Year: 2018

Sponsored Program Guidance during the Partial Federal Government Shutdown

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Updated: 12/27/2018 with additional agency specific guidance and information.

Effective Saturday, December 22nd at 12:00am, appropriations for fiscal year 2019 for approximately 25% of the federal government expired. Agencies who have full appropriations and are not currently impacted by the partial shutdown include Veterans Affairs, Department of Defense and Department of Health and Human Services (including NIH). Agencies that are impacted by the partial shutdown include the National Science Foundation, Department of Agriculture, Department of the Interior, Department of Transportation, Department of State, Department of Justice and NASA.

Interim guidance for agencies impacted by the partial shutdown is provided below. Additional guidance will be provided if the shutdown persists. If you have specific questions about a proposal or award, please contact Sponsored Program Services.

Proposals

  • If the electronic system for submission is operating, the proposal should be submitted by the deadline in the solicitation in accordance with standard practice.
  • If the electronic system for submission is not operational or offline, the proposal will not be submitted until further guidance is received from the federal sponsor. To be safe, SPS recommends that you prepare your proposal for submission as best you can by the published deadline, even if it cannot be submitted.
  • Currently Grants.gov and FastLane (NSF submissions) are available and operational.

Award Management

  • Current funded awards may continue regular activities and incur normal expenses (exception: NSF payment systems are not operational – contingency plans will need to be further discussed if the shutdown persists longer than a couple weeks).
  • Contact SPS prior to charging any major or capital expenses.
  • UConn may not receive new awards during the shutdown.
  • Sponsor required prior approval requests (i.e. No Cost Extension requests) may not be approved during the shutdown.
  • Please contact SPS with specific questions about your award.

Agency Specific Guidance during the Shutdown

 

NSF

https://www.nsf.gov/shutdown/grantees.jsp

  • No new funding opportunities will be issued.
  • FastLane and Research.gov are available for most functions but NSF will not process proposals or prior approval requests until normal operations resume.
  • Annual and final project reports should be submitted by the due date however they will not be processed and continuing grant increments will not be issued.
  • No new grants or cooperative agreements will be awarded.
  • No prior approvals and no payments will be made during the shutdown.

 

Additional Agency Specific Guidance and Information

UPDATE: Partial Federal Government Shutdown, 12/27/18

NASA

If your grant or cooperative agreement requires access to a NASA facility or participation from NASA personnel in order to perform the instrument’s stated research objectives, the guidance in paragraph (a) below is applicable. If your grant or cooperative agreement does not require access to a NASA facility or participation of NASA personnel in order to perform the instrument’s stated research objectives, the guidance in paragraph (b) below is applicable.

  1. To the extent the grant or cooperative agreement includes work performed on-site at a NASA facility, the NASA facility will not be available for the performance of such work beginning on December 26, 2018. You are instructed to commence an orderly shut-down of your onsite operations and you are to preserve resources and take all actions necessary to minimize costs incurred under the subject grant or cooperative agreement during this Government shutdown. This includes notifying your employees immediately of this orderly shutdown. Contact Sponsored Program Services immediately if this applies to your award. 
  2. Since your grant or cooperative agreement does not require access to a NASA installation, access to NASA IT resources and data, or participation of NASA personnel in order to perform the instrument’s stated research objectives, you are to continue to perform research under your grant or cooperative agreement as long you have available funding. Special Condition 1260.53 Incremental Funding (for awards subject to 14 CFR Part 1260) or Term and Condition 1800.921 Incremental Funding (for awards subject to 2 CFR Part 1800) of your grant or cooperative agreement specifies the total amount of funding that has been allotted to your grant or cooperative agreement. You are also reminded the Agency is not obligated to reimburse your institution for the expenditure of amounts in excess of the total funds allotted to this grant or cooperative agreement. Your institution is not authorized to continue performance beyond that period covered by the allotted funding and is cautioned to closely manage all available funding, as additional funding will not be provided while the Agency is without appropriations. Any research performed during this time period should be carefully planned, taking into account that NASA technical and administrative personnel will not be available to support these activities during the Government shutdown. Expenses and work should not exceed the funding and time of the award even if additional funding and time is expected. Contact Sponsored Program Services if you have additional questions.

