dedication in research group

How to Write a Dedication for a Thesis or Dissertation?

Writing a dedication page for your thesis or dissertation is a great way to honor the people who have supported you throughout the journey of your research and writing. In this guide, we’ll show you everything you need to know about writing a dedication page for your thesis or dissertation. From formatting it to what you can include, we’ll run through all of the details to help you write your dedication page with confidence and gratitude.

What is a dedication page?

In academic writing (as well as book writing), the dedication page is where you can honor the people who have inspired or emotionally support you throughout your research and writing in a personal manner.

The dedication page is an optional section in a thesis or dissertation when it comes to academic writing.

Why should I include a dedication page in my writing?

The dedication page is not mandatory in most academic writing.

However, by paying tributes to the individuals or even the higher power who meant the most to you, you attach meaning to your work beyond the academic level.

A song is merely a song with lyrics, and that’s that. But if the same song is dedicated to someone, it will certainly entail special meanings to those who are dedicated and the dedicator (yourself). In other words, dedication serves to connect your work with the people who mean the most to you.

The same goes for your work. Do you agree?

Where does the dedication page appear in a paper?

The dedication page should appear before the main body of a thesis or dissertation. But every institution has its own requirements. You should always check the formatting guidelines provided by your school, faculty or department.

For this matter, we took a quick tour of the formatting guidelines for the top three universities in the US. And we’ve already found 3 variations.

How long is a dedication page?

A dedication page can be as short as one sentence, if not in a few short paragraphs.

Who should I include on the dedication page?

In academic writings, the dedication page is where you can show your gratitude to the individuals (and even the higher power) who have inspired you or emotionally support you on a personal level throughout your work. 

They may or may not involve in your research work. You may include:

• God or the higher power

What is the formatting of a dedication page?

Always check the formatting guidelines provided by your school, faculty, or department.

As a general rule, the title, as well as the text, should be aligned in the center of the page like this:

What is the tone and style of a dedication page?

The tone of the dedication page can be formal or informal. It can be personal, sometimes even emotional and spiritual.

Formal phases to begin a dedication:

*Work: thesis/dissertation/report/research

This [work] is dedicated to…

Example: This project is dedicated to Mr. Smith, our teacher who helped and guided us to successfully complete this work.

I dedicate this [work] to…

Example: I dedicate this thesis to my father and my mother, who with love and effort have accompanied me in this process, without hesitating at any moment of seeing my dreams come true, which are also their dreams

I am dedicating this [work] to…

Example: I am dedicating this thesis to my late grandfather who taught me all about perseverance. His memories continue to keep me going in every single day of my life

Informal phases to begin a dedication:

Example: For my Almighty God, the reason for my existence.

Example: To Bruno, who has been my support in the difficulties.

Example: To my dearest wife Jenny, to my lovely little girl Jin, to my parents, to my brothers William, John and Paul, and to all those who made this thesis possible.

The dedication page vs the acknowledgement page, what’s the difference?

While both the dedication page and acknowledgement page let you show appreciation for the help and support in your research and writing, there are some major similarities and differences between the two.

Dedication in academic writing

On a dedication page, you honor a particular group of people or an individual for inspiring or motivating you for completing the project or paper. It can be personal, emotional, or even spiritual and does not necessarily have anything to do with the academic aspects.

You dedicate your research work to the people who mean the most to you, such as the higher power, your core family members, a particular individual, friends, or someone who has a special role in your life.

Acknowledgment in academic writing

In acknowledgments, you recognize resources (e.g. grants or funding), institutions as well as individuals that are involved or have support in the course of your research and writing. These parties directly play a role in your academic career. Here, you disclose as much academic-related information as possible.

The Similarities

These sections, usually optional, should be no longer than one page.

Depending on the requirements of school or academic department, they can appear before or after the table of contents in your paper.

The Differences

The key difference between acknowledgement and dedication is that the former is more formal and the latter is more personal.

Acknowledgement usually recognizes the contributions of those who were directly involved in the research, whereas dedications are a way for the writer to pay tribute to individuals who have had a significant personal or emotional impact on their life or work.

It is common for people to dedicate their writing to God or another higher power who they believe provided them with spiritual support during the writing process.”

Here’s a brief comparison table showing the main differences between the two:

If you want to check out examples of dedication for projects, reports, theses, dissertations, and books, also read: Examples of Well-Written Dedication Section

Acknowledgement Examples for School/College Projects

Most popular Acknowledgement For School/College Projects [7 Examples] Acknowledgement for English Project [5 Examples] Acknowledgement for Project Class 11 and 12 Acknowledgement for Project of Class 8, 9 and 10 By subjects Acknowledgement for Accounting Project [3 Examples] Acknowledgement for Business Studies Project [5 Examples] Acknowledgement for Chemistry Project [5 Examples] Acknowledgement for Computer Project [5 Examples] Acknowledgement for Economics Project [5 Examples] Acknowledgement for English Project [5 Examples] Acknowledgement for Geography Project [5 Examples] Acknowledgement for History Project [5 Examples] Acknowledgement for Maths Project for Students [5 Examples] Acknowledgement for Physics Project [5 Examples] Acknowledgement for Social Science Project [5 Examples] Others Acknowledgement for Group Project [5 Examples] Acknowledgement for Graduation Project [5 Examples] Acknowledgement for Disaster Management Project [3 Examples] Acknowledgement for Yoga Project [3 Samples]

Other Popular Acknowledgement Examples

For work or business Acknowledgement Receipt of Payment [4 Examples] Acknowledging Receipt of Documents: A Quick Guide with Examples Acknowledgement for Presentation [9 Examples] Acknowledgement for Job Offer [3 Examples] Acknowledgement for Business Plan [4 Examples] Acknowledgement for Work Immersion [5 Examples] Acknowledgement of Receipt of Appraisal [3 Examples] Acknowledegment of Debt [5 Examples] Resignation Acknowledgement for Employers [5 Examples]

Academic Acknowledgement for Research Paper [5 Examples] Acknowledgement for Internship Report [5 Examples] Acknowledgement for Thesis and Dissertation [15 Examples] Acknowledgement for Portfolio [5 Examples] Acknowledgement for Case Study [4 Examples] Acknowledgement for Academic Research Paper [5 Examples] Acknowledgement for College/School Assignment [5 Examples] Acknowledgemet to God in Reports [5 Examples]

Others Acknowledgement to Funeral Attendees [5 Examples] Funeral Acknowledgement Templates (for Newspapers and Websites) Common Website Disclaimers to Protect Your Online Business Notary Acknowledgement [5 Examples]

How-to Guides on Academic Writing and Others

Most popular How to Write an Acknowledgement: The Complete Guide for Students How to Write an Acknowledgement for College Project? How to Write a Dedication Page for a Thesis or Dissertation? More on acknowledgements How to Write Acknowledgment for a Dissertation or a Thesis? Is Acknowledgement and Dedication the Same? Thesis or Dissertation How to Write a Master’s Thesis: The Ultimate Guide How to Write a Thesis Proposal? How to Write an Abstract for a Thesis? How to Write a Preface for a Thesis? Others How to Write an Introduction for a Research Paper? 7 Real Research Paper Examples to Get You Started How to Write Cover Letter for an Internship Program? How to Write an Internship Acceptance Letter? How to Write a Leave Application? For Schools and the Workplace How to Write a Resignation Letter?

Introduction to Academic Writing

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Academic English: Writing Specialization

By the University of California, Irvine Duration: 6 months Cost: Free 7-day trial, USD39 per month The skills taught in this Specialization will empower you to succeed in any college-level course or professional field. You’ll learn to conduct rigorous academic research and to express your ideas clearly in an academic format. Share your Course Certificates in your LinkedIn profile, on printed resumes, CVs, or other documents.

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Formatting Your Thesis or Dissertation with Microsoft Word

• Dedication, Acknowledgements, & Preface
• Introduction
• Copyright Page
• Headings and Subheadings
• Citations and Bibliography
• Page Numbers
• Tables and Figures
• Rotated (Landscape) Pages
• Table of Contents
• Lists of Tables and Figures
• List of Abbreviations
• Some Things to Watch For
• PDF with Embedded Fonts

Dedication, acknowledgements, & preface

Dedication, Acknowledgements, and Preface sections are all optional pages. But, what is the difference between these three?

Dedication — A personal tribute to someone or a group of people. Example: "To my parents."

Acknowledgements — A professional tribute to a person or people who helped you with the thesis. Example: "I wish to thank my thesis advisor for the hours of help in the lab making sure the experiments were set up properly and guiding me through the thesis process."

Preface ( sometimes confused with Foreward or Prologue ) — A very rarely included section that details why you are qualified to write about your topic of your thesis or why you became interested in the topic (for example, an anecdote about a childhood incident that led you to become interested in the topic). Do not confuse this with the literature review; this is more of a personal story.

The video below gives more examples of what can be included in these sections. Note: If your dedication is short (like "To my parents"), you may choose not to include the "Dedication" heading at the top of the page. A demonstration of how to format the dedication page this way is shown below.

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How to Write Acknowledgement for Research Paper (5 Samples)

July 12, 2023

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By Mohsin Khurshid

Writing acknowledgements is an essential part of crafting a comprehensive research paper. It allows you to express gratitude and recognize the contributions of individuals and institutions who have supported your work. In this article, we will delve into the art of writing acknowledgement for research papers, providing you with valuable insights, practical tips, and five sample acknowledgements to guide you in acknowledging the people and resources that have played a significant role in your research journey.

Table of Contents

• 1 Understanding the Role of Acknowledgements in Research Papers
• 2 Key Elements of an Effective Acknowledgement
• 3 10 Tips for Writing an Acknowledgement for a Research Paper
• 4.1 Sample 1: Acknowledgement for Collaborative Research:
• 4.2 Sample 2: Acknowledgement for Funding Support:
• 4.3 Sample 3: Acknowledgement for Mentorship and Guidance:
• 4.4 Sample 4: Acknowledgement for Institutional Support:
• 4.5 Sample 5: Acknowledgement for Peer Reviewers:
• 6 Conclusion

Understanding the Role of Acknowledgements in Research Papers

Acknowledgements serve as a platform to express appreciation and recognize the collective effort that goes into the completion of a research paper. They provide an opportunity to acknowledge the guidance, support, and assistance received throughout the research process. By including acknowledgements, you can demonstrate your gratitude and give credit to those who have contributed to your success.

Key Elements of an Effective Acknowledgement

Crafting an effective acknowledgement involves considering various elements to ensure its sincerity and clarity. It is crucial to mention specific individuals, institutions, and their contributions, while keeping the acknowledgement concise and relevant. By adhering to ethical considerations and cultural norms, you can create an acknowledgement that reflects your gratitude and professionalism.

10 Tips for Writing an Acknowledgement for a Research Paper

• Be sincere and genuine : Write your acknowledgements with heartfelt gratitude, expressing sincere appreciation for the support and contributions received during your research.
• Identify specific individuals and institutions: Mention the names of people who have played a significant role in your research, such as mentors, advisors, collaborators, and funding agencies. Also, acknowledge the contributions of institutions that provided resources or facilities.
• Be concise and focused: Keep your acknowledgements concise and to the point. Focus on the key individuals and organizations that have made a substantial impact on your research.
• Use a formal tone: Maintain a professional and formal tone throughout your acknowledgements. Remember that this section is a formal acknowledgment of support, not a casual conversation.
• Follow ethical considerations: Ensure that you acknowledge individuals and organizations according to ethical guidelines and norms. Respect the privacy and confidentiality of individuals who may prefer not to be mentioned.
• Include personal touches: If appropriate, you can include personal anecdotes or specific instances where individuals or organizations made a significant impact on your research.
• Tailor acknowledgements to your research context: Consider the nature of your research and tailor your acknowledgements accordingly. For example, if you conducted interdisciplinary research, acknowledge experts from different fields who provided valuable insights.
• Proofread and edit: Like any other section of your research paper, proofread and edit your acknowledgements for grammar, spelling, and clarity. Ensure that the acknowledgements are well-written and free of errors.
• Seek feedback if needed: If you’re uncertain about whom to acknowledge or how to express your gratitude, seek feedback from your mentors, advisors, or colleagues. They can provide valuable guidance and suggestions.
• Show appreciation beyond formal requirements: While it’s important to acknowledge the required individuals and institutions, also consider extending your appreciation to others who may have supported you indirectly, such as family, friends, or colleagues who provided emotional support during your research journey.

Remember, acknowledgements are an opportunity to express your gratitude and recognize the contributions of those who have helped you along the way. Take the time to craft a thoughtful and sincere acknowledgement section that reflects the support and collaborative spirit of your research endeavor.

5 Samples for Acknowledgment in Research Paper

Explore these 5 carefully crafted acknowledgment samples to effectively express gratitude in your research paper.

Sample 1: Acknowledgement for Collaborative Research:

In this sample, we showcase an acknowledgement that acknowledges the collaborative efforts of research collaborators and team members. It highlights the importance of recognizing the joint contributions made towards the research project.

“I would like to express my deepest appreciation to the members of the research team, [Collaborators’ Names], for their invaluable contributions and collaborative spirit throughout this research project. Our collective efforts and synergistic teamwork have significantly enhanced the quality and depth of this study. Each member’s unique expertise and perspectives have brought forth diverse insights, resulting in a more comprehensive and well-rounded analysis.

