Inside eRA, December 20, 2004 (Volume 5, Issue 5)

Fourth Annual eRA Symposium Heralds Electronic Applications

Interim eRA Director Dr. Israel Lederhendler urged 282 NIH participants at the eRA Symposium to imagine themselves as Principal Investigators (PIs) getting ready to submit electronic applications for the first time. In his opening remarks on December 2, Dr. Lederhendler announced that NIH would begin accepting modular R01, R03 and R21 electronic grant applications beginning February 1, 2005.

This year’s symposium, titled “The eRA eXchange: Making the Electronic Connection,” was dedicated to informing the internal community about what grantees will experience with the new NIH electronic submission process. In particular, NIH staff learned how commercial Service Providers (SPs) are assisting research institutions with their transition to e-applications. The symposium also updated NIHers about related Grants.gov and National Science Foundation (NSF) FastLane activities.

Keynote Address

In his keynote address, Kenneth Forstmeier, director of the Office of Research Information Systems at the Pennsylvania State University, provided a perspective from the grantee community. Although he praised the government’s modernization and standardization efforts, he identified several areas of concern:   

• The success of e-grants will require a culture change that takes more time than the technology change.     
• Different e-forms required by each grantor or the same grantor pose impediments to change.     
• Federal standardization efforts focus on the “apply” phase. Failure to include the entire grant lifecycle means that agencies will unilaterally develop post-award systems. Accommodating multiple grantor systems is a huge burden for institutions and also results in redundant expenditures for the government.     
• Grantees should be able to submit e-applications using a single federal logon ID. If a single ID is not implemented, user administration for these redundant systems will add significant costs and complexity to future Grants.gov system-to-system transactions.

Center for Scientific Review Presentations

Dr. Brent Stanfield, acting director of the Center for Scientific Review (CSR), spoke about the expected and unexpected benefits of two eRA initiatives: applications on CDs for reviewers and Internet Assisted Review (IAR). NIH implemented CDs and IAR to reduce waste, improve service to its clients, provide user tools, and, with electronic receipt, eventually shorten the review cycle. 

NIH, its applicants and peer reviewers are realizing the following benefits:

• Use of paper is reduced. Before CDs, NIH mailed large boxes of paper copies of every application for a study section to each reviewer. Now, NIH provides hardcopies only to the few reviewers specifically assigned to these applications; all of the other applications are available to the reviewers on CDs.     
• Shipping costs are reduced. CDs are easy to transport.     
• CDs are indexed and searchable, increasing usability.     
• Laptops (PC and Mac) require less space than paper at study section meetings, allowing reviewers to sit closer and possibly communicate better.     
• The use of IAR results in more productive study section meetings. Reviewers come to the table prepared for discussion. To realize the full benefits of IAR, however, all reviewers must post their reviews by the assigned deadline, before the meeting.     
• IAR allows the study section chairperson and the SRA to identify, in advance of the meeting, those applications requiring extensive discussion, enabling the leaders to better manage meeting time.     
• Electronic critiques facilitate the generation of summary statements.

Dr. Stanfield also spoke about the potential use of Knowledge Management (KM) tools to help refer applications to Institutes and Centers (ICs) and review groups, to identify candidate reviewers, to suggest assignments for reviewers, and to assist applicants in identifying study sections appropriate for their applications.

Dr. Suzanne Fisher, who directs Receipt and Referral (R&R) for CSR, then compared the R&R process for handling traditional paper applications with the new process. “CSR has been an active partner in moving NIH through the transition to electronic applications,” stated Fisher. She estimates that NIH will receive 80,000 applications in 2005, up from 35,000 in 1985. Automation certainly will assist NIH in handling the increasing workload and reducing errors. Equally important are the benefits to applicants. The new e-application process with integrated checks and audits should free candidates to devote more time to science.

Throughout her presentation, Dr. Fisher emphasized that NIH will not change what it does, only how it achieves its mission. The Division of Receipt and Referral’s essential functions will remain the same: receiving applications for 24 NIH ICs and other HHS components, assigning applications to ICs, making assignments to CSR Integrated Review Groups, determining the appropriate grant mechanisms, providing information to applicants and NIH extramural staff, and serving as the clearance point for NIH Guide notices. 