 

National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH)

NEH is currently shut down. We expect that grant proposals may still be submitted via Grants.gov but per their website, NEH will not update information, process transactions or respond to inquiries until funding is resumed. We also do not expect NEH to issue awards during this period.

 

Department of Commerce

The Department of Commerce includes the following bureaus which are all impacted by the partial shutdown (UConn Storrs and Regional Campuses has funding from agencies that are listed in bold):

Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA)
Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS)
U.S. Census Bureau
Economic Development Administration (EDA)
Economics and Statistics Administration (ESA)
International Trade Administration (ITA)
Minority Business Development Agency (MBDA)
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)
National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA)
National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST)
U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO)

The following services and activities will not be available during a lapse except to the extent funded by other than current annual appropriations:

  • Most research activities at NIST and NOAA (excluding real-time regular models on research computers used for hurricane and FAA flight planning)
  • Assistance and support to recipients of grant funding
  • Technical oversight of non-mission essential contracts
  • Services and activities provided by:
    • Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA)
    • Economic Development Administration (EDA)
    • Economics and Statistics Administration (ESA)
    • Minority Business Development Agency (MBDA)
    • U.S. Census Bureau with the exception of the support of the Decennial Census, which remains funded and activities funded by other agencies and non-Federal entities through reimbursable agreements.
  • Most services and activities provided by the International Trade Administration (ITA)

Additionally, electronic systems utilized by the Department of may not be functional (Grants Online which supports EDA and NOAA is not currently functioning).

 

National Endowment for the Arts (NEA)

NEA is currently shut down. We expect that grant proposals may still be submitted via Grants.gov but per their website, NEH will not post messages or respond. We also do not expect NEH to issue awards during this period.

 

Department of Transportation

No cooperative agreements, contracts, purchase orders, travel authorizations, or other documents obligating funds will be executed by the Federal Railroad Administration and Federal Transit Administration.

 

USDA – NIFA

NIFA program activities will be suspended during a shutdown. The scope of the activities includes all NIFA extramural funding programs supporting research, education, extension or a combination of two or more of these functions. This includes agency activities associated with competitively awarded, noncompetitive Federal financial assistance payments, capacity and infrastructure, endowment, and all other NIFA grant programs.

 

Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)

As a general rule, recipients of funded grants and cooperative agreements can continue work on their projects during any EPA shutdown. Grant recipients currently approved to utilize the Automated Standard Application Payment (ASAP) system may make drawdowns of authorized obligated levels during a shutdown. With the exception of grant recipients using ASAP, in the case of government shutdown no payment processing will be available for cost reimbursable or recipients with special award terms and conditions requiring EPA approval prior to payment disbursement (either by paper check, drawdown, or by ACT payment outside to the ASAP system). EPA staff will not be available to make payments until the shutdown ends. Recipients must stop work if they reach a point at which they require EPA involvement or approval.

Interim Director of Research Compliance Services

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Dear Colleagues,

Ms. Karen Moré, who currently serves as the Executive Program Director in support of the IACUC in the Office of the Vice President for Research for UConn’s Storrs and Regional Campuses, has agreed to serve as the Interim Director of Research Compliance Services (RCS).

As Interim Director, Karen will direct the day-to-day operations of RCS and provide leadership on University-wide programs and services for the research and teaching community. She will serve as a liaison to faculty, staff, students, and University leadership regarding matters related to research compliance issues.

For the past 8 years, Karen has managed the IACUC at UConn and has been an invaluable resource for faculty, students, and staff. Since joining the University in 1999, Karen has been an integral part of UConn’s program for the humane care and use of animals in research and teaching, and has been crucial to the University’s efforts to achieve and maintain AAALAC accreditation.

