ARIS fellows kick off their yearlong fellowship with ARIS leadership, mentors, and support staff. Left to right: Janice McDonnell, Mitaali Taskar, Roger Narayan, Rachel Thibodeau-Nielsen, Petronela Radu, Melissa Libertus, Kristin O’Connell, Susan Renoe, Nathan Meier. Not pictured: Sage Lichtenwalner and Kay Bidle.
The inaugural Center for Advancing Research Impact in Society (ARIS) Research Fellowship cohort convened at Rutgers University’s University Inn and Conference Center to kick off their journey, welcomed by Susan Renoe, Executive Director of ARIS and Associate Vice Chancellor for Research Development & Strategic Partnerships, University of Missouri, and Janice McDonnell, ARIS co-Principal Investigator and Associate Dean of Research Impact, School of Environmental and Biological Sciences (SEBS).
The ARIS Research Fellowship program is a bold initiative aimed at institutionalizing pathways for faculty and staff to advance research impact within their respective institutions. Rutgers’ professor, Kay Bidle, was selected as an inaugural fellow earlier this year. He joins fellow multi-institution researchers Melissa Libertus (University of Pittsburgh), Roger Narayan (University of North Carolina and North Carolina State University), Petronela Radu (University of Nebraska-Lincoln) and Rachel Thibodeau-Nielsen (University of Missouri) in this year’s cohort.
Over the course of the week together, attending fellows were introduced to various Rutgers faculty pioneering research impact initiatives, both in traditional STEM departments and in more administrative roles. Invited Rutgers speakers included Kevin Lyons, Professor of Professional Practice at Rutgers Business School, Oscar Schofield, Distinguished Professor and chair of the Department of Marine and Coastal Sciences (DMCS), and Mya Sharpe, graduate student in the oceanography program, DMCS.
Lyons presented several Rutgers case studies focused on the actionable steps he takes to pursue local sustainability projects that lean on Rutgers research, local business support, and community initiative. Schofield and Sharpe led the attending fellows on a tour of the Rutgers Center for Ocean Observing Leadership (RUCOOL), a center focused on oceanographic data collection available to everyone—from researchers around the world to classrooms across the country to fishermen up and down the East Coast. They also took the opportunity to present the Department of Marine and Coastal Sciences as a cultural case study on research impact, speaking from their perspectives as a department chair and graduate student, respectively. Other invited speakers included national and international ARIS members.
All fellows presented their own research impact projects and delved into key ARIS resources on effective research impact development. Through coordinated leadership training, impact identity reflection, and strategic planning sessions, the fellows created a vision for their fellowship, focusing on how STEM education and community engagement Initiatives can amplify the impacts of their institution’s research and enrich communities in partnership within this work.
“Our fellows recognize the potential opportunities that can open up for their communities and colleagues by institutionalizing research impact efforts, both at an individual and cross-institutional level,” said McDonnell.
About ARIS
The Center for Advancing Research Impact in Society (ARIS), formerly the National Alliance for Broader Impacts, was founded in 2014 and is the largest societal impact community organization in the U.S. ARIS supports practitioners, researchers and communities in achieving positive societal impact. With more than 1,800 members worldwide, ARIS offers resources, certifications, and programs to build capacity, grow partnerships, and enhance scholarship. Visit researchinsociety.org.