According to Dr. Fisher, eRA still has many technical and cultural challenges to face in moving to e-applications:

• Determining timeframes for eliminating paper (e.g., sending electronic notifications through the Commons instead of paper mailers).     
• Determining when electronic submission will become mandatory.     
• Assuring equity in handling applications regardless of the mode of submission.     
• Involving PIs and signing officials in application verification (eRA’s method of obtaining electronic signatures).     
• Handling corrections and additions; documenting updates and versions.     
• Developing tracking and reporting systems to monitor performance/workload.     
• Utilizing multiple screens and other ways of viewing several documents at once.     
• Accommodating the full range of applicant organizations.     
• Incorporating KM.     
• Maintaining personal interactions with applicants.

Grants.gov

Rebecca Spitzgo, Grants.gov program manager, provided an update on the new central Web site for finding and applying for federal research grants. She was pleased to report that 100% of federal agencies now post announcements to Grants.gov, and the site is getting 1.4 million hits/week. Soon, applicants will have the ability to download the application package directly from the announcement.

Grants.gov also has successfully implemented its “apply” capability. More than 1,300 electronic applications already have arrived. These applicants completed a new standard federal form, SF 424 Research and Related (R&R), which was developed by a multi-agency Grants.gov work group. The R&R forms have been approved by the Office of Management and Budget and are available for use on Grants.gov. Currently, Grants.gov and its partners are developing agency-specific forms, where needed, to capture additional data fields.

At present, Grants.gov accepts individual applications in Pure Edge format. (PC users can download Pure Edge forms from Grants.gov.) The government is working with Apple Computer on a Mac version. In addition, Grants.gov staff is collaborating with the academic community and commercial SPs to develop system-to-system submission capability.

Throughout her presentation, Ms. Spitzgo emphasized the importance of user feedback. In response to a question about expanding Grants.gov beyond “find and apply,” she urged the community to voice its requirements.

NSF FastLane Presentation

Daniel Hofherr, chief of the External Systems Branch in the National Science Foundation (NSF) Division of Information Systems, shared NSF’s ten-year experience with implementing the FastLane grants administration system. This year, NSF accepted 43,500 electronic applications (99.99 percent) through the system. Designed by its users, FastLane supports the full grant life cycle.

NSF continues to add new capabilities to its system. Most recently, it created modules to support letters of intent, National Science Board Office awards, and Graduate Research fellowships. NSF currently is working on integration with Grants.gov and enhancing its Guest Travel and Payment System.

For more information and copies of symposium presentations, visit http://era.nih.gov/eraworkshop4/. To view the video cast of the symposium, go to http://videocast.nih.gov/PastEvents.asp and select “Conferences.”

e-Application Pilot Completed for May 2005 Council Round

For the October/November 2004 receipt dates (May 2005 Council Round), eRA conducted its fourth and final pilot for modular, non-consortia electronic grant applications for the R01, R03 and R21 mechanisms. Over 30 research institutions have participated in pilot testing.

eRA plans to achieve a major milestone in February 2005 when the electronic submission of these grants (new, competing continuation, and revised) becomes an option for all applicants. This means that for these application types, all grantees will be able to work with a Service Provider (SP) to submit an unlimited number of e-grant applications.

In addition to receiving 38 modular applications for the October and November due dates, eRA received four full-budget applications. Since pilot applicants indicated their preference to format their own budget justifications, eRA accepted the full-budget justification in PDF.

Six SPs, who assist applicants with their electronic submissions, participated in the fall pilot. Prior to the pilot, SPs had to demonstrate their capability by successfully submitting an application of each pertinent type to the eRA test database. The Nathan Kline Institute at New York University, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center have expressed interest in communicating directly with the eRA eXchange (architecture for handling system-to-system transmissions). eRA invites institutions and commercial vendors interested in becoming SPs to send a request to Scarlett Gibb, chief eRA Planning, Communications and Outreach Branch. 

