According to national trends, there exists a growing tension between productivity and innovation for university faculty, as more scholars shy away from pursuing transformative research questions in lieu of predictable outcomes that more reliably lead to career advancement.
Will Hughes, director of the Micron School of Materials and fellow of the College of Innovation and Design, and Donna Llewellyn, executive director of the STEM Initiative, are looking to change that through their National Science Foundation funded project, Piloting a Center of Transformative Research at Boise State University.
Their vision is inspired by national Centers for Teaching and Learning, and modeled after the emerging Communities of Transformation literature. Now in its third year, this community aspires to:
- Provide professional development for research-active and research-aspiring faculty.
- Align university structures and cultures to support the germination of transformative research questions and ideas among the participants.
The center currently is accepting applications for its 2018-19 cohort. The deadline to apply is Oct. 15. All participants must be full-time faculty at Boise State who are either research-active or have a strong desire to become research active. For more information about the program. To apply, follow this link.