2024-2025 Impact Report_final version

Library Faculty Serve on National Science Foundation (NSF) Grant-Funded Research The University of San Diego, in collaboration with Elon University and Pepperdine University, is leading the NSF-funded ResDataNexus initiative to support emerging research institutions. This project develops a scalable infrastructure and model to monitor research outputs, Research and Development (R&D) expenditures and grant activities. Through automated data collection, interactive dashboards and machine learning forecasting, ResDataNexus enables data-driven decision-making and strategic planning. The initiative also engages students in applied data analytics, fostering future research talent and enhancing institutional competitiveness.

This is a university-wide initiative led by the Provost’s Office, in close collaboration with the Shiley-Marcos School of Engineering, the Office of Sponsored Programs, Institutional Research & Effectiveness, Copley Library, and Information Technology Services. Two Copley librarians are team members on the project: Amanda Makula, Digital Initiatives Librarian, and Amy Pham, Senior Electronic and Open Content Librarian. Makula, Associate Professor and Digital Initiatives Librarian, manages the institutional open access repository, Digital USD. She will contribute to the data sourcing of research publications and facilitate open access dissemination of developed tools and models. Pham, Associate Professor and Senior Electronic and Open Content Librarian, manages online resources and open access publishing agreements. She will contribute to the integration of database Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) into the ResDataNexus model with her extensive experience in library services and research. The work produced in this project will be made freely available to the public through the University’s open-access institutional repository, Digital USD. Digital USD is administered by the USD libraries, including Copley Library and Legal Research Center. It publishes, preserves and provides open online

Photo: Grace Goodale

ResDataNexus Initiative Team (from left to right): Amanda Makula (Associate Professor, Copley Library) , Margaret Leary (Assistant Provost, Institutional Research & Effectiveness) , Md Nafee Al Islam (Assistant Professor, Computer Science) , Jae Kim (Associate Professor, Industrial & Systems Engineering) , Truc Ngo (Vice Provost for Research and Administration) , Traci Merrill (Director, Office of Sponsored Programs) , Joy Brunetti (Web Manager, Information Technology Services) , Satish Attili (Enterprise Applications Team Lead, Information Technology Services) , Amy Pham (Associate Professor, Copley Library) . Not pictured: Megan Bailey (Web Developer/Programmer, ITS) , Holly Hoffman (Research Associate, IRE) , Bryan Teague (Sr. Web Administrator, ITS)

access to scholarships, creative work, original data sets and other archival materials produced by or affiliated with the USD community. To assist other Emerging Research Institutions (ERIs) in building their research capacity and infrastructure, the following materials will be made available on the Digital USD platform: survey tools, database SQL files, ER diagrams, Python scripts, and other relevant documents. GitHub will also be used to make the ResDataNexus model available to other institutions. The purpose of this open-access dissemination method is to lower the startup costs for other ERIs during their research data capacity and infrastructure building efforts. As a result, ERIs will be encouraged and face fewer challenges when launching their new research administration initiatives.

16 | HELEN K. AND JAMES S. COPLEY LIBRARY