Karen brings extensive experience, expertise, and a history of collaboration and engagement with colleagues to this appointment. Please join me in thanking her for her continued service to UConn’s research community, and in congratulating her on this new position.
Regards,

Wesley G. Byerly, Pharm.D.
Associate Vice President

Office of the Vice President for Research
Research Integrity and Regulatory Affairs
University of Connecticut and UConn Health
263 FARMINGTON AVENUE, MC 1524
FARMINGTON, CT 06030
860.679.2230 Administrative Assistant
860.422.3978 Mobile Phone

OVPR Quarterly Reports

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Dear Colleagues,

Now that data have been finalized, I would like to provide you with several reports relating to sponsored program activity—both research and education/service—managed by Sponsored Program Services within the Office of the Vice President for Research at UConn and UConn Health. Please visit the OVPR website to view the following reports:

  • List of Proposals Submitted: FY18 4th Quarter
  • List of Awards Received: FY18 4th Quarter
  • Proposals, Awards, Expenditures: FY14-FY18Q4

In the reports, data are presented in two ways: by the PI’s Academic Home Department and by the Managing Department or Center/Institute. Please refer to the first pages of the reports for definitions and information regarding the data. Should you have any questions regarding these quarterly reports, please do not hesitate to contact me.

Please note that we have included an additional Summary of Sponsored Program Activity, which includes the Effective F&A rate on awards. This information provides a snapshot of our activity as compared to the same period last year.

The OVPR continues to seek creative solutions that allow UConn and UConn Health to grow our research enterprise through federal funding, industry partnerships, and collaboration with foundations. I am confident we can continue upward trends by continuing to work together, aggressively applying for extramural funding, and pursuing new channels of support for the tremendous research, scholarship, and creative activities taking place every day at UConn and UConn Health.

Thank you for your continued commitment and contribution to our students, to your research and scholarship, and to UConn/UConn Health.

Sincerely,
Radenka

 

NIH Asks for Your Feedback on a Future Draft Data Management and Sharing Policy

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The Office of the Vice President for Research would like to share some information regarding data sharing with researchers who may be affected.

 

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) issued a Request for Information (RFI) seeking feedback on proposed key provisions to help inform the development of a draft NIH policy for data management and sharing. Submit your comments to NIH by December 10, 2018. Additional information can be found in this NIH blog post, and questions about the proposed provisions may be sent to the NIH Office of Science Policy at SciencePolicy@od.nih.gov

 

NIH will also be hosting a webinar on the proposed key provisions on November 7, 2018, from 11:30 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. ET.

 

For questions, please contact Research Compliance Monitor, Ellen Ciesielski at 860.679.6004.

 

Are You Liable for ClinicalTrials.gov Civil Money Penalties?

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The Office of the Vice President for Research would like to share some information regarding ClinicalTrials.gov with researchers who may be affected.

 

On September 18, 2018, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced a draft guidance titled Civil Money Penalties relating to the Clinical Trials.gov Data Bank. The guidance addresses how the FDA Centers (Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, and Center for Devices and Radiological Health, for drug, biological, and device products, respectively) identify whether parties have failed to submit required clinical trial registrations, results, or certifications, or knowingly submitted false or misleading information.

The guidance explains that when a responsible party has potentially failed to comply with its disclosure obligations, the FDA will send a Preliminary Notice of Noncompliance Letter, and allow the responsible party 30 days to make corrections. If the FDA determines that the responsible party has still failed to comply, the FDA may issue a Notice of Noncompliance, assess civil monetary penalties, or seek an injunction and/or criminal prosecution. The statutory maximum for civil penalties is “not more than $10,000 for all violations adjudicated in a single proceeding,” plus “not more than $10,000 for each day that the violation continues” past the 30-day notification period.

The deadline to submit your comments to the FDA on this draft is November 20, 2018.

 

  • To check if your trial meets the criteria for ClinicalTrials.gov registration and results posting set forth by the FDA, review this checklist. Applicable clinical trials include those evaluating at least one drug, biological, or device product regulated by the FDA.

