University Research Council

January 19, 2012

Meeting Summary

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Department of Environmental Health and Safety

Jay Frerotte, Director of the Department of Environmental Health and Safety (EHS), discussed his department’s activities. He described EHS Programs as a set of tools to prevent contamination of cultures and/or reagents, loss of experimental integrity, personal injury, and environmental release. EHS programs establish safety controls (i.e. engineering control, personal protective equipment, and SOPs) for biohazardous material, chemical hygiene, physical hazards, lasers, and ergonomics. Mr. Frerotte also discussed recent accidents at Texas Tech and UCLA.

Committee members asked questions about:

· Undergraduate labs

· Safety officers and contact people

· Lab attire

Brainstorming Sessions

The Provost’s Office will sponsor two sessions, during which humanities and social sciences faculty members will discuss how to apply for funding in related fields. The session on humanities funding will take place on January 31, from 4:00 to 5:00, and the session on social sciences funding will take place on February 8, also from 4:00 to 5:00. Both events will take place in the University Club.

Multidisciplinary Projects

The Provost’s Office will explore three multidisciplinary topics: quantum information science, synthetic biology, and engineered materials. Teams will meet regularly to work on the projects. Each team will prepare a white paper as a plan for future research.

Miscellaneous

Council members also discussed:

· Star Metrics

· Reports to the NIH

· The new NIH salary cap

· The upcoming federal agency trip

· Open Access