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    U.Va. Board Questions Level of Federal Research Dollars: Bikes

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    michaelwellesshapiro
    The University of Virginia's Board of Visitors is concerned about the growing gap in federal research funding between UVA and its peer institutions like UNC-Chapel Hill, Cornell, and UC Berkeley. While UVA is very effective at leveraging state and local funds into federal grants, it is not receiving as much federal research money as its competitors. Board members want UVA administration to find ways to increase federal research dollars, as schools like UNC have seen steep increases since 2008. Some reasons suggested for UVA's lower funding are its focus on more basic science versus clinical research and not having enough faculty pursuing National Institutes of Health grants.

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    U.Va. Board Questions Level of Federal Research Dollars: Bikes

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    michaelwellesshapiro
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    The University of Virginia's Board of Visitors is concerned about the growing gap in federal research funding between UVA and its peer institutions like UNC-Chapel Hill, Cornell, and UC Berkeley. While UVA is very effective at leveraging state and local funds into federal grants, it is not receiving as much federal research money as its competitors. Board members want UVA administration to find ways to increase federal research dollars, as schools like UNC have seen steep increases since 2008. Some reasons suggested for UVA's lower funding are its focus on more basic science versus clinical research and not having enough faculty pursuing National Institutes of Health grants.

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    The University of Virginia's Board of Visitors is concerned about the growing gap in federal research funding between UVA and its peer institutions like UNC-Chapel Hill, Cornell, and UC Berkeley. While UVA is very effective at leveraging state and local funds into federal grants, it is not receiving as much federal research money as its competitors. Board members want UVA administration to find ways to increase federal research dollars, as schools like UNC have seen steep increases since 2008. Some reasons suggested for UVA's lower funding are its focus on more basic science versus clinical research and not having enough faculty pursuing National Institutes of Health grants.

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    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
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    34 views1 page

    U.Va. Board Questions Level of Federal Research Dollars: Bikes

    Uploaded by

    michaelwellesshapiro
    The University of Virginia's Board of Visitors is concerned about the growing gap in federal research funding between UVA and its peer institutions like UNC-Chapel Hill, Cornell, and UC Berkeley. While UVA is very effective at leveraging state and local funds into federal grants, it is not receiving as much federal research money as its competitors. Board members want UVA administration to find ways to increase federal research dollars, as schools like UNC have seen steep increases since 2008. Some reasons suggested for UVA's lower funding are its focus on more basic science versus clinical research and not having enough faculty pursuing National Institutes of Health grants.

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    of 1

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    DAILY PRESS Tuesday, September 25, 2012

    LOCAL
    EDUCATION

    NEWS

    U.Va. board questions level of federal research dollars


    By Ted Strong
    The (Charlottesville) Daily Progress

    WARNING

    Do not te xt while op erating a mo ving vehicle. P lease nd a sa fe place to stop b efore tweeting .

    The University of Virginias competitors have seen a sharp increase in federal research funding since 2008. U.Va. hasnt, and the schools Board of Visitors is worried. Administrators at U.Va. say the university is the best in its class at turning state and local funding into federal grants, but it simply doesnt have enough money to get the big returns other schools are seeing. U.Va. is at the top of its peer group in terms of leveraging local and state funding for federal money: For every $1 of research funding it receives from state and local sources, it pulls in $8.7 of federal support, wrote Thomas C. Skalak, vice president for research, in an email. The national average is closer to $3.1 of federal money for every $1 of local and state money, according to Skalak. Yes, we believe that there is a deep reservoir of U.Va. faculty capability

    that could be further leveraged by additional state and local investments into research, with the same kind of returns, he wrote. It is a great opportunity for high-impact state investment and for philanthropic support. The issue of research funding came up during the summers leadership crisis, and at a recent board meeting, members honed in on the gap between U.Va. and competitors such as the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Cornell University and the University of California, Berkeley. Against our peer institutions, theres a massive increase between 2008 and 2010 and we dont have it, said board member Timothy B. Robertson Board adviser Bill Goodwin said the university needs to bring in more dollars. I think the administration and the Board of Visitors have to lead an effort with the assumption that we do need to do something different than what