Upcoming Pilots

• RFA Pilot –– eRA is developing the capability to handle applications responding to Requests for Applications (RFAs) and Program Announcements (PAs) for supported types and mechanisms. Many applications in response to RFAs do not go to the Center for Scientific Review (CSR) for review; instead, the announcing Institute/Center performs the review. Electronic receipt holds great promise for reducing the processing and review time for these applications. Upon receipt, there is the possibility of referring the RFA applications automatically to the IC review group rather than waiting for CSR to perform the processing and routing. NIH currently is identifying RFAs that are good candidates for an upcoming pilot.    
• February/March 2005 Pilot ––eRA will continue piloting full-budget applications.     
• June/July 2005 Pilot ––This pilot plans to accept supplements and support some post-receipt corrections (addenda).    
• eRA/Grants.gov Integration Pilot –– eRA has been collaborating with Grants.gov to determine the feasibility of conducting a live pilot in the spring of 2005. To that end, eRA has:
  • Mapped Standard Form (SF) 424 Research and Related (R&R) data elements to the eRA database. The 424 R&R is a federal form that Grants.gov will use to receive electronic applications for research grants. Submitted NIH-specific data analysis to supplement the SF 424 R&R.    
  • Defined business validations for Grants.gov applications.    
  • Completed initial eRA/Grants.gov system-to-system testing.    
  • Worked on developing the NIH-specific forms and schema to supplement the SF 424 R&R.

Next steps in preparation for the eRA/Grants.gov pilot include:

• Integrate Grants.gov Web service calls with the eRA eXchange.    
• Implement business validations for Grants.gov applications.    
• Create mechanism to send warnings and error messages to the applicant through the Commons.    
• Finalize and post the NIH-specific application package on Grants.gov.    
• Generate a grant image based on the SF 424 R&R format.    
• Invite Commons Working Group members to participate in tests using previously submitted application data.

Other Activities in Support of Electronic Grant Applications

• eCGAP Receipt and Referral (R&R) Module –– eRA developed this module for internal use by the Center for Scientific Review (CSR) to process electronic grant applications received through the eRA eXchange. CSR has exercised the module during two rounds of pilot testing. Although eCGAP R&R currently accommodates only simple grants with modular funding, the mature module will handle all grant mechanisms.

eCGAP R&R incorporates a modified workflow for applications through the Receipt and Referral process. Since eCGAP performs business-rule validation at the time of submission, eCGAP R&R includes only a few quality and assurance (Q&A) checks. The eCGAP process automatically maps data into the eRA database and creates an electronic application image; therefore, there is no need for paper and minimal need for manual data entry.

The module comprises three processes:

1. First Contact –– notifies CSR that applications have arrived and have been verified by the principal investigator and signing official. The software enables CSR to perform additional validations such as checking for duplicate submissions.    
2. Breakout –– enables the breakout officer to refer the application for review. The selection of the Integrated Review Group (IRG), referral officer or Institute/Center (IC) is based on the application’s scientific content.    
3. Referral Workload –– notifies the referral officer of eCGAP applications and enables him/her to assign them to an IC and/or to to the appropriate IRG for review. The module then generates a unique grant number for each referred application and releases the application for review, bypassing additional Q&A and scanning required for paper applications.

• Expanded eCGAP Focus Group –– Recently NIH expanded the eCGAP focus group to include more perspectives on electronic receipt and downstream processing of electronic applications. New members represent Program, Grants Management, Institute Review Groups, Policy and others.    
• New PHS 398 Form –– OMB recently approved a new version of the PHS 398. eCGAP will be modified to accommodate this new form in May 2005.    
• Electronic Notice of Grant Award –– The Notice of Grant Award (NGA) will be the first major outgoing electronic transaction for the eRA eXchange. The requirements analysis is complete and development is expected to begin by the end of the year.    
• New Test Environment –– eRA is creating a new test environment for SPs that integrates the eRA eXchange and the Commons demo facility. This will allow SPs to provide demonstrations and end-to-end training to applicants. The PI and SO must verify each electronic application in the Commons prior to CSR’s accepting the application.    
• Electronic Business Extensible Markup Language (ebXML) Standard –– ebXML is an international standard for specifying the electronic exchange of business information between electronic trading partners. With contractor assistance, eRA is comparing the ebXML registry and message service of three off-the-shelf software packages with the current eRA solution.    
• NCRR GCRC Progress Reporting –– The National Center for Research Resources (NCRR) has begun a development effort to support system-to- system transmission of progress reports from the General Clinical Research Centers (GCRCs). The eRA team and NCRR are planning to use the eRA eXchange for this initiative.