I am grateful for the dedication, commitment, and professionalism demonstrated by each team member. The constructive discussions, intellectual debates, and shared enthusiasm have fostered an enriching research environment that has truly pushed the boundaries of our collective knowledge. This research project stands as a testament to the power of collaboration and the collective pursuit of knowledge.”

Sample 2: Acknowledgement for Funding Support:

This sample acknowledgement focuses on acknowledging the financial support received for the research. It emphasizes the significance of recognizing funding agencies or organizations that have provided the necessary resources for the research to take place.

“I would like to extend my sincere gratitude to the funding agencies and organizations that have provided financial support for this research. Their generous contributions have made it possible to conduct this study and have significantly contributed to its successful completion. The financial support has allowed for the procurement of necessary research materials, access to specialized equipment, and the opportunity to engage in valuable research experiences.

I would like to express my appreciation to [Name of Funding Agency/Organization 1] for their generous grant, which has played a crucial role in supporting this research project. Their belief in the significance of this study and their commitment to advancing knowledge in this field have been instrumental in its realization.

Furthermore, I would like to acknowledge the support received from [Name of Funding Agency/Organization 2]. Their funding has been vital in facilitating data collection, analysis, and the dissemination of research findings. Their investment in this project has not only provided financial resources but has also validated the importance and potential impact of this research.”

Sample 3: Acknowledgement for Mentorship and Guidance:

Here, we present a sample acknowledgement that expresses gratitude towards mentors and advisors who have provided guidance and support throughout the research journey. It underscores the critical role of mentorship in academic and research endeavors.

“I am deeply grateful to my mentor, [Mentor’s Name], for their exceptional guidance and unwavering support throughout this research endeavor. Their expertise, insightful feedback, and continuous encouragement have been invaluable in shaping the direction and outcomes of this study. Their unwavering commitment to my academic growth and professional development has been truly inspiring.

I am indebted to [Mentor’s Name] for their generous allocation of time and resources, their willingness to share their wealth of knowledge, and their unwavering dedication to pushing me to new heights. Their mentorship has not only enriched the quality of this research but has also had a profound impact on my personal and intellectual growth. I am truly fortunate to have had the privilege of working under their guidance.”

Sample 4: Acknowledgement for Institutional Support:

In this sample, we illustrate an acknowledgement that acknowledges the support and resources provided by institutions. It emphasizes the institutional backing that has facilitated the research process and contributed to its success.

“I would like to express my heartfelt gratitude to the faculty members and academic advisors who have provided guidance, feedback, and support throughout my academic journey. Their expertise, wisdom, and dedication to teaching and mentoring have been instrumental in shaping my research skills and scholarly pursuits.

I am grateful to [Name of Faculty Member/Advisor 1] for their unwavering support and invaluable insights. Their expertise and guidance have been critical in refining the research design, analyzing data, and interpreting findings. Their constructive feedback and intellectual discussions have truly enriched this study.

I would also like to acknowledge the contributions of [Name of Faculty Member/Advisor 2]. Their mentorship and encouragement have played a pivotal role in the development of my research abilities and have inspired me to reach for new heights. Their belief in my potential has been a constant source of motivation throughout this research journey.”

Sample 5: Acknowledgement for Peer Reviewers:

“I would like to express my deepest gratitude to the anonymous peer reviewers who have dedicated their time and expertise to provide valuable feedback and constructive criticism on this research paper. Their rigorous evaluation, insightful comments, and suggestions for improvement have immensely contributed to the quality and credibility of this work.

The meticulous review process conducted by the peer reviewers has helped shape and refine the content, methodology, and interpretation of this study. Their expertise in the field and their commitment to upholding scholarly standards have been crucial in ensuring the accuracy, validity, and relevance of the research findings.

I am sincerely grateful for the time and effort invested by each reviewer in thoroughly assessing this paper. Their detailed comments and recommendations have not only helped enhance the clarity and coherence of the manuscript but have also encouraged further reflection and refinement of the research.

The contributions of the peer reviewers are invaluable in the advancement of scientific knowledge and the improvement of academic publications. Their commitment to maintaining the rigor and integrity of the research process plays a pivotal role in fostering academic excellence and promoting the dissemination of high-quality research outcomes.”

When writing an acknowledgement in a research paper, begin by expressing gratitude to individuals, institutions, or organizations who have contributed to the research. Provide a sincere and concise acknowledgement, mentioning their specific contributions and the impact they made on the study.

While specific examples may vary depending on the research context, an acknowledgement section in a journal article typically acknowledges the contributions of individuals, funding sources, or institutions involved in the research process. It expresses gratitude for their support, guidance, or resources.

The purpose of the acknowledgement section in a research paper is to recognize and express gratitude to individuals or entities who have supported the research. It acknowledges their contributions, whether through funding, mentorship, technical assistance, data provision, or other forms of support.

When writing acknowledgements for a publication , start by identifying the key individuals or entities that have contributed to the research. Express gratitude for their support, mentioning specific contributions and the value they added to the study. Keep the acknowledgements concise and focused on the research context.

The acknowledgement section of a research paper should include acknowledgements for individuals or entities that have contributed to the research process. This may include mentors, advisors, funding agencies, research collaborators, or others who have provided valuable support, guidance, or resources.

While including an acknowledgement section in a research paper is not mandatory, it is a common practice in academic publishing. It provides an opportunity to acknowledge and appreciate the contributions of individuals or entities who have supported the research.

When writing an acknowledgements section for a literature review, acknowledge individuals or sources that have influenced and contributed to your understanding of the topic. Express gratitude for their insights, guidance, or resources that have shaped your literature review.

The terms “acknowledgement” and “acknowledgment” are both correct and interchangeable. The choice of spelling (with or without the “e”) may depend on regional or personal preferences.

To acknowledge a source in a research paper, use proper citation and referencing techniques according to the specific citation style guidelines. Include in-text citations and a corresponding entry in the reference list or bibliography to give credit to the original source.

Yes, you can acknowledge individuals who provided personal support in the acknowledgement section, such as family, friends, or loved ones. Recognize their emotional support, encouragement, or understanding during the research process.

Writing acknowledgements for a research paper allows you to express gratitude and acknowledge the invaluable contributions of individuals and institutions who have supported your work. By following the tips and utilizing the sample acknowledgements provided in this article, you can effectively and sincerely express your appreciation. Remember, acknowledgements are an opportunity to show your gratitude and give credit where it is due.

Acknowledgement for Paper Publication (10 Samples)

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• Acknowledgements for PhD Thesis and Dissertations – Explained
• Doing a PhD

The Purpose of Acknowledgements

The acknowledgement section of a thesis or dissertation is where you recognise and thank those who supported you during your PhD. This can be but is not limited to individuals, institutions or organisations.

Although your acknowledgements will not be used to evaluate your work, it is still an important section of your thesis. This is because it can have a positive (or negative for that matter) influence the perception of your reader before they even reach the main body of your work.

Who Should I Acknowledge?

Acknowledgements for a PhD thesis will typically fall into one of two categories – professional or personal.

Within these categories, who you thank will ultimately be your decision. However, it’s imperative that you pay special attention to the ‘professional’ group. This is because not thanking someone who has played an important role in your studies, whether it be intentional or accidental, will more often than not be seen as a dismissal of their efforts. Not only would this be unfair if they genuinely helped you, but from a certain political aspect, it could also jeopardise any opportunities for future collaborations .

Professional Acknowledgements

This may include, but is not limited to:

• Funding bodies/sponsorship providers
• Supervisors
• Research group and lab assistants
• Research participants
• Proofreaders

Personal Acknowledgements

• Key family members and friends
• Individuals who inspired you or directly influenced your academic journey
• Anyone else who has provided personal support that you would like to mention

It should be noted that certain universities have policies which state only those who have directly supported your work, such as supervisors and professors, should be included in your acknowledgements. Therefore, we strongly recommend that you read your university guidelines before writing this section of your thesis.

How to Write Acknowledgements for PhD Thesis

When producing this section, your writing style can be more informal compared to the rest of your thesis. This includes writing in first person and using more emotive language. Although in most cases you will have complete freedom in how you write this section of your thesis, it is still highly advisable to keep it professional. As mentioned earlier, this is largely because it will be one of the first things your assessors will read, and so it will help set the tone for the rest of your work.

In terms of its structure, acknowledgements are expected to be ordered in a manner that first recognises the most formal support before moving onto the less formal support. In most cases, this follows the same order that we have outlined in the ‘Who Should I Thank’ section.

When thanking professionals, always write out their full name and provide their title. This is because although you may be on a first-name basis with them, those who read your thesis will not. By providing full names and titles, not only do you help ensure clarity, but it could also indirectly contribute to the credibility of your thesis should the individual you’re thanking be well known within your field.

If you intend to include a list of people from one institution or organisation, it is best to list their names in alphabetical order. The exception to this is when a particular individual has been of significant assistance; here, it would be advisable to list them.

How Long Should My Acknowledgements Be?

Acknowledgements vary considerably in length. Some are a single paragraph whilst some continue for up to three pages. The length of your acknowledgement page will mostly depend on the number of individuals you want to recognise.

As a general rule, try to keep your acknowledgements section to a single page. Although there are no word limits, creating a lengthy acknowledgements section dilutes the gratitude you’re trying to express, especially to those who have supported you the most.

Where Should My Acknowledgements Go?

In the vast majority of cases, your acknowledgements should appear directly after your abstract and before your table of contents.

However, we highly advise you to check your university guidelines as a few universities set out their own specific order which they will expect you to follow.

Phrases to Help You Get Started

We appreciate how difficult it can be to truly show how grateful you are to those who have supported you over the years, especially in words.

To help you get started, we’ve provided you with a few examples of sentences that you can complete or draw ideas from.

• I am deeply grateful to XXX…
• I would like to express my sincere gratitude to XXX…
• I would like to offer my special thanks to XXX…
• I would like to extend my sincere thanks to XXX…
• …for their assistance at every stage of the research project.
• …for their insightful comments and suggestions.
• …for their contribution to XXX.
• …for their unwavering support and belief in me.

Thesis Acknowledgement Examples

Below are three PhD thesis acknowledgment samples from which you can draw inspiration. It should be noted that the following have been extracted from theses which are freely available in the public domain. Irrespective of this, references to any individual, department or university have been removed for the sake of privacy.

First and foremost I am extremely grateful to my supervisors, Prof. XXX and Dr. XXX for their invaluable advice, continuous support, and patience during my PhD study. Their immense knowledge and plentiful experience have encouraged me in all the time of my academic research and daily life. I would also like to thank Dr. XXX and Dr. XXX for their technical support on my study. I would like to thank all the members in the XXX. It is their kind help and support that have made my study and life in the UK a wonderful time. Finally, I would like to express my gratitude to my parents, my wife and my children. Without their tremendous understanding and encouragement in the past few years, it would be impossible for me to complete my study.

I would like to thank my supervisors Dr. XXX and Dr. XXX for all their help and advice with this PhD. I would also like to thank my sisters, whom without this would have not been possible. I also appreciate all the support I received from the rest of my family. Lastly, I would like to thank the XXX for the studentship that allowed me to conduct this thesis.

I would like to thank my esteemed supervisor – Dr. XXX for his invaluable supervision, support and tutelage during the course of my PhD degree. My gratitude extends to the Faculty of XXX for the funding opportunity to undertake my studies at the Department of XXX, University of XXX. Additionally, I would like to express gratitude to Dr. XXX for her treasured support which was really influential in shaping my experiment methods and critiquing my results. I also thank Dr. XXX, Dr. XXX, Dr. XXX for their mentorship. I would like to thank my friends, lab mates, colleagues and research team – XXX, XXX, XXX, XXX for a cherished time spent together in the lab, and in social settings. My appreciation also goes out to my family and friends for their encouragement and support all through my studies.

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How to Write a Dedication

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And the dedication goes to…

When you have finally completed the gruelling yet wonderful process of writing a book, short story , dissertation, etc., you are then faced with the difficult decision of dedicating this source of all your hard work to someone special. Here are some helpful tips to ease your anxiety and assist you in writing a dedication page.

Picking a person 

The most difficult part of writing this piece of front matter is choosing who you would like to dedicate your work to. Some writers may find it to be the most difficult part of the whole process. When choosing who to write your dedication for, think about the process you just went through and who helped you get through it. This could include a variety of people, including a parent, sibling, or other family member, a spouse or partner, a friend, a supervisor, a colleague, or even a pet. This is a very personal choice and there is no wrong decision.

Naming names

After you have decided who you will write your dedication for, you must decide how you are going to identify them. This will be based on your own personal preference and what is appropriate, according to your relationship with that person. The identification could vary from formal to informal.

On the formal end of the spectrum, your dedication could be addressed to Dr. So and So, Mr. X, or even Mother and Father. In between formal and informal, there are options like Mom, Dad, My sister, My friend, a person’s first and last name (no title), etc. On the informal side, you could use the first name or nickname of someone you know.

Reason for the dedication

The next component in writing your dedication is explaining why you chose this person. Many authors provide a reason for their dedication selections. As with the whole dedication process, this is an extremely personal and subjective decision. The dedication could simply be: "For my mom"; others may choose to explain their decision: "For my mom; without her I would not be here." You may want to write a funny anecdote about the person, an experience you shared, or even a private joke shared only by the two of you. As seen in our example dedication page, there are many types of dedications, each with it's own style. Your reason is completely dependent on your personality and your relationship with the person to whom you are dedicating your work.

