International Humanities Conference

Please see the announcement below regarding an interdisciplinary and international conference on "New Directions in the Humanities." The conference will focus on several themes, including "Meaning and Communication," "Frames of Reference," and "Humanities in Practice." Conference organizers are accepting applications from a variety of disciplines. The deadline  

Announcing the Tenth International Conference on New Directions in the Humanities, to be held at the Centre Mont-Royal in Montréal, Canada from June 14th to 17th, 2012.

The Conference will address a range of critically important themes in the various fields that make up the humanities today. Plenary speakers will include some of the world’s leading thinkers in the humanities, as well as numerous paper, workshop and colloquium presentations by teachers and researchers.

Participants are invited to submit a presentation proposal for a paper presentation, workshop/interactive session, roundtable discussion, or jointly presented colloquium. Parallel sessions are loosely grouped into streams reflecting different perspectives or disciplines. Each stream also has its own talking circle, a forum for focused discussion of issues.

Presenters may choose to submit written papers to The International Journal of the Humanities, a fully refereed academic Journal.Virtual participation also have the option to submit papers for consideration by the Journal. All registered Conference participants receive a complimentary online subscription to the Journal when registration is finalized. This subscription is valid until one year after the Conference end date.

If you would like to know more about this Conference, visit the website ( http://thehumanities.com/Conference-2012/) or subscribe to the Conference and Journal Newsletter.

Annual Lilly Conference on College and University Teaching

For over 30 years, Lilly Conferences have been offering an opportunity for individuals from a variety of disciplines to gather and discuss important issues related to teaching and student learning. 

The Lilly Conference on College and University Teaching-DC is now Accepting Proposals for the May 31 – June 3, 2012 Conference

http://lillyconferences.com/dc 

The Deadline for Proposal Submission is November 28, 2011.

Please submit your proposal and share your professional work. Proposals are blind reviewed by college and university faculty and selected presentations may be submitted for publication in the conference proceedings.  

Conference Themes this year include:

Advancing Active Learning

Creating a Community of Learners

Preparing Future Faculty

Teaching Responsibly (and Well) with Technology

The Lilly Conference on College and University Teaching – DC Area begins Thursday at 1:00 PM and runs through Sunday at 11:00 am. In 2011, we showcased over 200 presenters from all over the United States and increasingly throughout the world. You may submit a proposal for a concurrent session, poster session, or round table discussion. If you have any questions about session format, please see our website http://lillyconferences.com/dc/resources.shtml or give me a call 919-636-8170. 

To submit a proposal, please visit:

http://lillyconferences.com/dc

Customize Your Textbooks

Have you ever wanted to take different chapters or articles from multiple sources and put them together into one course textbook? Now you can digitally. A recent Chronicle article explains how digital publishing companies are allowing instructors to mix and match material and to deliver this package as a digital textbook, all for about $20.
Read more about this approach in the Chronicle article by Alex Campbell.

International Conference on Affective Computing and Intelligent Interaction

Faculty in the areas of Computing, Technology, Engineering, Philosophy, Psychology, Mathematics, and Physics may be particularly interested in this interdisciplinary conference. Paper submissions are due October 30th, 2011.

2012 International Conference on Affective Computing and Intelligent Interaction (ICACII 2012)

Website: http://www.ieee-ett.cn/icacii2012/index.htm

This conference offers a great opportunity for scientists, engineers, and practitioners to present the latest research results, ideas, developments, and applications, as well as to facilitate interactions between scholars and practitioners. We cordially invite you to attend the 2012 International Conference on Affective Computing and Intelligent Interaction (ICACII 2012), which will be held in Taipei, Taiwan, February 27-28, 2012.

ICACII 2012 Conference Proceedings will be published by Springer, which will be included in Springer Link, indexed by ISI Proceedings, EI-Compendex, and SCOPUS.

The submission system is https://www.easychair.org/conferences/?conf=icacii2012

Paper format see: http://www.ieee-ett.cn/icacii2012/Word_typeinst.doc

Paper Submission Due：October 30, 2011

Contact Email: icacii2012@163.com

Tel: + (86) 18672982985 or 18627872331

For detailed information, please see http://www.ieee-ett.cn/icacii2012/index.htm

Conference on Applied Social Science

Please see the information below for an interdisciplinary conference. Deadlines for submission are December 1st, 2011.

2012 2nd International Conference on Applied Social Science (ICASS 2012)

February 1-2, 2012, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Website: http://www.hkedu.biz/icass2012/index.htm

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The goal of this Conference is to bring together the researchers from academia and industry as well as practitioners to share ideas, problems and solutions relating to the multifaceted aspects of Applied Social Science.

All accepted and registered papers will be included in the proceedings, which will be published by Information Engineering Research Institute, USA. All the papers will be indexed by ISTP.

