OATdb Archive

2006 - 2007

TRIES

Goal
Service To Community
Provide environmental expertise to east Texas communities as mandated by the TRIES charter

Objective
Community Environmental Education
Provide environmental awareness to civic groups, schools, and citizens of Texas.

Indicator
Community Outreach
Number of educational outreach events to educate the east Texas community about environmental issues.

Criterion
Community Outreach
Participate in at least two community functions where TRIES presents environmental materials.

Finding
Community Outreach
Staff gave a presentation at the Trade Expo.

Criterion
Educational Outreach
Give at least one presentation at an east Texas school concerning TRIES or environmental issues.

Finding
Educational Outreach
Gave presentations to two school groups that visited TRIES.

Indicator
Community Awareness
Number of public notices that are delivered through media sources to make citizens aware of environmental issues and activities of TRIES.

Criterion
Media Exposure
Get at least two articles or notices in public media sources to highlight the activities of TRIES or make citizens aware of environmental issues.

Finding
Media Exposure
One article in the Huntsville Item about the bioreactor project.

Action
Media Exposure
We will revise our goal to a more realistic one article per year.

Action
Community Outreach
TRIES will again attempt to make two community presentations.

Action
Educational Outreach
TRIES will again plan to give at least one presentation ot a school group.

Objective
Environmental Monitoring And Analysis
Provide environmental service to evaluate environmental conditions and problems in east Texas.

Indicator
Environmental Analysis
Number of clients for which TRIES provides technical environmental analysis.

Criterion
analysis services
Provide environmental analytical services for at least 6 clients.

Finding
Analysis Services
Tries provided services to 54 clients.

Criterion
Sellf Sufficiency
Make analytical lab financially self-supporting.

Finding
Self sufficeincy
Lab brought in less than $16,000 with personell and lab expenses at nearly $60,000.

Indicator
Environmental Monitoring
Number of environmental monitoring projects conducted to assess environmental health of a given area.

Criterion
Environmental Monitoring
Establish at least one environmental monitoring project in east Texas.

Finding
Environmental Monitoring
TRIES did not conduct any environmental monitoring projects.

Action
Self Sufficiency
TRIES will work towards the goal of making its analytical lab financially self-sufficient. The lab is currently far from that goal and we realize that it could take more than one year to reach the goal. We will try to work with external entities to try to speed the progress toward this goal.

Action
Analysis Services
Tries will increase its goal. The initial goal was based on engaging large clients, with big projects. The reality of this year was that we had many clients with small projects. Still, we will be working to get more larger projects, thus we will not increase our goal as high as might be expected based on this year''s results.

Action
Environmental monitoring
We will again try to start a TRIES sponsored environmental monitoring project, possibly by incorporating a faculty member of student researcher.

Goal
Environmental Research
Initiate externally funded reseasearch on environmental issues.

Objective
Faculty Research
Incorporate SHSU faculty and students in conducting externally funded reasearch at TRIES.

Indicator
Faculty Participation
Number of SHSU faculty and students who conduct research with TRIES.

Criterion
Faculty Research
Get two new faculty members or their students working on projects associated with TRIES.

Finding
Faculty Research
One faculty member and one student research group used TRIES facilities.

Action
Faculty Research
Maintain goal of having two faculty or student researcher working on projects associated with TRIES each year.

Objective
TRIES Research
Initiate new research projects taht will be conducted by TRIES personel.

Indicator
Research Projects
Number of externally funded reasearch projects being conducted by TRIES personel.

Criterion
TRIES Research
Successfully bring one new, externally funded research project to TRIES.

Finding
TRIES Research
There were two externally funded projects, one was new.

Action
TRIES Research
The goal of adding one newly funded research project will be maintained for the next year.

Goal
Faculty Research
Facilitate faculty and student research at Sam Houston State University.

Objective
Faculty Research Support
Provide access to TRIES equipment and expertise to aid SHSU faculty and students in their research.

Indicator
Research Support
Number of SHSU researchers who are supported by TRIES equipment, facilities, or expertise.

Criterion
Research Support
Provide support in the form of expertise or equipment for two faculty or student projects at SHSU.

Finding
Research Support
Provided supervision for 8 chemistry students in instrumental analysis.

Action
Faculty Research
TRIES will maintain this goal for another year.

Goal
TRIES Image
Improve the professional image of the TRIES laboratories.

Objective
Scientific Image
Improve the stature of research being conducted at TRIES

Indicator
Publications
Number of scientific publications related to research activities associated with TRIES.

Criterion
Research Publications
Have two scientific, peer-reviewed publications with a TRIES by-line.

Finding
Research Publications
No externally funded publications were produced.

Indicator
Grants
Amount of external funding coming to TRIES and its researchers.

Criterion
Funding Level
Achieve a 1.5 million dollar yearly external funding level at TRIES.

Finding
Funding Level
Two externally funded projects brought in over $1.6 million.

Action
Funding Level
TRIES will maintain the same funding level goal.

Action
Research Publications
TRIES will stress to its employees that peer-reviewed publications are a goal of TRIES and we will try to reach this goal in the next year.

Objective
Community Image
Improve awareness of the research expertise and activity by the east Texas community.

Indicator
Visibility
Number of positive exposures of TRIES through community media and outreach events.

Criterion
Positive Image
Have two positive citations of TRIES by community media.

Finding
Positive Image
One article in the Huntsville Item favorably overviewing TRIES research.

Action
Positive Image
The criteria of having two media citations will be revised to a more realistic one.

Objective
SHSU Awareness
Improve awareness of research activities and opportunities to the SHSU faculty and students.

Indicator
SHSU Exposure
Number of presentations by TRIES associates to the SHSU community or mention of TRIES activities in the SHSU media.

Criterion
SHSU Presentation
Give one presentation to an on campus Department or SHSU organization.

Finding
SHSU Presentation
Gave an instrumental analysis demonstration to a chemistry class.

Criterion
SHSU Press
Be mentioned in a positive manner by one SHSU press release or internal news article.

Finding
SHSU Press
Two articles were posted on the SHSU web page concerning research at TRIES.

Action
SHSU Presentation
TRIES will again have the same goal for next year.

Action
SHSU Press
TRIES will maintain the same goal next year.


Update to previous cycle's plan for continuous improvement

Plan for continuous improvement