{"id":40197,"date":"2021-10-26T01:23:06","date_gmt":"2021-10-26T05:23:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/research.uga.edu\/news\/?p=40197"},"modified":"2022-02-03T10:32:19","modified_gmt":"2022-02-03T15:32:19","slug":"team-science-uga-builds-support-for-effective-teams","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/research.uga.edu\/news\/team-science-uga-builds-support-for-effective-teams\/","title":{"rendered":"Team Science: UGA builds support for effective teams"},"content":{"rendered":"

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text el_class=”text-container first-paragraph”]Two years ago, UGA scientist Mark Tompkins<\/a> decided to submit an independent proposal for an influenza virus research contract to the National Institutes of Health. He\u2019d been a sub-awardee with Emory University on an earlier contract, but putting together his own team and proposal seemed daunting.<\/p>\n

Fortunately for Tompkins, UGA was ramping up exactly the kind of support he needed. After several months of intense preparation, funds awarded from UGA\u2019s Teaming for Interdisciplinary Research Pre-Seed Program<\/a> allowed him to put together a one-day, in-person meeting in January 2020\u2014with four members traveling from out of town\u2014that helped the team\u2019s plan take shape.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat was really a key thing that helped us solidify the research components of the proposal,\u201d said Tompkins, professor of infectious diseases in the College of Veterinary Medicine<\/a>. \u201cWe were able to structure the research components of the grant and identify gaps that needed to be filled. We fleshed out the idea there.\u201d<\/p>\n

The help Tompkins received is just one example of the support network UGA is building for faculty as they seek funding for projects that will take the university\u2019s research\u2014and its impact\u2014beyond the borders of campus to the state, nation and world. That effort is led by Larry Hornak<\/a>, associate vice president for research, integrative team initiatives<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cEnabling our faculty teams to realize their visions is how we can change the world, and these types of projects are how we do it,\u201d he said. \u201cWe\u2019re trying to give faculty the support and professional development they need to organize and execute these high-impact projects, whether that\u2019s in 21st-century infrastructure, infectious disease, precision agriculture, marine sciences or what have you.\u201d<\/p>\n

The university\u2019s efforts, which run the gamut from pre-seed grants to team science workshops to hiring off-campus experts to review large proposals, are paying off.<\/p>\n

Tompkins\u2019 proposal to establish the Center for Influenza Disease and Emergence Research<\/a> was funded by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, part of NIH. The CIDER contract provides $1 million in first-year funding and is expected to be supported for seven years\u2014and up to approximately $92 million\u2014as he works to increase understanding of influenza virus emergence and infection in humans and animals.[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_single_image image=”40209″ img_size=”full” add_caption=”yes” el_class=”container”][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text el_class=”text-container”]<\/p>\n

Cultivating team leaders<\/h2>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s always been my dream to have a long-term observatory in the Gulf of Mexico,\u201d said Samantha Joye<\/a>, Regents\u2019 Professor and Athletic Association Professor of Arts and Sciences in marine sciences, part of the Franklin College of Arts and Sciences<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"University
Marine scientist Samantha Joye participated in the Leading Large Integrative Research Teams (L2-IRT) workshop series to enhance her leadership skills. (Photo by Andrew Davis Tucker)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cWe\u2019d go out four to six times a year and really be able to see how processes and communities are changing hand in hand and how that propagates up the food web. That\u2019s a powerful approach that can be translated and used in other parts of the ocean, because that\u2019s what we\u2019re going to need to really understand how oceanic systems are responding to climate change.\u201d<\/p>\n

That kind of project requires expertise in a variety of fields, which means seeking collaborators from institutions all over the world and forming an effective team with them. Team science best practices\u2014including those that go beyond the academic world\u2014are key. The university, keeping its land-grant mission in mind, wants to lead the way in solving hard problems that don\u2019t fall into neat disciplinary or organizational bins.<\/p>\n

\u201cTo truly create meaningful impact that changes people\u2019s lives through our externally funded research requires teams that include public and private sector partners,\u201d Hornak said, \u201cso we can make innovations accessible to those who need them.\u201d<\/p>\n

