Research Code
(Modified September 2008)
1. The provisions of this code
apply to all research activities involving utilization of RMBL facilities,
and/or involving RMBL- approved research plans, and/or involving research
carried on under the umbrella of a RMBL permit. This applies to research on
RMBL, Forest Service, and private land.
2. The provisions of this code apply to
class and group projects as well as to individual investigators.
3. Failure to
comply with any element of the Research Code may be grounds for rejection of
subsequent research applications, loss of space, and/or termination of the
research, at the discretion of the Executive Director.
B. Research
Approval
The Process:
1. A new research
application, a continuing
research application, or a renewal research
application must be submitted by Feb. 1, or 90 days before initiation of
the research, whichever comes first. Researchers may request “fast-track”
approval of projects under special circumstances. Please note, however, that
“fast-track” status will generally not be granted for manipulative studies or
studies on non-native species.
2. All
research must be approved by the Director and the Research Committee. If the
Director and the Research Committee disagree, the project is referred to the
Board of Trustees for final approval.
3. All work
must be explicitly described in the new or renewal research application. Work
will not under any circumstance be considered “approved” unless it is
explicitly described within an application and that application is approved.
4. Regardless of whether scientists have
outside funding, the RMBL cannot guarantee that any given research application
will be approved until it has been reviewed by the Director and the Research
Committee.
5. Research projects can be approved for
up to five years. Longer-term approval can be granted under special
circumstances upon request. Once research has been approved, researchers need
only submit a continuing research application. Research projects submitted by
new researchers are typically approved for one year.
6. When researchers apply to renew their
projects, they must certify that 1) all sites have been appropriately cleaned
up, 2) all conditions imposed on the previous project, either by the Director
or the Research Committee, have been met, and 3) appropriate metadata have been
filed with RMBL (metadata are not required at this point in time). If sites are
not cleaned up and conditions of approval for previous research were not
followed, depending upon the severity, several things may occur. Renewal
or continuing applications may be denied. Alternatively or in addition,
individuals may be billed for the administrative costs of clean-up and/or
oversight on future projects.
7. Research shall be conducted on private
land only with permission of the owner. Research on Forest Service or other
public lands shall be done in accordance with the appropriate regulations.
Researchers should provide the Director with documentation on permission to
work on private land and/or special permits to work on public land.
8. Research with vertebrate animals
requires documentation of appropriate permits and submission of a protocol to
the Animal Welfare Committee.
Review
criteria used to accept research proposals:
The major
criteria for attendance as a student or as an investigator are the promise of
or the fulfillment of quality scientific achievement. A secondary consideration
in the selection of a research investigator is whether his or her research can
benefit by the research currently being conducted at the RMBL, or whether
current RMBL research can be enhanced by the presence of the particular
investigator.
Additional
review criteria/considerations include:
1. Compliance with federal and state law;
2. Compliance with RMBL research
policies;
3. Feasibility, including availability of
study organisms and necessary facilities at or near the RMBL;
4. Impacts on ongoing research; ongoing
research has precedence;
5. Impact on natural systems.
Extensive collections, significant habitat alterations such as modifications of
chemical, physical or biological properties of terrestrial or aquatic
environments, and introductions of species/genes are less likely to be
approved;
6. Long-term allocation of single large
research plots;
7. Use of especially unique areas such as
Mexican Cut or the Gothic Research Natural Area;
8. Introduction of species, populations
or genes not indigenous to the specific study site or the promotion of
potentially invasive, exotic species;
9. Application of substances such as
radioactive or stable isotopes, fertilizers, herbicides, pesticides, or any
chemical used to manipulate a population or environment;
10. Installation of substantial equipment
or structures, or need for extensive foot traffic;
11. For scientists who have worked at the
Lab, fulfillment of quality scientific achievement will be based upon a
demonstration that they have conducted research/education that has demonstrably
benefited from having occurred at the Lab. Such achievement can be
demonstrated by, though it is not limited to, scientific publications, external
funding, and grey literature based upon the field work conducted by the
scientist and/or his research team through the Lab.
C. Space Assignments
When space is
limited, including but not limited to housing, laboratory, or research space,
the RMBL Executive Director shall prioritize space assignments according to the
criteria identified below. The Executive Director reserves the right to
determine whether space is limited and shall have the freedom to set aside
unassigned space in order to deal with unanticipated needs. The criteria for
prioritizing space (not prioritized by importance) are:
1. Scientific
excellence of the proposed research. Excellent projects should have
priority over weaker proposals;
2. Appropriateness
of RMBL's location and facilities for the proposed research. Research
that gains tangibly from the RMBL setting or prior work done at RMBL should
have priority over research that does not;
3. Evidence
of research achievement, or, in the case of younger investigators, promise of
excellence as judged by letters of recommendation from established
scientists. Evidence of achievement includes current activity, such as
recent publications, grant proposals and awards, student training, etc.
