Have you ever wondered what happens inside the new science building on the Portland campus? According to Provost Joseph Wood, highly competitive research happens and he intends to make sure people hear about it. Earlier this month, Wood issued a memo to the University community regarding a team of external research consultants he has brought in to determine USM’s “institutional capacity for research, scholarship and creative activity.” The core team consists of local research consulting specialists E.J. Lovett and Claire Collins and national research consulting specialist Ed Derrick.
Lovett and Collins own Lovett Collins Associates, a Maine-based consulting firm that assists in the planning and management of local and national academic medical centers, universities and independent research institutes. Ed Derrick represents the Research Competitiveness Group of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS).
Lovett and Collins will be on campus in Portland two days a week for the next year, examining USM’s current research practices and policies. Derrick will assist Lovett and Collins in determining the University’s capacity for national research recognition. Wood hopes that a combined effort between himself, the consultants and the faculty will produce a clearer picture of where the University presently stands in regard to research and what potential might be uncovered.
Wood explained which parts of USM’s “capacity for research” the consultants will focus on, beginning with whether the university is able to comply with state and federal research standards. “The more in-depth the research, the more important it is to know and follow all regulations. We want to be even more dedicated to compliance than we already are.” Wood said.
While here, the consultants will focus on, among other things, the capacity for research in the science department, specifically involving animal and human subjects. The Provost said, “We need to find out if we are equipped to conduct animal and human research on a higher level here at the University. We need to be able to do that [kind of research] with consideration to all aspects; ethics, space, technology and faculty.”
Wood sees the faculty as the most important asset regarding the consultation process. He said the consultants are prepared to meet with designated teams within various departments over the course of the year and encouraged any staff member to get involved. He stressed the consultants were not hired to change current methods of research or faculty activity. “They were brought in to determine if there are any holes to fill [in the research departments]. They do not want to change faculty teaching methods,” he said. “USM is dedicated to supporting faculty abilities properly. Our professors not only teach but research, publish and create within their field. This consultation will help us determine how to make their out-of-the-classroom endeavors easier and more productive.”
Wood said the consultation process will help, “all research in all departments including those in the humanities.”
Lovett and Collins, the two most involved consultants, both have highly science-focused work histories. Aside from owning their own scientific research consultation company, both Lovett and Collins were involved in an experimental program within the Maine Science and Technology Foundation. Lovett served as chairperson for the Maine Medical Center Research Institute (MMC). His tenure at MMC ended in 2003. During his time there he helped to create collaboration between MMC and Ardais, a privately-funded research company that heads the National Genome Clinical Research Initiative (NGCRI). The NGCRI deals with the storage and testing of donated human tissue samples that are used to determine if there are genetic causes for diseases like cancer.