Center for Advancing Faculty Excellence
Research and Sponsored Programs Workshop Series
Join us for an exciting series on research and sponsored programs. Workshop session descriptions and information are below. Please contact cafe@tntech.edu with questions.
Including Undergraduates in Research
January 24, 2025 | 10 AM - 1 PM
Dr. Dan VandenBerge
Join us for a session on including undergraduate students in your research.
Writing to the Call, Proposal Reviews, and Panel Service
January 31, 2025 | 12 PM
Take your proposal from good to excellent! This session explores best practices for submitting winning proposals, incorporating feedback from panel reviews, and leveling up your grant writing through panel service.
High Powered Computing (HPC) and Artificial Intelligence (AI)
February 8, 2025 | 8 AM-4 PM
Sponsored by the College of Engineering
Interested in using high-powered computing or artificial intelligence in your research? Join us for this 1-day workshop to connect and collaborate with other faculty using these tools. Learn about Tech’s HPC facilities and get started using state-of-the-art AI in your own research.
Managing Multiple Research Projects
February 28, 2025
- » Research Project Management 101
Research Project Management 101
10:30 AM
Rory Roberts, Mechanical EngineeringHow many projects is too many projects? Hear a first-hand account of research success and project management strategies (and challenges). Learn about the stages of planning, initiating, executing, and monitoring a project, and explore project management tools from Gantt charts to additional personnel.
- » Building a Research Team, Leadership Skills, and Personnel Management
Building a Research Team: Leadership Skills and Personnel Management
11:30 AM
Thomas Timmerman, Decision Sciences & ManagementHow do you build and sustain a successful research team? Explore critical leadership skills needed to recruit and retain talented students, work with collaborators and staff members, and ensure that everyone on your team feels valued and supported to conduct cutting-edge funded research.
- » Networking Lunch
Networking Lunch
12:15 PM
- » Discussion Panel: Tips for Managing Multiple Awards
Discussion Panel: Tips for Managing Multiple Awards
1:00 PM
Tania Datta, Civil Engineering; Muhammad Ismail, Computer Science; Darek Potter, STEM Center; Amy Chambers, MathematicsHear from panelists who’ve successfully managed multiple sponsored projects and worked with a variety of colleagues within and beyond academia. Learn which strategies worked best as well as which strategies to avoid for project management success. Questions welcome!
Research Strategies for Social Impact and Economic Development
April 4, 2025
- » Rural Reimagined and the Tennessee Research Landscape
Rural Reimagined and the Tennessee Research Landscape
10:30 AM
Michael Aikens, Research & Economic DevelopmentHow can local and regional partnerships be leveraged to support research activity in Tennessee? Learn about the history of economic development activities in Tennessee and how such activities benefit local communities. Explore the current and future research landscape in the southeastern U.S. and discover emerging partnerships across diverse disciplines for inspiration in forming your own.
- » Legislative Support for Research & Industry
Legislative Support for Research & Industry
11:30 AM
Terry Saltsman, Legislative LiaisonLearn how the Governor’s budget impacts Tennessee research and how legislative funding from the state and federal level is used to advance science and technology. This session will focus on the history of legislative support for research in Tennessee, how fiscal support is allocated, and the many ways critical research topics are identified by policymakers.
- » Networking Lunch
Networking Lunch
12:15 PM
- » Discussion Panel: Changing the World through Research and Creative Activity
Discussion Panel: Changing the World through Research and Creative Activity
1:00 PM
Colin Hill, School of Music; Kevin Liska, College of Business and iCube; Kimberly Winkle, School of Art, Craft, and Design and Appalachian Center for Craft; Melissa Geist and Jennifer Mabry, School of Nursing and Directors of ESTAR Sanos – Be HealthyHow does our research change the world? Celebrate the diversity of scholarly and creative activities that happen through Tennessee Tech-community partnerships. Hear from panelists who’ve worked hard to establish connections with local and international communities where their expertise makes a positive impact. Be inspired and identify ways that your work could do the same. Questions welcome!
Previous Events Fall 2024
Getting Started with Research Grants
September 20, 2024
Join us to discover the research infrastructure at Tennessee Tech that can assist you in applying for and securing external research funding. Sessions will cover the essentials of the grant cycle, introduce key proposal terminology, and explain the pre-award grant process, as well as hear from current faculty regarding their experiences as a New PI. Discover the research infrastructure at Tennessee Tech that can assist you in applying for and securing external research funding. Learn more about each session below.
- Introduction to the Proposal Process
Introduction to the Proposal Process
Mark Lynam, Research & Economic DevelopmentThis session will summarize the grant cycle, introduce proposal terminology, and describe the pre-award grant process. Learn about research infrastructure available at Tennessee Tech to help you apply for and secure external research funding.
- Grant Activation, Grant Management, and Compliance
Grant Activation, Grant Management, and Compliance
Gail Ligon, Business Office; Neal Hunt, Research & Economic DevelopmentYou got a grant! Now what? This session introduces the policies and procedures that govern grant spending. Build your vocabulary to understand index numbers, annual reports, import/export controls and the important rules (written and unwritten) of federal, state, local, and industry-funded research expenditures.
- Discussion Panel: Lessons Learned as a New PI
Discussion Panel: Lessons Learned as a New PI
Victoria Ayres, Agriculture; Gourab Bhattacharya, Earth Sciences; Kyle Murphy, Chemistry; Susmit Shannigrahi, Computer ScienceHear from tenure-track faculty who’ve successfully navigated the funding landscape to secure research grants. What challenges did they face? What approach worked best? Questions welcome!
Identifying Funding Opportunities
October 25, 2024
Mark Lynam, Research & Economic Development; Allen MacKenzie, College of Engineering
How do researchers find funding? Master the tools available at Tennessee Tech to monitor and identify sponsored programs that match your area of expertise.
Best Practices for Research Grant Budgets
November 1, 2024
Join for the second part of our research series and learn the best practices for creating and managing your research budget. In our first session, you'll learn to create a straightforward budget using good-faith estimates. Dive deeper in our second session, where we tackle complex budgeting scenarios. Gain insights into handling subawards, navigating contract negotiations, managing budget revisions, and more. Plus, hear from experienced budget bookkeepers on best practices and common pitfalls in research budget management. Learn more about each session below.
- Introduction to Budget Basics in Streamlyne
Introduction to Budget Basics in Streamlyne
Neal Hunt, Research & Economic DevelopmentLearn to use good faith estimates to create a simple budget in Streamlyne. This discussion will cover basic grant budget items, from indirect costs to cost sharing to subawards. Learn to build a budget during the proposal process that makes grant management easy when the project is awarded!
- Complex Budget Showcase
Complex Budget Showcase
Mark Lynam, Research & Economic Development; Kelly Kiger, Research & Economic DevelopmentYou mastered proposal budget basics. But, what about complicated budgets? Explore a series of complex budgets in this session to learn tips and tricks for subawards, contract negotiations, budget revisions, and other budget challenges that come up during the full grant cycle.
- Discussion Panel: Working with a Bookkeeper
Discussion Panel: Working with a Bookkeeper
Jill DeBord, Research & Economic Development; Sara Howard, Cybersecurity Education Research & Outreach Center; Karin Kopinski-Gilbert, Water Cente; and Shanae Tyree, Center for Energy Systems ResearchHear from budget bookkeepers about best practices and biggest pitfalls in managing a research budget. Explore the role of a budget bookkeeper to assist you with grant expenditures and review your fiscal responsibilities as Principal Investigator. Questions welcome!