These kinds of integrative teams are what sponsoring agencies look for.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey want proposals that create the bridge to impact,\u201d he said. \u201cThey\u2019re looking to plant the seeds of sustained impact, not just in the literature and research, but in other areas like economics, environment, education, diversity, equity, inclusion and more.\u201d<\/p>\n

With help from Hornak and the team in the Office of Proposal Enhancement<\/a>, Joye was able to put together her dream proposal.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey suggested changes\u2014large and small\u2014that substantially improved the structure, quality and cohesion of the proposal,\u201d she said. \u201cAnd Larry\u2019s insight was a game changer for us.\u201d<\/p>\n

Joye\u2019s proposal to the National Science Foundation includes more than 30 researchers at a dozen institutions in the U.S. and abroad\u2014the kind of team that presents logistical challenges and requires predetermined leadership strategies. So she participated in another of Hornak\u2019s initiatives, the Leading Large Integrative Research Teams<\/a>, or L2-IRT, workshop series led by Dorothy Carter<\/a>, who researches leadership and large-scale collaboration.<\/p>\n

\"University
Psychologist Dorothy Carter leads the L2-IRT workshop series, which helps faculty hone their leadership and management skills so they can lead teams on a larger scale. (Photo by Jason Thrasher)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cAs a faculty member, you get into something based on the intellectual questions,\u201d said Carter, associate professor of psychology in the Franklin College. \u201cThen you find out that on top of that you need to be an accountant, a sales person, a web designer and a social media person, and you also need to learn management and leadership skills on a bigger and bigger scale over time.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hornak has sat on panels to select these kinds of proposals before. When they\u2019re rejected, sometimes it\u2019s not because the science is not important or because the research questions are not interesting. It\u2019s because the proposal didn\u2019t demonstrate that the team was going to be able to execute the project.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat is something you can demonstrate in the management plan,\u201d Carter said. \u201cWe can demonstrate that we have people who understand how teams work and how organizational structures need to look to get the work done.\u201d<\/p>\n

In its second year, the L2-IRT program is continuing to help faculty envision their dream projects, but also emphasizing hands-on opportunities. Participants can emerge from the workshop series with a proposal-ready document that addresses management structures.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s almost like a charter that everyone signs onto so that everyone knows how to move forward together,\u201d Carter said.[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_section css=”.vc_custom_1634745286639{margin-bottom: -35px !important;background-color: #e4ddc7 !important;}” el_class=”fw-polygon”][vc_row equal_height=”yes” bg_type=”bg_color”][vc_column width=”1\/2″ css=”.vc_custom_1567710326062{margin-top: 0px !important;margin-bottom: 0px !important;border-bottom-width: 0px !important;padding-top: 0px !important;}” el_class=”polygon-wrapper”][vc_raw_html el_class=”polygon” css=”.vc_custom_1634668167097{background-image: url(https:\/\/research.uga.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/19\/2021\/10\/Li-Charlie.jpg?id=40202) !important;}”]JTNDJTIxLS1sZWF2ZSUyMHRoaXMlMjBlbXB0eS0tJTNF[\/vc_raw_html][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”1\/2″ el_class=”polygon-content”][vc_column_text el_class=”testimonial”]\u201cThey reviewed our proposal and gave us critiques, and we were able to significantly improve our proposal based on their feedback. I think that is very, very helpful.\u201d<\/strong><\/em>[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text el_class=”credit”]<\/p>\n

\u2013 Changying \u201cCharlie\u201d Li, professor, College of Engineering<\/p>\n

[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][\/vc_section][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text el_class=”container image-caption”]Photo by Amy Ware[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text el_class=”text-container”]<\/p>\n

Facilitating collaboration<\/h2>\n

In a recently published paper on marine parasites and disease, UGA ecologist Jeb Byers<\/a> did something unusual\u2014he discussed a conversation he had with Al Camus<\/a>, a colleague in the university\u2019s College of Veterinary Medicine.<\/p>\n

\u201cAn ecologist would say there are only a few dozen diseases that are problematic in the ocean. Al said, \u2018I teach nearly 1,000 fish diseases.\u2019 The disconnect is because we\u2019re defining things differently, and we\u2019re looking for different levels of evidence,\u201d said Byers, professor in the Odum School of Ecology<\/a>. \u201cIt was eye opening. His perspective on the topic really turned my head around.\u201d<\/p>\n