Addressing the dedication

There are many ways you can address your dedication. You could write, "I dedicate this book to …", "This is dedicated to …", "To: …", "For: …", or simply just start writing your dedication without any formal address. It should be on its own page so everyone will get the hint that it is a dedication page, even if there isn't any formal address. Take into consideration the person you have chosen to dedicate your work to, your personality, and the formality of your relationship and the address will follow suit.

Alternative dedications

It has been extremely popular over the years to write a dedication page using alternative formats. Authors have used poems or funny anecdotes to express their gratitude. In the past, many dedications were often written in the style of a formal letter.

The most important things to remember when writing a dedication are to keep it simple, concise, and ensure that it truly reflects your personality and your relationship with the person the dedication is for. Remember to get your finished dedication edited by one of our book editors . You don't want to overlook calling your spouse the pettiest person in the world when you really meant the prettiest person in the world!

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Writing Your Dedication and Acknowledgements

When it comes to writing a thesis, the chapters get most of our attention – and so they should! They are the bulk of the thesis, and they contain the actual research. But there are other sections to think about as well, and two of them can be particularly fun to write.

The dedication and acknowledgements pages are where you can show your love and gratitude to the people who have helped you to achieve your goals. They tend to be less prescribed than other sections, so you have a little freedom to get creative in the way you express yourself!

While they might seem similar, there is a difference between the dedications and the acknowledgements. The dedication, as the name suggests, allows you to dedicate your thesis to someone (or multiple people). This is quite a personal matter, and dedications are often made to family members, spouses, friends, or community groups.

The acknowledgements page, by contrast, allows you to express thanks for specific contributions, and often features people that the author knows professionally as well as personally. If a person or group helped you by giving advice, funding, mentorship, editorial assistance, or practical support, it’s a good idea to give them a shout-out in the acknowledgements. This is more than just a courtesy – it’s an important part of maintaining your relationships by formally recognising the people and organisations who have made a contribution to your work.

As an example – I dedicated my PhD thesis to several members of my family, and wrote short personal notes about their contributions. In my acknowledgements section, I thanked my supervisor, a mentor, a friend who provided technical advice during my research, and my scholarship provider.

My dedication and acknowledgements sections were fairly conventional, but that doesn’t mean yours have to be! I’ve heard of writers dedicating their thesis to their pets, their computers, and even their local barista. There have even been rumours of one acknowledgements page which included a coupon for a free beer for anyone whose name was listed!

Other scholars have been known to thank:

• Public transport providers “for making the task of writing in buses and trains such an enjoyable exercise” ( source )
• The “spell-check function of Microsoft Word, without whom ‘institution’ would be misspelled differently 197 times” ( source )
• “The U.S. Immigration Service under the Bush administration, whose visa background security check forced [the author] to spend two months (following an international conference) in a third country, free of routine obligations” ( source )

One enterprising paleontologist even proposed to his girlfriend via the acknowledgements section of his journal article. (She said yes, apparently.)

So if you haven’t already, have a go at drafting your dedication and acknowledgements pages. After all, it’s not often you can gush about your favourite people while still technically being productive!

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• Published: 03 August 2020

A practical guideline how to tackle interdisciplinarity—A synthesis from a post-graduate group project

• Max Oke Kluger   ORCID: orcid.org/0000-0001-9130-8948 1 &
• Gerhard Bartzke 1  

Humanities and Social Sciences Communications volume  7 , Article number:  47 ( 2020 ) Cite this article

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• Environmental studies

The comprehensive understanding of increasingly complex global challenges, such as climate change induced sea level rise demands for interdisciplinary research groups. As a result, there is an increasing interest of funding bodies to support interdisciplinary research initiatives. Attempts for interdisciplinary research in such programs often end in research between closely linked disciplines. This is often due to a lack of understanding about how to work interdisciplinarily as a group. Useful practical guidelines have been provided to overcome existing barriers during interdisciplinary integration. Working as an interdisciplinary research group becomes particularly challenging at the doctoral student level. This study reports findings of an interdisciplinary group project in which a group of doctoral students and postdoctoral researchers from various disciplines faced the challenges of reconciling natural, social, and legal aspects of a fictional coastal environmental problem. The research group went through three phases of interdisciplinary integration: (1) comparing disciplines, (2) understanding disciplines, and (3) thinking between disciplines. These phases finally resulted in the development of a practical guideline, including five concepts of interactive integration. A reflective analysis with observations made in existing literature about interdisciplinary integration further supported the feasibility of the practical guideline. It is intended that this practical guideline may help others to leave out pitfalls and to gain a more successful application of interdisciplinarity in their training.

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Introduction

The large economic, ecological, and demographical challenges caused by globalization led to the transition towards interdisciplinary collaborations between scientific communities, policymakers, and society (Langfeldt et al., 2012 ; Pedersen, 2016 ). Integration of diverse understandings by interdisciplinary collaboration is seen as most comprehensive approach to complex environmental problems (Bromham et al., 2016 ; Ledford, 2015a ; Wagner et al., 2011 ). For example, a paragon for addressing a complex environmental problem was reported for Nova Scotia, Eastern Canada. In this study a group of decision makers from industry, policy, research, communities, as well as, fishery assessed an interdisciplinary way to sustainably harness tidal energy potential (Palmer, 2018 ). In academia, however, discoveries are said to be more likely on the boundaries between disciplines. In this case the latest methods and perspectives can increase knowledge during interdisciplinary research collaborations (Rylance, 2015 ). In contrast, single-disciplinary and multi-disciplinary research collaborations increase impact output in highly specialized fields. Therefore, interdisciplinary research collaboration fosters deeper interaction and integration of various disciplinary perspectives (Bergen et al., 2020 ; Gewin, 2014 ; Pykett et al., 2020 ; Sá, 2008 ; Van Noorden, 2015 ).

In order to successfully investigate intricate problems, all involved parties have to communicate and collaborate in an attempt to create a common understanding and to learn from each other’s perspectives. This ideally results in a new perspective that is more than the sum of its components (Brewer, 1999 ; Nissani, 1997 ; Tauginienė et al., 2020 ). As a result, global governance recognizes interdisciplinary research as the best way to address emerging multifaceted problems. Therefore, interdisciplinary programs were strongly encouraged over the last decades (Bozeman and Boardman, 2014 ; Ledford, 2015b ; Pedersen, 2016 ; Rylance, 2015 ), including interdisciplinary research graduate programs. Among others, the US graduate program Integrative Graduate Education and Research Traineeship Footnote 1 (IGERT) and the Toolbox Dialogue Initiative Footnote 2 appear to be good showcases for interdisciplinary approaches (Eigenbrode et al., 2007 ; Goring et al., 2014 ; Kennedy et al., 2012 ; Laursen, 2018 ; Pennington et al., 2013 ; Steel et al., 2017 ). Another typical example for an interdisciplinary research training program is the Trust and Communication in a Digitized World program, which examines how trust can be developed and maintained under the conditions of new forms of communication. Footnote 3

To date, a broad range of interdisciplinary graduate education programs have been established to address cross-cutting environmental and sustainability problems (Bruce et al., 2004 ; Campbell, 2005 ; Graybill et al., 2006 ; Juhl et al., 1997 ; McCarthy, 2004 ; Morse et al., 2007 ; Morss et al., 2005 ; Rhoten and Parker, 2004 ; Skates, 2003 ). Nonetheless, from the doctoral student’s perspective the focus on interdisciplinary research may not be trivial, because in order to conclude their work in a time frame that is often narrowly predetermined, doctoral students rarely have the opportunity to gain a deeper understanding of disciplines outside of their own field (Welch-Devine, 2012 ; Welch-Devine and Campbell, 2010 ). Collaboration efforts mostly come in the form of the exchange of expertise between closely related disciplines, for example in collaborations between geology and biology. In such disciplinary and cross-disciplinary investigations the integration of disciplines is straightforward. However, interdisciplinary collaboration efforts between disciplines not as obviously related to each other, for example social and natural sciences, can introduce misunderstandings because of stereotypes (MacLeod, 2018 ). This can hinder research progress, leads to unnecessary repetition or, in the worst case, can have negative consequences when misunderstood theories are applied in improper contexts (Campbell, 2005 ). In post-graduate training programs, these problems are further complicated as doctoral students are still at the stage of mastering the vocabulary of their own disciplines, while, because of the large time effort, being less interested in working out the meaning from another discipline’s perspective.

Practical guidelines from established literature are commonly the first choice to tackle interdisciplinary integration and research process (Brandt et al., 2013 ; Brown et al., 2015 ; Lang et al., 2012 ). It is also beneficial to reflect on assumptions originating from the different disciplinary perspectives. An efficient communication framework favours respectful attitudes within the research group, resulting in effective cooperation rather than competition. Repko and Szostak ( 2020 ) and Menken and Keestra ( 2016 ) synthesized case studies about interdisciplinarity and provided a good roadmap and interdisciplinary research model how to work interdisciplinarily.

One of the most prominent examples for interdisciplinarity is the effect of climate change on the coastal environment. It comprises of an interacting web of various disciplines covering, for example, atmospheric and oceanographic issues, biological consequences, economic interests, societal concerns, legal commitments, political action as well as ethical implications. Our study aims to extent the existing scientific literature about interdisciplinary integration by focusing on the perspective of post-graduates working in the coastal environment. We reflect on an interdisciplinary group project in which doctoral students and postdoctoral researchers from the interdisciplinary training program INTERCOAST, having different single disciplinary backgrounds, faced challenges of interdisciplinarity in a fictional coastal environmental problem. From our observations about advantages and challenges of interdisciplinarity, a practical guideline was synthesized that could help to educate post-graduates with different backgrounds to face an interdisciplinary problem as a group and how to bypass the pitfalls when it comes to interdisciplinary group work.

Background and composition of the group project

The post-graduate training group Integrated Coastal Zone and Shelf-Sea Research (INTERCOAST) was funded by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft from 2009 to 2018 and was a collaboration between the University of Bremen (Germany) and the University of Waikato (New Zealand). The premier goal of INTERCOAST was to gain an integrated understanding of the coastal environment from oceanographic, sedimentological, biological, socio-economic, and legal perspectives. INTERCOAST consisted of 47 individual research projects, which until now resulted in ca. 100 publications in peer-reviewed journals and books. At present, the majority of these publications aimed on disciplinary research questions, whereas only few interdisciplinary studies have been published (Koschinsky et al., 2018 ; Markus et al., 2015 ). Apart from the high level of disciplinary research, the focus of INTERCOAST was also set on interdisciplinary education, which was provided to the post-graduates through workshops and group projects.

From October 2014 to September 2015, 12 doctoral students and two postdoctoral researchers set up an interdisciplinary group project in which a problem related to the coastal environment was investigated to gain a better understanding from different disciplines. The proponents involved in the group project came from different academic disciplines and therefore had considerably different professional expertise about the coastal environment. Research topics that were covered by the proponents of the group project included, but were not limited to, studying iron enrichment in coastal sand deposits (Kulgemeyer et al., 2017 ), various coastal erosion processes (Bartzke et al., 2018 ; Biondo and Bartholomae, 2017 ; Blossier et al., 2017 ; Kluger et al., 2017 , 2019 ; Staudt et al., 2017 ), expansion mechanisms of invasive seaweeds (Bollen et al., 2017 ), the public discourse of coastal protection in Germany (Scheve, 2017 ), and legislative differences between Germany and New Zealand regarding underwater cultural heritage. The proponents of the group consisted of geoscientists, biologists, social scientists, and legal scientists, with geoscientists representing the majority (Table 1 ). The bias in group composition arose from the large quantity of individual research projects that focused on geoscientific topics. The number of group proponents was restricted to 14 as this was the number of doctoral students and postdoctoral researchers who were available during the time period of the group project.

Setup of the group project

Literature reports that three main goals of interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary research efforts need to be established within their own programmatic routines (Brandt et al., 2013 ; Lang et al., 2012 ). First, a research group forms around a commonly agreed integrated research question. To this end, it is important to identify an aim that does not privilege any involved discipline over another (Campbell, 2005 ). Further, it is necessary to create a common understanding of the different disciplinary concepts, vocabulary, methods, and values. Finally, an interactive communication framework needs to be set up to allow for an efficient sharing of the on-going research within the group. The group project reported in this study lasted for 11 months and was divided into three phases (Table 2 ), which were loosely associated with the three goals of interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary research described above: (1) phrasing an integrated research question, (2) creating a common understanding, and (3) establishing an interactive communication framework.

During the first 9 months (Phase 1), the postdoctoral researchers organized monthly group meetings. These group meetings consisted of an informal joint lunch break and a subsequent formal seminar. The formal seminar commonly lasted for 2 h and was organized and moderated by the postdoctoral researchers. In the first formal seminar, the group brainstormed about interdisciplinary topics related to the coastal environment in an open discussion. The decision about whether a topic was considered interesting and relevant to the coastal environment was made based on a rather superficial discussion among the group, without taking external expertise or research into account. The selection of relevant topics was not based on democratic decision, for example by means of a vote. A topic was considered interesting and relevant to the coastal environment when at least one proponent of the group supported the suggested topic and nobody expressed an objection. From these topics, the group chose the most interesting and relevant topic and framed a common research problem for further literature research. Wind energy production was selected as common research problem due to its broad applicability to the different disciplines and its prominence in the context of current societal and technical developments related to climate change. The agreement about a common research problem was achieved by an open vote.