 

  • If your NIH-funded study involves human subjects, review this checklist to see if it meets the NIH’s broad definition of a clinical trial and will require registration and results posting. NIH defines a clinical trial as a research study in which one or more human subjects are prospectively assigned to one or more interventions (which may include placebo or other control) to evaluate the effects of those interventions on health-related biomedical or behavioral outcomes.

 

For questions about ClinicalTrials.gov, please contact Research Compliance Monitor, Ellen Ciesielski at 860.679.6004.

 

 

 

Will NIH require you to register your basic science research in ClinicalTrials.gov?

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The Office of the Vice President for Research would like to share some information regarding ClinicalTrials.gov with researchers who may be affected.

 

NIH has released a Request for Information (RFI), Registration and Results Reporting Standards for Prospective Basic Science Studies Involving Human Participants. This RFI seeks input from the scientific research community and the general public regarding how best to implement the NIH Policy on the Dissemination of NIH-Funded Clinical Trial Information (NOT-OD-16-149) for prospective basic science studies involving human participants. NIH is specifically interested in learning more about studies that meet the NIH definition of a clinical trial (NOT-OD-15-015) but are not defined as applicable clinical trials (42 CFR Part 11), and also meet the definition of fundamental research. You can submit your comments to NIH by November 12, 2018.

 

For questions about ClinicalTrials.gov, please contact Research Compliance Monitor, Ellen Ciesielski at 860.679.6004.

 

Innovation Partnership Building Officially Open

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A view of the Innovation Partnership Building onAug. 6, 2018. (Peter Morenus/UConn Photo)

UConn is home to some of the most active and innovative researchers in the world. Across all of the University’s campuses, scholars, artists, and scientists are working on projects that will help our state, society, economy, and the world.

That global commitment was demonstrated at a ribbon-cutting ceremony for UConn’s Innovation Partnership Building (IPB) on Discovery Drive in Storrs September 20, 2018.

UConn President Susan Herbst, U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal, U.S. Rep. Joe Courtney, various state legislators, and faculty, staff, and students took part in the morning event.

To read more and see photos from the event, visit UConn Today.

New OVPR Website

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The Office of the Vice President for Research is pleased to present a new and improved website. The new site is still home to all of the important information you need to take care of the day-to-day of your research projects, just in a prettier package. There is some new information as well, including:

  • Cross Campus Collaboration resource page
  • Training page related to all types of research-related trainings

Please note that the OVPR’s new sites for information pertaining to Storrs, the regional campuses, and UConn Health have new URLs. If you have bookmarked pages, you will need to update to the new URLs.

If you are having trouble locating something you need, please don’t hesitate to contact the relevant service unit. Visit the OVPR Contacts page to find the office or OVPR team you need.

Exec. Director, Innovation, External Engagement & Industry Relations

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Dear Colleagues,

I am pleased to announce that Dr. Mark Aindow will serve as Executive Director for Innovation, External Engagement, and Industry Relations beginning this coming fall. In addition to introducing Dr. Aindow, I would like to take this opportunity to thank the search committee and the other members of the university community who assisted during the search process.

In this role, Dr. Aindow will serve as a catalyst for new interactions between faculty, potential commercial partners, and other research organizations to support and articulate UConn’s technology innovation and research capacity. He is tasked with identifying and promoting initiatives that provide growth opportunities for applied research through technology transfer and industry partnerships. We will also look to Dr. Aindow to develop large-scale interdisciplinary, center-level initiatives, and proposals involving multiple researchers, and to coordinate with the OVPR and Government Relations to keep state agencies and congressional offices informed as appropriate, as we seek to gain support for new federal initiatives that align with UConn’s strategic priorities.

Dr. Aindow brings with him 27 years of experience in collaborative, interdisciplinary research with industry, academic, and other partners. He understands that in order for UConn to expand our research funding portfolio, it is essential that we look beyond the boundaries of traditional opportunities and that we increase outreach in emerging areas of strength for the University.