This kind of broadened perspective is a hallmark of the Presidential Interdisciplinary Seed Grant program<\/a>, another tool in the integrative team initiatives toolbox that\u2019s designed to encourage interdisciplinary collaboration and support teams as they collect preliminary data for a larger grant proposal.<\/p>\n

For the second round of grants offered, more than 70 faculty teams submitted research proposals, and seven teams were selected to receive research awards from the $1 million available for the program. The third round of grants will be supported by $1.5 million made available by President Jere W. Morehead. Award announcements are expected by the end of fall semester.<\/p>\n

Byers\u2019 team was awarded funding during the second round.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve pulled together a group of people that work in very different areas. Each of these people brings a different perspective and different toolbox,\u201d Byers said of his team. \u201cThat\u2019s been one of the most intellectually engaging parts of this project.\u201d[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row css=”.vc_custom_1634668620807{background-color: #e4ddc7 !important;}”][vc_column][vc_column_text el_class=”text-container-wide” css=”.vc_custom_1634668848089{padding-bottom: 30px !important;}”]<\/p>\n

Want help getting funded? Here\u2019s where to start<\/h2>\n

[\/vc_column_text][vc_row_inner el_class=”text-container-wide”][vc_column_inner width=”1\/5″][vc_single_image image=”40199″ img_size=”full” onclick=”custom_link” link=”https:\/\/research.uga.edu\/team-pre-seeds\/about\/”][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n

TIR Pre-Seed Program<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

Provides $500 grants per faculty member to facilitate the formation of interdisciplinary teams around critical areas of expertise or emerging research topics.<\/p>\n

[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1\/5″][vc_single_image image=”40201″ img_size=”full” onclick=”custom_link” link=”https:\/\/research.uga.edu\/iga\/2021-presidential-interdisciplinary-seed-grant-program\/”][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n

Presidential Interdisciplinary Seed Grants<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

Once teams are established, the program provides grants of $50,000 to $150,000 to develop a team\u2019s idea and collect data for a larger proposal.<\/p>\n

[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1\/5″][vc_single_image image=”40207″ img_size=”full” onclick=”custom_link” link=”https:\/\/research.uga.edu\/integrative-teams\/leading-large-integrative-research-teams\/”][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n

Team Science Workshops<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

A series that helps faculty with a track record of interdisciplinary research to take the next step and lead large, integrative research teams.<\/p>\n

[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1\/5″][vc_single_image image=”40205″ img_size=”full” onclick=”custom_link” link=”https:\/\/research.uga.edu\/strategic-research-development\/”][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n

Proposal Enhancement<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

Provides technical and skilled support to faculty across campus who are developing research proposals for external funding.<\/p>\n

[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1\/5″][vc_single_image image=”40208″ img_size=”full” onclick=”custom_link” link=”https:\/\/research.uga.edu\/iga\/awards\/#1620918000266-f2261983-3abb”][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n

Team Impact Award<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

Recognizes a team for excellence in innovative and impactful scholarship with the potential to fundamentally advance knowledge, understanding and\/or applications.<\/p>\n

[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column_inner][\/vc_row_inner][vc_empty_space][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text el_class=”text-container”]Fred Quinn<\/a> is leading a project that explores influenza-tuberculosis co-infection and factors including vaccination and immune response.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen I was getting my Ph.D., the mantra was that you would work by yourself or with your laboratory on one project for your entire career,\u201d said Quinn, Athletic Association Professor of Infectious Diseases in the College of Veterinary Medicine. \u201cI don\u2019t find that particularly fun. Our collaborators have been a blast to work with.\u201d<\/p>\n

For a team led by Brian Bledsoe<\/a>, Athletic Association Distinguished Professor in Resilient Infrastructure in the College of Engineering<\/a>, the seed grant contributed to the development of a $56 million proposal to the National Science Foundation to establish an Engineering Research Center. In developing the proposal, Bledsoe collaborated with numerous stakeholders, including eight different universities and more than a dozen private-sector groups.<\/p>\n

