Progress 05/01/07 to 04/30/12
Outputs
OUTPUTS: From 2007 to 2012, 264 multistate projects and activities were entered in NIMSS. 133 of these, underwent peer reviews and regional research committee reviews prior to being approved by their associations, and then by NIFA for official approval. There were 294 projects/activities that terminated. 1,254 meeting authorizations were sent by Advisors during this period. At any given time, there were about 300 active multistate research projects and activities recorded in NIMSS. At its peak period, NIMSS was getting 28,000 hits per day, and an average of 15,000 hits per day during normal operations. Data transferred varied from 2GB to 4GB per day, during slow to heavy periods. New users registered daily and the number of registered active, frequent users is currently recorded at 9,800 and growing. New functionalities were introduced in NIMSS to improve the speed of data download and transition between forms using the Object-oriented Programming Style (OOPS) and enhanced using RIA technology (Rich Internet Technology). There were revisions made to the National Multistate Guidelines, prompting the addition of a new peer review form in NIMSS for the National Research Support Projects (NRSP's). The revisions were approved by ESCOP at their September 2009 meeting, and the new form was created in NIMSS and was used by reviewers for NRSP proposals starting December 2009. Administrative Advisor access has been expanded to include Cooperative Extension Directors serving as Co-Advisors. Extension Advisors can now perform all functions that Research Advisors can do in NIMSS - approving proposals/participants, authorizing annual meeting, submit/approve reports, view reviews, etc. To implement the USDA-NIFA guideline of uniformly reporting participation using Knowledge Areas (KA), the Appendix E Participation Form was revised to remove the seven program areas for Extension, leaving only the option to enter KA. As more and more extension participation are foreseen in these multistate activities, reporting of their participation and their integration from conception to implementation of multistate research activities will continue to be enhanced in NIMSS. Summary tables for multistate project participation were added to accommodate the reporting requirements of the Agric. Experiment Stations and the regions. To allow for more customized analysis of these data, a conversion to an Excel version of the spreadsheet was also added. The process to allow data sharing with NIFA was completed using Web Service. A significant upgrade now allows NIFA to use NIMSS information to pre-populate their Management Dashboard. PARTICIPANTS: The Office of the Northeast Regional Association of State Agricultural Experiment Station Directors (NERA) designed NIMSS. The first version of NIMSS was previewed at the national Experiment Station Section Meeting in Idaho in September 2001. It was fully operational and was serving all the 1862 Agricultural Experiment Stations by 2002. Subsequently, with the success of the first version, more functions were incorporated and a second version was released in August 2004 allowing for customization for each particular group of users. The 1890s research institutions and Cooperative Extension were added and given similar access to fully utilize NIMSS. The Northeast Region (NERA) is responsible at the national level for the maintenance, upgrade and troubleshooting of the system. The Regional System Administrators (North Central, Northeast, South and West) handle the day-to-day tasks related to helping and answering queries from their users. The national system administrator, who is also the Northeast system administrator, manages the tasks assigned to the programmer; provides training, guidance and serves as back-up to the other three regional administrators; and assists new users, particularly those from outside the Land-grant community. During the period 2007-2011, an Oversight Committee appointed by the Experiment Station Committee on Organization and Policy (ESCOP) provided guidance on the development and policy decisions involving NIMSS. TARGET AUDIENCES: The primary users of NIMSS are the agricultural experiment stations, cooperative extension and the 1890 agricultural research institutions. Participants to multistate projects include scientists from the Land-grant institutions, federal, private, and foreign universities. NIMSS is a web-based system, so researchers, Extension educators, stakeholders and other cooperators can search the System for relevant and timely information related to multistate research projects. In addition, the public has access to the federal and state funded multistate agricultural research project outlines and impacts in NIMSS. PROJECT MODIFICATIONS: The system is upgraded as necessary and to keep up with recent developments in information technology. Changes are also made when the guidelines governing multistate research are modified or revised.
Impacts
Participation continued to be expanded to include those outside the Land-grant family, such as federal and state partners, producers, commodity groups, foundations and foreign scientists. NIMSS serves as an effective communication tool to share research data and hence, facilitated the application of new discoveries and technology transfer. We have collected information on hundreds of scientists working in multistate projects in specific Knowledge Areas (KAs), Subject of Investigation (SOI) and Field of Science (FOS). NIMSS now serves as a national repository of experts and their specializations. This capability has been utilized to build programs/initiatives in determining where expertise can be tapped to address national and regional priorities and to solve emerging problems. NIMSS is now currently serving all the 1862 and 1890 Land-grant institutions, both Research and Extension, allowing them to manage in a totally paperless system their multistate research portfolio. It significantly reduced the time needed to submit proposals/reports/notifications, facilitated the conduct of peer reviews, submission and approval of participation, and access to information is in real time. An external review conducted in January 2010, gave NIMSS a very favorable review. The report noted that the project proved vital in helping decision makers focus their federal and state multistate resources to agricultural research/outreach projects/programs that truly address regional and national priorities and meet stakeholder needs.
Publications
- No publications reported this period
|