The submission system is https://www.easychair.org/conferences/?conf=icass2012

Paper format see: http://www.hkedu.biz/icass2012/ps.htm

Paper Submission Due：December 1, 2011

Contact Email: icass2012@163.com

Tel: + (86) 18627872331

For detailed information, please see http://www.hkedu.biz/icass2012/index.htm

NSF Goes Global

The National Science Foundation (NSF) has launched a new program that connects scientists across international boarders. The Science Across Virtual Institutes (SAVI) program not only promotes international research collaboration, but it has a distinct interdisciplinary approach.
NSF has provided a fact sheet to further describe the program.

Guns May Become More Common On Campus

There is a battle going on right now between university officials who want to keep guns off campus to protect students, faculty, and staff and others (mostly students) who want to exercise their right to bear arms.A UNF student and member of a gun rights group has filed a lawsuit against UNF (read more). The issue rests on whether colleges have the right to regulate gun use.

As a signal of things to come, an Oregon Appeals Court recently ruled that the State University System did not have the right to regulate gun use. Students may begin to exercise their right to carry loaded guns on campus.

Managing Data Might Get Easier

A new consortium initiated by the National Science Foundation aims to make data sharing easier. New technologies make sharing of large data sets through networks possible. The availability of a stable infrastructure for multi-point sharing of large data sets will open many new opportunities for collaboration and effective data use.
Read more about the project in a recent Chronicle Article.

Researcher Receives Sanctions for Plagiarism and Data Falsification

A University of Pittsburgh Assistant Professor has received sanctions for plagiarism and falsification of data on grant applications with the National Institutes of Health.
See the Chronicle post for a brief description of the sanctions. 
To read more details about the case, visit the Office of Research Integrity information page.

E-Books are On the Rise for Academic Publishing

E-books have become an increasingly desirable option for scholarly publications. Time to publish and immediate global access have been features of e-publishing that have driven demand for these options. One of the challenges to e-book publishing, however, has been the need for established credibility of the work.

In a recent Chronicle article, Jennifer Howard  describes how some recent changes in the e-book market will impact credibility and demand for e-books. Several important University Press publishers are expanding their e-book offerings. This move is sure to  increase the prominence of e-books in the marketplace.
Read more about these recent developments.

Upcoming Faculty Development Events

http://www.unf.edu/ofe/events/Upcoming_Events.aspx

Transformational Learning Opportunity Workshop

Friday, September 30, 2011
2:00 p.m. - 3:30 p.m.

Location: Building 58W, Student Union, Room 3805

Register Now

Faculty and staff interested in applying for Transformational Learning Opportunity (TLO) funds are invited to attend the TLO workshop titled, "Deep Learning: Designing Successful Transformational Learning Opportunities (TLOs)." This session will provide an overview of the TLO concept, some examples of past successful TLOs and guidelines for applying for financial support.  

 For more information:

Contact: Martina Perry at martina.perry@unf.edu or (904) 620-2607 

Website: http://www.unf.edu/tlo 

Sponsor: Office of Undergraduate Studies, OFE 

Presidential Professorship Lecture: Aquaculture

Monday, October 10, 2011
6:00 p.m.

Location: Student Union Ballroom 58W/3703

Register Now

Aquaculture provides valuable protein to meet the demands of a growing world population. In this John A. Delaney Endowed Presidential Professorship Lecture, Dr. Greg Ahearn (Department of Biology) will discuss aquaculture activities in the U.S. and abroad and will address specific research that contributes to its continuing success. A reception will immediately follow the lecture.
RSVP by Thursday, October 6 (use the "Register Now" link above or call 620-1623.
Presented by Academic Affairs and The Office of Faculty Enhancement"

Effective Presentations with Prezi

Wednesday, October 12, 2011
3:00 p.m. - 4:30 p.m.

Location: College of Education, Bulding 57, Room 2520

Register Now

Prezi is a free online tool for creating and showing presentations. It breaks from the bulleted-list approach of Microsoft PowerPoint and Apple Keynote. Unlike other presentation software that uses slides, Prezi presentations are more similar to concept maps or poster presentations. This two-part workshop will begin with a demonstration and discussion of how Prezi is conceptually different from other presentation software. The second part of the workshop is hands-on. Participants will use the ideas presented in the workshop to create their own Prezi. We ask that participants create a free, educational Prezi account before attending the workshop by filling out the form at: https://prezi.com/profile/registration/edu/?license_type=EDUENJOY Please feel free to stop by CIRT if you’d like help creating your account. 

Sponsor: Center for Instruction and Research Technology, Office of Faculty Enhancement 

Upcoming SoTL Conferences

The Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) encourages faculty to take a scholarly approach to their teaching, to test hypotheses, and to evaluate results in student learning. Below are links to two conferences that are relatively close by for those who are interested in SoTL or have SoTL projects to present.

