ABOUT RESEARCH + INNOVATION WEEK 2022

Research + Innovation Week is a week-long celebration of disruptive ideas, applied solutions and the real-world impacts UC research, scholarship, and creative activities have on Cincinnati, the region, and beyond. Each year, we showcase the extraordinary research of our faculty and students who are having an impact on the communities we serve.

The theme for Research + Innovation Week 2022 is Confronting Crisis. Join us as researchers from across UC share how they are confronting society's biggest problems through their research and innovation.

FOCUS AREAS OF RESEARCH + INNOVATION WEEK

education

Quality Education

Our promise to UC students is simple: Every Bearcat graduates with a clear focus on cultivating their ideal future. We are also passionate about early childhood and K-12 education.

R&I Week features UC teacher-scholars actively engaging in advancing their fields of inquiry and providing students of all ages with a high-quality education that sparks curiosity, nurtures creativity, embodies cultural sensitivity, cultivates a love for learning, and equips people with the next-level skills necessary for success in work and life.

health

Health & Well-being

At UC, we take our responsibility for the health and well-being of our children, our community and of society, seriously. In partnership with our affiliates at CCHMC, Hoxworth, and the VA, UC researchers, clinicians, nurses and health & wellness professionals and providers are actively caring for, healing, and saving lives.

R&I Week features UC clinicians and clinical researchers working on disease prevention, providing quality care and equitable access, and discovering the next cure.

society and economy

Society and Economy

UC is focused on enhancing the impact our institution has in Greater Cincinnati, our region and beyond. We are actively developing strategic alliances and partnering to address real-world problems on both a local and global scale.

R&I Week features UC researchers who are partnering with industry, government, non-profits, and members of the community to solve problems that matter.

Check out our awesome thought leaders!

Schedule

College Day
Monday, March 28, 2022

Urban Futures Day
Tuesday, March 29, 2022

Digital Futures Day
Wednesday, March 30, 2022

Ethics Day
Thursday, March 31, 2022

College Day
Friday, April 01, 2022

3:00 PM - 4:30 PM
Research and Innovation Week Faculty Awards Ceremony


Virtual



9:00 AM - 3:00 PM
Collaborative Research Advancement Program Pilot Grants - Virtual Funding Pitch Day


Virtual



Join the Office of Research as each of the Pilot Grant finalists pitch their idea to an expertly assembled review panel. Each finalist will be allotted time for their formal pitch followed by a moderated Q&A with the Vice President for Research and the review panel.

[9:00] Heng Wei, CEAS, “Brainbox Analytics for Connected Transportation Cyber-Physical System”
[9:20] Je-Hyeong Bahk, CEAS, "Next-generation Air Conditioning Systems and Materials Based on Solid-State Thermoelectric Energy Conversion"
[9:40] Stacey C. Schutte
, CEAS,  "Development and Validation of a Scaffold to Promote Skin Substitute Innervation"
[10:00] John Martin
, CEAS, "Injectable hydrogels to prevent premature bone fusion and major surgical  intervention in the pediatric skull"

[10:40] Vesselin Shanov
, CEAS,  "D Printing of 3D Graphene: A New Paradigm in Nanotechnology for Scalable Energy Conversion and Storage Applications"
[11:00] Dongmei Feng
, CEAS, "Innovative Approaches to Monitoring Surface Water Quality Using Unmanned Aerial Vehicle and Sensors"
[11:20] Yujie Sun
, A&S,  "Energy Efficient and Decarbonized Electrochemical Production of Green Formaldehyde"
[11:40] Vesna Dominika Novak
, CEAS, "Enhancing Interpersonal Communication through Visualizations of Physiological Synchronization"

[1:20] Carla Chifos
, DAAP, "Identifying Cincinnati's Climate Network to Inform a Sustainable Urban Future"
[1:40] Dong Gil Ko
, Business,  "A Diabetes Medication Decision Support System"

 

 

4:00 PM - 5:30 PM
The Annual State of Research Town Hall

Hosted by University of Cincinnati Vice President for Research Dr. Patrick Limbach With introduction and opening remarks by University of Cincinnati President, Dr. Neville Pinto and closing remarks by Provost, Dr. Valerio Ferme


Virtual


Patrick Limbach, PhD Neville Pinto, PhD Valerio Ferme, PhD

Join us for the University of Cincinnati annual State of Research Town Hall. President Neville Pinto will kick off R&I Week 2022 with opening remarks, followed by a presentation and moderated Q&A by Vice President for Research, Pat Limbach, and closing remarks by Provost, Valerio Ferme. 


