Fellowships (SURF) The first information regarding SUmmer Research Fellowships (SURF) will become available on the Director’s Office Web site prior to the holiday break, the week of 17 December 2007. Academic Support Assessment Ongoing In collaboration with Smith Human Resources, the Director’s Office is facilitating the Administrative Assistant cluster’s review of workload and work processes. The purpose of the review is to evaluate best practices. The Science Center Administration will use this information as part of its support resources assessment. Jenny Silver and Sheli Senecal of HR are in the process of interviewing department chairs, CSC administrators, and faculty members. Center for Design & Fabrication and Animal Care Facility Staffing To address a staffing need in the Animal Care Facility (ACF), 0.5 FTE Technical Support Specialist/Center for Design Fabrication position will be used to staff a temporary position in the ACF. Pending funding decisions, the position may revert to the CfDF at the 0.5 FTE level in Summer 2008.” eProcurement The eProcurement committee has held two focus group sessions and appreciates the science community’s feedback. A proposal has been submitted to the College for funding and final vendor selection is underway. New Building 2 Discussion
The following three documents represent the work of the Classroom Committee as presented to Science Planning February 2007:
November 29, 2007
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