• 2nd annual SoTL Symposium of the South (October 14, 2011), http://ceps.georgiasouthern.edu/conted/sotlsymposium.html

• 5th annual SoTL Commons Conference (March 7-9, 2012):  http://academics.georgiasouthern.edu/ijsotl/conference/2012/index.htm

The End of the College Degree

In an recent article in the Chronicle, Jeffrey Selingo comments on a growing trend in higher education, to eliminate credentialed degree programs in favor of "badge" identification, where students receive badges for specific skills. Time will tell if employers are more interested in employees with specific "badges" or with a college degree. Read the article. What are your thoughts?

International Conference on Diversity

Please see the announcement below regarding an upcoming interdisciplinary conference on diversity. Faculty in the areas of Sociology, Psychology, History, English, Education, Political Science, and other areas may be interested in this conference. The deadline to submit proposals is October 6, 2011.

INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON DIVERSITY IN ORGANISATIONS, COMMUNITIES AND NATIONS     

University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada

11-13 June 2012      

http://ondiversity.com/conference-2012/

               

The Diversity Conference has a history of bringing together scholarly, government and practice-based participants with an interest in the issues of diversity and community. The conference examines the concept of diversity as a positive aspect of a global world and globalised society. Diversity is in many ways reflective of our present world order, but there are ways of taking this further without necessary engendering its alternatives: racism, conflict, discrimination and inequity. Diversity as a mode of social existence can be projected in ways that deepen the range of human experience. The conference will seek to explore the full range of what diversity means and explore modes of diversity in real-life situations of living together in community. The conference supports a move away from simple affirmations that 'diversity is good' to a much more nuanced account of the effects and uses of diversity on differently situated communities in the context of our current epoch of globalization.

The International Diversity Conference will take place in Vancouver, a city both with a past marked by racial conflict and a rich heritage of diversity.

As well as impressive line-up of international plenary speakers, the conference will also include numerous paper, workshop and colloquium presentations by practitioners, teachers and researchers. We would particularly like to invite you to respond to the conference Call-for-Papers. Presenters may choose to submit written papers for publication in The International Journal of Diversity in Organizations, Communities and Nations. If you are unable to attend the conference in person, virtual registrations are also available which allow you to submit a paper for refereeing and possible publication.

In addition to organizing the Diversity Conference, Common Ground publishes papers from the conference and we do encourage all conference participants to submit a paper based on their conference presentation for peer review and possible publication in the journal. Whether you are a virtual or in-person presenter at this conference, we also encourage you to present on the conference YouTube Channel. In addition, we publish books at http://www.ondiversity.com in both print and electronic formats. We would like to invite conference participants to develop publishing proposals for original works, or for edited collections of papers drawn from the journal which address an identified theme. Finally, please join our online conversation by subscribing to our monthly email newsletter, and subscribe to our Facebook, RSS, or Twitter feeds at http://www.ondiversity.com .

The deadline for the next round in the call for papers (a title and short abstract) is 6 October 2011. Future deadlines will be announced on the conference website after this date.  Proposals are reviewed within two weeks of submission. Full details of the conference, including an online proposal submission form, are to be found at the conference website - http://ondiversity.com/conference-2012/.

Prof. Jock Collins

University of Technology, Sydney, Australia For the Advisory Board, International Conference on Diversity in Organizations, Communities and Nations and The International Journal of Diversity in Organizations, Communities and Nations

Transformational Learning Opportunity Applications Now Accepted

Applications from full-time (non-visiting) faculty and staff for Transformational Learning Opportunity (TLO) projects for fiscal year 2012-2013 are now being accepted and can be obtained here. Before completing the TLO application, review the TLO application guide, also on the same Web page. This year, there are separate application forms for undergraduate TLOs and graduate TLOs. If a project involves both graduate and undergraduate students, complete both application forms. For more information about the various forms a TLO could take, as well as a listing and description of previously-funded TLOs, click here. The application deadline is 5 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 20. Submit both a hard copy and an electronic copy of the undergraduate and graduate TLO applications to Martina Perry at martina.perry@unf.edu in Building 1, Daniel Hall, Undergraduate Studies, Room 1501. 

Contact: Martina Perry at martina.perry@unf.edu or (904) 620-2607

Website: http://www.unf.edu/tlo/

Nominations for Community-Based Partnerships

Please see the announcement below regarding awards for community-engaged scholars.

The Community-Campus Partnerships for Health (CCPH) Annual Award recognizes exemplary partnerships between communities and higher educational institutions that are striving to achieve the systems and policy changes needed to overcome the root causes of health, social, environmental and economic inequalities.

