Four interdisciplinary teams have been awarded seed funding through the Office of the Vice President for Research and Innovation to pursue interdisciplinary research projects.

The Incubating Interdisciplinary Initiatives awards, known as I3 awards, will provide up to $50,000 to the following UO research teams:

• Maxwell Foxman and Amanda Cote, both media studies/game studies; Henry Wear, sports communication; John Clithero, marketing; and Tara Fickle, English, for “Understanding Collegiate Esports: Economic, Institutional and Cultural Integration.”
• Thomas Giachetti and Matthew Polizzotto, earth sciences;, with Krista McGuire, biology and environmental studies; and Kory Russel, landscape architecture and environmental studies, and Jun Hak Lee, landscape architecture, “Recycling greywater using volcanic rocks from the Pacific Northwest.”
• Carrie McCurdy, human physiology, William Cresko, biology, and Emily Beck, data science, “Understanding the effects of maternal high fat diet on egg quality and offspring health using an outbred fish model.”
• Barbara Muraca, philosophy and environmental studies, with Marsha Weisiger, history and environmental studies; Kirby Brown, English; and Kari Norgaard, sociology and environmental studies, “Indigenous-led framework for collaboration across knowledge and value systems for the conservation of bio-cultural diversity – the Totem Pole Journey as communication method.”

The I3 award program encourages interdisciplinary research at the UO and is open to faculty members from all academic disciplines. Because I3 is a seed grant, the program puts significant weight on projects that are likely to secure future external funding to continue the research that began with internal funds.

UO researchers and scholars submitted a total of 16 applications for the 2021 competition, after the 2020 competition was suspended due to COVID-19. The proposals were evaluated by a large faculty committee made up of experts in the range of fields represented in the applications, and final funding decisions were made by Cass Moseley, interim vice president for research and innovation.

The I3 program launched in 2014, supported in part from a gift to UO, and has proven to be a competitive and highly successful program. Since its inception, faculty members have been awarded more than $5 million in external funds resulting from the research conducted under the seed grant.

Past recipients of I3 awards have been successful in follow-on external funding from the National Science Foundation, the National Institutes of Health, the Guggenheim Foundation, and the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation.

Visit the Office of the Vice President for Research and Innovation website for more information on any of the UO’s research seed funding and other internal funding programs.