More Information

• Information for Applicants –– Information about Service Providers is posted at http://era.nih.gov/Projectmgmt/SBIR/sbir_grants.htm.    
• Information for Service Providers –– Go to http://era.nih.gov/Projectmgmt/SBIR/.    
• Questions about Electronic Applications –– Contact Jennifer Flach, eCGAP team leader, at flachj@mail.nih.gov or 301-435-5092.

DHHS Enterprise Grants Management System Board Oversees Integration

The Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) has begun holding monthly meetings of the Enterprise Grants Management System (EGMS) Board. The EGMS Board will coordinate and resolve issues related to the integration of the Department’s research grant-administration systems into eRA. 

The EGMS Board recently approved an additional $2 million in funding to subsidize the costs of migrating data into eRA and modifying the system to accommodate Operating Division (OPDIV) requirements. NIH Chief Information Officer Al Graeff and interim eRA Director Dr. Israel Lederhendler will represent NIH on the EGMS Board.

For the past year, eRA has been collaborating productively with five DHHS OPDIVs to centralize their research grants processing under the NIH eRA system. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) already are using eRA; the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) are in the preliminary stages of integration.

The Department-wide integration initiative follows the August 2003 DHHS selection of eRA as the enterprise system for research grants management. A central system should achieve the following objectives:

• Streamline work processes to provide improved services to citizens.   
• Capitalize on existing advanced technology and best practices.    
• Create an opportunity for cost-effective, intra-agency sharing and elimination of redundant spending.    
• Provide a single point-of-interface with Grants.gov and the DHHS Unified Financial Management System (UFMS).    
• Maintain reliable and common data across OPDIVs.    
• Simplify the implementation of new policies and regulations.

AHRQ Integration Update

AHRQ has been a user of the NIH system since the days of the mainframe IMPAC system. “Overall, we are satisfied with our migration,” states Skip Moyer, AHRQ advocate on the eRA team. AHRQ representatives attend eRA project and lead users meetings, where they actively participate in all discussion.

In the summer of 2003, AHRQ adopted CDs for its five study sections, largely eliminating reliance on paper copies of applications. The agency plans to implement Internet Assisted Review (IAR) for all study sections this month. According to Anthony Freeman, AHRQ’s OPDIV integration representative, “the use of these tools has improved the efficiency, effectiveness and economy of our peer review processes. The overwhelming response from reviewers has been positive and supportive.”

For the spring 2004 meetings, AHRQ had some difficulty entering rosters into the system. The problem turned out to be a training matter. Freeman reports that the eRA Helpdesk was very helpful in resolving the underlying Commons registration issues; however, lack of formal training in the use of eRA modules is a serious area of concern for AHRQ.

AHRQ grants management (GM) staff are fully involved in using IMPAC II for awards processing, monitoring and closeout. Although the GM module has greatly streamlined grants administration, AHRQ still relies on its own extension systems to perform some functions.

Next steps include full use of the eRA Commons by AHRQ grantees. The Commons will allow grantees to submit requests and reports to AHRQ electronically, greatly reducing the need for paper. Institutions that do business with NIH and AHRQ will have a consistent means of communication with both agencies. 

For more information about AHRQ/eRA plans, contact Skip Moyer at smoyer@ahrq.gov or Anthony Freeman at afreeman@ahrq.gov.

CDC Integration Update

CDC successfully integrated all new FY2004 research awards using the IMPAC II Receipt and Referral and Review modules. Thus far, CDC has entered 1,523 applications into eRA and has made 445 awards for FY2004. According to Teresa Kinley, CDC representative on the eRA team, CDC received “outstanding support from the eRA Helpdesk and technical analysts.” 

Due to the implementation of the UFMS, CDC's year-end closeout had to occur one month early, which required a focused effort for all CDC program and grants users. For FY2005, CDC would like to revisit the possibility of maintaining its own data (i.e., CDC account numbers, institutional profiles and employer identification numbers) and performing human-subject code changes.

CDC also is anxious to migrate its active grants from previous years. Representatives currently are meeting with eRA analysts to discuss data mapping and migration procedures.

“Although the eRA team has been great,” reports Kinley, “CDC still requires numerous system changes to support its business processes.” In FY2004, CDC had to perform manual workarounds to add more approvals to the business flow. CDC also is eager to begin using the eRA Commons and Financial Status Report (FSR) modules. 