WATCH VIDEO HERE

9:00 AM - 9:50 AM
Research Action Teams Showcase

Kate Bonansinga - Step Up to Art: Art on Cincinnati's Staircases to Improve Public Health and Neighborhood Connection


Virtual


Kate Bonansinga

Can public art on Cincinnati’s exterior stairways improve the emotional and physical health of its residents and the connectivity between neighborhoods? Step Up to Art addresses this question by reimagining the pedestrian infrastructure, and consequently the future of social interaction, through the implementation of art to transform 19th-century stairways located in Cincinnati’s urban core.


WATCH VIDEO HERE

10:00 AM - 10:50 AM
Research Action Teams Showcase

Anne Steinert - The Avondale Neighborhood History Initiative


Virtual


Anne Delano Steinert

Beginning in the summer of 2021, the Avondale Neighborhood History Initiative empowers residents of Avondale, Cincinnati’s largest Black neighborhood, to discover, preserve, and present the history of their own neighborhood. This community-led process “prioritize[s] leadership by those most affected by injustice and inequity in order to effect structural and systemic changes that can support and sustain inclusive and healthy communities.”The expected outcomes of this process will be a trained team of lay community historians who will conduct extensive research and collaborate with humanities scholars to plan a multi-modal three-site public history exhibition including a Black history walking trail, digital exhibitions, panel exhibits, an oral history project, and school programs. 


WATCH VIDEO HERE

11:00 AM - 11:50 AM
Research Action Teams Showcase

Carlie Trott - Community-led Climate Resilience Planning for a More Equitable Cincinnati: Centering Equity and Justice through Neighborhood-level Advisory Councils


Virtual


Carlie D. Trott

In Cincinnati and cities across the nation, racial and environmental injustices are intensified under a changing climate, fueling demands for climate justice. This interdisciplinary, community-engaged pilot project simultaneously enacts and examines what a more just, equitable, and sustainable neighborhood-level planning process might look like—one that centers the voices and actions of community members in critically-affected Cincinnati neighborhoods.


WATCH VIDEO HERE

1:00 PM - 1:50 PM
The Collaborative for Transdisciplinary Justice Transformation

Presented by Janet Moore, Cinnamon Pelly, Ebony L. Ruhland, and Brendan Mathews


Virtual


Janet Moore Cinnamon Pelly Ebony L. Ruhland, PhD Brendan Mathews, MPH​

This exploratory project tackles the wicked problem of the U.S. criminal justice crisis by gathering academics, community organizers, and system officials to identify strategies for reducing reliance on criminal justice systems as a default approach for preventing and addressing harm. Work product will comprise both the WHAT and the HOW of this work through action plans to advance top-priority strategies and co-learning on what helps or hinders the development of transdisciplinary, collaborative action research in the criminal justice context.


WATCH VIDEO HERE

12:00 PM - 2:00 PM
Flashpoint Series: Confronting Crisis

Moderated by Jai Chabria


Queen City Club


Jai Chabria Neville Pinto, PhD Theresa Flores Steve Schierholt Daniel Meyer

Panelists:

  • President Pinto - Higher Education
  • Theresa Flores - Human Trafficking Crisis 
  • Steve Schierholt - Opioid Crisis 
  • Daniel Meyer Workforce Talent 

This is the seventh iteration of the Digital Futures Flashpoint Series, a series developed to position University of Cincinnati’s experts as thought leaders amongst thought leaders in industry, government, and non-profit sectors. The topic of this panel discussion will be “Confronting Crisis: How leaders across the sectors are addressing problems that matter.” A recording of the panel discussion will be posted to the UC Digital Futures YouTube channel. For more information about this event, please email research@uc.edu.

WATCH VIDEO HERE

5:30 PM - 6:30 PM
IQ E-Pitch


Kautz Attic



Have you ever thought about a new, innovative idea for a product, service or social enterprise? Do you believe it could be the basis for a successful new startup or nonprofit? Then the Innovation Quest Elevator Pitch (IQ-E Pitch) Competition may be the perfect opportunity for you.

 

The IQ E-Pitch competition simulates this experience so students gain real-world experience of what it would like to bring a business or nonprofit idea to fruition. And pitching your ideas is a lifelong skill.

Every year, student teams will compete for over $10,000 in awards. Past winners have gone on to participate in local and national accelerator programs, receive mentorship, funding and launch successful businesses.  

 

RSVP HERE

 

9:00 AM - 10:00 AM
Leadership and Allyship

Kristen Campbell, University of Cincinnati


Virtual


Kristen N. Campbell

Join UC doctoral candidate, Kristen Campbell, for an interactive workshop on Leadership and Allyship. 


