Welcome to this edition of Inside ITS! Inside ITS keeps users informed about technology services available at Weill Cornell.
Grant editing service now available at library
Working on a grant application? Let our library staff help get your application in tip-top shape with our new grant editing service. This pilot program is free for WCM grant applicants, with priority given to the following grant categories:
1. Resubmissions of Scored But Not Funded grant applications
2. Junior faculty writing their first R01 grant, including GRASP participants
3. Junior faculty career award
4. Limited submission grants (for institutional nominees only)
5. Sections of large collaborative awards – for example, the introduction for a P01
6. Grants in other categories will be considered, if possible
Services offered
The library offers editing on a first-come, first-served basis based on the categories listed above. To provide adequate editing, we highly recommend submitting an application at least four weeks prior to your deadline (we do not accept applications within a week of deadline).
Our staff provides:
Light Editing:
- Correcting spelling, word usage, grammar, and punctuation
- Cross-checking text with tables and figures for correct association
Medium Editing:
- Suggesting textual changes for clarity and concision
- Ensuring style consistency
- Changing passive to active voice
Boilerplate Language:
- A selection of standardized descriptions of WCM resources and programs
Application requirements
Please submit grant materials, including reviewer comments for resubmissions, in Microsoft Word format. A small editorial team will have access to your documents, meaning the information in your grant will be kept confidential. Typically, edited applications are returned within a week.
A requirement for using this service is confidential disclosure of the grant outcome, including score/percentile for NIH applications. This information will be used only for evaluating the effectiveness of the program and will not be disclosed outside of the group administering the service. Additionally, we will ask you to submit a brief survey providing feedback on our services.
Request our services
Visit our Grant Editing page to submit a request. Our staff will respond within 24 business hours to confirm whether or not we are able to accept your application for review. Please contact libedit@med.cornell.edu with any questions.
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Don’t click that link
Ransomware cybercrime attacks are on the rise, and they’re hitting the nation’s hospitals – including some of our partner institutions. ITS is taking these attacks very seriously. We are enhancing our security network monitoring and are deploying the latest security detection and prevention tools. What exactly is ransomware and how can you prevent it?
Ransomware is, unfortunately, as spooky as it sounds. It is malicious software that locks you out of your computer or files until you pay a sum of money, i.e. the ransom. It is most commonly spread through infected email attachments.
This means that one of the biggest things you can do to keep yourself safe is: don’t click links in emails if they look suspicious. If you receive an email that you think is spam follow these instructions to report it to ITS Security. You should also make sure that your computer is tagged by ITS, and swing by the ITS Downloads page to download and install our advanced malware protection software. Also, make sure you back up your data regularly. Currently, your best options are to use our Virtual Desktop service, or to use your departmental file share, both of which are backed up by ITS every night. If you’d like to request access to your department’s file share, contact your Department Administrator and he/she can help you submit a request for access. Later this year, ITS will be introducing Box for easy file storage; stay tuned for more info.
If you do get hit with ransomware, you may notice files on your computer with long, obscure file names, or you’ll receive a message like “operating system has been locked for security reasons.” If this happens, don’t panic. Disconnect from the network immediately, contact ITS Support, and do NOT pay the ransom.
Rest assured that ITS doesn’t want this to happen to you, and we’re amping up our security tools to keep our network safe. Earlier this month we enhanced our email security system to scan all email attachments that come from outside of WCM. We also recently enabled anti-spoofing protection. (Spoofing is when attackers impersonate you or your colleagues when sending harmful email. It’s what occurs when you get an email that appears to be from your long-lost pal Judy, but contains a strange-looking link or attachment.) We also utilize Proofpoint, a robust anti-spam and anti-phishing email system to block and screen most emails and hyperlinks before they get to your mailbox.
Click here to read more about ransomware and what ITS is doing to keep you secure.
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Tour the BRB Data Center
It takes a ton of technology to keep WCM up and running every day. Have you ever wondered what goes on behind the scenes of all these information systems? Now is your chance to get a first hand glimpse of the IT operations center of a major medical campus.
Our Network Operations team is offering tours of the Data Center in the Belfer Research Building. This Data Center is not your everyday server room – it’s our newest enterprise class facility. The 4,000-square-foot space employs sophisticated architecture to lessen downtime, maintains an enhanced cooling environment, and is supported by three massive generators to ensure continuous power. Just one of these generators is large enough to power approximately 200 homes for a whole week. Having three generators ensures that, in case of an emergency, we could run the data center at full load for nearly seven days without refueling.
Want to learn more?
Data Center tours are available for WCM faculty and staff on the first and third Friday of every month at 3 p.m., and each tour lasts about 30 minutes. If you are interested in seeing the operations center and data center up close and personal, just fill out this form and a member of our Operations team will be in touch.
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BitLocker Tips
BitLocker is a service used to encrypt all Windows laptops at WCM so your data stays safe. Here are a few tips to enhance your BitLocker experience.