To celebrate the innovative and creative powerhouse that is UVM Research, the university — home to over 1,200 full-time faculty scholars — held the first ever UVM Research Week, a week devoted to showcasing faculty and student research and to celebrating UVM's standing as a top 100 public research university. UVM Research Week was held April 18-22, 2022, and offered a glimpse into the breadth of research conducted yearly at UVM.
“Research has always been at the center of progress at the University of Vermont,” said Vice President for Research Kirk Dombrowski, whose office is sponsoring the celebration. “From biomedical research and data science to philosophy and musical composition, our faculty members engage daily in the pursuit of meaningful and impactful research, scholarship, and creative work.”
Research Week started on Monday, April 18, 2022, with the Sponsored Research Celebration Luncheon, held at the UVM Alumni House Silver Pavilion. Dombrowski honored outstanding UVM professors who will be retiring soon: Heinz and Rowena Ansbacher Endowed Professor Rex Forehand; Emeritus Professor of German and Folklore Wolfgang Mieder; and Professor & Patrick Chair of Watershed Science & Planning William (Breck) Bowden.
When I arrived at UVM almost exactly two years ago, it was clear to me just how important Forehand is to his department, his college, UVM, and Vermont Biomedical Research Network (VBRN),” Dombrowski said at the luncheon. “It’s been an absolute pleasure and on behalf of the UVM community, thank you for your dedication, service, research, and scholarship.”
“Forehand was instrumental in his department, his college, UVM, and VBRN. Mieder is a world-renowned scholar of paremiology, the study of proverbs. And Breck thoughtfully and astutely helped me guide the process of having to close down research at UVM due to COVID,” Downbrowski said. “It’s been an absolute pleasure working with these great minds, and UVM thanks them for their dedication, service, research, and scholarship.”
Research Week held its first public event on April 19th: the Research Resource Fair. Featuring on-campus research services like the Vermont Advanced Computing Center, the Instrumentation and Modelling Facility, and UVM Innovations, the Research Resource Fair focused on the entities that make research and scholarship possible at UVM.
“We wanted to celebrate everyone on campus who supports research and give them a way to showcase how they do that work and the types of services that they offer,” Jeralyn Heraldsen, Ph.D., Director of Research Development, said. “It’s an opportunity for students of all levels: undergraduate, graduate, and postdoctoral. And we’ve invited folks from other institutions from across the state to come and see all the great ways that we support the interesting work that researchers on campus do.”
After the Research Resource Fair, UVM’s Office of Engagement organized a corporate mixer to further facilitate corporate partnerships with UVM.
On Wednesday, April 20, UVM Innovations hosted the 2022 Invention 2 Venture (I2V), a yearly event that pulls together dynamic experts, academic researchers, students, entrepreneurs and business leaders from across Vermont and New England to talk about how to protect, develop and finance ideas. They shared resources, what's worked for them, and what can work for anyone who wants to explore entrepreneurship.
I2V featured keynote speaker Anthony Boccanfuso, President and CEO of UIDP, (University-Industry Demonstration Partnership), panel discussions, and presentations by the Academic Research Commercialization and the Catamount Innovation Fund programs.
Research Week continued with UVM’s Office of Fellowships, Opportunities, & Undergraduate Research’s annual Student Research Conference on April 21, which provided an opportunity for undergraduates to showcase research and create new and lasting connections, as well as fostered a community of curiosity and learning. The Student Research Conference was a hybrid event, with both live virtual options for participation and presentation.
Research Week concluded with the Postdoctoral Research Conference, organized by the UVM Postdoctoral Association (PDA). The conference — which included a discussion session and a poster session — celebrated the professional development, broad training experience, and the vibrant, open, and collaborative community of UVM’s postdoctoral scholars.
Research Week was resounding success. Many staff members literally danced to celebrate becoming a top 100 public research university in the United States. We have big things planned for next year’s Research Week. Stay tuned.