Quinn finds value in this kind of broad approach\u2014and so do funding agencies, he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cI really do enjoy spreading our wings and getting other people interacting, and that\u2019s what most funding agencies want,\u201d he said. \u201cThey want collaborations, not just within an institution but across institutions.\u201d<\/p>\n

Soliciting expert input<\/h2>\n

\u00a0<\/strong>The word \u201cproject\u201d is not quite big enough to encompass Bledsoe\u2019s proposal for the Sustainably Engineered Riverine-Coastal Systems Engineering Research Center. The vision is to build something that will have a long-term benefit for society, something that he hopes will last beyond his time.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s not one of those projects where it\u2019s got a tidy end date,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s trying to do something transformational and essentially change how we approach infrastructure. We want to create infrastructure that\u2019s resilient in the face of climate change and deliver more benefits and services to society, including disadvantaged and rural communities that often don\u2019t get as much attention.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"University
Engineer Brian Bledsoe\u2019s proposal to NSF benefitted from Red Team reviews, conducted by outside experts, at the pre- and full proposal stage. (Photo by Dorothy Kozlowski)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

His vision builds on the work done at the Institute for Resilient Infrastructure Systems<\/a>, which he has directed since it was founded five years ago. Bledsoe also participated in the L2-IRT program, creating a team charter that established ground rules in the culture of inclusion, diversity and transparency that he\u2019s seeking to create.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt takes a lot of time to get to the point where you\u2019ve got a shared vision and are ready to move into action,\u201d he said. \u201cYou\u2019ve got to learn the vocabulary of other disciplines. And we\u2019re all thinking about different scales. Is it local, regional or national? And we\u2019re thinking about different time scales too. The geologist is thinking about what happened over the last several thousand years, the economists might be thinking about what\u2019s happening next month or next year, and the engineers are focusing on the next 20 or 30 years. We\u2019re trying to meet across all these different scales with all our jargon and different tools in the toolbox.\u201d<\/p>\n

While Carter helps team leaders articulate their vision, Jake Maas facilitates input from independent experts who can assess a proposal\u2019s chances for success. These are known as Red Team reviews.<\/p>\n

\u201cThese are people who\u2019ve been program officers at NSF or have successfully managed large centers of the type that we\u2019re applying for,\u201d said Maas, director of proposal enhancement. \u201cThat\u2019s been a very successful process. It galvanizes the team. It helps everyone on our side to take it seriously because it\u2019s going to be reviewed by people whose opinion they care about, and it takes place early enough that there\u2019s time to address their comments and suggestions.\u201d<\/p>\n

Bledsoe\u2019s proposal benefitted from Red Team reviews at the pre- and full proposal stages, he said.<\/p>\n

\"University
Hornak encourages faculty members to first establish their vision and then develop their larger network of collaboration. (Photo by Jason Thrasher)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cLarry and Jake, they helped us identify Red Team reviewers who had really deep experience and knowledge of both the subject matter and how these centers work, and what NSF was really going to focus on,\u201d Bledsoe said. \u201cThat was invaluable, and we took their advice to heart.\u201d<\/p>\n

Another researcher from the College of Engineering, Changying \u201cCharlie\u201d Li<\/a>, submitted a large team proposal to NSF to apply artificial intelligence to agricultural challenges at different scales, from individual plants and animals to watersheds and markets. The proposal included 40 investigators from different disciplines (engineering, computer science, plant pathology, poultry science, agricultural economics, social science, agronomy) and 10 institutions around the nation. His proposal also went through a Red Team review.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey invited three highly qualified reviewers,\u201d said Li, professor of electrical and computer engineering. \u201cThey reviewed our proposal and gave us critiques, and we were able to significantly improve our proposal based on their feedback. I think that is very, very helpful.\u201d<\/p>\n

He also received a pre-seed grant.<\/p>\n

\u201cSupport from the institution for large grants is very important. The team science workshops, the pre-seed grant, the presidential seed grants\u2014those are critical to putting together competitive proposals,\u201d Li said. \u201cIndividual faculty members cannot succeed if they work alone on these large, complex grants. We need the institutional support.\u201d[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_single_image image=”40204″ img_size=”full” add_caption=”yes” el_class=”text-container”][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text el_class=”text-container”]<\/p>\n