Projects proposed by researchers with high levels of scientific achievement
should have priority over others, as long as their approval does not diminish
intellectual diversity by crowding out other research teams. For scientists who
have worked at the Lab, evidence of research achievement and current activity
will be evaluated based upon evidence that such achievement and activity have
gained tangibly from field work conducted by the scientist and/or his/her
research team at the Lab;
4. All other
things being equal, RMBL Members with continuing research at the RMBL will
receive priority;
5. Research
by PIs has priority over educational research projects such as class projects
or independent student project;
6. Researchers
with active research plans, who have spent a field season at the RMBL, and who
do not have sites mapped into the Lab’s system will be considered to have
inactive projects. Research teams of such scientists, including the scientist,
shall have low priority for space assignments.
The Executive
Director is responsible for interpreting these criteria.
D. Restrictions on Types of Research
1. Research generally should be of a
nondestructive nature. Experimental manipulations or sampling procedures that
seem likely to have significant long-term or permanent effects, e.g. changes in
species composition, ecosystem processes, or genetic structure, are prohibited
unless expressly approved by the Director and the Research Committee.
2. Research that is not grossly intrusive
may be carried out within the Gothic Townsite.
3. RMBL currently conducts control
measures on seven non-native, invasive plants, Matricaria perforata
(Scentless Chamomile), Chrysanthemum (=Leucanthemum) leucanthemum (Oxeye
Daisy), Barbarea vulgaris (Garden Yellow Rocket), Tragopogon sp.
(Salsify), Cirsium arvense (Canada thistle), Linaria vulgaris
(Butter and eggs), and Bromus (Bromopsis) inermis (Smooth Brome).
New projects should not interfere with ongoing control efforts. There are
an additional 20 non-native species that may be controlled in the future.
Please contact the Director about any potential conflicts between weed control
and research projects.
4. Intrusive research on or holding of
vertebrate animals will be approved only if RMBL is the appropriate site to
conduct the research, and the work itself is scientifically sound. Such
research must be approved by the Director and the Animal Welfare
Committee. All organisms maintained in captivity must be housed and cared
for in a humane fashion and in accordance with current federal and state
regulations.
5. The Animal
Welfare Committee shall monitor ongoing projects periodically to ensure
compliance with state, federal and RMBL requirements. The Animal Welfare
Committee and Director may terminate projects at any time that are not in
compliance with regulations. In the event of termination of a project,
the researcher may appeal to the Board of Trustees.
6. Animal
Care logs must be filed with the Director at the end of each field
season. A new research season cannot be initiated until logs from the
previous season are on file.
7.
Until more is known about disease transmission and bee population dynamics,
commercial bee colonies will
only be allowed under exceptional circumstances. First, the work must
occur inside in a double-enclosed environment. Second, there must be a
good reason why such work must happen at the Lab (as opposed to a Lab space
somewhere else). It may well be that no one can satisfy these two
requirements.
E. Conducting/Managing Research
1. Three copies of each publication
resulting from work done at the RMBL (that is conducted in the ecosystems
surrounding Gothic) shall be transmitted to the Director as soon as they become
available. One copy of each thesis, preferably bound, shall be
transmitted to the Director. The use of RMBL facilities shall be
acknowledged in each such publication.
2. All
research sites must be mapped and archived using the Lab’s GPS/GIS system.
Research sites which are not mapped in such a fashion will not be managed to
avoid conflicts with new research and/or infrastructure development.
3. Only
active sites will be managed. Historical sites will not constrain
management or future research unless special arrangements have been made with
the Executive Director.
4. Researchers
must check the Current Research Map and communicate with the Science Director
before initiating research at new sites. Under certain circumstances, the
Science Director will be required to sign off on new sites before research can
begin. Faculty and student mentors are responsible for avoiding conflict among
their students and other researchers.
F. Amendment/Interpretation
1. The Executive
Director interprets all policies. His/her decision shall be final, except
where the Board of Trustees has reserved the right of interpretation or appeal.
2. The
Research Code must be consistent with the Bylaws, the Research Master Plan, and
any other Board approved polices. In case of contradictions concerning
research policies, the Research Code yields to Board approved policies.
3. Other
materials, including but not limited to written items, emails, information on
the website, and oral communications, are only advisory and are controlled by
the Research Code (and higher level documents).
4. Formal
interpretations of research policies may be obtained by making such a request
in writing to the Executive Director.
5. Amendment
of the Research Code is by the Executive Director. Material changes that
affect the ability of scientists to conduct research will not go into effect
until the first April after they are made.