Let the crosswiring begin

Five multidisciplinary projects will bring 12 new faculty to campus

Five proposals have been approved for Chancellor David Ward’s new strategic hiring initiative, which promotes creative intellectual links between departments.

The chancellor’s initiative, announced last November, was met enthusiastically by faculty, who developed 95 separate proposals that challenged the traditional boundaries of departments. The five winners were selected in late April from a pool of 10 finalists.

“The proposals we received were extremely inventive,” says Ward. “The entire process demonstrated a great capacity to rethink priorities and be creative about how to align our resources. I am grateful to all the faculty teams who submitted ideas, which will be valuable beyond this program.”

Ward added that interdisciplinary collaborations have long been a strong point among UW–Madison faculty. The range of ideas across the entire campus show how the collaborations are revitalizing fields of study.

“I fully intend to continue the program,” he says.

Faculty who developed the winning proposals have been authorized to appoint either two or three new faculty who can carry out the multidisciplinary goals. A total of 12 new faculty positions are included in the first year of funding.

Winners include new efforts in genomics (two faculty positions); the development of an international public affairs master’s program (three positions); nanophase inorganic materials research (three positions); biophotonics (two positions); and using zebrafish as a model species for genetics research (two positions).

Katherine Kalil, associate vice chancellor and coordinator of the strategic hiring program, says the decision was made to fund more proposals with slightly fewer than the three to four faculty positions initially suggested. Because the quality of proposals was so strong, “We could maximize the impact of the program,” she says, by giving more proposals an early start.

“There was a great deal of depth in the proposals and many of these would have been well worth pursuing,” Kalil says. “We hope many of their goals can be accomplished. It bodes well for the future of the program.”

Kalil says the initial appointments are meant to give the proposals a solid beginning, but the initiatives should continue to grow in new directions with more new faculty added to the mix. Some biological sciences proposals, for example, could be bolstered by the new biosciences positions advanced by Gov. Tommy Thompson. The $1.5 million funding boost, which could fund eight new faculty positions, passed the Legislature’s Budget Committee and await consideration of the full Legislature.

The winning proposals, in more detail, are:

• Genomics. The field is developing the tools to sequence the complete blueprints of life forms, as well as determining the functions of individual genes. It has tremendous potential for isolating the cause of genetic diseases, diagnosing cancer and identifying emerging pathogens. The proposal calls for the formation of an Institute of Genomics which would encompass numerous fields, including botany, zoology, microbiology, physics, biochemistry, computer science and mathematics.

• International public affairs. This proposal for a new master’s program would incorporate the existing Center for Development into the LaFollete Institute of Public Affairs to build on the talent from both areas. The master’s program could be a world leader in tackling the growing number of issues that cannot be characterized as “domestic” or “international,” such as NAFTA or the Southeast Asian economic crisis. The lines between the public, private and not-for-profit sector have also blurred, requiring new knowledge to effectively manage them.
• Nanophase inorganic materials and devices. This proposal would capitalize on the newest frontier in materials research, which is moving toward the atomic and quantum level. New opportunities have arisen for hybrid materials that, developed at the atomic scale, can combine qualities of metals, ceramics, polymers, superconductors and semiconductors. These new materials will be the basis of 21st century technology. The proposal teams researchers from chemistry, materials science, physics, chemical and electrical engineering, and engineering physics.
• Biophotonics. The huge increase in new biological discoveries has been driven by technical advances in imaging, which are giving scientists new windows into the internal machinery of living cells. This proposal will enable a variety of scientists to build on UW–Madison’s strengths in imaging and microscopy to develop new tools for biological research. The partnership draws from faculty in biology, chemistry and physics, as well as unique resources such as the Integrated Microscopy Resource.
• Zebrafish. Like other species such as the fruit fly, the zebrafish is emerging as an ideal model organism for molecular and genetic research. The species is well-suited because its genes can be mutated and manipulated easily, and its nearly transparent nature allows for a wide variety of experimental techniques. As a vertebrate, it also shares many of the same biological features as mammals, making it relevant for studies of human health. This proposal brings together a broad range of expertise in the departments of anatomy, genetics and zoology.