The award highlights the power and potential of community-campus partnerships

as a strategy for social justice.   The award will be announced and recognized

during a ceremony at CCPH's 15th anniversary conference, April 18-21, 2012 in Houston, TX USA.

Partnerships nominate themselves and need not be members of CCPH. Partnerships that have applied in the past but did not receive the award or honorable mentions may re-submit. We welcome nominations from any country or nation.

Nominations are due no later than Jan 16, 2012.

For the nomination guidelines, info on past awardees, answers to frequently asked questions and other resources, visit http://bit.ly/brRlPK

For information on the conference, visit http://bit.ly/hFPPlr

Questions?  Email us at award@ccph.info

Spaces & Flows Conference

The Spaces & Flows Conference is an interdisciplinary conference that may be of interest to those in the Arts, Humanities, Social Sciences, Engineering, Construction, Computing, Political Science, and Urban Studies. The conference also will be of interest to those who use and study Geographic Information Systems (GIS). The deadline for submissions is September 22nd.


Please see the information from the conference website below:

"The 2011 Spaces and Flows: Second International Conference on Urban and ExtraUrban Studies. The conference will be held at the Monash University Prato Centre, Prato, Tuscany, Italy from 17-18 November 2011.

This conference aims to critically engage the contemporary and ongoing spatial, social, ideological, and political transformations in a transnational, global, and neoliberal world. In a process-oriented world of flows and movement, we posit, the global north and global south now simultaneously converge and diverse in a dialectic that shapes and transforms cities, suburbs, and rural areas. This conference addresses the mapping of, the nature of, and the forces that propel these processural changes.

SPACES AND FLOWS: SECOND INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON URBAN AND EXTRAURBAN STUDIES  

Monash University Prato Centre    

Prato, Tuscany, Italy      

17-18 November 2011    

http://spacesandflows.com/conference-2011/

SoTL Commons Conference

When faculty take a scholarly approach to their teaching, their students are the beneficiaries. Please see the information below about an upcoming conference on the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL). The submission deadline is October 31st.

For improving student learning in higher education, the 5th annual SoTL (Scholarship of Teaching & Learning) Commons Conference will be held March 7-9, 2012 at Georgia Southern University in Statesboro, Georgia (USA):  http://academics.georgiasouthern.edu/ijsotl/conference/2012/index.htm.  The submission of proposals period began September 1, 2011.

Arts & Humanities Conference

The conference below will be especially interesting to faculty in the Arts, Humanities, Political Science, Education, and those involved in community-based research.

Arts & Humanities: Toward a Flourishing State?

November 3-5, 2011
Providence, Rhode Island
Register by September 9 for best conference rates

Arts & Humanities: Toward a Flourishing State? will explore current realities and possible futures of the arts and humanities. The conference will situate the arts and humanities both in relation to each other and within the broader context of other disciplines and fields, within liberal education as a whole. Addressing big questions about the future of the United States as a democracy, the conference will emphasize the vitality and importance of the arts and humanities and ask how that vitality might be sustained and how the arts and humanities might evolve in the future.
Campus educators, administrators, students, and community partners are invited to join with colleagues to consider anew the many ways in which the arts and humanities contribute to and reflect the history and culture of our nation and our connections to a vibrant global society.
At a moment fraught with division along political, cultural, and economic lines, the conference intends both to explore difficult questions and to entertain hope.
We invite you to join us in Rhode Island and to share this information with your colleagues.

Educause Learning Initiative - Annual Conference

Please see the information below on an opportunity to present the scholarship of teaching and learning that specifically addresses the use of technology and information literacy.

ELI Annual Meeting—Presentation Proposals Due September 7

Taking the Pulse: Connecting, Assessing, and Innovating

February 13–15, 2012  Hilton Austin, Austin, Texas, and Online

We would like to personally invite you to join us at the EDUCAUSE Learning Initiative Annual Meeting. There are just two weeks left to submit your presentation proposal for either the face-to-face or online event. We must receive your submission by September 7.

The 2012 gathering offers an exciting setting for interactive, hands-on learning and networking, whether you are joining online or face-to-face for presentations, discussions, seminars, and learning activities. We are seeking proposals that will address the thematic focus of the meeting, and, while not exclusive, represent these areas of keen interest across the teaching and learning community:

• Social media
• Mobile learning
• Learning analytics
• Digital and information literacy
• Methods for evaluating technology-based instructional innovations

Proposals that reflect these five focus areas and the ELI's values and mission will receive the highest priority.

This year, presenters have a choice of submitting proposals for face-to-face sessions, online sessions, or both. Also new this year, proposal reviewers will carefully evaluate proposed session learning objectives and active learning strategies to ensure an engaging learning experience for attendees. Learn more about the 2012 focus areas and submit a proposal today.