    were doing, he said. Sometimes we all tend to sort of not think we need to change. U.Va. has lagged the schools for years, but the gap has been widening sharply since 2008. They are all on a very steep upward trajectory, said board member Dr. Edward D. Miller. Is it we dont have enough people doing (National Institutes of Health)-type work? I dont know the answer to it, but for the last five years its a very flat curve. At the same meeting, Miller noted that NIH research (a large piece of the universitys overall federal research portfolio) is closely related to the reputation score schools receive in the U.S. News & World Report rankings. The dean of the U.Va. School of Medicine, Dr. Steven T. DeKosky, said U.Va.s research efforts are canted toward basic-science research and away from translational research, where NIH is putting much of its money.

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    ADRIN SNIDER/DAILY PRESS PHOTOS

    Bikes transit the same roadways as vehicles inside the shipyard gates in Newport News. The bikes, with no hand-brakes or gears, are meant to withstand the shipyards web of railroad tracks.

    Bikes
    Continued from 1
    assigned and theres good things about having them assigned because our people take care of their bikes, he said. Bike-share programs have sprouted up in cities like Washington (1,670 bikes), Denver (520 bikes) and Boston (600 bikes). Bikes are typically checked out using a credit card from docking stations spread out through a city. We know how (bike-shares) work, and theyve started doing them more in the U.S., Fallon said. Were just trying to figure out if that really works in an industrial environment. That bumpy waterfront terrain means the shipyard buys bikes that are simple and sturdy. Theyre durable and they have a wider tire than the slick 10-speed racing bikes, said Dave Byrum, a manager in the maintenance department whose employees get called upon to work in all corners of the yard. Byrum said the Spartan bikes, with no hand-brakes or gears, are meant to withstand the shipyards tough riding environment 2.5 miles of riverfront and a web of railroad tracks. Chief among the safety lessons taught to new bike riders at the yard is how to get over tracks without spilling. We try to make sure employees are crossing the tracks in a perpendicular movement so the front cant get hung up and flip you over the handle bars, Byrum said. And believe me, thats happened to me, too. Gary Wilson, a maintenance electrician who has used a bicycle to get around the yard for 22 years, put it more succinctly. You definitely have to worry about the railroad tracks or youll find yourself lying down, Wilson said. Pitfalls aside, he said riding a bike can be a fun way to get around. On a day like today, its like a day at the beach, he said on a recent breezy, sunny morning. Theres also a business case for bikes. A bicycle is efficient, according to Byrum and Fallon. A 20-minute walk from the north end of the yard to the south end can be done in 10 minutes on a bike. For an employee who might have to assess a task, go to another location to grab a tool or piece of material and then return, the travel time adds up. The bikes have baskets, so workers can haul tools or material. Byrum called the bikes an essential tool in his department: A lot of employees come here and work in a shop and they typically stay in that shop, but on the maintenance side youre transient quite frequently and

    A shipyard worker blurs past the USS Kearsarge.

    By the numbers
    Bikes at the shipyard: 6,000+ Employees: 21,000+ Employee-to-bike ratio: 3.5 Vehicles at the shipyard: 400 Bikes used in Washington, D.C.s bike-share program: 1,670

    you may work two, three or four jobs during a day. A bicycle at the yard can last up to 15 years, according to Warren Doyle, general foreman in charge of the bike fleet. With that kind of longevity, they vary in terms of brand, color and amount of rust. The shipyard contracts out its bike

    repairs to the tune of about $150,000 a year, Doyle said, adding we repair on the order of 1,000 bikes a year. About 800 a year of those are flat tires, but then you get basket, chain, chain guard, fender (repairs). Occasionally, a bike will show up needing a repair after it has been customized by its owner. Were dealing with shipbuilders, and shipbuilders know how to work with steel, so youll see bicycles with their handle bars up here, he said, mimicking the big U handle shape popularized by custom motorcycle TV shows. Any modification to the frame and its scrapped, Doyle said, containing a chuckle. You can paint it, you can put tape on it, but no structural modifications.

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