Proposal Development Blog

On another occasion, a graduate student walked into my office with a laptop, showed me the data collected for his dissertation, and asked if he could finish all the necessary statistical analyses before his defense in three weeks. The answer was no. Graduate-level research involves multiple years of experiments, either continuation of previous ones or different experiments by year, which requires evaluation of the data collection process and the quality of data, and determination of appropriate methods to analyze each type of the responses. At the first consultation with the student, it turned out that the experiment was not replicated for one treatment factor, and this unexpected twist of the planned study required additional effort to weigh pros and cons of possible actions.

The list can go on. To consult a statistician at the planning stage of a study and reserve enough time for statistical consultation and analysis would largely save you from these pitfalls while writing later. At UAES, I am the consulting statistician to assist faculty and graduate students with study design, data analysis, and interpretation of results related to UAES-supported research projects.

Here are the answers to some frequently asked questions from faculty and grad students about statistical consultations.

What tasks does Dr. Dai help proposal writers with?

• Study design. Based on your research questions, Dr. Dai can help you evaluate different study design options and determine how large a study to perform to achieve the desired results.
• Data quality management. Data arrives in different formats, and variables are of different types. Errors occur during compilations and entries. Dr. Dai provides guidance and assistance to help you tidy your data and prepare it for analysis.
• Data analysis. Dr. Dai assists you to determine the appropriate analytical methods for your data based on how it is collected, and what research questions to address.
•  Result interpretations. Dr. Dai can also help to interpret results from an analysis performed either by you or someone else.

How much time does she need to do her work? (Or, how early in the project should the PI ask her for help?)

The preferred time to contact a consulting statistician is at the planning stage of a study. A statistician has the technical knowledge and experience to help you select the appropriate design for obtaining research-objective-oriented data. Experiment design includes associated analytical methods. When a design is determined, a corresponding analysis plan is put in place at the same time. Time required for a sample size/power analysis varies case by case, depending on the research hypothesis, complexity of the design, and domain-knowledge of the researcher.

With all the necessary information available, sample size calculation/power analysis generally can be completed in a week. For a data analysis project, expect 4-8 weeks turnover time, depending on the statistician’s workload. A long-term experiment involves continuing updates of data availability and analysis.

May I ask Dr. Dai for help if I don’t have a UAES appointment/project?

Yes. However, while the consulting statistician serves faculty and graduate students in QANR on their research projects, priority goes to UAES projects.

How do I request help?

Submit the “Statistical Request Form” at the UAES resource page. You may submit the form for each new project, but it’s not necessary for successive consulting sessions on the same project.

Should a consulting statistician be included as a coauthor on a scientific paper?

Collaborative work is inherent in being a consulting statistician. Most scientific journals regard statistical analysis as intellectual input sufficient for authorship. In general, a statistician has a right to coauthorship if the statistician writes part of the paper, contributes substantially to the design and analysis, or puts in a substantial amount of time revising the manuscript for intellectual content.

What help does Dr. Dai give to grad students?

A consulting statistician does not run all the statistical analyses for a thesis or dissertation, even with a coauthorship on manuscripts originated from the thesis/dissertation. In this case, a graduate student is expected to collaborate with the statistician on analytical tasks of the research project for their degree.

What misconceptions do researchers have about using statistics in their projects?

Do not pressure a consulting statistician to do what you want for achieving a predetermined outcome. This may adversely affect the credibility of the study results, and the statistician. No one can guarantee that the results of an analysis will be exactly what was hoped for. However, a statistician with knowledge and understanding of statistical methods is equipped to establish a study and draw valid conclusions defensible in the light of criticism. Besides, a statistician identifies limitations to the conclusions that may lead to future research.

We are now officially the S. J. and Jessie E. Quinney College of Agriculture and Natural Resources! As you gear up for the new school year and plan your FY26 funding strategy, you may be wondering about the structure of the Grants Office. Let us reintroduce ourselves and tell you how we can support you in developing successful grant proposals!

Meet the QANR Pre-award Grants Team!

Juan Villalba is our new Associate Dean for Research, and he is committed to supporting your grant writing and all your research endeavors here in QANR. With a Ph.D. in Range Science, Dr. Villalba is a professor and a researcher in the Department of Wildland Resources and leads the transdisciplinary multistate project Smart Foodscapes at USU.


Katie Dana is well known for her years as a Proposal Specialist and Business Manager in QCNR. She has an impressive breadth of experience and is known as a skilled budgeteer and fierce advocate for PIs. She spends half her time in QANR and half in the College of Veterinary Medicine.





Cody Bills has a PhD in virology and is our STEM warrior! He is a huge help to PIs because he has a firm understanding of both the research and the grant writing skills necessary to succeed. He can help you develop and refine attractive graphics for your proposal. He is also the team point of contact for early investigator grants and webmaster for the QANR grants team page.