Building a vision<\/h2>\n

In September, NSF announced that it was funding a proposal for a new center devoted to the ocean\u2019s microscopic world. UGA\u2019s Mary Ann Moran<\/a> will serve as co-director and research coordinator.<\/p>\n

\"University
Marine scientist Mary Ann Moran will serve as co-director and research coordinator for the Center for Chemical Currencies of a Microbial Planet, funded by NSF. (Photo by Andrew Davis Tucker)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cWe can\u2019t actually watch what ocean microbes are doing because of their extremely small size, yet they are literally driving the major carbon and nutrient cycles that keep the planet alive,\u201d said\u00a0Moran, Regents\u2019 Professor in marine sciences in the Franklin College. \u201cBetter understanding of this network of microbes and chemicals will improve our ability to predict the way the ocean works, now and in the future.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Center for Chemical Currencies of a Microbial Planet, or C-CoMP, is funded for $25 million over five years, with an option for five more. It\u2019s a quintessential example of team science that includes researchers based at UGA plus 11 other universities and institutions around the country. UGA\u2019s Art Edison<\/a>, GRA Eminent Scholar in the\u00a0Complex Carbohydrate Research Center<\/a>, and Erin Dolan<\/a>, professor of biochemistry and molecular biology, Georgia Athletic Association Professor of Innovative Science Education, will serve as senior researchers for\u00a0C-CoMP.<\/p>\n

Team projects will be an invaluable part of UGA\u2019s research portfolio moving forward, according to Karen Burg<\/a>, vice president for research.<\/p>\n

\u201cUGA scientists are committed to tackling\u2014and solving\u2014the world\u2019s toughest problems,\u201d she said. \u201cTeam projects allow us to leverage our strengths and combine them with others\u2019 for maximum impact. We know our researchers bring great technical expertise to a collaborative initiative; our goal is to ensure they also have the unique skills needed to lead and be valuable contributing members of widely diverse teams.\u201d<\/p>\n

And success with these kinds of proposal doesn\u2019t happen overnight, according to Hornak. It requires a strategic approach\u2014one that his network of support can help with.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat we\u2019re really stressing with the teams is to establish what your vision is and how you\u2019re going to work well together. Then develop the larger network of collaboration that you\u2019re going to need to make an impact,\u201d he said. \u201cIf you do those things, that will align with what the programs are looking for. You won\u2019t just be reacting to a solicitation\u2014you\u2019ll already be aligned with what you know funding agencies are trying to achieve. You\u2019ll be not only ahead of the curve, but helping to define it.\u201d[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row]<\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

UGA is building a support network that will enable faculty to organize and execute high-impact projects that will take the university\u2019s research\u2014and its impact\u2014beyond the borders of campus to the state, nation and world.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":121,"featured_media":40206,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"feature-single.php","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[323],"tags":[],"post_medium":[691,314],"publications":[],"authors":[345],"photographers":[439,402,441,404,442],"video_credit":[],"takeaways":[],"class_list":["post-40197","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-campus-news","post_medium-feature","post_medium-read","authors-allyson-mann","photographers-amy-ware","photographers-andrew-davis-tucker","photographers-dorothy-kozlowski","photographers-jason-thrasher","photographers-peter-frey","entry"],"acf":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/research.uga.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/40197","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/research.uga.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/research.uga.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/research.uga.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/121"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/research.uga.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=40197"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/research.uga.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/40197\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/research.uga.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/40206"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/research.uga.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=40197"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/research.uga.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=40197"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/research.uga.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=40197"},{"taxonomy":"post_medium","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/research.uga.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/post_medium?post=40197"},{"taxonomy":"publications","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/research.uga.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/publications?post=40197"},{"taxonomy":"authors","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/research.uga.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/authors?post=40197"},{"taxonomy":"photographers","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/research.uga.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/photographers?post=40197"},{"taxonomy":"video_credit","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/research.uga.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/video_credit?post=40197"},{"taxonomy":"takeaways","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/research.uga.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/takeaways?post=40197"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}