Don't miss this opportunity to play an active role in the meeting. Submit a presentation proposal online by September 7. 

Teaching & Learning Conference

For faculty who are interested in learning more about evidence-based practice in teaching and learning or who would like to present their scholarship of teaching and learning, see the information below on the Lily Conference.

POSTER proposal submissions for the 11th Annual Lilly Conference on College and University Teaching and Learning in Traverse City, Michigan will be closing on Monday, September 5 at 11:59 pm. 

http://lillyconferences.com/tc/proposals.shtml

The conference is Thursday, September 22 through Sunday, September 25, 2011, at the Park Place Hotel.  

Keynote speakers this year include Jennifer McCrikerd, Terry Doyle, Barbara Millis, and Todd Zakrajsek.

The conference theme is Brain-Based Learning and Teaching, and includes the following major subthemes: Engaged Learning; Promoting Social Responsibility; E-Learning; Preparing Future Faculty, and Creating Communities of Learners.

For more information about the conference: http://lillyconferences.com/tc/

Of Rights and Permissions in Academia

When "town" and "gown" meet, the partnering can be awkward with occasional missteps. In a recent article in the Chronicle, Tom Bartlett outlines a sticky disagreement between scientists at Massachusetts Institutes of Technology (MIT) and Sandia National Laboratories. MIT students received a $200,000 award for a product that was developed in collaboration with Sandia's scientists. The problem is that there was no public recognition of Sandia's contribution to the project.

When faculty work with community partners, clear, open, and consistent communication is key. Occasionally, especially in the STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) disciplines, issues arise in relation to intellectual property rights. UNF has a number of resources to help faculty take appropriate steps toward positive community partnerships.

Read the Chronicle Article:
http://chronicle.com/article/Who-Deserves-MITs-200000/128810/?sid=at&utm_source=at&utm_medium=en
Find out more information about Intellectual Property Rights:
http://www.unf.edu/research/Intellectual_Property_and_Technology_Transfer.aspx

Faculty Development Initiatives at UNF

Please see the announcement below regarding various faculty development initiatives from the Provost's Office.

The summer 2012 Faculty Development Grants applications are now available at the Academic Affairs website:  http://www.unf.edu/acadaffairs/development_grants/Faculty_Summer_Development_Grants_Program.aspx.  

The Academic Affairs Faculty Development Grants program affirms our support for faculty research, innovative pedagogy, and grant acquisition, activities essential to engendering and sustaining the richest possible educational environment for our faculty and students.  At this point our intention is to distribute awards roughly equivalent in number to those funded last year.  Academic Affairs will set aside four scholarship awards to be given to new faculty hired in either fall 2010 or fall 2011. 

Please note the Academic Affairs deadline for receipt of completed applications is Friday, October 28^th, 2011 at 5:00 pm. 

Awards will be announced by the end of fall term.

If you have any questions about the Faculty Development Grants, please email Marianne Jaffee at mjaffee@unf.edu. 

International Conference on Communication, Control, and Automation

Please see the information below regarding an international, interdisciplinary conference. Those in Computer Science, Technology, Engineering, and Social Science fields might be interested in the conference. The submission deadline is September 1, 2011.

2011 International Symposium on Computer, Communication, Control and Automation (3CA 2011) will be held in November 19-20, 2011 in Zhuhai, China.

3CA 2011 is the International Symposium on Computer, Communication, Control and Automation sponsored by 3CA International Committee. 3CA was started in 2008. The previous conferences were held in Wuhan, China (2008), Tainan, Taiwan (2010).

3CA 2011 Conference Proceedings will be published by Springer (Lecture Notes in Electrical Engineering) ISSN: 1876-1100, which will be included in Springer Link, indexed by ISI Proceedings, EI-Compendex, SCOPUS.

Paper Submission Due：September 1, 2011

The submission system is http://www.easychair.org/conferences/?conf=3ca2011

Paper format see: http://www.aphci.org/3ca/submission.htm

Contact Email: ccca2011reg@163.com

Tel: + (86) 18672982985 or 18627872331

For detailed information, please see http://www.aphci.org/3ca/index.htm

Information about Zhuhai City, please visit http://www.zhuhai.gov.cn/english/

Conflicts of Interest in Research Funding

In a recent article in the Chronicle, Paul Basken discusses the complexities associated with faculty receiving undocumented benefits from corporate partners. Although these issues have been especially problematic in the health field, it seems that the same issues might impact researchers in a variety of fields. The responsibility for addressing these conflicts of interest seems to be placed on the University. At UNF, this would fall under our Office of Research and Sponsored Programs (ORSP). ORSP has specific guidelines for UNF faculty regarding Intellectual Property Rights.

