A key mechanism to help facilitate inclusivity and motivate cross-disciplinary teaming is embodied by the partnership between the Office of the Vice President for Research and Partnerships and the Center for Faculty Excellence with the Provost’s Office.
This partnership creates open workshops aimed at informing faculty, staff, and students of the mission and goals of each of the multidisciplinary centers and institutes supported by the OVPRP with the goal of helping create convergent teams that can work together to launch new, ambitious proposals for sponsored research opportunities.
On November 18, the Center for Faculty Excellence and the Institute for Community and Society Transformation (ICAST) co-hosted a workshop to bring OU researchers and faculty from across disciplines together to ideate research topics that impact health and well-being, social justice, arts and humanities, education, and technological and workforce challenges. Nine breakout sessions facilitated conversations regarding how the ICAST team and its resources could support multidisciplinary research regarding:
- Early Childhood Education/Childhood Well-being
- Rural Communities, Education, and Schools
- Social Determinants of Health
- Health and the Environment
- AI in the Workplace/AI Ethics
- Carceral Studies
- Native Nations, Tribal Historic Preservation/Ethical Tribal Engagement
- Humanitarian Research—Refugees and Migrants
- African and African American Community-Centered Research
Active participation in these breakout categories is welcome. Any OU faculty member interested in learning more or getting involved in shaping the research direction of the identified areas above is encouraged to contact ICAST. The expectation is that the resulting research teams will generate a one-page summary of their research proposal to then begin seeking external funding.
Future OVPRP/CFE events will be posted on the OVPRP event page as they are planned and promoted through the Research Insider newsletter, Provost Academic Bulletin, and OVPRP social media.
