Metropolitan Affairs Committee
Meeting Minutes

January 25, 2008
Conference Room 226, Coleman Hall.

Present: Lorraine Blackman, Jeffrey Crabtree, Sandra Petronio (TRIP), Stephan Viehweg (TRIP), Amy Conrad Warner, Paul Mullins (minutes)


Lorraine Blackman called meeting to order, minutes from previous meeting were approved by consensus, members introduced themselves, and Mullins agreed to record the minutes.

1.      Warner discussed the “Where Impact is Made” campaign for the University that is now in local media and circulated the 2007 Performance Report and a new Welcome to the Campus map linked to the campaign.

2. Blackman discussed the very successful inaugural Fall, 2007 TRIP luncheon.

3. Crabtree suggested that many departments and programs are doing excellent community work and simply need some centralized assistance and encouragement to publicize that work.

4. Most of the meeting was devoted to a discussion of TRIP activities.

5. The TRIP website is now working and ready for faculty to enter and update translational projects

• Faculty can self-identify as a TRIP scholar; Crabtree noted that a convenient link to the TRIP page needs to be on the University home page
• The web page is expected to be an internal resource for faculty networking and community folks seeking particular sorts of expertise

6. IUPUI Translational Research Debut Event: A TRIP event facilitating inter and cross-disciplinary translational research partnerships throughout IUPUI schools, centers, departments, programs is tentatively planned for April 22 at the Campus Center and will likely have a series of booths and poster presentations representing various translational projects from across campus

• The plan is to have or develop a video that includes these faculty so community folks can have an introduction to the range of translational scholars on campus; Warner indicated that the hope is to have this video on the IUPUI web page
• Faculty for the event will be selected from existing TRIP scholars who have included themselves on the TRIP inventory, so selections will be made to ensure thorough representation across schools

7. Campus Forum on Meaning of Translational Research: Program designed to identify/develop an ongoing forum to define translational research on the IUPUI campus.

• Goal is to produce a document defining various forms of translational research and campus examples; Blackman indicated that there needs to be a call for papers that refers potential authors to the online examples and TRIP materials
• Petronio indicated that she is aiming for a TRIP volume with circa 10-page papers and tentatively a completion date for a manuscript of September 30, with 500 word abstracts submitted by June 30

• The TRIP volume would be internally refereed with Viehweg accepting the abstracts; Crabtree agreed to draft a call for papers outlining the subject focus, and Mullins agreed to help with refereeing the abstracts; Blackman suggested asking Chin, Steinmetz, Aalsma, and Fisher to join abstract referee committee
• Blackman agreed to aim to circulate the abstract and details prior to the next Metro Affairs Committee

8. Inside Out  - Programs and activities were outlined that are designed to promote translational research on the IUPUI campus, including

• Dialogue Spaces: interactive discussions with IUPUI translational scholars held in Learning Spaces; circa 10-15 minute presentations with subsequent discussion, Blackman agreed to do the first one on February 21, 2008. Warner’s office will make arrangements for facility space, lunch, and publicity.
• Faculty Into the Community: IUPUI translational researchers visiting businesses, community groups, government agencies to stimulate potential partnerships

9. Blackman suggested that we aim for the next meeting in about one month and will circulate dates via email for late February or early March meeting