Cottrell Scholar Conversations Generate Ideas, Action
Nearly 100 Cottrell Scholars met online May 26 and 29 to launch RCSA’s new series of virtual meetings called Cottrell Scholar Conversations.
In the absence of an in-person conference this year, the meetings aim to keep the Cottrell Scholar community engaged through dialogue and problem-solving around issues of importance to teacher-scholars. The first meetings, on the topic of “Reopening Research Laboratories and Programs,” were attended by established faculty as well as members of the new Cottrell Scholar class of 2020.
“As colleges and universities prepare to reopen research labs that were closed suddenly due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it’s clear that not everyone has clear guidelines about how to do that,” said Senior Program Director Silvia Ronco. “With such a range of experience and perspectives, we thought this group could come up with some great ideas to support each other, their students, and their institutions.”
In addition to the two-hour meetings, RCSA created shared document drives where participants continue to post resources, pose questions, ask for help, and keep the discussion going.
The meetings had a secondary purpose: RCSA and other philanthropic foundations want information about how best to deploy their support during this crisis.
“Hearing from the research community can help funders find and fill gaps that aren’t being addressed,” said RCSA President & CEO Daniel Linzer.
How has the pandemic affected the research enterprise at colleges and universities?
“We weren’t prepared for this,” said CS 1994 Peter K. Dorhout, an RCSA board member and Vice President of Research at Kansas State University, who gave the meetings’ opening remarks.
He said that in addition to hastily shutting down equipment and research, faculty found themselves balancing how to teach in new ways, work remotely, shelter safely in place, and manage child care and K-12 education at home. The pandemic has not affected everyone equally, he said, highlighting long-standing issues of equity in academia.
Reopening presents an opportunity to “think about how we do our research in new ways,” Dorhout said, considering not just the health and safety of colleagues, students and departments, “but also our families, and to integrate safety into everything we do.”
Participants broke into smaller groups for in-depth discussion, then reporting back to the larger group with multiple challenges and solutions.
Supporting students who are suffering economically during this interruption is a major concern, as institutions have rescinded internship and post-doc offers and eliminated jobs. The loss of talent and opportunity was also stressed, with international students facing roadblocks in securing visas and some undergraduate students missing out entirely on their chance to participate in research. Equipment, procedures and shift schedules that may be needed to accommodate physical distancing in labs also present major challenges.
“Every school seems to be working on this on their own,” one participant said. Many are unsure when research will begin again at all.
After the meeting, some faculty from primarily undergraduate colleges stayed online to discuss challenges particular to their institutions. Many are concerned that research may be a low priority as colleges scramble to find ways to reopen.
To continue their dialogue, this PUI group is planning to meet again regularly. They are also creating some PUI-specific discussion points to take up at July’s virtual Cottrell Scholar Conference, which will be focused on the challenges of online teaching.
The next Cottrell Scholar Conversations will be held as part of the virtual conference in July.