Dr. Aindow’s research, which is often interdisciplinary and invariably includes an industrial partner or sponsor, involves the study of microstructural development in engineering materials using, primarily, electron microscopy techniques. These projects include work with companies like GE Energy, Thermo Fisher Scientific (formerly FEI), and UTC Aerospace Systems, and all are associated with broader industry partnerships with UConn including: the GE/UConn partnership, the UConn/FEI Center for Advanced Microscopy and Materials Analysis (CAMMA), and the UConn/UTAS Center for Advanced Materials.

Dr. Aindow received a BEng in Metallurgy and Materials Science in 1985 and a PhD in Materials Science and Engineering in 1988 from the University of Liverpool. He joined the faculty at the University of Connecticut in 1999 and is currently a Professor of Materials Science and Engineering (MSE). While at UConn, Dr. Aindow served as Director of the MSE Program from 2006-2009 and as Associate Director for the Institute of Materials Science from 2013-2017. He has published over 350 peer-reviewed papers in journals and conference proceedings, and has graduated 29 PhDs.

We are thrilled to have someone with Dr. Aindow’s extensive experience as both an internationally recognized scientist and collaborator to lead these efforts. Please join me in congratulating Dr. Aindow on his new role!

 

Sincerely,

Dr. Radenka Maric
Vice President for Research
UConn/UConn Health

ResearchMatch Training

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ResearchMatch.org is a national online recruitment tool, funded by the National Institutes of Health and maintained at Vanderbilt University. ResearchMatch connects researchers with individuals interested in participating in research studies, through its secure, online matching tool. There is no cost to UConn researchers to use ResearchMatch.

To learn more about using ResearchMatch for your studies, register for the free ResearchMatch Researcher Webinar Training/Live Demo on Thursday, July 12, 2018 from 3:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. The training is open to all research staff. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email with instructions on joining the training.

The team at ResearchMatch will show you how to register your studies, create a cohort of potential volunteers and send out contact messages and surveys. They will also cover how to send a pre-screening (eligibility) survey, contact the volunteers that replied ‘yes’ to your initial message, and manage your enrollment continuum.

To register for the training, click here:

https://attendee.gototraining.com/r/9112903382698216193

For additional information, contact Ellen Ciesielski at eciesielski@uchc.edu or 860.679.6004.

Revised & New University-Wide Research Policies

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The Office of the Vice President for Research (OVPR) Research Compliance Services would like to share some important updates regarding university policies for animal use, human subjects, and stem cell research. These policies were revised to be consistent with federal requirements and are now in effect for all campuses, including UConn Health.  A new university-wide policy to address FDA, NIH, and CMS requirements for registration of applicable trials to ClinicalTrials.gov has also been published.

 

Please see links to published policies below.

 

ClinicalTrials.gov: https://policy.uconn.edu/?p=7310

Animal Use in Research, Teaching and Testing: https://policy.uconn.edu/?p=113

Human Stem Cell Research Approval: https://policy.uconn.edu/?p=2453

Human Subjects Research: https://policy.uconn.edu/?p=406

 

For additional information, contact Ellen Ciesielski at eciesielski@uchc.edu or 860.679.6004.

Attending Veterinarian and Director of Animal Care Services

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Dear Colleagues,

I am pleased to announce that following a national search, we have selected Dr. Curtis Schondelmeyer, DVM, DACLAM to serve as Attending Veterinarian and Director of Animal Care Services for UConn’s Storrs and regional campuses, effective June 22, 2018. I would like to take this opportunity to thank the search committee and other members of the university community who assisted in conducting the search, met with candidates, and provided feedback.

I would also like to thank Attending Veterinarian and Director of the Center for Comparative Medicine at UConn Health, Dr. Ramaswamy (Ramy) Chidambaram, DVM, PhD, DACLAM. During the national search, Ramy served as Attending Vet for UConn Health as well as Storrs/regionals, which allowed programs at all campuses to be maintained and for research to continue uninterrupted. Ramy will return to his prior roles as AV and Director of CCM at UConn Health upon Curtis’ arrival. Thank you, Ramy!

