Management Staff updates / Zoom

 Groundwater Abstract

We are decompressing after the submission late last night of the Abstract for the Kenya conference -

 unfortunately, we could not get it done early and it has been dispiriting. 

Think I have left AN with a headache last night due to my procrastination. There is still work to be done on this for the presentation that is later this week.  

Procrastinations, Bottlenecks and Commitments. 

Key reasons is I was not at my best last days - with sleep problems - I am good today 

and there were too many things on my plate. Also my PC got stuck and was not able to edit the Word documents even now. Also AN PC was also slow after the update. 

So some immediate and medium term solution is needed. 

I keep wanting to not take on new work with tight deadlines. However, this is hard to avoid as you shall see from below.  

-PEER Dengue 

After the submission, Kelly has written - our last report was fine -RZ / MS have to follow up on the financial side and our next report comes due on April 15 - now that is also pretty much in the next two months deadline. We need to recruit for this and target and get the papers out. 

I told Dr. K that we shall give a computer by Monday - she is willing to work much more now that she has given up on the NDCU gig - we need to interact more with her. 

We have to figure out how to focus some folks on this grant. 

- AQ / EFL wants a report by end of March and has put 3 K Rs on the table - since this work is done - and we want to build the partnership - and they have been pleading, 

 I agreed to go along. We can use an RA to put things together. We need to update our instruments - all this is working fine. 

Need to send Invoice today

Burial / Issue

This is heating up further now - the research was done so we could get a paper done and we can write for the popular press. Am interested in the wider issues of Science and Nationalism - so may tell SLAAS Section F that we can do some work on this - like a seminar. 

- BHC / Communication 

is unable to disburse funds outside their financial year - so that means that we have to finish that grant - in 2 months instead of 4. They have sent the contract. 

This is going to tax us and stress us for next two months. Vidhura is going to do his part. Its about 1.5M LKR - we need to get the funds out. 

Still to follow up with BHC to confirm that what we sent was sufficient. Then RZ has to get the funds so that we can hire. 

Strategic Planning

- The strategic plan is slowly going on - taking a bit of time - think we can use the C&M students for the BHC grant - so we may have to get that done quick. 

C&M - one of the students Dilushi was going to work on Legal, Labour Documentation and Publishing. 

Need to meet with ID and SP end of day. 

- Legal work

 - there is lot of correspondence to catch up on - plan was to use DD for this. 

There is also a need to get prepared for the cases - LT is around Feb 8 or 9 ? Not sure when the CoA is? Things are going crazy at the superior courts now. 

Recruitment

- we need a graphics person and social media person for Communication for the BHC grant and we need scientists for other positions. I shall need to decide and move today with the FOSID applicants. 

Need to shortlist, contact and decide today. 

Staff Review

- The 6 month review needs to get completed - so shall try to focus on that this week. So far given feedback to SS, UA and AJ - and they need to revise. 

TH lets get through AM today, AN lets do KW and then I shall work way through my reports with ZJ and NA before coming to you all.  

CCAA / USAID

- the CCAA is our key grant - and two organizations wrote to me about that - it turns out that one org had my acquaintance from IRI Molly Hellmuth in it - so since I did not respond to the headhunter, I had to write this AM. There is another company that contacted FECT. And I need to reach out to USAID as I have not done this. 

Need to email these folks. 

SMZ to Melbourne on April 1

- Now my sister has bought a one-way ticket for my mother to leave on April 1 - there is a lot I had planned to do with her - in terms of organizing docs, writing some of her stories and learning some things from her - and that is not something I shall get back. Separately, we need her to sign off on various banking materials, organizing legal docs.