Bonnie Schenk-Darrington is the arts-humanities-social sciences expert on the QANR team. She runs the proposal helpdesk and curates the Research Funding Update newsletter. She loves to help PIs find potential funding sources. She specializes in large proposals and helped prepare and submit the first two NIH P01 proposals in USU history.

Hollie Richards is well known in Geosciences as a “unicorn”: She is a Business Manager with mad skills in Kuali! She expertly finesses all the obscure and complicated budget types. She will handle Geosciences proposal submissions for the college, at least for the foreseeable future.



Greg Podgorski is our intrepid proposal editor. He is our secret weapon! You may know him from his time as the Associate Dean for Undergraduate Programs in the College of Science. Now he is partly retired but still kindly reviews proposal narratives for us. If you would like to schedule his services, please don’t contact him directly. Instead, ask a proposal specialist to reserve a spot for you on his calendar. Request a review early! He cannot do last-minute reviews because you’ll need time to revise.

Xin Dai is a consulting statistician at Utah Agricultural Experiment Station, Utah State University. She provides support in design, analysis and interpretation of research for faculty and students in agricultural sciences. Reach out to her early on in the planning stage to get help designing a study for specific research questions and outlining the corresponding statistical analysis steps.

Sarah Baker is our new pre-award Sponsored Programs Officer. She has been a proposal analyst helping USU PIs submit compliant and competitive proposals since early 2024 and has worked at USU in various roles since 2021. We’re very lucky to have her on our team.

 

Please note that our beloved Pam García has retired and Mikayla Cook has left us to attend law school. We wish them all the best in their new adventures!

What Services Does the QANR Grant Office Provide?

We provide help with . . .

• Kuali and budget creation;
• Document lists, templates, and timeline planning;
• Reaching out to program officers with questions or sitting in on meetings with program officers;
• Developing and refining figures and charts;
• Connecting you with potential collaborators from across the university;
• Helping you format, compile, and curate documents;
• Discussing ideas and approaches for your proposal; and
• Narrative reviews and various editing tasks.

Requesting Assistance

If you know which grant you’d like to apply for, please complete a request for assistance through our ServiceNow Helpdesk and we will reach out to you within two business days to get started:

Submit a Request

It’s important to ask us for help as early as possible. Our work takes time, depends on multiple people, and some administrative processes cannot be rushed or bypassed. We ask for at least four to six weeks to put together a proposal wherever possible. Proposals are handled on a first-come, first-served basis. We cannot ignore existing projects over last-minute proposals. Without adequate time for preparation, we may not be able to provide assistance, but we will do our best to help you, time permitting.

Meeting with Proposal Specialists

Please reach out to Bonnie Schenk-Darrington to schedule the following:

If you are a Department Head and would like us to come to your Faculty Retreat to introduce ourselves; or

If you are a new faculty member and would like a New Faculty Grants and Proposals Orientation meeting.

You’re also always welcome to give the proposal specialists a call or send an email with a question or meeting request. If you’re not quite ready to submit a proposal, we are happy to listen to your ideas or try to help you find a grant for a specific project.

Some QANR and USU Grants Resources

• QANR Research and Grant Resources:
  https://agnr.usu.edu/research-and-grant-resources/
• QANR Grants Office Helpdesk:
  https://usu.service-now.com/aggies?id=caashd
• GrantForward:
  https://www.grantforward.com/welcome
• SPO Government Updates:
  https://research.usu.edu/government-updates/
• USU’s Internal Deadlines for Proposal Submission:
  https://research.usu.edu/spo/policies
• SPO Fringe Rates for Proposals:
  https://research.usu.edu/spo/develop-proposal/benefit-rates
• USU Libraries Data Management Plans and DMP Tool:
  https://library.usu.edu/data-management/data-management-plan
• USU Libraries Books on Grants:
  https://libguides.usu.edu/c.php?g=52517&p=338583
• Office of Research Fall Proposal Writing Seminars:
  • Faculty: https://research.usu.edu/rd/faculty-gw-seminar
  • Arts and Humanities: https://research.usu.edu/rd/arts-humanities-gw-seminar
  • Grad Students: https://research.usu.edu/rd/grad-gw-seminar

Federal grant financial rules are changing in multiple key areas. Please work closely with your Proposal Specialist, Business Manager, and Sponsored Programs Grant & Contract Officer as you craft your proposal budgets.

The Federal Government has updated Title 2 of the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR), including 2 CFR part 200, which is generally referred to as Uniform Guidance. Uniform Guidance outlines the rules and regulations pertaining to federally funded grants and cooperative agreements. These changes went into effect on October 1, 2024, and apply to all new awards issued on or after that date, as well as existing awards when the sponsor adds new funding. The table below summarizes the most pertinent changes that PIs, Co-Is, research support staff, and Business Services should be aware of:

Over the next few years, USU will have awards that are subject to the new Uniform Guidance regulations AND other awards that are subject to the previous version of Uniform Guidance. The Kuali award notice will indicate if awards are subject to the new Uniform Guidance regulations. PIs should work closely with their SPO Grant & Contract Officer or Sponsored Programs Accountant if they are unsure which rules apply to their award(s).