Conflicts of Interest will be a growing issue of concern over the next several years given recent cases and increased pressure on large corporate partners to demonstrate profits. Faculty who are informed and who address these issues early will prevent complications in the future.

Using Blogs for Student Independent Study Projects

A recent article in the Chronicle highlights the benefits of using blogs as a way to promote student learning. I have used blogs for student work in some of my courses, and I have found that they produce benefits beyond being able to integrate various media forms. The notion that a blog post can be viewed by the world wide web promotes a sense of importance and relevance to the students' work.

Find more benefits of and suggestions for using blogs in the linked article.

Faculty and students can sign-up for a free blog accounts at:
www.blogger.com
www.wordpress.com

Also, Blackboard provides a number of collaboration tools. The Center for Instruction & Research Technology (CIRT) provides a description of these tools on their website.
http://www.unf.edu/cirt/bb/FAQs/FAQs_-_Collaboration_Tools.aspx

A Rational Response to Plagiarism

A recent article in the Chronicle provided some helpful tips to individual instructors on how to think through and deal with plagiarism. Among the most helpful tips were:

1. Keep your priorities straight (don't make yourself the plagiarism police - you don't have time).
2. Make your policies clear (in your syllabus).
3. Don't make threats you cannot keep (do what you say you are going to do - don't overreach).
4. Make plagiarism difficult (by designing worthwhile assignments).

To see all of the recommendations, read the article online.

Funding Opportunity for Innovators and Pioneers

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) provide funding for faculty in the medical and behavioral health fields. Please see the announcement below regarding funding for Pioneers (researchers showing exceptional creativity or proposing potentially transforming ideas to address significant problems) and New Innovators (faculty within their first 10 years post degree). Deadlines are in October.

Pioneer and New Innovator Awards

NIH Director’s Pioneer and New Innovator Awards Program

NIH welcomes proposals for 2012 NIH Director's Pioneer Awards and New Innovator Awards for innovative approaches to major challenges in biomedical or behavioral research.

Pioneer Awards:
Up to $2.5 million in direct costs over 5 years
Open to scientists at any career stage.

New Innovator Awards:
Up to $1.5 million in direct costs over 5 years
For early career stage investigators (ESI), defined as those who have not received an NIH R01 or similar grant and are within 10 years of completing their terminal research degree or medical residency.

NIH expects to make at least 7 Pioneer Awards and at least 33 New Innovator Awards in summer 2012. To continue its strong record of diversity in these programs, NIH especially encourages women and members of groups that are underrepresented in NIH research to apply.

The deadline for submitting Pioneer Award applications is October 7, 2011. See the instructions in the Funding Opportunity Announcement RFA-RM-11-004 (http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/rfa-files/RFA-RM-11-004.html) and http://commonfund.nih.gov/pioneer for more information. Send questions to pioneer@nih.gov.


The deadline for submitting New Innovator Award applications is October 14, 2011. See the instructions in the Funding Opportunity Announcement RFA-RM-11-005 (http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/rfa-files/RFA-RM-11-005.html) and http://commonfund.nih.gov/newinnovator for more information. Send questions to newinnovator@nih.gov.

The NIH Common Fund encourages collaboration and supports a series of exceptionally high impact, trans-NIH programs. These programs are supported by the Common Fund, and managed by the NIH Office of the Director in partnership with the various NIH Institutes, Centers and Offices. Additional information about the NIH Common Fund can be found at http://commonfund.nih.gov.

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) –“The Nation's Medical Research Agency” – includes 27 Institutes and Centers and is a component of the U. S. Department of Health and Human Services. It is the primary federal agency for conducting and supporting basic, clinical and translational medical research, and it investigates the causes, treatments and cures for both common and rare diseases. For more information about NIH and its programs, visit http://www.nih.gov.

Research with Undergraduate Students

A recent article in the Chronicle highlights the value of undergraduate research experiences and identifies a funding source for faculty interested in participating in quality research with undergraduates.
The funding source is the REU (Research Experiences for Undergraduates) program at the National Science Foundation (NSF). Deadlines for the program occur every August.

Blackboard Workshops Provided by CIRT

Center for Instruction and Research Technology Hosts Blackboard/Elluminate Faculty Workshops

The Center for Instruction and Research Technology is hosting several workshops for faculty on Blackboard and related tools in the coming week:

• Blackboard 101 for Instructors – Evening Session: 6 to 8 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 16, Building 51, Social Sciences, Room 1201
• Blackboard 101 for Instructors: 10 a.m. to noon Thursday, Aug. 18, Building 51, Social Sciences, Room 1201
• Blackboard Grade Center: 10 to 11 a.m. Friday, Aug. 19, Building 51, Social Sciences, Room 1201
• ElluminateLive! for Instructors:* 1:30 to 4 p.m. Friday, Aug. 19, Building 51, Social Sciences, Room 1201

*One faculty member will win a Bamboo Pen Tablet. Vist our events page for full details and to R.S.V.P.