The next step consisted of literature research: Each post-graduate had the task to familiarize themselves with one aspect of the common research problem, e.g. noise emission of wind turbines, while focusing on differences between the four disciplines, and prepared a short 10-min presentation about the selected aspect of the common research problem. The group did not monitor how long each individual post-graduate worked on the literature research and the preparation of the presentation. During seminars 2–6, the post-graduates presented their selected aspect of the common research problem to the entire group. Each presentation was followed by a 30-min to 1-h discussion phase during which the proponents of the group discussed the presented aspect in the light of their personal knowledge.

During seminars 7–9, the group phrased a commonly agreed research question. This process started with a discussion about the expected final outcome of the group project. At the end of the seventh seminar, the group agreed on (1) framing one integrated research question related to the common research problem and (2) answering this question interdisciplinarily. The eighth seminar was spent on framing the integrated research question. Several research questions were suggested by proponents of the group. Out of the several research questions, the group established a commonly agreed interdisciplinary research question by means of an open vote, namely:

“How do natural, social, and legal disciplines change in importance and interconnectivity when comparing potential wind farm locations (a) offshore within exclusive economic zone, (b) offshore within territorial sea, and (c) onshore near the coast?”

The ninth seminar was spent by the group to discuss and agree on the strategy to answer the integrated research question. The group decided to answer the integrated research question through phases 2 and 3 as explained below. The group did not monitor the involvement of individual group proponents during the process of phrasing the integrated research question. The authors therefore cannot judge about whether the idea of studying an interdisciplinary problem with a common research question was triggered by a single proponent of the group, or rather developed successively from the entire group’s discussion.

During the 10th month (Phase 2), the proponents of the group were asked to split into four multidisciplinary subgroups and prepared 30-min group presentations, which were supposed to address the research question by focusing on one of the four disciplines (Table 1 ). Each subgroup consisted of one expert from her/his own discipline by training. The other proponents of the subgroups had professional expertise in one of the four disciplines. For example, a social scientist, two geoscientists, and one biologist formed a subgroup with focus on societal aspects in respect to the research question. The social scientist was the expert of this subgroup, moderated the progress within the subgroup, and could help the other proponents of the subgroup in case of misunderstandings related to social scientific issues. The subgroups formed randomly; because of the relatively small number of proponents participating in the group project, they were not always composed of researchers from all four disciplines. The content of the group presentation was divided equally among the proponents of the subgroup to provide the possibility that every proponent would contribute equally to the outcome of their group presentation. The group did not monitor how long each subgroup prepared themselves for their group presentation. The authors acknowledge that an equal contribution is difficult to judge upon due to different personalities of the group proponents. One proponent might spend more effort and time to her/his part of the group presentation than others, or vice versa. The subgroups presented their findings to the entire group during the first day of a 2-day off-campus retreat. Each of the four presentations were followed by a discussion phase. During the discussion phase, the proponents of the group were asked to focus on how the four disciplines addressed the research question in their group presentation. This approach was chosen to create a common understanding of the different disciplinary concepts, vocabulary, methods, and values relevant to the research question. The final outcome of the discussion phase was the common agreement throughout the group to perform a role play as interdisciplinary interactivity.

Phase 3 started with the role play, which was conducted on the second day of the 2-day off-campus retreat. The aim of the role play was to transfer the integrated knowledge gained from the group presentations into an interactive communication framework. The role play included a 2-h planning phase, followed by a 2-h preparation phase, the actual role play (ca. 1 h), and was completed with a 2-h discussion phase. In the planning phase, the proponents of the group nominated different communication scenarios in which the research question could be addressed by all four disciplines. The group decided that the role play would be framed in an open forum in which actors, representing the four disciplines’ interests, would discuss where to construct a future fictional wind farm in Germany. Afterwards, all group proponents slipped into a role and prepared themselves for their part in the role play. One group proponent proposed the role of a moderator. The proponents chose roles based on their individual interests and preferences in order to increase motivation and to maintain a long and interesting discussion among proponents of the group.

The role play took place in a seminar room and the actors were seated in a circle of chairs. The moderator started the role play by introducing him/herself and the reasoning for an open forum. Subsequently, the other actors introduced their role and made a first statement in which they highlighted their role and their role’s opinion, as in the case of the present study, in the process of wind farm construction. Afterwards, a discussion started among the actors. This discussion was only loosely framed by the moderator, giving the actors space to freely interact and communicate within the group and respond to other actors’ opinions. The moderator ensured that all actors had the chance to contribute equally to the role play. Although it has to be acknowledged that the actors contributed differently due to their different personalities and role. After the role play, the proponents of the group discussed the outcome of the role play with respect to importance of the different actors and their interconnectivity between actors.

During two 6-h seminars, which took place in the month after the 2-day off-campus retreat, the group went through a phase of intense reflection in order to answer the research question stated above. The first seminar was spent on finding a way to visualize the involvement and role of each discipline in regard to the three locations for wind farm construction. The group decided to develop a conceptual model. In the second seminar, the group created the conceptual model. All group proponents took part in the seminars, but the group did not monitor whether or not all proponents contributed equally to the final conceptual model.

Phrasing an integrated research question—Phase 1

The integrated research question was phrased during group meetings, which took place in monthly intervals during the first 9 months of the project (Table 2 ). Informal joint lunch breaks formed the first platform of the group meetings. It was observed that doctoral students and postdoctoral researchers exchanged private and professional topics during the lunch breaks without paying much attention to the disciplinary perspectives. Proponents had the time and space to explain misunderstandings that arose from the conversations throughout the group. It was observed that the group dynamics changed over time. During the first lunch breaks, proponents were mostly interested in private topics or in professional topics related to their own disciplines. At the end of the 9 months period of phase 1, it was observed that the proportion of professional topics that were not related to their own disciplines increased. This shows that the informal lunch breaks nurtured interdisciplinary emphasis of the group.

Formal seminars formed the second platform of the group meetings. During the first formal seminar, the proponents brainstormed about topics relevant to the coastal environment and created a mind map. For the present study, this mind map was visualized as perspective map in Fig. 1 . Relevant topics to the coastal environment considered by the group included, but were not limited to, wind energy production, food production, tourism and residential areas, industry and infrastructure, waste water disposal and dredging, marine resources, and underwater cultural heritage. The proponents divided the coastal environment into three areas of interest, namely (1) onshore near the coast, (2) offshore within territorial sea (up to 12 nautical miles offshore), and (3) offshore within exclusive economic zone (up to 200 nautical miles offshore). After an intense discussion and numerous refinements, the research group decided that the challenge of increasing the proportion of wind energy production within the next decades would probably be the most relevant topic for interdisciplinary research in the three areas of interest today (Deutscher Bundestag, 2014 ; Ender, 2017 ). Therefore, the commonly agreed research problem was framed on understanding the complex roles and interactions between disciplines when searching for an appropriate coastal wind farm location. During phase 1 it was observed that for the proponents it was of particular importance to be able to identify themselves with the chosen research problem with respect to their disciplinary background and to share their expertise with the group.

The dark-shaded area highlights the three different locations for wind farms, which are the commonly agreed research areas of the interdisciplinary group work. The three areas include a – c offshore within exclusive economic zone (EEZ), offshore within territorial sea (TS), and onshore near the coast. Alternative suggestions for research areas include d farming, e tourism and residential areas, f industry and infrastructure, g waste water disposal, dredging, and dumping, h scientific surveys, i underwater cultural heritage, j marine resources, and k fishery.

The post-graduates presented their literature research about one aspect of the common research problem (seminars 2–6). At this stage, the definition of a specific research question was not the premier goal of the group. The group was more concerned with the establishment of a common understanding of interdisciplinary aspects within the research problem. It was observed that the aspects chosen by the proponents still remained in their own disciplines during this phase. For example, biologists chose to read literature about bird collision within offshore wind farms or whether or not noise emission would affect the behaviour of marine mammals. A geoscientist was more concerned about the possible difficulties of predicting the sediment stability around wind turbines located in a highly dynamic environment. A social scientist read literature about public perception of onshore and offshore wind farms, whereas a legal scientist studied the differences of regulatory frameworks of wind farm constructions between the different areas of interest. In the following seminars, the proponents seemed to become more familiar with the other disciplines in the group and, but more importantly, appeared to develop an interest to understand the other disciplines’ arguments and concerns. We believe that this transformation towards interdisciplinary group work was mainly initialized by the exchange of personal and professional opinions during the informal lunch breaks.

The phrasing of a commonly agreed research question (seminars 7–9) turned out to be a long-lasting process. Proponents discussed about topics such as the usefulness of phrasing a single integrated research question or the general thematic focus of the question. The hierarchy of words were a matter of discussion too. Proponents argued about, for example, whether or not the order of disciplines as phrased in the research question (“How do natural, social, and legal disciplines […]”) would refer to some kind of a hierarchical order. It was observed that proponents with social and legal professional backgrounds were more actively focusing on levelling the hierarchy of disciplines than the natural scientists. This was probably because social and legal disciplines formed the minority within the group, felt underrepresented, and attempted to strengthen their position.

During the process of phrasing a common research question, the group decided to name the group project InterWind , being a word combination of interdisciplinarity and wind farms. The title of the group project was initially suggested by one of the doctoral students and was later commonly accepted by the entire group. The authors believe that establishing both a common research question and a project name was the most important step for the proponents to identify themselves with the research project. This was especially important because the doctoral students performed the group project also during the last year of their Ph.D. and were therefore preoccupied with other topics.

Creating a common understanding—Phase 2

Multidisciplinary group work was used as a tool to improve the understanding of the different disciplines with respect to the common research question and to encourage interdisciplinary thinking. The proponents of the subgroup approached interdisciplinary thinking from different perspectives. On the one hand, the expert functioned as mentor and could observe and comprehend the other proponents’ struggles and difficulties when facing an unrelated discipline. On the other hand, the proponents of unrelated disciplines enjoyed the immediate benefit from explanations and advices provided by the expert in cases of misunderstandings. The exchange of these two different perspectives within subgroup encouraged interdisciplinary thinking.

The multidisciplinary subgroups presented their findings to the entire group during the first day of the off-campus retreat. In the presentations, the subgroups focused not only on their acquired knowledge but also on their impressions and personal experiences during the multidisciplinary group work. For example, one of the multidisciplinary group presentations focused on how the procedure of wind turbine construction differs throughout the three areas of interest. Among other aspects, it was presented that the type of foundation may differ from a surface foundation in the onshore environment to monopile and tripod foundations in the offshore environment. For the present study, this example was visualized in the lower panel of Fig. 2 . The differences between these three types of foundations were presented from legal, geoscientific, and biological perspectives. The subgroup did not find any societal topics related to the type of foundations. Another subgroup presented the impact of wind turbines on bird migration. The proponents showed that in the public perception, collision with wind turbines as a consequence of bird migration is considered a major obstacle for the construction of wind turbines (Devlin, 2005 ). However, recent systematic studies showed that birds tend to avoid the wind turbines and that the thread for collision is highly overestimated in the public (Hüppop et al., 2006 ).

It represents the different weighting (circle size) and interactivity (arrow width) of the four disciplines in the context of wind farm construction between a offshore within the executive economic zone, b offshore within the territorial sea, and c onshore near the coast.

These discrepancies between disciplines observed in the group presentations were vividly discussed by the group. The group decided to class the discrepancies with respect to the three areas of interest (onshore near the coast, offshore within territorial sea, and offshore within exclusive economic zone). In the following, the authors describe the main findings the group made about the differences between disciplines with respect to the three areas of interest.

In the onshore environment near the coast, the group considered geological and biological environmental constraints lower in importance compared with the offshore areas. The main reason for this consideration was that, because onshore wind turbines are commonly built in anthropogenically modified areas, they commonly require simpler ground investigations and have a limited effect on the ecosystem. In contrast, the group considered the impact on society, represented by for example land owners and tourists, as comparatively large (Wolsink, 2007 ). The group explained this conclusion with the high visibility of onshore wind turbines. In areas where the available space is already limited, people may object the construction of wind turbines despite the numerous positive effects on environment and economy.

In the offshore environment, the group discussed that various geological aspects, such as the presence of strong wind and hydrodynamic loads, the sediment properties of the subsoil, and the wind turbine design, have to be accounted for (BSH, 2014 ). Biological aspects include the possible effects of wind turbines on the marine ecosystem (Desholm and Kahlert, 2005 ; Elmer et al., 2007 ) as well as long-term climate variability due to reduction in carbon dioxide emission (Kempton et al., 2007 ). The group considered societal aspects high within the territorial sea as the tourism industry and public acceptance may be influenced in cases where offshore wind farms are visible from the coast (Devine-Wright and Howes, 2010 ; Gee, 2010 ). In the exclusive economic zone, societal impacts are mainly limited to shipping industry and fishery (Berkenhagen et al., 2010 ). Due to the large distance from the coast, offshore wind farms are generally more accepted by coastal communities and negative effects on coastal tourism are low (Hübner and Pohl, 2016 ; Hübner and Pohl, 2014 ). Therefore, the group considered societal aspects smaller in the exclusive economic zone compared with the territorial sea. The legal aspects, such as the regulatory framework for wind farm construction in Germany (BSH, 2014 ) was considered as equally important throughout the three areas of interest.

