OVERVIEW of LSA Joint IT-Research
Committee charge…
Peggy Westrick, LSA Dean’s Office
Research Process Senior Manager
January 5, 2011
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Committee Membership
Myron Campbell,
Committee Chair and Associate Dean, Natural Science Division
Ann Smith,
Astronomy Key Ad
Christopher Brenner,
LSA IT Security Manager
Douglas Cox,
Chemistry IT Manager
Eric Pinaud,
Physics IT Manager
Jane Johnson,
English Key Ad
Karen Pachla,
LSA IT Research Systems Group Manager
Kyle Brown-Kwaiser,
Bio Station IT Manager
Nancy Brack Herlocher,
Economics and Linguistics IT Manager
Sandra Staneff,
Political Science Key Ad
Peggy Westrick,
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LSA Dean’s Office Research Administration
Charge to Committee
 This Committee will develop policies and best practices so
that units can implement business processes to ensure that
the College is compliant with UM and Sponsor rules for
purchase, management, use, and security of computing
resources including hardware, software, and data. The
Committee will act as a sounding board for new issues that
arise. The Committee will identify and disseminate through
the College’s Research and IT Website the policies and
resources available to the IT and Research community.
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Things that our Committee has had
to address so far…
 University Audit findings
 NSF Data Management Plan (DMP) requirement
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University Audit Findings
The audit focused on systems managed by Researchers or
designees (not IT professionals). These systems are referred
to as “unmanaged” machines. The objective of the audit was
to evaluate risk related to:
 Computer Security
 Data Management
 System Configuration
 System Administration practices and controls
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Mandatory NSF Data Management Plan
The Feds also are interested in how we are managing data and
have asked us to tell them our plan. They are interested in:
 Data, samples, other materials produced with their funds.
 Standards to be used that are discipline specific.
 Methods and policies for providing access and enabling
sharing.
 Provisions for re-use, re-distribution, and the production of
derivatives.
 Methods for archiving and preserving access to data and
materials.
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LSA Joint IT-Research Committee
Remember our Charge:
 The Committee will develop policies and best practices so
that units can implement business processes to ensure that
the College is compliant with UM and Sponsor rules
for purchase, management, use, and security of computing
resources including hardware, software, and data.
 The Committee will act as a sounding board for new
issues that arise.
 The Committee will identify and disseminate through
the College’s Research and IT Website the policies and
resources available to the IT and Research community.
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Dealing with Data Management Plans
Both the UA findings and the NSF Mandatory requirement for a DMP are in keeping with the Charge to the
LSA Joint IT-Research Committee. We have been handed a golden opportunity to collect information
from our faculty. So you might be asking yourself:
What is the College doing to provide direction (in order to lower risk and provide faculty
support)?

Collecting information on specific needs of faculty through the collection of data management plans.

Providing a website for accessing policies and resources

Developing training
 Whose role is it to ensure minimum risk and sponsor compliance anyway?

Department Research Administrators will get the DMP to the IT staff

IT Professionals will need to work closely with their faculty to help ensure that the DMP is followed
 How to be ready?

Read DMP that faculty are submitting to sponsor—if it is problematic solve the problem before the
award comes in.

LSA Joint IT-Research Committee will continue to develop training and resources for departmental
staff.

Work with your faculty to be partners in the process.

Learn all you can about what is available.

Department IT staff learn about standards that are discipline specific and ask for help if needed.

If you don’t have department IT staff work with CSG.
 Don’t try to hold up proposals if the DMP isn’t perfect—we can’t stop proposals from meeting deadlines.
We are the compliance experts. We are the resource. We have an opportunity to provide leadership.
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