Public Engagement and the 21st Century University Conference

Please see the announcement below regarding a Public Engagement conference in Bristol, UK.

The National Co-ordinating Centre for Public Engagement is a UK based initiative which is working towards embedding public engagement in higher education.  The Centre has announced the call for proposals for their next conference:

Engage 2011: Making an Impact

Public Engagement and the 21st Century University

29-30 November 2011, Bristol

Public engagement has been a critical part of universities since their foundation. This high energy conference will provide opportunities to learn together and ensure universities continue to develop mutually beneficial partnerships with the public, bringing significant benefits to their work, their staff and their students and to society.

Call for workshops and case studies on these themes:

-      Making an impact with your research

-      Creating an engagement culture

-      Effective partnerships

-      Engaging students

The deadline is Aug 30.

Details: http://bit.ly/poQjBA

JCCI Annual Meeting in September

The Jacksonville Community Council, Inc. (JCCI) is a community think-and-do-tank. The organization invites a large spectrum of community members to join together, research, plan, and implement ideas that will improve the Jacksonville Community. The organization provides a number of opportunities for networking with community agencies and community leaders. JCCI is a great place to get involved for faculty interested in pursuing community-based scholarship, teaching, or service.

JCCI will be holding their Annual Meeting in September. Details are below.

JCCI's Annual Meeting
Friday, September 9, 2011
VIP Reception - 11:15 am
Registration Opens 11:30 am
Luncheon Program - 12:00 noon to 1:30 pm

Location: Schultz Center for Teaching & Leadership
4019 Boulevard Center Drive, Jacksonville, FL 32207

Keynote Speaker
Mayor Julián Castro
San Antonio, Texas

Individual Tickets
General Admission - $35
JCCI Members - $30

Tickets are for available for purchase online at
http://community.jcci.org/
or by contacting Demetrius at 904.396.3052.

New Google Service to Track Citations for Scholars' Publications

Measuring the impact of your work can be difficult. Sometimes your scholarly work could be cited in new and growing research areas without your knowledge. Google has launched a new tool to help you track the citations of your scholarly work through Google Scholar. A recent article in the Chronicle  by ProfHacker provides a description of the service.

Currently, Google is making the service available on a limited basis. If you would like to sign-up for the service and be first notified when it becomes available, visit Google's My Citations page.

Supporting Students in an Emergency

Last year, I served on the Emergency Management Team for a local shelter. Thankfully, the shelter was not needed, but I felt a sense of personal reward by serving on the committee. I also learned much about emergency response and management. If you are interested in making a difference in the lives of students, the opportunity below might be right for you.

A Message from the Crisis Management Team

Wednesday, August 17, 2011 at 12:00 p.m.

Building 1, J.J. Daniel Hall, President's Conference Room, Room 2800

Once again, UNF will be working with the Red Cross to adopt a local emergency shelter. This year it will be Atlantic Coast High School, located at 9735 RG Skinner Parkway. In cases of hurricanes or similar emergencies, this shelter would be used to house UNF students who are being evacuated from our residence halls. In situations such as this, the shelter would be operated by staff from the UNF student housing department. When there are no students on campus or when the disaster doesn't affect our campus, under agreement with the Red Cross, UNF would send members of our staff and faculty as volunteers to open and help operate the shelter for local community members.

Faculty and staff interested in learning more about serving as a volunteer for the shelter, are invited to an informational meeting at noon Wednesday, Aug. 17, in Building 1, Daniel Hall, President's Conference Room, Room 2800. Those who will attend should call ahead to make sure there is enough food ordered for lunch at (904) 620-2500. If you are interested in the possibility of volunteering but can't attend the meeting, call and leave your name and contact information. 

Contact: The President's Office at or (904) 620-2500

Online Seminar (Webinar) on Social Media and Gaming to Promote Student Engagement

Please see the message below from http://www.educause.edu/ regarding an online seminar related to using technology to engage students.

Summer Learning Series

With the rise of multi-player games and social networks in our popular culture, faculty and instructional designers are increasingly turning to these highly interactive and immersive environments to promote learning in new ways. As the debate continues around their potential for deeper learning and engagement, tune in on July 28 to hear how three recent grantees from Next Generation Learning Challenges are leveraging these environments to promote content mastery, collaboration, and critical thinking. In this one-hour webinar, representatives from Open Study, Carnegie Learning, and SimSchool – three pioneers in the field – will share more about their plans for scale and assessment and invite your questions and feedback for their projects as they move forward.