The group further focused on comparing the interactions between disciplines within the three areas of interest. The group considered that the society emphasizes with fauna and flora more easily than it does with practical aspects of geology, such as geotechnical engineering efforts when searching for a wind farm location. Therefore, the group weighted interactions between society and biology higher than those between society and geology. The highest interactions were considered to exist between society and biology when wind farms form part of the landscape (onshore and offshore within territorial waters) (Gee, 2010 ).

Establishing an interactive communicative framework—Phase 3

In the third phase, the group performed a role play in order to transfer the integrated knowledge gained from the group presentations into an interactive communication framework (second day of the off-campus retreat). The role play was framed in an open forum in which stakeholders from one of the four disciplines discussed where to construct a future fictional wind farm. The roles’ opinions reflected various aspects of the decision process of wind farm constructions and encompassed, among others, a local resident, a wind farm operator, an eco-activist, a federal politician, and an employee working for a federal maritime agency. During the role play the proponents had to emphasize with their new role and built a line of argumentation based on their role’s best interest. As the communication proceeded, the actors emphasized with the perspectives of the other roles, made compromises, and finally decided on a wind farm location every actor could agree upon.

The group went through intense discussions and reflections about the group presentations and the role play in order to find and agree on an integrated answer to the common research question. The group agreed that the complex roles of disciplines and interactions between disciplines with respect to the three areas of interest could be best synthesized by means of a conceptual model (Fig. 2 ). The group decided that the conceptual model should be divided into the three areas of interest. Each subdivision should consist of four geometrical shapes each of them representing one of the four disciplines. The size of geometrical shapes should reflect the group’s decision about the dominance of individual disciplines over other disciplines in the area of interest, respectively. Arrows of different widths would connect the four geometrical shapes in order to visualize a degree of interaction.

The group agreed that the legal framework provides the basis of interactions between the other three disciplines. Therefore, the law discipline was put into the centre (or heart) of the conceptual model. A triangular shape was chosen for the law discipline, symbolizing a cogwheel that drives the interactions and communications between the other disciplines. The other three disciplines were symbolized as circular shapes that surround the law triangle. The circular shape was chosen to be different from the law triangle, but without taking any other meaning into account. Note that the relative position and colour of circles do not indicate any hierarchical order of the disciplines but were chosen solely for a better illustration of the conceptual model.

The relative weighting of the disciplines and their degree of interaction were subject to long discussions throughout the research group. The final conceptual model (Fig. 2 ) was the result of various refinements that were made by all group proponents of all four disciplines and may therefore be considered as a truly interdisciplinary outcome. The conceptual model could indicate weaknesses in current practices and involvements of disciplines regarding wind farm constructions.

Practical guideline for interdisciplinary research process

All observations made during the interdisciplinary group project were synthesized into a practical guideline (Fig. 3 ) that may help other research groups composed of various disciplines to engage in an interdisciplinary problem. The practical guideline is conceptualized as a sequence of three phases of interdisciplinary integration: (1) comparing disciplines, (2) understanding disciplines, and (3) thinking between disciplines. The basic concept of these three phases follows the suggestions made by Lang et al. ( 2012 ) for transdisciplinary research process, who divided integrative research process into (1) problem framing and team building based on a societal and/or scientific problem, (2) co-creation of solution-oriented transferable knowledge, and (3) (re-)integration and application of created knowledge in both societal and scientific practice. The conceptual model of Lang et al. ( 2012 ) has many similarities to other models in the literature (Carew and Wickson, 2010 ; Jahn, 2008 ; Krütli et al., 2010 ; Talwar et al., 2011 ) and was adopted by numerous researchers (Brandt et al., 2013 ; Mauser et al., 2013 ; Miller et al., 2014 ).

Geometric objects (triangle, square, circle, and diamond) indicate different disciplines. The term ‘dark cloud’ refers to an unresolved challenge that has to be encountered interdisciplinarily.

The conceptual model synthesized in the present study (Fig. 3 ) starts with phase 1: Comparing disciplines. Doctoral students and/or postdoctoral researchers, originally having professional backgrounds in a single discipline, form a group and collect ideas about a common research problem through group meetings. A commonly agreed research problem is framed through iterative refinements throughout the group proponents, before the group decides upon an integrated research question. In phase 1, proponents may face problems and misunderstandings when trying to emphasize with the other disciplines. The limited understanding about the other disciplines is illustrated in the conceptual model by a dark cloud , which every proponent of the group must enter in order to find an integrated research question (as symbolized in the left part of Fig. 3 ). Group meetings that combine informal lunch breaks with subsequent formal seminars were found to be a successful tool for helping proponents to compare disciplines, to collect ideas for a research problem, which does not privilege one discipline over another, and to finally reach a common agreement on an integrated research question.

Lang et al. ( 2012 ) emphasized that the individual phases of transdisciplinary research process are not likely to be a linear process but often have to be performed in an iterative manner in order to reflect about transdisciplinarity. Based on the methodological approach of the present study, the three phases of the practical guideline followed a predefined chronological sequence, without allowing any iterative adjustments between phases. However, within phase 1 an iteration step was included that allowed a refinement of the common research problem.

In phase 2, the group establishes a common understanding of the different disciplines through multidisciplinary group work. The different perspectives of expert and non-experts during multidisciplinary group work nurtures empathy of proponents when dealing with unknown disciplines. The proponents familiarize themselves with an unknown discipline during their own literature review, can discuss and change perspectives during the preparation of multidisciplinary group presentations, and can finally benefit from listening to and discussing about other presentations being held in an atmosphere not related to normal work environment, for example during an off-campus retreat. During this process, each proponent enters the dark cloud of disciplines, previously considered to contain research fields largely unrelated to each other, to steadily form an interconnected transdisciplinary framework (as symbolized on the left side of Fig. 3 ).

In phase 3, the group discusses and reflects about the findings with respect to the integrated research question through an interactivity, for example a role play. The answer to the integrated research question should reflect the ability of the group for successful interdisciplinary work. An abstraction, for example using a conceptual model, could be a helpful way to reduce complexity and ensure an answer that can be accepted by the entire group. During this process, the proponents finally start to understand the integrated problem as multidimensional complex of disciplinary interrelations and learn to think at the interfaces between disciplines (as symbolized on the left side of Fig. 3 ).

Our practical guideline for approaching an interdisciplinary problem may be considered as an extension to the conceptual model for transdisciplinary research process of Lang et al. ( 2012 ). It largely follows the three proposed phases of research process but also incorporates five new concepts, namely group meetings, multidisciplinary group work, an off-campus retreat, an interactivity, and an abstraction of interdisciplinarity that enable the research group to approach an integrated problem interdisciplinarily.

Our practical guideline is endorsed by the five principles of interdisciplinary collaboration presented by Brown et al. ( 2015 ). Here the researchers initially undergone through a phase of “forging a shared mission”, which provided an overall goal of collaboration. The shared mission needed to be formulated broad enough to incorporate meaningful roles for all disciplinary researchers involved. This principle was also observed by us during the process of phrasing an integrated research question in phase 1 as shown in our practical guideline. Brown et al. ( 2015 ) further described the usefulness of “T-shaped researchers” (Hansen and Von Oetinger, 2001 ). Such researchers are reported as experts in their own discipline, but are also capable of looking beyond their scope. In our practical guideline, the development of T-shaped researchers was nurtured through the multidisciplinary group work in phase 2 and the interactivity in phase 3. By this, the students have transferred into T-shaped researchers. In particular, by learning that an active engagement with other disciplines is important, and hence, understanding and appreciating their norms, theories, approaches, evolved as an important step towards interdisciplinary collaboration.

We believe that our practical guideline will help others facing similar challenges of interdisciplinarity and we are looking forward to future initiatives that incorporate the practical guideline into their interdisciplinary education. Nonetheless, we think that our presented guideline describes a practical approach to transform a disciplinary thinking group to an interdisciplinary working team efficiently.

Advantages and challenges of interdisciplinary group work

The interdisciplinary group project revealed a number of issues that are common among other interdisplinary and transdisciplinary working groups. The group project was biased in terms of disciplinary diversity. The majority of proponents had a background in natural sciences, while only few proponents came from social and legal science disciplines. The bias between disciplines arose from the relatively small number of participants, which possibly affected the weighting of one discipline over another during the three phases of interdisciplinary integration, especially during the multidisciplinary group work. Asymmetry in interdisciplinary integration was also mentioned by Viseu ( 2015 ). She pointed out that social sciences are often brought into a research team after the project already have been started. Moreover, social scientists sadly form the minority, lack in independence and funding, which eventually leads to a hampering in knowledge production. For future interdisciplinary group projects, we recommend that all disciplines are equally involved during all phases of interdisciplinary collaboration. This will avoid problems related to an unequal distribution and weighing of disciplines within the research group.

Communication problems on topics of mutual interest is famously and anecdotally a common problem in interdisciplinary collaboration. While the general challenges as well as the benefits have long been recognized (Brewer, 1999 ; Nissani, 1997 ), we would like to discuss some of the struggles that came with this project with concrete examples. The problems we encountered fall broadly into three categories: language (definition of terms, implicit assumptions), form (writing style, structure, organization), and prejudice (overcoming of stereotypes).

Language-based problems primarily appeared where certain words have different definitions in colloquial language and the technical terminology of one of the scientific disciplines. While this was rarely the cause for complete misunderstandings, it often led to lengthy discussions about the phrasing in written form. An example is the word coast : In casual conversation, it is more or less synonymous with beach or shore and can be understood as where the land meets the sea ; this would also be the definition most people would use in an interview for a sociological study. Geological definitions of the coastal system include significant portions of the continental shelf up to the shelf break, as well as inland areas that are still affected by coastal processes, for instance by dune formation. For legal purposes, distinctions are made between land, territorial waters, exclusive economic zone, and international waters. These kinds of discussions are an important part of the interdisciplinary process and a sufficient amount of time should be set aside for them.

Formal problems arose when decisions had to be made about content and order of information, both in the oral presentations and during the preparation of the present paper. Natural sciences make extensive use of graphical forms of presentation in the form of diagrams and sketches—a rarity at best in legal sciences, which in turn make good use of footnotes for clarification and additional information. Differing viewpoints exist about the need to quantify data or the appropriateness of qualitative descriptions. The order in which information is presented greatly influences the focus set for the audience. The audience itself is also a decisive factor; especially a mixed audience of experts from different fields has very heterogeneous expectations that can hardly be satisfied all at once. For the present paper, decisions were made regarding style, structure, significance of findings, and even writing conventions like first vs. third person and formal tone.

Prejudice might come as an unexpected challenge. Post-graduates of their various disciplines have been trained in the environment of a certain academic culture that they tend to identify with. This includes to distinguish their own discipline from others, often in the form of humorous observations about their aims, practices and usage as well as the perceived ranking of the respective disciplines on a scale of scientific value (with their own discipline of course close to the top).

Later in their career, when post-graduates become experts, they find themselves in a position where they need to justify their research in competitive environments, including the frequent search for future funding or constant rate of publications in a high-impact journal. By necessity, they learn to present their work in a way that highlights its values. Although few scientists will consciously think lesser of their colleagues, some may fall into the trap of unconsciously evaluate other disciplines less favourably than their own. From the observations made in the present study, the reason for bringing disciplines together is not to make scholars experts on all things (a rather hopeful goal) but to enable them to collaborate on a shared and integrated question. Apart from knowledge exchange itself and learning from each other, it is important that they trust each other’s expertise. Perhaps the most important thing to highlight is that post-graduates need to learn how to engage with other disciplines. This line of thinking is further supported by unfamiliarity with the tools and premises of said disciplines and is especially present in interdisciplinary environments where hard and soft sciences are part of the same group project. In this way, interdisciplinary projects can provide unique benefits, both to the work itself by enabling a greater inclusiveness and the ability to recognize more facets of a problem, as well as to the persons involved by broadening their horizon and facilitating scientific exchange.

One success of group projects, such as the one of the present study, is that it provided time and space for such conversations and argumentations. Without working through a structured process on this case study, the opportunity would have never arisen to learn about important differences between disciplinary structures and methods. Nor would most proponents of the group have a chance to examine their own assumptions about scientific vocabulary and consider alternate meanings of basic terms. These encounters and moments were only made possible through the group project, which proved its value in training early career scientists to work cooperatively across disciplinary boundaries. Overcoming these problems requires the willingness to compromise. The potential downside can be a loss of precision in some aspects of the work, which has to be pointed out and balanced by references to specialized literature.

The present study reports findings about an interdisciplinary group project in which doctoral students and postdoctoral researchers with natural, social, and legal professional backgrounds faced challenges of interdisciplinarity. Results of the group project include in a practical guideline, which extends existing conceptual models about transdisciplinary research process by introducing a concept that helps research groups to approach an integrated problem interdisciplinarily. In synthesis, the group went through three phases of interdisciplinary integration, namely (1) comparing disciplines, (2) understanding disciplines, and (3) thinking between disciplines.

A group of doctoral students and postdoctoral researchers collect ideas about a common research problem through group meetings and frame an integrated research question by iterative refinements. Group meetings combine informal lunch breaks with subsequent formal seminars and were found to be an effective too for helping proponents to initiate interdisciplinary thinking.

