Sign up for the UofSC – Clemson COVID Challenge by tomorrow, Friday, May 15
UofSC and Clemson faculty are working together to create a summer 2020 opportunity for undergraduate students in all disciplines, known as the UofSC – Clemson COVID Challenge. This program is a summer virtual research and design opportunity for teams of undergraduates to work on problems related to the current COVID-19 situation and applicable to future possible pandemics. Teams of students will work remotely with mentors to identify problems and propose ideas and solutions. The challenge is currently recruiting faculty mentors and undergraduate student researchers. Sign up by tomorrow, Friday, May 15.
CDC issues Interim Laboratory Biosafety Guidelines for Handling Specimens Associated with COVID-19
Until more information becomes available, precautions should be taken in handling specimens that are suspected or confirmed for SARS-CoV-2. Timely communication among clinical and laboratory staff is essential to minimize the risk incurred in handling specimens from patients with possible SARS-CoV-2 infection. Such specimens should be labeled accordingly, and the laboratory should be alerted to ensure proper specimen handling. To expand upon these basic precautions and provide researchers with more comprehensive safe-handling guidance, the CDC has issued general and specific biosafety guidelines for handling SARS-CoV-2 specimens.
FBI and CISA warn of COVID-19 research cybersecurity risk
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the federal Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) issued a public service announcement to raise awareness of the threat to COVID-19-related research. The FBI is investigating the targeting and compromise of U.S. organizations conducting COVID-19-related research by cyber actors and non-traditional collectors affiliated with China. These actors have been observed attempting to identify and illicitly obtain valuable intellectual property and public health data related to vaccines, treatments, and testing from networks and personnel affiliated with COVID-19-related research. The potential theft of this information jeopardizes the delivery of secure, effective, and efficient treatment options. Learn more from the FBI website.
Strategic Plan Feedback on research
With input from the UofSC community, eight Priority Teams appointed by President Caslen have developed a UofSC Strategic Plan. Each strategic priority is coupled with goals and objectives, underpinned by programs that will enable the university to achieve the ends. The UofSC family has an opportunity to provide input by reviewing and commenting on the current draft language. This website will remain active until noon on Friday, May 29, to allow you time to carefully consider both its content and your suggestions for improvement (users must enter their university login credentials to provide input to the plan).
ADA seeking research proposals to investigate diabetes and COVID-19
Recent clinical results have shown that people with diabetes are at higher risk of death from COVID-19 and that COVID-19 drives an increased risk of hyperglycemia and other complications in those with and without diabetes. This is in addition to the risk due to advanced age and chronic disease. Both the biological mechanisms underlying this risk and how to minimize it remain poorly understood. There is an urgent need for research to understand the impact of diabetes on COVID-19 and vice versa. To this end, the American Diabetes Association is seeking proposals for research focused on the impact of diabetes on COVID-19 and the impact of COVID-19 on diabetes and its complications. Applications are due by 5:00 p.m. on Friday, May 22. Read more about this funding opportunity.
Register for the Introduction to Open Science Framework workshop on Thursday, May 28
University Libraries will host a Zoom workshop introducing attendees to the Open Science Framework on Thursday, May 28, at 1:00 p.m. Open Science Framework is a free online research collaboration platform and data archive for all disciplines, not just the sciences. The framework integrates with researchers’ existing workflows and, if desired, makes sharing research results easy. In this workshop, participants will learn how to build a project and share files with collaborators. Register on the University Libraries website.
14 May 2020