Office of Research Information Service Staff

David is responsible for IT systems (including web-based application development, integration and deployment, and administration) for the Office of the Senior Vice President for Research.

The Office of Research Information Systems supports the University's research mission in two important ways:

1) We provide direct support to over 180 staff members in the office of the senior vice president for research. Supported staff members are located in five building across the University Park campus. We provide perimeter security and network infrastructure at most of our locations.

2) In association with our customers, we design, develop and/or maintain web-based software systems. The two systems with the broadest use are:

a. The Strategic Information Management System (SIMS) which is used by research executives and administrators at all Penn State locations. SIMS is used to track, manage and report upon proposals and awards.

b. The Protocol Review and Approval Management System (PRAMS) which is used by research protections professionals at both University Park and the College of Medicine and, in the future, will be used by faculty members submitting protocols for review.

Emily is responsible for the design, implementation, operation, and administration of the database systems supporting the University's Electronic Research Administration initiative and the Office of Research Protections. These systems include Strategic Information Management System (SIMS) and Protocol Review and Approval Management System (PRAMS).

Bonnie assists Peggy with administration of the computer network, focusing on server maintenance, infrastructure, and backups. She manages the Active Directory and the Exchange Server for the Senior Vice President for Research offices. She helps with software and hardware upgrades on all servers and recommends new technologies to improve performance. She also assists staff with computer-related questions and problems

Peggy administers software, hardware, network, security, and backup applications and systems for departments in the Senior Vice President for Research's office.

She leads a crack team of technicians in daily forays into the challenging world of computer systems and applications. The team supports 14 departments in five locations on the University Park campus, including approximately 150 users. They support a variety of software applications including but not limited to Microsoft Windows operating systems and Microsoft Office Applications, as well as other vendors.

Paul is the project lead for the Strategic Information Management System (SIMS) development and its support throughout the University's research infrastructure. In addition, he also assists with further application development where ORIS is involved.

Rich is responsible for user interface programming, primarily on our PRAMS and SIMS products. This includes developing interactive web pages which use browser scripting for immediate response to user actions, as well as dynamically building web pages to return to the user in response to user inputs and actions. Rich also supports other SVP-Research offices' web design efforts as needed.

Chris is the project lead for the Protocol Review and Approval Management System (PRAMS) and the Strategic Information Management System (SIMS) development and its support throughout the University's research infrastructure. Chris also serves as Assistant Director of ORIS.

Susan performs user testing on software developed by the ORIS team to ensure that applications function properly once released to end users.

Susan also updates and develops user manuals, trains end-users on applications, and assists system administrators.

Jeff helps staff with computer-related problems and questions. He also loads and installs desktop computer systems for Department users, along with assisting the other Systems Administrators in system-related tasks.

Mike assists with the further application development of SIMS, PRAMS and other projects where ORIS is involved.