Topic: Gaming and Social Networks as Next Generation Learning Experiences
Speakers: David Gibson, SimSchool; Chris Sprague, OpenStudy; and David Gibson, Carnegie Learning
Date: Thursday, July 28, 2011
Time: 1:00 p.m. ET (12:00 p.m. CT, 11:00 a.m. MT, 10:00 a.m. PT)

The web seminar is free and open to all, but virtual seats are limited. Attendance is first come, first served. The session will be recorded and archived for later viewing.

How to Join

The web seminar will be hosted inside the NGLC Adobe Connect webconferencing room. To join, simply enter the URL and select "Enter as a Guest," type in your name and affiliation (e.g., John Doe, American High School), and click "Enter Room."

Once inside the room, audio will be provided through your computer speakers and presentation slides will advance on your screen. You can interact with fellow attendees and presenters using the chat feature inside the room.

Today's web seminar is free and open to all, but virtual seats are limited. Attendance is first come, first served. Each session will be recorded and archived for later viewing.

Technical Requirements

Whether you've participated in an NGLC online event before or you're joining us for the first time, please run the Adobe Acrobat Connect Connection Test before the event. View the Adobe Connect technical requirements.

Note: If you experience difficulties during the web seminar, you can listen to the audio via a toll-free conference call line at: 1-877-944-2300, access code 99290#. 

Conference on Social Sciences and Society

Below find some information about an upcoming conference on social sciences and society.

2011 International Conference on Social Sciences and Society (ICSSS 2011) will be held in October 14-15, 2011 in Shanghai, China.

Topics of interest include, but are not limited to: economics, management, sociology, education science, linguistics, art theory, political science and other humanities and social sciences.

Website: http://www.icsa-association.org/icsss/

The submission system is open.

http://www.easychair.org/conferences/?conf=icsss2011

Paper format see: http://www.icsa-association.org/icsss/ps.htm

Paper Submission Due：August 10, 2011(Extended)

Contact Email: icsss2011reg@163.com

Tel: + (86) 186 2787 2331

Call for Proposals – AAC&U’s 2012 Annual Meeting

Please see the announcement below regarding the call for proposals for the American Association of Colleges & Universities (AAC&U) annual conference. The conference will be held in Washington, DC, January 25-28, 2012. The conference submission deadline is July 18, 2011. This conference would be appropriate for faculty who have been involved in major curriculum design or in promoting student learning in the areas of solving social problems, promoting democratic involvement, and/or engaging international communities.



Call for Proposals – AAC&U’s 2012 Annual Meeting
SHARED FUTURES / DIFFICULT CHOICES
Reclaiming a Democratic Vision for College Learning, Global Engagement,
and Success
January 25-28, 2012
Washington, DC
The Association of American Colleges and Universities invites you and your colleagues to submit a proposal for our 2012 Annual Meeting—“Shared Futures / Difficult Choices:  Reclaiming a Democratic Vision for College Learning, Global Engagement, and Success.” Proposals can be submitted online through July 18, 2011. Please see this page for complete information.

AAC&U’s 2012 Annual Meeting will explore these questions and showcase examples from institutions that are successfully building upon democratic visions and practices in complex global contexts—visions and practices that are shaping institutional missions, improving undergraduate education, and challenging narrow definitions of success.

If you would like additional information about the Call for Proposals or the Annual Meeting, please e-mail hyers@aacu.org or call us at 202-387-3760.

Call for Proposals - Student Success Conference

Please see the call-for-proposals announcement below from American Association of Colleges & Universities (AAC&U). This conference would be appropriate for faculty engaged in high-impact teaching practices focused on advancing essential student learning outcomes or student success (e.g., retention). The due date for submissions is August 2, 2011.

Student Success: Pushing Boundaries, Raising Bars
March 22-24, 2012Seattle, WashingtonProposals Due August 2, 2011

Student Success: Pushing Boundaries, Raising Bars invites proposals that address work that has proven effective in advancing student success, including approaches that put achievement of essential learning outcomes for all students at the center of increased retention and graduation. Especially welcome are proposals that bring high-impact pedagogies and practices in line with big questions that prepare all students for the global, multifaceted, and scientifically challenging context in which they will live and work.
Proposals that emphasize cross-campus, multi-institution, and campus-community collaborations are encouraged. Finally, we invite proposals that describe policies and practices that support faculty innovation and leadership to strengthen students’ abilities to integrate, transfer, and apply their knowledge for the sake of their own lives and the common good.
We invite proposals on four key themes:

• Defining 21st century student success
• Designing and assessing high-impact practices
• Supporting and rewarding faculty innovation for student achievement
• Facilitating effective transitions from high school to two- and four-year colleges

Learn more about this conference and the call for proposals online.
For more information, please call 202.387.3760 or write to network@aacu.org.