Four professors were recognized recently by Research, Innovation and Graduate Education as recipients of the 2013 Incubating Interdisciplinary Initiatives Award.
The new award program fosters interdisciplinary research groups at UO in support of large-scale projects. The I3 partnerships emerge from shared research interests across departments and colleges and are developed with an eye towards external funding opportunities, institutional strengths and academic priorities.
“The submissions we received for this award program provided significant evidence that interdisciplinarity is integral to the way UO researchers view and address major challenges in all areas of life – from health care to the environment to education,” said Kimberly Andrews Espy, vice president for research and innovation. “It was gratifying to our office to receive so many outstanding proposals.”
The recipients include:
- Chris Bone, Geography, “Drivers of the Beetle Empire: Understanding the Coupling of Climate Change and Forest Management in Bark Beetle Outbreaks,” with team members: Patrick Bartlein, Geography; Daniel Gavin, Geography; Allen Malony, Computer and Information Science; Cassandra Moseley, Institute for a Sustainable Environment. Award amount: $49,969.
- Patricia Dewey, Arts and Administration Program, “The Role of Arts Programs in Fostering an Organizational Culture of Patient-Centered Care and an Environment of Healing in Hospitals and Hospices,” with team members: Pranjal Mehta, Psychology; Josh Snodgrass, Anthropology; Kristin Yarris, International Studies; Laura Zaerr, School of Music and Dance. Research will take place at PeaceHealth Sacred Heart Medical Center, RiverBend and Samaritan Health Services’ Center for Health Research and Quality. Award amount: $50,000.
- Jeffrey Sprague, College of Education and Institute on Violence and Destructive Behavior, “PRIDE: Positive and Restorative Investment in Discipline Reform in Education,” with team members: John A. Inglish, Technical Assistance and Consulting Services; Erik Girvan, School of Law; Claudia G. Vincent, Institute on Violence and Destructive Behavior. Award amount: $48,499.
- Richard Taylor, Physics Department and Material Science Institute, “Fractal Interconnects as a Generic Interface to Neurons,” with team members: Darren Johnson, Chemistry and Materials Science Institute; Miriam Deutsch, Physics and Oregon Center for Optics; Cris Niell, Biology and Institute of Neuroscience. Award amount: $50,000.
The awards furnish twelve months of funding and the awardees were chosen from a pool of fifteen applicants. More information about the 2013 I3 Awards and other programming can be found through Research Development Services.
-- by Research, Innovation and Graduate Education