A varied assembly of UGA educators and academic officials gathered in March to explore the institution’s trajectory in the realm of interdisciplinary, team-oriented research, which is increasingly recognized as the optimal approach to tackle society’s significant challenges.
Organized by the Office of Research and inspired by the UGA Teaching Academy, the first Research Summit was entitled “Investigating the Essence of Things: Cultivating a Culture of Interdisciplinary Research and Scholarship at UGA.”
Over 50 selected faculty and administrators engaged in discussions across two days, commencing with an evening gathering on March 27 in the Delta Innovation Hub, succeeded by a full-day retreat at the State Botanical Garden of Georgia.
Tim Denning, president of the Georgia Research Alliance, commenced the Friday retreat with a keynote speech, “Collaborative Genius: The Case for Team Research,” which established the atmosphere for the day, asserting that the extensive, multidisciplinary dialogue was “precisely what must be accomplished.”
An enthusiastic cyclist, Denning employed a cycling analogy to emphasize his assertion that traditional indicators of faculty achievement — those utilized in retention, promotion, and tenure decisions — are not necessarily favorable to team research. Denning displayed a slide featuring two teammates finishing first and second in the Tour de France. The victor, who had benefited from the slipstream created by the other until just before the finish line, joyfully pointed to his partner as they crossed the line in rapid succession.
“I hold a strong belief in culture,” Denning remarked. “If we can learn to adopt this type of team culture in research, it will take us a significant distance.”
“Major challenges are best addressed through a combination of expertise,” he added, referring to examples such as the Manhattan Project, the Apollo Space Program, and the discovery of CRISPR-Cas9. “Federal agencies are interested in financing team research, and universities are responding. While that may experience a temporary decline [in the short term], the concept is not going to be forsaken.”
Following Denning’s keynote address, a series of presentations and panel discussions aimed to uncover new strategies for promoting and incentivizing team research at UGA. These discussions explored topics including best practices at UGA and other institutions, dynamics of interdisciplinary teams, engaging in community-oriented research, among others.
“One takeaway for me was the necessity of rewarding these efforts during promotion and tenure,” remarked Merryl Alber, director of the UGA Marine Institute and a panel participant in “Lessons on Research Culture and Collaboration from UGA and Other Institutions.”
A recurring theme throughout the day centered on the significance of creating genuinely interdisciplinary teams that encompass not only various STEM viewpoints but also expertise from the social sciences, arts, and humanities.
“The arts and humanities contribute the most to research collaborations when they are involved from the outset as they provide a distinct perspective on how to formulate or address the research question,” commented Jeanette Taylor, vice provost for academic affairs. “UGA can cultivate extensive collaborative teams through targeted events that unite faculty from different fields and by utilizing existing UGA entities like the Willson Center for the Humanities and Arts and the Arts Collaborative as a means for fostering collaboration.”
Nate Nibbelink, associate vice president for strategic research growth, oversees a portfolio that includes various programs designed to promote and support collaborative team initiatives. He facilitated a small-group session that tasked participants with generating new ideas to enhance these efforts.
“UGA is already a highly collaborative environment. It’s one of the reasons I appreciate it so much,” Nibbelink stated. “There were literally dozens of excellent ideas exchanged at the summit, including successful models from other institutions, that we could consider incorporating into our collaborative team initiatives. I am eager to collaborate with our faculty and research leaders across campus to prioritize and implement some of these ideas in the upcoming months and years.”
Insights from the day will be compiled and condensed into a set of recommendations to be presented to university leadership. Similar to UGA’s Teaching Academy, the Research Summit aims to continue and expand in the future, offering an annual occasion for the university to honor its research endeavors and navigate towards the future.
“What truly impressed me during the Summit was how invigorated and receptive our faculty are to interdisciplinary collaboration,” said Chris King, interim vice president for research. “It’s clear that when we unite various perspectives, we can ignite ideas that none of us could arrive at independently. This was a terrific start, and I am excited to further cultivate that momentum as we promote a culture of collaboration throughout UGA.”
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