A common understanding about the different disciplines’ perspectives is established through multidisciplinary group work of experts and non-experts. The different perspectives of expert and non-experts during multidisciplinary group work nurtures empathy of proponents when dealing with unknown disciplines. Group presentations and subsequent discussions in an atmosphere not related to normal work environment help to steadily form an interconnected transdisciplinary framework between disciplines.

The group discusses and reflects about the findings with respect to the integrated research question through an interactivity, for example a role play. The answer to the integrated research question should reflect the ability of the group for successful interdisciplinary work. An abstraction, for example using a conceptual model, could be a helpful way to reduce complexity and ensure an answer that can be excepted by the entire group.

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Acknowledgements

This research was funded by the DFG Research Center MARUM of the University of Bremen, Germany, through INTERCOAST (Reference number: 112807311) and the University of Waikato in Hamilton, New Zealand. We also acknowledge K. Huhn who encouraged this project. We thank T. Kulgemeyer who contributed to the discussion of this manuscript and for providing comments on the final manuscript. We acknowledge B. Blossier, F. Boxberg, C. Gawrych, S. Gustafson, M. Preu, and F. Staudt who commented on an early version of this manuscript. We thank all proponents who contributed to the group project InterWind.

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Kluger, M.O., Bartzke, G. A practical guideline how to tackle interdisciplinarity—A synthesis from a post-graduate group project. Humanit Soc Sci Commun 7 , 47 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1057/s41599-020-00540-9

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Accepted : 30 June 2020

Published : 03 August 2020

DOI : https://doi.org/10.1057/s41599-020-00540-9

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University of Birmingham

Tina Coldham, Patient and Public Involvement and Engagement (PPIE) co-lead for The Birmingham, RAND and Cambridge Evaluation ( BRACE ) Centre in the School of Social Policy, has been honored with a Medal of the Order of the British Empire (BEM) in the King’s New Year's Honours list.

Renowned for her dedication to inclusive patient and public involvement in research, Tina has been instrumental in ensuring the active involvement of patients and the public across all stages of BRACE evaluation processes.

BRACE is funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) and aims to examine efforts to transform the organisation and delivery of health and care services across the NHS.

In her role, Coldham works closely with researchers, facilitating involvement from scoping to dissemination phases of BRACE projects. By convening regular meetings of a BRACE PPIE advisory panel and reviewing project outputs and ensuring that research remains relevant and impactful to the communities it serves.

Speaking about her work in patient and public involvement and engagement, Tina said: “I’ve been working in PPI for many years, self-employed. I’m a Participation, Involvement and Engagement Advisor for the Centre for Engagement and Dissemination (CED) at NIHR and was on the INVOLVE Advisory Group from 2012, becoming their Chair in 2017.

“ INVOLVE was incorporated into the new CED on 2020, and I stayed on during lockdown, when the entire landscape changed, to help set up the new centre, getting staff and policies in place, as well as helping with some of the work.

“I’ve remained a strategic voice for the public helping with the operational work according to my skill set. As someone with enduring mental health problems I’ve got into research to help find solutions to these problems and wider, knowing that the public/patient voice is important in all this. I’m immensely proud that my work for NIHR for 12 years has been reflected in being awarded a BEM.”

Tina started working with BRACE as a PPIE panel member, due to her work with INVOLVE, at the inception of the first BRACE Centre which started in 2018. Her experience and learning over those five years and the Centre’s desire to continue to further embed patients and the public involvement in to all that they do, led to the new centre director inviting Tina to be a PPIE Co-lead on the bid proposal.

My work with the current BRACE Centre came from being a public contributor in BRACE in the early years. I’m now co-lead for PPIE, strengthening my input as part of the team. I’m in a great position to advocate for more PPIE in the ongoing and new evaluations with BRACE and can work to make it happen. Tina Coldham

Tina’s British Empire Medal was awarded on behalf of the King by the Lord Lieutenant of Hampshire on 18 March in Winchester, with a Buckingham Palace Garden party celebration to follow in May.

• Campus News
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 Kendall Foster named Student Employee of the Year

LEXINGTON, Ky. (April 24, 2024) —  Kendall Foster, a University of Kentucky student employee in the UK Department of Plant and Soil Sciences, is the recipient of the 2024 Student Employee of the Year award from UK Human Resources.  

Foster, a senior majoring in agriculture, was one of 10 finalists chosen for the award. She is a research assistant in the department’s Agroecosystem Nutrient Cycling research group. The group conducts research to advance the productivity, profitability, and environmental performance of grain production systems in Kentucky and beyond. 

Foster is the only undergraduate student in her research group trained in inorganic nitrogen analysis. 

“She plans her time well and prepares laboratory supplies carefully to work as efficiently as possible,” said Hanna Poffenbarger, Foster’s nominating supervisor. “She follows detailed protocols carefully, never cutting corners, and always monitors quality controls to ensure that our research results are reliable. She is also adaptive to the unpredictable nature of field research.” 

Foster said she is honored and credits Poffenbarger for her success as a research assistant. 

“I am very blessed to be recognized as UK’s Student Employee of the Year,” Foster said. “I am thankful for the research team I work with and especially for my supervisor who has helped me so much to learn and grow.”  

Poffenbarger said Foster’s outstanding work quality was particularly evident in her internship project. In the summer of 2023, Foster collected data on the decomposition and nitrogen release of grass and legume sole cover crops and grass/legume mixtures for the corn growing season. Her supervisor said her analysis went beyond her expectations. 

“I love how this job has reinforced the topics I have learned in my classes, contributing to greater understanding of foundational knowledge,” Foster said. “I highly recommend for any student pursuing a STEM major to get involved in a research group related to their interests and career goals.” 

Foster received the award during UK HR Student Employment’s Student Employee Appreciation Week. Hundreds of UK student employees turned out to events throughout the week.  

“We are in our third year of celebrating Student Employee Appreciation Week, and it is amazing to see the growth and enthusiasm surrounding this event. We recognize that our student employees are an essential part of our team and contribute,” said Ben Ward, employee consultant for HR Student Employment. “As we continue to celebrate this event each year, we hope to expand its reach and show our appreciation for all the hard work and dedication that our student employees put into their roles.” 

UK Human Resources congratulates the 2024 finalists:  

Douglas Waddell, Young Library Circulation  

Nominated by Matthew Gilley and Anna LaMure   

“Douglas exceeds our department expectations and demonstrated exceptional performance in our moving/shifting project by not only doing a large amount of the physical labor involved but created a document that formulated a way to track this information. I am impressed by not only his labor but work ethic,” Gilley said. 

“I have seen Douglas take more initiative to help with projects. He has a thorough understanding of what the circulation department needs to function at its best,” LaMure said.  

Joshua Nelson, Pigman College of Engineering  

Nominated by Jeffrey Seay  

“He is a dedicated worker and has been essential in moving our project forward. Josh has exceeded my expectations regarding leadership. Josh has always approached his work with an eye for doing the best job possible. Josh is a creative outside-the-box thinker and is constantly coming up with new ideas to improve our processes, while understanding that our work is intended to benefit communities in developing countries. Josh has been a leader when we conduct summer research abroad trips to implement the work,” Seay said. 

Katelyn Fortney, Agricultural Economics  

Nominated by Nicole Atherton  

“Katie has demonstrated exceptional skills in project management, creative problem-solving, and generating innovative ideas. Her efforts have strengthened our department's relationships with numerous alumni and students, engaging them with opportunities such as guest speaking, providing feedback on industry practices, advising students on career opportunities, and helping to expand relationships with partners and organizations. Katie’s work is also used by county ag agents across the state to promote resources and education to stakeholders and Kentuckians at large,” Atherton said. 

Sophie Arnold, Office of Philanthropy and Alumni Engagement  

Nominated by Emma White  

“She not only raised significant funds for the university but also effectively managed a team of student employees, fostering a positive work environment and facilitating increased donor engagement. Sophie's dedication to the Phonathon program directly aligns with the university's core values of integrity, social responsibility and community engagement. She consistently demonstrated a strong work ethic, initiative and a passion for serving the university community,” White said.  

Jack Graba, Natural Resources and Environmental Science  

Nominated by Mike Darrington  

“Jack has always worked with integrity and excellence. After only being in the lab for six months, I was able to leave him in charge of the colonies while I went to a conference for a week. To put this in perspective, if he failed to maintain the colonies, my postdoctoral project would have been finished. He has done everything in his power to help his lab mates, offering to help outside of his own work. Jack has exceeded my expectations,” Darrington said.   

Brenna Swan, Transformative Learning  

Nominated by Christie Maier  

“Brenna has served as a leader among her peers to not only the tutors she supervises but also the other members of the SPC team. Brenna has taken on the unofficial role of mentor and is often the first person her team comes to with a question or challenging situation. She is a sounding board, voice of reason, and coach for her team in addition to her regular job responsibilities. Brenna has also demonstrated superior work ethic and commitment to our values through her work with the peer tutoring program’s re-certification process,” Maier said. 

Diamond Moody, Residence Life  

Nominated by Christopher Oliphant  

“Diamond's contributions include creating inclusive and inspiring in-hall displays. They have formed impactful relationships with residents and have followed up on anything that she can help with. They follow the university's core purposes with their commitment to inclusion and positivity. They have exceeded expectations with professionalism, compassion, work ethic, initiative and commitment to making Roselle a better place to live,” Oliphant said.  

Colby Lee Gore, Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering  

Nominated by John Maddox  

“It is exceedingly rare for faculty to seek advice from a student, but that is a common occurrence with Colby. Beyond being an excellent machinist, he has also contributed to the educational mission of our program. He developed educational materials I am including in my EGR 103 course this semester. His contributions have far exceeded the expectations for a student worker, and we have been fortunate to have a student worker of such caliber, reliability, and technical ability in our program,” Maddox said.  

Gail Wallace, Landscape Architecture  

Nominated by Lauren Cagle  

“Gail’s leadership is especially evident through her creation of the Kentucky Climate Student Art Competition. The Student Art Competition was Gail’s idea, and she exceeded my expectations as an intern by envisioning and pitching such an ambitious project with the potential to impact college students across Kentucky. Gail has taken the lead in several ways, including quickly taking ownership of and re-designing the organization's biweekly newsletter, actively recruiting new members, and participating as a peer in KYCC leadership meetings attended by faculty and graduate students,” Cagle said.

As the state’s flagship, land-grant institution, the University of Kentucky exists to advance the Commonwealth. We do that by preparing the next generation of leaders — placing students at the heart of everything we do — and transforming the lives of Kentuckians through education, research and creative work, service and health care. We pride ourselves on being a catalyst for breakthroughs and a force for healing, a place where ingenuity unfolds. It's all made possible by our people — visionaries, disruptors and pioneers — who make up 200 academic programs, a $476.5 million research and development enterprise and a world-class medical center, all on one campus.   

In 2022, UK was ranked by Forbes as one of the “Best Employers for New Grads” and named a “Diversity Champion” by INSIGHT into Diversity, a testament to our commitment to advance Kentucky and create a community of belonging for everyone. While our mission looks different in many ways than it did in 1865, the vision of service to our Commonwealth and the world remains the same. We are the University for Kentucky.   

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New Group Joins the Political Fight Over Disinformation Online

The group intends to fight what its leader, Nina Jankowicz, and others have described as a coordinated campaign by conservatives and their allies to undermine researchers who study disinformation.

By Steven Lee Myers and Jim Rutenberg

Two years ago, Nina Jankowicz briefly led an agency at the Department of Homeland Security created to fight disinformation — the establishment of which provoked a political and legal battle over the government’s role in policing lies and other harmful content online that continues to reverberate.

Now she has re-entered the fray with a new nonprofit organization intended to fight what she and others have described as a coordinated campaign by conservatives and others to undermine researchers, like her, who study the sources of disinformation.

Already a lightning rod for critics of her work on the subject, Ms. Jankowicz inaugurated the organization with a letter accusing three Republican committee chairmen in the House of Representatives of abusing their subpoena powers to silence think tanks and universities that expose the sources of disinformation.

“These tactics echo the dark days of McCarthyism, but with a frightening 21st-century twist,” she wrote in the letter on Monday with the organization’s co-founder Carlos Álvarez-Aranyos, a public-relations consultant who in 2020 was involved in efforts to defend the integrity of the American voting system.

The inception of the group, the American Sunlight Project, reflects how divisive the issue of identifying and combating disinformation has become as the 2024 presidential election approaches. It also represents a tacit admission that the informal networks formed at major universities and research organizations to address the explosion of disinformation online have failed to mount a substantial defense against a campaign, waged largely on the right, depicting their work as part of an effort to silence conservatives.

Taking place in the courts, in conservative media and on the Republican-led House Judiciary Select Subcommittee on the Weaponization of the Federal Government, the campaign has largely succeeded in eviscerating efforts to monitor disinformation, especially around the integrity of the American election system.

Many of the nation’s most prominent researchers, facing lawsuits, subpoenas and physical threats, have pulled back.

“More and more researchers were getting swept up by this, and their institutions weren’t either allowing them to respond or responding in a way that really just was not rising to meet the moment,” Ms. Jankowicz said in an interview. “And the problem with that, obviously, is that if we don’t push back on these campaigns, then that’s the prevailing narrative.”

