ECEE Newsletter - Sept. 8, 2025

September 11, 2025

• Science Talk – Chris Myers
• Main Discussion – Scarborough Comprehensive Review Report ***VOTING FACULTY NEED TO BE PRESENT***
• Lunch: Sandwiches

September 18, 2025

• Joseph Izraelevitz Promotion Seminar
• Lunch: Indian

We’re inviting faculty, researchers, and students to share their work in short 10-minute science talks at our department meetings throughout the academic year. These are a great way to highlight new findings, spark collaborations, and showcase the breadth of research happening in our community.

If you’d like to present, please let Kimberly and Chris know your preferred Thursday and we’ll get you on the schedule.

Faculty planning to take a sabbatical in AY 2026–2027 or Fall 2026 should submit their applications by October 15, 2025.

Applications for Spring 2027 and Calendar Year 2027 will be due by December 1, 2025.

For questions about eligibility or to receive the necessary paperwork, please reach out to Kimberly Low. An informational email containing all pertinent links and information  was sent by Kimberly on September 2, 2025, with further details.

  Eric Keller

  Fabio Somenzi 

Starting September 1, 2025, CU Boulder’s Campus Controller’s Office (CCO) is updating its policy to allow certain membership fees to be charged to sponsored research projects—if doing so reduces the overall cost of conference attendance.

What Changed
Historically, CU Boulder has considered memberships to be an indirect cost, which meant they were not allowable on sponsored projects. Exceptions existed only in limited cases, such as NIH or NASA fellowships. Under the new policy, membership costs can now be included when the membership directly lowers the cost of attending a conference.

For example:

• IEEE Membership: $100
• Conference registration (nonmember): $700
• Conference registration (member): $500

In this case, both the $100 membership fee and the $500 member registration fee can be charged to the sponsored research speedtype—resulting in documented savings.

Key Details

• The membership purchase must be well documented and clearly tied to conference registration.
• Justifications should be included in the budget justification if known in advance.
• In alignment with Uniform Guidance updates, prior approval is no longer required for awards beginning on or after October 1, 2024.

Why This Matters
This change addresses a common scenario researchers face: previously, investigators often paid for memberships from departmental funds (fund 10), even when membership significantly reduced conference costs. Now, with proper documentation, these expenses are allowable on sponsored projects.

Questions?
For additional clarification, contact Evan Blaisdell, Research Compliance & Financial Reporting Manager.

To help ensure compliance and smooth processing, please keep the following guidelines in mind when submitting meal expenses for official functions.

Payment Options

• You may use either your travel card or personal funds.

Receipts

• Submit both the itemized receipt and the final bill (with tip and signature).
• CU requires itemized receipts to verify that no alcohol was purchased.

Attendee Documentation

• Fewer than 10 attendees: List each person by name and role.
  • Example: John Smith (faculty), Jane Doe (business guest), Chris Jones (student)
• 10 or more attendees: Provide a headcount by role.
  • Example: 3 faculty members, 10 students

Tips

• Maximum allowable tip is 20%.
• If paying with personal funds, reimbursement is capped at 20%.
• If paying with a travel card, any amount over 20% must be repaid to CU.

Funding Restrictions

• Official function expenses are normally not allowable on sponsored research speedtypes.

Submission

• Submit receipts and attendee information using the Travel Card & Personal Reimbursement Form.
• When completing the form:
  • Are you submitting travel-related expenses? → Select No
  • Is this an Official Function? → Select Yes

Congrats to Evan Sharafuddi, PhD student in ECEE, who earned the Dwight E. and Jessie D. Ryland Graduate Fellowship from the College of Engineering and Applied Science at CU Boulder. 

Dwight Ryland is a friend of CU who lives in Boulder, CO. Jessie Ryland was his wife and passed away in 2018. Dwight graduated from the School of Education at CU-Boulder and taught social studies for many years before moving on to other professions. Jessie was a graduate of Western Carolina University, with B.A. and M.A. degrees in counseling. 

Together, they contributed funds to endow the Dwight E. and Jessica D. Ryland Graduate Fellowship for a full-time Ph.D. student in the College of Engineering and Applied Science, and who is in his or her first year of Ph.D. studies at the time of selection.