At Utah State University (USU), we are committed to fostering an environment of inclusive excellence. This commitment extends to our grant proposals, which must be impactful while complying with Utah House Bill 261 (HB261). HB261 prohibits universities from “using an individual's certain characteristics in decisions regarding aspects of employment or education,” essentially prohibiting practices of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI). While many funding agencies encourage DEI, grant applicants must be careful in how they address DEI in their proposal narratives. Here are some strategies to ensure proposals are compliant:

1. Focus on Universal Excellence: Avoid calling out specific groups. Instead, emphasize the commitment to excellence, access, and inclusion for all members of our statewide campus community. Highlight how the proposed project will contribute to academic success, post-graduation readiness, and engagement in scholarly activities.
2. Promote Varied Pedagogy: Highlight how the proposed project will utilize varied pedagogical approaches to ensure all students have the opportunity to succeed and excel. This could include innovative teaching methods, evidence-based professional development, or student-centered approaches.
3. Support Student Success: Detail how the proposed project will support student success through personalized coaching, mentoring, supplemental instruction, early research opportunities, and peer learning communities.
4. Foster a Sense of Belonging: Explain how the proposed project will contribute to a campus climate conducive to belonging. This could involve supporting student-run organizations, offering engaging activities, workshops, events, and services, or creating opportunities for students to explore their civic identity and develop leadership skills.
5. Broaden Students’ Worldview: Describe how the proposed project will offer unique experiences that broaden students’ worldview and support their post-graduation career goals. This could include study abroad programs, internships, undergraduate research, or other experiential learning initiatives.

By focusing on these areas, we can craft grant proposals that are impactful, promote inclusive excellence, and still comply with Utah HB261. Remember, our goal is to create a healthy and inclusive campus community where all Aggies can thrive. For questions about compliance, refer to the USU Compliance website.

How can you kick your proposal writing into high gear? The answer might surprise you!

The best way to learn how to write effective proposals is to become a proposal peer reviewer. This seems counterintuitive. You’re probably thinking that you need to get more experience writing proposals before you can apply to be a reviewer. You are wrong. Having scores of successful proposals is rarely if ever a requirement. In fact, many proposal reviewers are postdocs and early career faculty.

Instead, sponsors want someone who knows their field, communicates well, and is willing to follow instructions. Besides technical knowledge, sponsors may ask for experience in tasks such as teaching, developing curriculum, program management, or fiscal management/budgeting. Proposal reviewers don’t need decades of experience, but they do need enough experience to be able to answer questions such as the following: Does the science make sense? Is the program doable? Is the budget reasonable? Do the applicants have the equipment, facilities, knowledge, and experience needed to do this project?

There are many great reasons to become a proposal reviewer. Besides giving valuable service to a sponsor, you make connections with like-minded colleagues and program officers. As you review proposals written by others, you gain a more practiced eye for what works and what doesn’t—and that benefits your own proposal writing skills. Especially if you’re reviewing proposals for a program you hope to apply for, it becomes on-the-job training for your own future proposal efforts.

Generally, you must submit some kind of application to be considered. Sometimes, there will be a form to fill out and sometimes you’ll just email a resume or biosketch to a program officer. Because panels want diverse applicants, you may be asked questions about your ethnicity and race. If you are chosen, you will generally receive training or orientation and have a chance to ask questions before you begin reviewing proposals.

You may or may not receive a stipend. If travel is required, the sponsor will generally cover it. Sponsors generally appreciate reviewers and try not to overburden any one reviewer. The firsthand knowledge you gain will pay dividends.

Here are some links to sponsors’ reviewer applications and process explanations.

• National Science Foundation

• USDA NIFA (You can also find a great article about being a grant reviewer for various types of USDA opportunities here.)

• National Institutes of Health

• Federal Aviation Administration

• National Endowment for the Arts

• Utah Division of Arts & Museums

• Department of Education

• Department of Labor

• Department of Energy

• NASA

Some other government agencies, such as the Utah Dept. of Agriculture and Food, the Utah Office for Victims of Crime, NOAA, and the EDA post online about their need for reviewers on a program-by-program basis (click on each agency name for a sample request for reviewers from the past). If there’s a particular sponsor/program you’d like to review for, the best thing to do is search them online and just ask the program officer if they’re accepting applications for reviewers. You should also subscribe to their newsletters where applicable so that you know when new grant opportunities (and probably review opportunities) come available.

Wherever you’re at in your career, becoming a proposal reviewer might be just the experience you need to give your grant-writing skills a boost.