Office of the Provost


GRADUATE COUNCIL

GRADUATE COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES
for the
MAY 17, 2006
Meeting

Graduate Council meetings are held monthly, August through May, in Mason Hall Room D5, from 1:30-3:00. See schedule for exact dates. All meetings are open to the general George Mason University community.

Members attending:: Peter Stearns (Chair), Linda Schwartzstein (Provost Office), JP Auffret (SOM), Peter Becker (SCS), Jamie Cooper (CAS), Joan Isenberg (CEHD), Terrence Lyons (ICAR), Daniel Menasce (IT&E),Teresa Panniers (CNHS), Catherine Rudder (SPP), Hugh Sockett (CAS), Steve White (CEHD).

Special attendees: Carl Botan, Communication, CAS; Andrew Flagel, Dean, Admissions; Kathleen Gaffney, Ph.D. Coordinator, CNHS; Timothy Gibson, Graduate Studies Director, Communication, CAS; Matt Kluger, VP for Research and Economic Development, Gary Kreps, Chair, Communication, CAS; Jean Moore, Associate Professor, CNHS; Daniel Robb, Director, Graduate Admissions; Katherine Rowan, Undergraduate Coordinator, Communication, CAS; Wendy Payton, Director, Special Projects for the Office of the Provost.

I. Call to Order

    The Provost called the meeting to order at 1:35 p.m.

II. Approval of April Minutes

    The minutes of the April 19, 2006 meeting were approved as written.

III. Announcements

    None

IV. Discussion Items

    A. Proposed Grad Council Meeting Schedule for 2006-2007:

    MEETING DATES PROPOSAL SUBMISSION DEADLINES
    August 21, 2006* July 31, 2006
    September 20, 2006 August 29, 2006
    October 18, 2006 September 26, 2006
    November 15, 2006 October 24, 2006
    December 13, 2006 November 21, 2006
    January 17, 2007 January 2, 2007
    February 21, 2007 January 30, 2007
    March 21, 2007 or ** February 27, 2007
    March 19, 2007* February 26, 2007
    April 18, 2007 March 27, 2007
    May 16, 2007 April 24, 2007
    * Monday
    ** Tentative BOV meeting: Grad Council will meet March 19


    B. Proposed Course: Responsible Conduct of Research (continued) (Matt Kluger)

    Matt Kluger discussed changes made to the original proposal for a new course, to be offered under the umbrella of the Office of the Provost, as a one credit course for graduate students.

    Responsible Conduct of Research


    This course will expose graduate students to a broad array of topics that students in a variety of research disciplines will encounter as they go through their research phase of their education and beyond. Some of the topics may on the surface appear to be irrelevant to graduate students (e.g., “financial management of grants and contracts,” or “intellectual property”). Yet, a student may find him- or herself with a grant or fellowship or a participant in a discovery that has significant intellectual property, and it is important that students understand their roles and responsibilities under those circumstances. Furthermore, the students will learn the academic offices available to assist them in handling issues relating to the complex issues relating to becoming responsible members of the research community.

    Course Number: UNIV 998 (will allow students to have it count towards their 998 requirement). 1 Credit, 14 lecture hours (once per week)
    Team taught
    Course Director: Matt Kluger

    Examples of Potential Topics (and possible lecturers):

      Data acquisition, management, sharing, and ownership (1 hour)– Kluger or Legal Office
      Lecture Description: Accepted practices for acquiring and maintaining research data. Proper methods for record keeping and electronic data collection and storage in scientific research. Includes defining what constitutes data; keeping data notebooks or electronic files; data privacy and confidentiality; data selection, retention, sharing, ownership, and analysis; data as legal documents and intellectual property, including copyright laws.

      Conflict of interest & commitment (1 hour) – Kluger or Legal Office
      Lecture Description: The definition of conflicts of interest and how to handle conflicts of interest. Types of conflicts encountered by researchers and institutions. Includes topics such as conflicts associated with collaborators, publication, financial conflicts, obligations to other constituencies, and other types of conflicts.

      Mentor/trainee relationships (1 hour) – Kluger
      Lecture Description: The responsibilities of mentors and trainees in pre-doctoral and post-doctoral research programs. Includes the role of a mentor, responsibilities of a mentor, conflicts between mentor and trainee, collaboration and competition, selection of a mentor, and abusing the mentor/trainee relationship.