That narrative is prevailing at a time when social media companies have abandoned or cut back efforts to enforce their own policies against certain types of content.

Many experts have warned that the problem of false or misleading content is only going to increase with the advent of artificial intelligence.

“Disinformation will remain an issue as long as the strategic gains of engaging in it, promoting it and profiting from it outweigh consequences for spreading it,” Common Cause, the nonpartisan public interest group, wrote in a report published last week that warned of a new wave of disinformation around this year’s vote.

Ms. Jankowicz said her group would run advertisements about the broad threats and effects of disinformation and produce investigative reports on the backgrounds and financing of groups conducting disinformation campaigns — including those targeting the researchers.

She has joined with two veteran political strategists: Mr. Álvarez-Aranyos, formerly a communications strategist for Protect Democracy, a nonpartisan group that seeks to counter domestic authoritarian threats, and Eddie Vale, formerly of American Bridge, a liberal group devoted to gathering opposition research into Republicans.

The organization’s advisory board includes Katie Harbath, a former Facebook executive who was previously a top digital strategist for Senate Republicans; Ineke Mushovic, a founder of the Movement Advancement Project , a think tank that tracks threats to democracy and gay, lesbian and transgender issues; and Benjamin Wittes, a national security legal expert at the Brookings Institution and editor in chief of Lawfare .

“We need to be a little bit more aggressive about how we think about defending the research community,” Mr. Wittes said in an interview, portraying the attacks against it as part of “a coordinated assault on those who have sought to counter disinformation and election interference.”

In the letter to congressional Republicans, Ms. Jankowicz noted the appearance of a fake robocall in President Biden’s voice discouraging voters in New Hampshire from voting in the state’s primary and artificially generated images of former President Donald J. Trump with Black supporters, as well as renewed efforts by China and Russia to spread disinformation to American audiences.

The American Sunlight Project has been established as a nonprofit under the section of the Internal Revenue Code that allows it greater leeway to lobby than tax-exempt charities known as 501(c)(3)s. It also does not have to disclose its donors, which Ms. Jankowicz declined to do, though she said the project had initial commitments of $1 million in donations.

The budget pales in comparison with those behind the counteroffensive like America First Legal, the Trump-aligned group that, with a war chest in the tens of millions of dollars, has sued researchers at Stanford and the University of Washington over their collaboration with government officials to combat misinformation about voting and Covid-19.

The Supreme Court is expected to rule soon in a federal lawsuit filed by the attorneys general of Missouri and Louisiana accusing government agencies of using the researchers as proxies to pressure social media platforms to take down or restrict the reach of accounts.

The idea for the American Sunlight Project grew out of Ms. Jankowicz’s experience in 2022 when she was appointed executive director of a newly created Disinformation Governance Board at the Department of Homeland Security.

From the instant the board became public, it faced fierce criticism portraying it as an Orwellian Ministry of Truth that would censor dissenting voices in violation of the First Amendment, though in reality it had only an advisory role and no enforcement authority.

Ms. Jankowicz, an expert on Russian disinformation who once served as an adviser to Ukraine’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, stepped down shortly after her appointment. Even then, she faced such a torrent of personal threats online that she hired a security consultant. The board was suspended and then, after a short review, abolished.

“I think we’re existing in an information environment where it is very easy to weaponize information and to make it seem sinister,” Mr. Álvarez-Aranyos said. “And I think we’re looking for transparency. I mean, this is sunlight in the very literal sense.”

Ms. Jankowicz said that she was aware that her involvement with the new group would draw out her critics, but that she was well positioned to lead it because she had already “gone through the worst of it.”

Steven Lee Myers covers misinformation and disinformation from San Francisco. Since joining The Times in 1989, he has reported from around the world, including Moscow, Baghdad, Beijing and Seoul. More about Steven Lee Myers

Jim Rutenberg is a writer at large for The Times and The New York Times Magazine and writes most often about media and politics. More about Jim Rutenberg

Doctoral student awarded NASA Graduate Research Fellowship

Sponsored by NASA’s Space Technology Mission Directorate, the NSTGRO fellowship supports ideas that show significant potential to contribute to NASA’s goal of creating innovative new space technologies for our Nation’s science, exploration, and economic future. NASA Space Technology Graduate Researchers will perform innovative, space technology research at their respective campuses and a NASA center. The visiting technologist experience is an integral part of an NSTGRO award, during which the NASA Space Technology Graduate Researchers perform their research at a NASA center each summer. Awards are made in the form of grants to accredited U.S. universities on behalf of individuals pursuing master’s or doctoral degrees, with the faculty advisor serving as the principal investigator.

Agata, Bigham, and their research group at the Energy-Exploration Laboratory ( Energy-X ) are currently working on the development of next-generation life support systems, to replace the current state-of-the-art technology with 3D-printed sorbent structures. They have developed a complex, multi-physics, computational fluid dynamic model that is capable of exploring the governing mechanisms of carbon dioxide adsorption and regeneration processes. Through this, optimization of topologies can be achieved, improving system performance and reliability while reducing system mass, volume, and power consumption. Under the proposed work, Agata will develop a holistic understanding of their printed structures, directly measuring material properties and constructing a benchtop breakthrough analyzer to further assist and improve the accuracy and capabilities of their modeling.

The goal is to optimize carbon dioxide adsorption and regeneration processes while simultaneously reducing pressure losses experienced by the air mixture. The team believes that an optimized sorption system can be realized by designing 3D sorbent structures with proper topology, material characteristics, and thermal conductivity. If successful, this project will advance the air revitalization system of NASA space vehicles for future Moon and Mars missions.

Developing ash-free high-strength spherical carbon catalyst supports

• Domestic Catalysts
• Published: 28 June 2013
• Volume 5 , pages 156–163, ( 2013 )

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• V. V. Gur’yanov 1 ,
• V. M. Mukhin 1 &
• A. A. Kurilkin 1  

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The possibility of using furfurol for the production of ash-free high-strength active carbons with spheroidal particles as adsorbents and catalyst supports is substantiated. A single-stage process that incorporates the resinification of furfurol, the molding of a spherical product, and its hardening while allowing the process cycle time and the cost of equipment to be reduced is developed. Derivatographic, X-ray diffraction, mercury porometric, and adsorption studies of the carbonization of the molded spherical product are performed to characterize the development of the primary and porous structures of carbon residues. Ash-free active carbons with spheroidal particles, a full volume of sorbing micro- and mesopores (up to 1.50 cm 3 /g), and a uniquely high mechanical strength (its abrasion rate is three orders of magnitude lower than that of industrial active carbons) are obtained via the vapor-gas activation of a carbonized product. The obtained active carbons are superior to all known foreign and domestic analogues and are promising for the production of catalysts that operate under severe regimes, i.e., in moving and fluidized beds.

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Gur’yanov, V.V., Mukhin, V.M. & Kurilkin, A.A. Developing ash-free high-strength spherical carbon catalyst supports. Catal. Ind. 5 , 156–163 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1134/S2070050413020062

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Ntt research brings innovation to networking and security.

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NTT Research CEO Kazu Gomi speaks at NTT Upgrade 2024.

Nippon Telegraph and Telephone is a company not widely known in the United States, but I believe that will change soon. Based in Japan, NTT employs more than 300,000 people globally, including 2,000 in its research arm in Silicon Valley. That subsidiary, NTT Research, is leaning into a budget of $3 billion annually to conduct scientific investigations related to optical networking, cybersecurity, AI, sustainability, logistics and manufacturing, healthcare and more.

I recently spent time with executives at NTT Research’s Upgrade event in San Francisco, and I came away with a better understanding of the potential impacts of the company’s efforts as they relate to networking and security. I will dive deeper into each of these areas to highlight what I find most noteworthy.

All-Photonics Network

NTT Research’s All-Photonics Network investigation represents a strategic research focus area for the company. It is decidedly a different approach to optical networking, given that it integrates optics-based technology into every network element, including terminals. Typically, silicon photonics research is directed exclusively at the interconnect level within the transport networks that serve as the backbone for connectivity services. By contrast, NTT’s vision is to bring optical efficiency to the entire network infrastructure layer.

Creating an APN is a big effort that will require a significantly rearchitected approach to how networks are constructed, but the benefits could be tremendous. First, latency could theoretically be eliminated through a vertical integration of optical technology. That would support a host of use cases for the application of real-time analytics and automation. Second, the power efficiency that could be realized is a potential game changer. Optical components are highly efficient, generate less heat than alternatives and are less prone to failure as a result. This will be even more important in years to come because the applications for next-generation AI functionality, including generative AI, are power-hungry, and NTT’s vision for an APN could address concerns related to energy consumption. This is a significant point to highlight, given that nearly every enterprise today is focused on promoting sustainable operations and carbon footprint offset initiatives.

NTT’s Innovative Optical and Wireless Network APN investigation is roughly halfway towards its goal of commercialization by 2030. From my perspective, if it comes even close to its goals of a 100x improvement in energy efficiency and transmission capacity, it could revolutionize networking.

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Sh gun episode 10 review a powerful finale but not what i was expecting, the trump media stock price djt is about to adjust down by 22 7, a different approach to security.

NTT Research is also focused on efforts to reimagine security and data protection. The company uses its Security, Privacy and Integrity Protection Platform to capture its investigations and then productize the results. SPIP aims to incorporate advanced privacy technologies with the goal of simplifying data protection. From my perspective, NTT’s timing is spot-on, given the widespread concerns related to protecting the underlying data used to train large language models that power generative AI applications.

SPIP supports two important elements—attribute-based encryption and multi-party computation. ABE facilitates the ability to segregate data so that users can access only what is needed. NTT Research has made numerous contributions to the ABE standard, including publishing software libraries to allow developers to create commercially available solutions.

Meanwhile, MPC is not a new cryptography concept; its foundation can be traced back to the 1970s. It is designed to allow joint functional computation while maintaining the privacy of inputs through encryption. This is an important consideration, given the challenge of data leakage that results from encryption and decryption schemes. NTT calls its secure computational system San-Shi, and it consists of multiple servers and a client that registers data through a secret sharing process. That might sound ambiguous on the surface, but in dividing the data among multiple servers, no single server can obtain a complete view of the information. The other benefit to NTT’s approach is that there is apparently no tax to performance, as is often associated with encryption; the company says its research indicates that San-Shi’s efficiency is equal to the efficiency of non-encrypted data processing.

Wrapping Up

As I spend more time with NTT, I continue to be impressed by the company’s capabilities and research efforts. The need for more robust forms of networking and security will continue as next-generation applications place pressure on the limits of existing technology infrastructure. NTT’s APN represents the company’s “moonshot,” with SPIP having more immediate impacts today. However, the technology industry needs audacious goals, because these are what often lead to innovation breakthroughs. NTT may be one of the best kept secrets outside of Japan today, but given the company’s deep investments in groundbreaking research, that will likely change soon.

Moor Insights & Strategy provides or has provided paid services to technology companies, like all tech industry research and analyst firms. These services include research, analysis, advising, consulting, benchmarking, acquisition matchmaking and video and speaking sponsorships. Moor Insights & Strategy does not have paid business relationships with any company mentioned in this article.

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• Wealth Surged in the Pandemic, but Debt Endures for Poorer Black and Hispanic Families

2. Wealth gaps across racial and ethnic groups

Table of contents.

• The range of wealth within racial and ethnic groups
• The share of racial or ethnic groups’ wealth held by richer households, not counting the top 1%
• Households with no wealth or in debt
• How wealth varies by race and ethnicity
• The wealth of White households relative to the wealth of other households
• Households in the lower, middle or upper tiers of wealth
• The wealth of U.S. households by income tier
• Racial and ethnic wealth gaps by income tier
• Types of assets owned by U.S. households
• The value of assets owned by households
• The importance of home equity
• The debt level of households
• How high is household debt?
• Acknowledgments
• Data source
• Race and ethnicity
• Household head
• Adjusting for inflation
• Defining income tiers
• Statistical testing

Household wealth or net worth is the value of assets owned by every member of the household minus their debt. The terms are used interchangeably in this report. Assets include owned homes, vehicles, financial accounts, retirement accounts, stocks, bonds and mutual funds, and more. Debt refers to home mortgage loans, education loans, credit card balances, and any other loan or credit extended to the household. Net worth is negative when debt levels are greater than asset values. ( Refer to the methodology for more details.)

“Poorer,” “more solvent,” “wealthier” and “richer” refer to a household’s wealth status relative to other households of the same race and ethnicity . Poorer households rank in the bottom 25% when compared with other households of the same race and ethnicity; more solvent households place from the 25th up to and including the 50th percentile; wealthier households from the 50th up to and including the 75th percentile; and the richer are in the top 25%. The bottom 1% and the top 1% are excluded prior to the ranking so extreme values do not affect estimates for poorer and richer households.

Lower, middle and upper wealth tiers refer to a household’s wealth status relative to all other households in the U.S. The middle wealth tier consists of households whose wealth lies between one-quarter to four times as much as the median wealth of U.S. households – between $41,700 and $667,500 in 2021. Households in the lower wealth tier had wealth less than $41,700, and households in the upper wealth tier had wealth more than $667,500. The wealth tier boundaries vary across years. (Dollar amounts are expressed in December 2021 prices.)