In his role as institutional attending veterinarian, Curtis will have oversight and direction of all animal facilities at the Storrs and regional campuses; maintain a veterinary care program that ensures compliance with federal, state, and local regulations, laws, policies, accreditation agency standards, and guidelines for the ethical care and use of animals; develop and maintain a collaborative relationship with faculty, staff, and students; and lead the administrative, management, technical, and operational functions of ACS.

Prior to UConn, Curtis served as Senior Scientist and Veterinarian at Biogen, a multinational biotechnology company based in Cambridge, Massachusetts, specializing in the discovery, development, and delivery of therapies for the treatment of neurodegenerative, hematologic, and autoimmune diseases to patients worldwide. He also has extensive previous experience working in an academic setting and held various positions in animal care services at Delaware Valley University, Emory University School of Medicine and The Yerkes National Primate Research Center, and Harvard Medical School’s Center for Animal Resources and Comparative Medicine. He earned his BS in Small Animal Science from Delaware Valley University in 2001, his Doctorate of Veterinary Medicine from Ohio State University College of Veterinary Medicine in 2004, and held a postdoctoral appointment at Emory University School of Medicine and The Yerkes National Primate Research Center beginning in 2006. He is also a Certified Professional in IACUC Administration (CPIA) and a Diplomate, American College of Laboratory Animal Medicine.

Curtis brings extensive experience, expertise, and a history of collaboration and engagement with colleagues from the private sector and academia to this appointment. Please join me in welcoming him to UConn and congratulating him on this new position.

 

Sincerely,
Radenka Maric

NE Underwater Research, Technology & Education Center Closure

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UConn’s Northeast Underwater Research, Technology and Education Center Closes

Exploration and Research that Made a Difference

 

The University of Connecticut’s Northeast Underwater Research, Technology and Education Center (NURTEC) officially closed on December 31, 2017 after 34 years of activities across the global ocean and large lakes of the world.  Reduced funding and retirement of key personnel necessitated this action.  The Center was established at UConn in 1983 with funding from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) National Undersea Research Program (NURP) and began fieldwork with research submersibles, remotely operated vehicles (ROVs) and advanced wet diving technologies in 1984.  Over the next three decades the Center compiled a remarkable record of scientific accomplishment, technological advancement, and operational safety along with developing unique education and outreach programs.  Using the scientific results generated by this work, the Center also influenced ocean policy and management.  A brief retrospective of the Center recognizes that it was guided both by the mandates and mission of NOAA, focused on conservation and sustainable use of ocean and large lake resources and by the spirit of innovation and exploration that runs deep at UConn.

For the first 25 years NURTEC operated as one of six regional National Undersea Research Centers (NURC’s), soliciting, reviewing and funding undersea research projects that required placing scientists directly, or virtually, underwater.  After federal budget priorities shifted and NURP was eliminated, NURTEC operated as a University cost center for 11 more years, based on a diversity of grants and contracts.  Over time, the Center used 9 different occupied submersibles, ten different remotely operated vehicles, and multiple approaches for wet diving systems including surface supplied, mixed gas and rebreather technologies.  The Center’s annual request for proposals was based upon NOAA’s national and related regional research priorities and was distributed to over 2,500 scientists across the nation.  Over this period the Center brought in over $43 million of federal funds that supported 246 peer-reviewed undersea research and education projects.  While research was focused primarily off the northeast and U.S. Great Lakes, projects also spanned the globe including Antarctica and U.S. Arctic waters, South China Sea, Eastern Tropical Pacific, African Rift Valley Lakes, Lake Baikal in Russia, Gulf of California, Mediterranean, Red Sea, and the northeast Atlantic off Portugal.  Scientists supported by the Center produced 213 peer reviewed publications with data collected from over 8,750 dives.