      Collaborative science/scholarship (1 hour) – Kluger
      Lecture Description: Research collaborations and issues that may arise from such collaborations. Includes topics such as setting ground rules early in the collaboration, avoiding authorship disputes, and the sharing of materials and information with internal and external collaborating scientists.

      Publication practices and responsible authorship (1 hour) – Kluger (or volunteer from faculty)
      Lecture Description: The purpose and importance of scientific publication, and the responsibilities of the authors. Includes topics such as collaborative work and assigning appropriate credit, acknowledgments, appropriate citations, repetitive publications, fragmentary publication, sufficient description of methods, corrections and retractions, conventions for deciding upon authors, author responsibilities, and the pressure to publish.

      Peer review – (1 hour) Kluger (or volunteer from faculty)
      Lecture Description: The purpose of peer review in determining merit for research funding and publications. Includes topics such as, the definition of peer review, impartiality, how peer review works, editorial boards and ad hoc reviewers, responsibilities of the reviewers, privileged information and confidentiality.

      Human subjects in research (1 hour) – Sandy Sanford

      Lecture Description: Issues important in conducting research involving human subjects. Includes topics such as the definition of human subjects research, ethical principles for conducting human subjects research, informed consent, confidentiality and privacy of data and patient records, risks and benefits, preparation of a research protocol, institutional review boards, adherence to study protocol, proper conduct of the study, and special protections for targeted populations, e.g., children, minorities, and the elderly.

      Research involving animals (1 hour) – Sandy Sanford (or Kluger or volunteer from IACUC)
      Lecture Description: Issues important to conducting research involving animals. Includes topics such as definition of research involving animals, ethical principles for conducting research on animals, Federal regulations governing animal research, institutional animal care and use committees, and treatment of animals.

      Research misconduct – (2 hours) Kluger
      Lecture Description: The meaning of research misconduct and the regulations, policies, and guidelines that govern research misconduct in PHS-funded institutions. Includes topics such as fabrication, falsification, and plagiarism; error vs. intentional misconduct; institutional misconduct policies; identifying misconduct; procedures for reporting misconduct; protection of whistleblowers; and outcomes of investigations, including institutional and Federal actions.

      Biosafety and chemical safety – (1 hour) Julie Zobel (or member of her staff)
      Lecture Description: Biosafety and chemical safety regulations, guidelines, and Mason’s policies that govern research using laboratory chemicals and biological materials. Includes topics such as biosafety levels; material procurement, storage, and disposal; emergency response; and project approval.

      Radiation Safety – (1 hour) Julie Zobel or Diann Steadman
      Lecture Description: Radiation safety federal regulations and Mason’s policies that govern research using sources of ionizing radiation. Includes topics such as basic radiation principles; procurement, storage, and disposal of radioactive materials; project approval; x-ray producing devices; emergency response; and medical surveillance.

      Financial Management of Grants & Contracts – (1 hour) Ann McGuigan
      Lecture Description: Financial issues and responsibilities associated with conducting research with externally sponsored funding, particularly with federally funded projects. Discussion will include requirements established by the Federal Circulars A-21 and A-110, as well as agency policies; cost principles; PI effort reporting; concepts of allowability and allocability, allowable costs, financial reports including cost sharing reporting requirements; and the audit process.

      Intellectual Property – (1 hour) Jennifer Murphy
      Lecture Description: Issues of the creation, protection, and dissemination of new ideas and inventions are highly complex. Within the context of students’ responsibilities to other students, faculty, the university and the community, this lecture and discussion will cover the ownership of intellectual property created as a result of research including data, copyrights and inventions, what strings might be attached to the use and disposition of new intellectual property, and responsible ways of handling intellectual property.

      Grading:
      Satisfactory/no credit.
      I anticipate that the grade will be dependent on attendance, participation in class and on the results of performance on a short paper on ethics.

      Optional for graduate students. Will be assessed after first year or two to determine whether course should become required for doctoral students.

      After some discussion by members of the Council a motion was made and seconded to approve the proposed new course Responsible Conduct of Research (UNIV 998) (Please see VI. New Business, Proposal from the Office of the Provost below.)

    C. Procedure for Withdrawing From a Program (continued) (Jamie Cooper)

    After some discussion, a motion was made and seconded to approve the following form:

V. Old Business

    None

VI.New Business

 

VII. Adjournment
    The meeting was adjourned at 2:15 p.m.

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