For more information about the CDC integration, contact Teresa Kinley at tik1@cdc.gov.

HRSA Integration Update

HRSA is not yet using eRA but has begun exploring the possible interface of HRSA grants management processes with eRA. To this end, the agency has established connectivity with the IMPAC II system.

HRSA demonstrated its own Electronic Handbook (EHB) system to NIH grants and program staff; eRA is considering building some of the EHB capabilities into eRA. HRSA deployed the EHB system in July 2003 and began receiving electronic submissions in January 2004. Approximately 10 percent of HRSA’s 15,000 annual grant applications arrived electronically in FY2004. HRSA makes about 7,000 awards each year.

For more information about HRSA plans, contact Libby Harnett, HRSA representative to the eRA team at libby.hartnett@hrsa.hhs.gov.

FDA Integration Update

Last year, the FDA processed 30 applications with eRA. Earlier this month, FDA staff entered their own applications into IMPAC II using the Receipt and Referral module. Coming soon is Review and Grants Management modules training for FDA staff. eRA also is planning meetings with FDA to determine FDA requirements for financial transactions.

For more information about the FDA integration, contact Caroline Dean at cdean@oc.fda.gov or Rosemary Springer at rspringe@oc.fda.gov.

SAMHSA Integration

NIH and SAMHSA are performing fit-gap analysis. The two have not yet established an inter-agency agreement or network connectivity. For more information about SAMHSA plans, contact Marge Jacobsohn at mjacobso@samhsa.gov.

Send questions about the overall HHS OPDIV research grant processing integration to Mark Siegert at siegerm@mail.nih.gov or 301-435-0986.

Security Clearance Now Required for Access to eRA

In compliance with NIH Information Technology (IT) Security Requirements, Institutes and Centers (ICs) have begun conducting public trust investigations for government staff and contractors who access the eRA system. These investigations comprise thorough background and credits checks as well as official fingerprinting by the NIH police.

The Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) Automated Information Systems Security Program Handbook identifies the levels of risk associated with system access. Since eRA is a mission-critical system with highly sensitive data, eRA staff and users must have Minimum Background Investigations (MBIs) or Limited Background Investigation (LBIs). This requirement affects the following personnel:

• Employees or contractors with responsibility for systems design, operation, testing, maintenance and/or monitoring.  
• Employees or contractors who access or process proprietary data under the protection of the Privacy Act of 1974.  
• Employees or contractors who perform accounting, disbursement or authorization for disbursements from systems of less that $10 million per year.  
• Employees or contractors with other responsibilities that involve a degree of access to the systems that creates a significant potential for damage or for personal gain.

Based on the criteria above, approximately 3,500 eRA technicians and users (Grants Technical Assistants, Scientific Review Administrators, Grants Management specialists, among others) require new or updated background checks. 

Strict implementation of DHHS/NIH security requirements is due, in part, to heightened national concern about terrorism and bio-terrorism. Furthermore, as the eRA database becomes the central repository for all DHHS research grants, its importance and vulnerability will increase.

Background checks represent another eRA strategy for tightening security. On November 10, 2003, eRA implemented a more stringent password policy. See Volume 4, Issue 10 of this newsletter for details.

The eRA Systems Security Team is coordinating investigations for eRA. eRA staff should direct questions to Carla Flora, Ben Barnett or Deneen Williams. Other NIH staff should contact their IC’s Information Systems Security Officer (ISSO).

eRA Tests Disaster Recovery Plan

eRA conducted a limited test on December 5–7 to exercise its plan for recovering from a natural or man-made catastrophe. In the aftermath of 9/11, businesses and organizations worldwide have realized the critical need for a workable strategy to recover data and systems following a disaster.

eRA defines a disaster as “an unplanned disruption where mission-critical eRA functions are rendered inoperative on their primary site with no prospect of regaining operational capability within a 72-hour period.” While planning the exercise is prudent thinking on the part of eRA, it also is a federal requirement. eRA must have a disaster recovery plan and conduct disaster recovery exercises as part of the Certification and Accreditation process mandated by the Federal Information Processing Standard of 1983.

The goal of the eRA disaster recovery plan is to have systems up and running within 72 hours of a declared disaster. “The continuity of functionality for an enterprise system like eRA is crucial to NIH,” states Mr. Ali Ghassemzadeh, chief of the eRA Systems Management and Operations Branch. “We need a fallback plan in case a disaster occurs.” 

