The COBRE administrative assistant, Ms. Mia Pederson-Rambo, with support from other administrative assistants, facilitates grant management and compliance issues for investigators. These tasks include obtaining PMCID numbers for publications, compiling just-in-time information for NIH, keeping current with NIH (including NIGMS) policy changes, serving as liaison between OMRF grant administrators and COBRE investigators, helping prepare annual budgets, helping Core directors purchase supplies or equipment, helping Core directors hire new personnel through Human Resources, assisting investigators with protocols for IRB or IACUC, helping COBRE investigators prepare new grant applications, informing investigators of weekly seminar announcements, assisting with preparation of manuscripts and slides, and updating investigator and COBRE websites.
Todd Walker, an experienced programmer/analyst and system administrator, provides IT support for the COBRE. Unlike IT staff members at some institutions, he is expert with Apple computers that virtually all COBRE investigators use. He diagnoses and corrects the “glitches” that bedevil busy investigators, greatly improving their productivity. Furthermore, he is skilled in the Windows and Linux systems that operate many instruments in the Scientific Cores. Mr. Walker supports and refines the sophisticated image analysis systems used in the Microscopy Core. He translates arcane instructions for software use into user-friendly language that lowers the barriers for effective use. Importantly, he has years of experience in working with research scientists, who trust his advice.