Location of NURTEC supported dives

Staff scientists at the Center and those supported at other institutions, often working with NOAA partners, made direct contributions to improve management and conservation of ocean resources.  Center scientists took results from their underwater studies to State governments, regional Fishery Management Councils, the U.S. Congress, the United Nations, and even the White House.  Some notable examples include the use of research results to significantly influence the development of essential fish habitat and deep sea coral provisions in national fisheries legislation, implementation of fisheries closed areas off the northeast US to enhance sustainable fisheries, identification of management plan alternatives for National Marine Sanctuaries, development of measures to protect vulnerable ecosystems on the high seas through the United Nations, and designation of the first Marine National Monument in the U.S. North Atlantic by President Obama. Such research also aided decisions about Long Island Sound in regards to assessing impacts of a proposed liquid natural gas terminal and impacts of the disposal of harbor dredge material on seafloor habitats.

Studies with other partners focused on the use of underwater technologies to explore our nation’s rich maritime history.  ROVs were used to identify and survey the remains of the steamship Portland, a sidewheel passenger steamer that sank in 1898 in a surprise storm with loss of 192 lives including crew and passengers.  Called the “Titanic of the Gulf of Maine,” the exploration was featured on Discovery’s Science Channel. Thirty-five additional shipwrecks were surveyed while working with NOAA’s National Marine Sanctuary program, four of which have been provided additional protection by placement on the National Register of Historic Places.  Further, the Center surveyed the wreck of the Lightship LV-51 that sank at the mouth of the Connecticut River, resulting in its being designated as Connecticut’s second submerged heritage site.

Since its inception the Center played a leading role in developing underwater sampling tools to meet the needs of sponsored researchers working on a variety of diving technologies.  In 1987 the Center initiated its remotely operated vehicle (ROV) program with the purchase of the first commercially available low-cost vehicle, the MiniRover, capable of diving to 1,000 feet and collecting samples using a simple manipulator arm. Over the next thirty years the Center acquired, operated and upgraded a number of ROVs to better serve the research community, culminating with the development of the 1,000-meter Kraken2 (K2). The K2 is widely recognized as one of the most capable and affordable “science class” ROV’s in the country and conducted a wide range of missions in support of ocean science and infrastructure.  Over the past decade the K2 has provided subsea maintenance to help keep the NSF Ocean Observatories Initiative’s Pioneer Array, located on the continental shelf south of Martha’s Vineyard, operational; recovered NOAA’s $500K HabCam towed imaging system that was lost on the wreck of the Bow Mariner; supported numerous projects focused on deep sea corals in the Gulf of Maine, Atlantic seaboard, Gulf of Mexico and National Marine Sanctuaries off the coasts of Oregon and California; and surveyed over 65 nautical miles of subsea cables for the U.S. Navy operating from the Research Vessel Connecticut.

Recovering the K2 ROV onto the RV Connecticut following a dive in the Gulf of Maine

Ocean science education was an enduring mission of the Center with a focus on the unique contribution that underwater technologies make to the advancement of science and the engagement of students and teachers.  The High School Aquanaut Program, conducted over the course of 20 years, engaged students and teachers in hands-on field science using submersibles, remotely operated vehicles and acoustic technologies.  The NSF-funded Classroom of the Sea program developed innovative ocean science education approaches for deaf and hard of hearing students.  Most recently, the Center led one of the 14 Centers for Ocean Sciences Education Excellence (COSEE) funded by the NSF – COSEE-TEK – Technology and Engineering for Knowledge that utilized ocean science and technology to provide professional development for high school teachers, and engage and expose students to ocean sciences and engineering career opportunities, including dozens of undergraduate students from the New England Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation.

While NURTEC has ceased to operate, the legacy of excellence and innovation will continue within the Department of Marine Sciences.  Former Center Director Ivar Babb is now a Research Scientist within the Department with a focus on science education and the broader impacts of ocean research.  Research Professor Emeritus and former NURTEC Science Director Peter Auster, who has had a faculty appointment with the Department since 2002, continues his studies on the ecology and conservation of marine fishes, human impacts on the sea, and the use of marine protected areas as conservation tools.  The Underwater Vehicles Laboratory and ROV operations, led by Kevin Joy, will now be directed by the Department’s marine operations program.