The December exercise, led by Mr. Ghassemzadeh and Ms. Nora Hermida, task lead for Operations Systems Administration, supplements eRA’s regular precautionary activities. These include backing up its data and continuously monitoring its firewalls for breaches in security.

eRA tested various aspects of its disaster recovery strategy during the December exercise.

• Applications –– The test focused on two modules: the client-server version of Receipt and Referral (R&R) and the Web version of Grants Management (GM). Testing did not interfere with the normal conduct of R&R and GM business. 
• Network Communication ––  eRA is collaborating with Adrienne Yang, disaster recovery coordinator for the Center for Information Technology (CIT), to establish communications between NIH and its commercially contracted SunGard “hot site” in Chicago. Since CIT supports eRA’s test and production middle-tier Unix environments, eRA synchronized its test with one planned by CIT’s Division of Computer Systems Services (DCSS). 
• Roles and Responsibilities — The eRA Disaster Recovery Plan specifies responsibilities of key NIH and SunGard personnel in the aftermath of a disaster. One objective of December’s test is to enable designated staff to practice their roles. The eRA Operations, User Support, and Quality Assurance branches and the Information Systems Security Officer took part.

eRA plans to conduct increasingly complex exercises every six months. Although the contract with SunGard provides an interim solution, eRA’s ultimate goal is to establish an exclusive standby site that always is available for training, testing and disaster recovery. 

eRA Implements New Configuration Management Plan

eRA recently released its official Configuration Management Plan (CMP). Version 1, which replaces an interim plan, was approved by the eRA Configuration Control Board (CCB).

The objective of the CMP is to provide controls, procedures, and mechanisms that will ensure software integrity and stability, enable staff to assess the impact of change, and facilitate a timely implementation of software enhancements and corrections. Since eRA’s multi-contractor environment adds complexity to achieving these goals, the new CMP clearly defines the roles and responsibilities of all eRA government and contractor staff. 

eRA wrote its plan based on the Rational Unified Process (RUP) to support iterative development. To support a centralized and controlled configuration management environment, eRA implemented a Rational toolset. These tools manage parallel activities by enabling multiple developers to design, code, test and enhance software from a common code base. For example, one development contractor can work on the next major release of a module while another contractor works on maintenance for the same component. The tools enable technicians to implement critical or time-sensitive changes much more quickly.

Over the past year, eRA consolidated its repositories into these tools. Rational ClearQuest now serves as the central defect and change-tracking tool; Rational ClearCase serves as the source code and documentation repository.

For more information, contact Al D’Amico, IBM eRA Integration Team Lead, at damicoa@mail.nih.gov or 301-496-4314.

Archna Bhandari Wins National Women of Color Technology Award

Archna Bhandari, a senior technican on eRA’s Knowledge Management Disease Coding (KMDC) project, is a 2004 recipient of the Women of Color in Technology Special Achievement Award. Ms. Bhandari was honored by the Career Communications Group at its Women of Color Conference on October 30, 2004 in Atlanta, Georgia.

Ms. Bhandari has been involved in the eRA KM initiative since its inception in 2002. She regards this work as both interesting and challenging. “It has provided me with opportunities to work with many talented people, to better understand science administration at NIH (disease coding in particular), and to contribute to finding solutions. I have a chance to fulfill Mitretek’s goal of using innovative technology in the public interest."

Each year, over 150 companies participate in recommending candidates for this prestigious award. Ms. Bhandari was nominated by Mitretek Systems, a not-for-profit research and development organization that is assisting NIH in evaluating the use of advanced text-mining technology to improve NIH’s reporting on funding by disease. (See article in October newsletter.)

Born in India, Ms. Bhandari dreamed of becoming an engineer. At that time, however, Indian parents discouraged their daughters from attending engineering school. At first, Ms. Bhandari acceded to her family's wishes and entered a local science college. She was so determined, however, that her family finally relented. Bhandari then entered Birla Institute of Technology and Science in Pilani, India, where she earned her B.Sc. degree in chemical engineering. She married and moved to America with her husband to earn her master's degree at Rochester Institute of Technology. Today, she is a principal in Mitretek's Knowledge Management Group.