SUBJECT:

2008-2009 Interdisciplinary Research Awards

I am pleased to announce the recipients of the 2008-2009 Interdisciplinary Research Awards (IRA):

Sarah Shun-lien Bynum (Literature to Visual Arts)
Diana Deutsch (Psychology to CRCA)
Thomas Levy (Anthropology to CalIT2)

The Interdisciplinary Research Award (IRA) program was launched this year in an effort to stimulate new interdisciplinary research and teaching by our faculty. The program provides funding to permit a faculty member to reside in a campus academic unit other than his or her home base for up to three quarters to study another discipline. These activities might include auditing courses, working in labs, participating in research, reviewing literature, writing papers or proposals, organizing workshops or meetings, etc. This cross-disciplinary work should generate new interdisciplinary scholarship by the faculty member, as well as novel interdisciplinary projects through collaboration with colleagues in the host unit.

Of the $10,000 awarded per quarter to each recipient, the home department will receive $7,000 to cover instructional needs, the host academic unit will receive $1,000 to cover incidental expenses to accommodate the faculty member, and the faculty member will retain $2,000 for professional research expenses and activities related to their new project. It is hoped that such extended on-campus visits will lead to new interdisciplinary scholarly research, undergraduate and graduate courses, and proposals for extramural funding to sustain the work that has been initiated.

All General Campus Senate faculty members were eligible to apply for the IRA program proposing visits to any department or unit, including ORUs, SIO, and SOM, outside of their own academic division or discipline. A faculty committee overseen by the Vice Chancellor for Research reviewed the proposals and made recommendations for funding to me.

Proposals were evaluated using the following criteria:

* Potential to lead to new interdisciplinary scholarship and teaching, with preference given to projects that would most likely not occur without the IRA

* Impact of the proposed project on the proposer, their home and host academic units, and on the campus

* Ability of the project to advance campus goals of diversity, innovation, and internationalization

Please join me in congratulating Professors Bynum, Deutsch and Levy as the inaugural recipients of the Interdisciplinary Research Awards.

Paul W. Drake Senior Vice Chancellor