values « The Spin on Research

People on boad with whale in water. — Bruce Mate watches his grandson and others make a friend

“There is nothing — absolutely nothing — half so much worth doing as simply messing about in boats . . . “

Ratty to Mole, from The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame

I was fortunate in early March to see one of our masters of communication, Dr. Bruce Mate, share his passion and intellect with a diverse audience. Bruce is the Director of the Marine Mammal Institute in the College of Agricultural Sciences. For over 20 years, he has led a week-long expedition to Baja California, where participants have an extraordinary opportunity to get up close and personal with gray whales. While that alone is worth the trip, it’s also exciting to hear Bruce translate the seemingly esoteric issues of habitat preservation and trophic interactions into meaningful and personal revelations for the non-scientific cruise participants.

Over seven days, I saw people go from mildly interested in environmental issues to seriously concerned about becoming personally involved in research. Bruce sees this same transformation year after year.

This proves how valuable it can be for us, in research, to engage the public, and raise awareness among those who are not normally among us.

But, by the same token, those seven days were ones in which Bruce was not conducting research per se. That’s a big sacrifice. How much time at the bench should we give up for time with the public? Is this a model we should replicate in other areas?

Tough questions, but I know about 25 people who became a lot stronger supporters for our research than they had been just one week before!

- Rick Spinrad, Vice President for Research

As posted previously, we have appreciated the thoughtful comments made about the Research Agenda Phase I Draft, through both this blog and in-person conversations. Excellent points have been raised from diverse perspectives – all have enhanced the discussion of the values and principles of our institution’s research activities.

The committee and I are incorporating some of the suggestions and will soon post the revised Phase I document, even as we move on to Phase II , which will identify research thrusts. We will post that draft for comments. After that, the third and final Phase will define implementation plans – and then we’ll really roll up our sleeves.

While the formal “comment period” is closed for Phase I, I remain open to any further thoughts related to the Research Agenda, which is being developed as a living guide for our shared contributions via research and scholarship.

UPDATE: The Research Agenda, which states the foundation for OSU’s research enterprise, is now available http://oregonstate.edu/research/research-agenda.html

- Rick Spinrad

I’m very encouraged by the thoughtful comments made about the Research Agenda Phase I Draft. We are reviewing these carefully, and we look forward to receiving more input in the next several weeks. To those who’ve commented, thank you.
Please encourage your colleagues to consider providing additional perspectives.
Today I am asking for your input on the accompanying text (Phase I of the Agenda), which provides background and definition of our research values and principles. [Please visit Research Agenda Phase I Draft to download the Phase 1 Draft document. To comment, You can use your ONID user name and password. Each line in the document is numbered, so you can refer to a specific line. For technical assistance please email researchsupport@oregonstate.edu.]

UPDATE: The Research Agenda, which states the foundation for OSU’s research enterprise, is now available http://oregonstate.edu/research/research-agenda.html

- Rick Spinrad

Hello

The Research Office is seeking input on the first phase of an OSU Research Agenda, which is being developed as a complement to the OSU Strategic Plan.

Today I am asking for your input on the accompanying text (Phase I of the Agenda), which provides background and definition of our research values and principles. Please visit Research Agenda Phase I Draft to download the Phase 1 Draft document. To comment, You can use your ONID user name and password. Each line in the document is numbered, so you can refer to a specific line. For technical assistance please email researchsupport@oregonstate.edu.

I encourage you to read it carefully and provide your comments as we move forward to identifying our research thrusts (Phase II, later this winter) and implementation plans (Phase III in the spring).

We are well-positioned to develop this agenda, as OSU faculty have been conducting top-notch, meaningful, diverse research and scholarship – your discoveries, outcomes, and applications have already been furthering knowledge as well as benefitting the state and the world. A formalization of statements, with a commonly-held commitment, will be an invaluable tool. The spelled-out agenda states that it will “guide resource allocation within the institution.” It should also help in our institutional focus, communications about our strengths, and self-evaluation/tracking of our progress. I also expect it will help you prioritize your research activities and will provide formal foundation for promoting investment in transdisciplinary, transformational and high risk research.

I am also confident that the agenda (along with and other strategies in place to strengthen our institutional identity) can help leverage support from potential sponsors, both governmental and private – so it may lay groundwork for better funding and inter-institutional collaborations for your work.

Let me take this opportunity to thank the individuals who put their effort into this statement, for their diligent and thoughtful work: Terri Fiez, Mark Abbott, Gail Achterman, Barb Bond, Julie Brandis, Stella Coakley, Anita Guerrini, Rich Holdren, Fred Kamke, Mark Leid, Jeff McCubbin, Skip Rung, Brian Wall, and Mark Zabriskie. It would have been much easier and quicker to put a lot of ideas into a 25-page document, and to then file it away. Instead, we discussed, considered, chose, listened, drafted, reconsidered, and honed the ideas down to a two-page statement that we hope is accurate, clear, realistic, and inspiring – and that we hope will be kept up-to-date, referred to and well-used.

I look forward to seeing your comments and input.

UPDATE: The Research Agenda, which states the foundation for OSU’s research enterprise, is now available http://oregonstate.edu/research/research-agenda.html

Rick Spinrad, Vice President for Research

The Spin on Research

Updates from the VP & the Research Office

Tag Archives: values

The Message about Research – Giving It, Getting It

Research Agenda – next phase

Research Agenda – Comments Appreciated

Research Agenda – Phase I Draft

Contact Info