EPSCoR (Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research) is a National Science Foundation program aimed at enhancing research and development, competitiveness, and innovation. RISD is collaborating with URI, Brown, and other institutions of higher education and agencies in the State of Rhode Island on a 5-year, $20 million grant that began in September 2010.
Hear David Bogen’s conversation about the project with Ilona Miko, Senior Scientific Editor for Life Sciences at Nature Education……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….
The focus of the statewide scientific research initiative is the impact of climate change on marine organisms in Narragansett Bay. RISD will build research and visualization capacity and strategies for collaboration through the investment in infrastructure (tools + people + ideas) “to increase its capabilities in the visualization of science and new approaches for public understanding of science.”
NSF EPSCoR at RISD’s role in this larger initiative is:
1. Making science visible. Developing visual techniques and communication strategies for scientists.
2. Making science accessible. Developing visual techniques and communication strategies to assist scientists in communicating their work to broader audiences.
3. Creating collaborative environments. Facilitating successful interdisciplinary research within and among the research Center teams.
4. Promoting STEM to STEAM. Demonstrating the value of art, design, science collaborations for research and education in the STEM disciplines.
To achieve this we will:
1. Run nine “studios” over the five years of the grant, including studios to:
- Identify the most potent collaborations within and among research Center teams.
- Address challenges and discover new opportunities at the intersection of science, art and design.
- Develop visualization techniques and communication strategies to enable scientific understanding amongst the lay public.
2. Invest in technologies to enable data visualization, etc.
3. Foster transdisciplinary practice between faculty and students in art+design+science.
This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under EPSCoR Grant #1004057 to Rhode Island.