Middle-income households are those with an income that is two-thirds to double that of the U.S. median household income, after incomes have been adjusted for household size and difference in the cost of living across areas. This was about $4,800 to $14,300 monthly in December 2021, for a household of three. Lower-income households had incomes less than $4,800, and upper-income households had incomes greater than $14,300. The income tier boundaries vary across years. (Dollar amounts are expressed in December 2021 prices.)

Households are grouped by the race and ethnicity of the survey reference person, or the household head. White, Black and Asian include those who report being only one race and are not Hispanic. Multiracial includes non-Hispanics of two or more races. Hispanics are of any race. American Indian or Pacific Islander households are not covered in our analysis because of small sample sizes.

The increase in the wealth of U.S. households from 2019 to 2021 was spread widely across racial and ethnic groups. Despite improved fortunes, Black, Hispanic and multiracial households trailed White and Asian households by large margins from the following perspectives, both before and after the pandemic:

• Their wealth relative to the wealth of White and Asian households.
• The shares of households that are in the middle or upper tiers of wealth.

Asian households overall had more wealth than other households two years since the start of the pandemic. In 2021, Asian households had a median net worth of $320,900, compared with $250,400 for White households. The median net worth of Hispanic households ($48,700) and Black households ($27,100) was much less.

In dollar amounts, the wealth gap between White households and Black and Hispanic households increased from 2019 to 2021. For example, in 2019, the typical White household had $168,800 more in wealth than the typical Hispanic household. This gap increased to $201,700 in 2021.

In percentage terms, Black (77%), Hispanic (42%), Asian (43%) and White (23%) households all experienced strong gains in median wealth from 2019 to 2021.

What factors might explain the large wealth gaps across racial and ethnic groups that have endured for decades, if not longer ?

With respect to Black households, evidence points to the role of slavery and post-slavery practices, such as segregation, that created disparate opportunities for wealth accumulation . For Hispanic households, the relative youth of the population and immigration status play a role. In turn, these factors likely contribute to the lower rates and sizes of inheritances received by Black and Hispanic households in comparison with White households.

Asian households overall have more wealth than other households partly because of the higher level of education among Asian adults . In 2021, 61% of Asians ages 25 and older had a bachelor’s degree or higher level of education, compared with 42% of White adults. As a result, the typical Asian household has a much higher income than other households, with more potential for building wealth. But the Asian American population is very diverse, and income varies widely across Asian origin groups . As shown in the following chapter , lower-income Asian households had less wealth than lower-income White households in 2021.

In 2021, the typical White household had 9.2 times as much wealth as the typical Black household – $250,400 vs. $27,100. This ratio stood at 13.3 in 2019, prior to the onset of the pandemic.

White households also had significantly more wealth than Hispanic households (5.1 times) and multiracial households (3.0 times) in 2021. But the median wealth of White households was about 20% less than that of Asian households.

The wealth gaps between White households and Black and Hispanic households in 2019 and 2021 are in line with recent history . But the apparent shrinking of racial and ethnic wealth gaps during the pandemic stands in contrast with what happened during the Great Recession of 2007-09 .

In the Great Recession, the median wealth of White households jumped to nearly 20 times the wealth of Black households and 15 times that of Hispanic households. The key factors then were a sharp decline in home prices and a steep rise in home foreclosures , non-events during the pandemic. Black and Hispanic households saw more harm from these developments during the Great Recession because housing is a more valuable part of their collection of assets .

How does the wealth of a household compare with all other U.S. households? What shares of households are in the middle tier of wealth, and what shares are in the lower or upper tiers?

To address these questions, we grouped U.S. households into three tiers of wealth. The middle tier consists of households whose wealth lies between one-quarter and four times the median wealth of U.S. households – between $41,700 and $667,500 in 2021. Households in the lower tier had wealth less than $41,700 in 2021, and households in the upper tier had wealth more than $667,500.

Fewer than half of U.S. households (44%, or 59 million) were in the middle tier in 2021. This was so despite the wide range of the middle tier – those near the top had 16 times as much wealth as those near the bottom. At the same time, about a third of households (32%, or 43 million) were in the lower wealth tier, and about a quarter (23%, or 31 million) were in the upper tier.

Only 45% of Black households were in either the middle or upper wealth tiers in 2021, the lowest share among the groups examined. The majority of Black households (55%) were in the lower wealth tier in 2021 – that is, they had less than $41,700 in wealth. A somewhat greater share of Hispanic households (52%) were in the middle or upper wealth tier, and 48% were in the lower wealth tier.

In contrast, more than 70% of White and Asian households were in either the middle or upper wealth tier. Roughly one-third of Asian households (36%) were in the upper tier alone, with a net worth of more than $667,500 in 2021. Slightly more than a quarter (28%) of White households were in the upper tier.

Increases in household wealth during the pandemic did lead to a more equal distribution of wealth. The share of households in the middle tier increased from 41% in 2019 to 44% in 2021. Meanwhile, the shares of households in the lower and upper wealth tiers edged down by 2 percentage points each.

A similar shift to the middle was seen in Hispanic and White households, whose shares in the middle wealth tier increased by 3 to 4 points from 2019 to 2021. However, no such change was experienced by Asian households, with their share in the middle wealth tier holding at 39%.

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UW leads international group in semiconductor research and workforce development

The University of Washington is at the forefront of an international effort to innovate the semiconductor industry while building a skilled U.S.-based workforce to design and manufacture chip technology. UPWARDS for the Future will support work already underway in the UW’s Washington Nanofabrication Faciliity. Video c redit: Kiyomi Taguchi, UW News

The University of Washington is at the forefront of an international effort to innovate the semiconductor industry while building a skilled U.S.-based workforce to design and manufacture chip technology.

Part of a landmark education partnership that was announced in May 2023 at the G7 meeting in Japan, the effort brings together researchers and faculty from the U.S. and Japan to support the University Partnership for Workforce Advancement and Research & Development in Semiconductors (UPWARDS) for the Future project. Micron Technology and Tokyo Electron Limited, as founding industry partners, the National Science Foundation (NSF) and universities together are investing over $60 million for the five-year project. Many of the participants are attending kick-off activities at the UW this week.

“With our University’s proven track record of using public research investment to spur economic and technological growth, the UW is excited to be taking the lead in expanding our capacity to educate professionals and drive discovery in the critical field of semiconductors,” said UW President Ana Mari Cauce. “We’re grateful to Senator Cantwell for her leadership and for the collaboration of our partners.”

A Seattle kickoff event hosted by the UW today and tomorrow will bring together university teams from Japan and the U.S. along with industry leaders and elected officials. Learn more about UPWARDS for the Future .

Modern technology — including household appliances, automobiles, computers and defense systems — relies on semiconductors. The semiconductor was invented in the U.S., yet today the U.S. produces about only 10% of the world’s supply. Recognizing the economic and national security risks this poses, U.S. policymakers passed the Creating Helpful Incentives to Produce Semiconductors (CHIPS) & Science Act in 2022 to strengthen the U.S. semiconductor ecosystem.

“Our nation’s success in advanced technologies depends on having a skilled workforce. The University of Washington will help establish the Pacific Northwest as a leader by training the more than 90,000 students, faculty, and skilled professionals needed to build the most advanced chips right here in the United States,” said Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., who was instrumental in passing the landmark CHIPS & Science bill. “If we want to lead the world tomorrow, we must invest in worker training today.”

Boise, Ida.-based Micron and the partner universities will jointly recruit new faculty members, named as UPWARDS Professors, who will work on high-impact research projects with the industry partners. In addition to their research responsibilities, UPWARDS Professors will also contribute to curriculum development and other UPWARDS for the Future activities, including advising exchange students and graduate fellows. The first cohort of UPWARDS professors, all women, will also participate in industry-led mentoring programs to help gain valuable insights supporting in the advancement of their own careers. The grants will also support graduate fellowships and provide research experiences for undergraduate students.

Initiatives like UPWARDS for the Future prioritize expanding the STEM talent pipeline to reach groups that are underrepresented in the semiconductor industry today. This vision for UPWARDS for the Future aligns with UW efforts to close the STEM gender gap, establish pathways into higher education and facilitate new programs dedicated to attracting and retaining historically underrepresented groups. President Cauce and College of Engineering Dean Nancy Albritton are members of the national Education Group for Diversification and Growth in Engineering Consortium, or EDGE. And, last summer, the UW joined the Northwest University Semiconductor Network, led by Micron, to grow the next generation of semiconductor experts, by enhancing experiential learning opportunities in the semiconductor industry, and prioritizing access for underrepresented students, particularly in rural and tribal communities.

“We are proud to be part of this innovation partnership and to lead the NSF grant for UPWARDS. As Washington state’s leading educator of engineers and as a leader in chip engineering and workforce development for the global innovation economy, it is an honor to work collaboratively with academic and industry partners to drive advancements in this crucial scientific field,” Albritton said.

In addition to the UW, the UPWARDS for the Future partnership includes five U.S. institutions: Boise State, Purdue, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Rochester Institute of Technology and Virginia Tech; and five Japanese universities: Hiroshima University, Kyushu University, Nagoya University, Tohoku University and Tokyo Institute of Technology. The UW will share the $10 million NSF grant with the five U.S. institutions, while Micron’s and Tokyo Electron’s $20 million gifts will be shared among the 11 U.S. and Japanese institutions.

“The UPWARDS for the Future program sets a prime model of government-industry-academia partnership, propelling the development of the U.S. semiconductor technology workforce. This initiative stands out with an emphasis on international collaboration, providing students with invaluable insights and experience into the industry’s international supply chain dynamics,” said Mo Li , UW professor of both electrical and computer engineering and physics, as well as a faculty member of the UW Institute for Nano-Engineered Systems. Li will lead UW’s efforts supporting UPWARDS for the Future.

The UPWARDS program includes five pillar activities, including: Semiconductor Curriculum Design and Implementation; Expanding Women Workforces in Semiconductors; Experiential Learning; US-Japan International Student Faculty Exchange; and Memory-centric Research Projects. At this week’s workshop, the 11 institutions aim to establish across-the-board plans on student exchange, curriculum sharing and standardization, and research collaboration.

Semiconductor engineering is the second strategic university-corporate partnership initiative concluded between American and Japanese academic institutions and the corporate sector since May 2022, when President Joe Biden and Prime Minister Fumio Kishida made a commitment to advance U.S.-Japan science and technology cooperation. The UW also is the lead partner on the Cross Pacific AI Hub partnership announced on April 10, to lead innovation and technological breakthroughs in artificial intelligence. Both UPWARDS for the Future and the Cross Pacific AI Hub are cornerstones of the UW’s global impact, building lasting relationships with peer institutions and industry on both sides of the Pacific to support UW students, faculty and staff on work to address critical issues.

For more information, contact Li at [email protected].

Here’s what other leaders said about UPWARDS for the Future:

“Economic security depends on the ‘3 M’s’: machines, minerals, and minds. The UPWARDS network is developing the workforce that we need to secure semiconductor supply chains and delivering on the promise made by President Joe Biden and Japanese Prime Minister Kishida to elevate U.S.-Japan cooperation in advanced science and technology. This innovative university-corporate partnership has become the model for long-term collaboration in transformative technologies.” — U.S. Ambassador to Japan Rahm Emanuel

“This past year we have accelerated our collaboration with our ecosystem partners. Collaboration between the UPWARDS universities will cultivate the next generation of the high-tech workforce, ushering in an exciting new era of semiconductor research and manufacturing in the United States and Japan. Micron has made it a priority to increase opportunities for all students, making sure that women, students from underrepresented populations and those from rural or economically disadvantaged communities have equitable access to engineering and science degrees. The impacts of UPWARDS will be far-reaching as we work to meet the demand for semiconductor industry talent over the next two decades.” — April Arnzen, executive vice president and chief people officer, Micron Technology

“Tokyo Electron (TEL) is proud to participate in the U.S.-Japan University Partnership for Workforce Advancement and Research & Development in Semiconductors (UPWARDS) for the Future Program. The objectives of the program are in line with TEL’s vision to leverage our expertise as an industry-leading semiconductor equipment manufacturer and pursue technological innovation in semiconductors, thereby contributing to the development of a dream-inspiring society. Through participation in this program, we aim to help develop a diverse set of skilled individuals capable of leading future innovation in semiconductor technology. The UPWARDS Program is also part of our ongoing efforts in the US to collaborate with industry partners and help grow the talent pipeline for technicians, engineers, computer scientists, and other professionals who will be in high demand as the domestic semiconductor industry, its manufacturing base, and associated R&D activities grow.” —  Alex Oscilowski, president, TEL Technology Center of America

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• Victor Mukhin

Victor M. Mukhin was born in 1946 in the town of Orsk, Russia. In 1970 he graduated the Technological Institute in Leningrad. Victor M. Mukhin was directed to work to the scientific-industrial organization "Neorganika" (Elektrostal, Moscow region) where he is working during 47 years, at present as the head of the laboratory of carbon sorbents.     Victor M. Mukhin defended a Ph. D. thesis and a doctoral thesis at the Mendeleev University of Chemical Technology of Russia (in 1979 and 1997 accordingly). Professor of Mendeleev University of Chemical Technology of Russia. Scientific interests: production, investigation and application of active carbons, technological and ecological carbon-adsorptive processes, environmental protection, production of ecologically clean food.   

Title : Active carbons as nanoporous materials for solving of environmental problems

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