WATCH VIDEO HERE

10:30 AM - 11:30 AM
Ethical Issues with Cryptocurrency

Michael Jones, University of Cincinnati


Virtual


Michael Jones

Join Michael Jones for a conversation on the ethical issues surrounding cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin.

About Michael Jones
Michael Jones is an Associate Professor, Educator of Economics, at the University of Cincinnati. He earned his Ph.D. in Economics at the University of Notre Dame and his MBA. from the University of Cincinnati. Prior to receiving his Ph.D., he worked as a Senior Research Analyst for the Nielsen Company and as a Senior Business Development Manager at Cincinnati Bell. He is also the Academic Director for the Kautz-Uible Economics Institute and the Academic Director for the MS Applied Economics Program. 

WATCH VIDEO HERE

1:30 PM - 2:30 PM
Leadership in Crisis

Jon Fortt, Co-anchor CNBC


Virtual


Jon Fortt

Jon Fortt will lead a discussion on Leadership in Crisis drawing from over two decades of experience covering leaders in the tech industry. Participants will also have a chance to sign-up for his online course The Black Experience in America for free.

WATCH VIDEO HERE

3:00 PM - 4:00 PM
Ethics and Equity in Academic Publishing a Conversation with Andrew Cullison

Elizabeth Scarpelli, Director of University of Cincinnati Press and Andrew Cullison, Director of UC Ethics Center


Virtual


Elizabeth A. Scarpelli

Elizabeth Scarpelli and Andrew Cullison will facilitate a conversation about ethics and equity issues in academic publishing. Topics will include the rising costs of textbooks and the open access movement. Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in the publishing process. We will also discuss what limits there should be if any on the publication of controversial topics.

About Liz Scarpelli
Elizabeth Scarpelli is the founding director of the University of Cincinnati Press.  Prior to starting the press in 2017, she worked as marketing and sales director at Rutgers University Press, textbook sales director at Cambridge University Press, textbook district sales director at Prentice Hall-Pearson, and Publishing Services Director Baker and Taylor.  In addition to director, she acquires books for the Press in social justice across all disciplines, educational studies, academic-community collaborations, Ohio and the greater Cincinnati area, open educational resources, and open-access textbooks.  She has a BA from Fordham University in Communications and a MA in Higher Education Administration from the University of Cincinnati.  She is a member of the DE&I task force and OD Advisory Council for UC Library and the Rapid Response Team for UC-College of Education, Criminal Justice, and Human Services. She is also a member of AUPress, Library Publisher Coalition, and is on the board of the Midwest Independent Publishers Association.

WATCH VIDEO HERE

 

5:00 PM - 6:00 PM
Hutton Lecture: Confronting the Global Crisis in Knowledge Production

Bridget Pratt, University of Melbourne


Virtual


Bridget Pratt, PhD

Objectives


As a result of participating in this activity, participants should be able to:


1. Identify five dimensions/components of social justice and how they are defined.


2. Discuss how health research can be designed to promote those five dimensions of social justice.


3. Explain and give examples of practical strategies to take these learnings forward in your own research practice.


 

The University of Cincinnati is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) to provide continuing medical education for physicians. The University of Cincinnati designates this live activity for a maximum of 1 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

Bridget is an ethics researcher and the Mater Senior Lecturer in Healthcare Ethics at Queensland Bioethics Centre at Australian Catholic University. She is a Visiting Professor at the Julius Centre for Global Health at Utrecht University in the Netherlands. She is an honorary at the Centre for Health Equity at the University of Melbourne. Bridget received her PhD in bioethics in 2012 and her Masters in International Health in 2009 from Monash University in Australia. From 2013 to 2015, Bridget was a Hecht-Levi fellow at the Johns Hopkins Berman Institute of Bioethics and a research fellow in the Department of International Health at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. From 2013-2020, she was a research fellow in Centre for Health Equity at the School of Population and Global Health at the University of Melbourne.

Bridget’s research interests include the ethics of global health research, health systems, and urban planning, with a focus on equity, social justice, and (more recently) ecological justice. In her work, she uses a combination of applied philosophy and qualitative methods, reflecting her belief that the most robust ethical guidance is informed by both theory and practice. She has developed ethical guidance on the following topics: research priority-setting, research governance, community engagement, ancillary care, capacity development, post-study benefits, and data sharing. 

WATCH VIDEO HERE


 

11:30 AM - 12:30 PM
Designing Visual Interfaces for Data-Driven Science

Jillian Aurisano, PhD


Visualization Lab 240H Braunstein – Geology-Math-Physics (GMP) Library


Jillian Aurisano, PhD

The classical scientific discoveries that we study in school tend to follow a script:  A scientist observes something interesting, designs experiments to test a hypothesis, and inspects the results, often with the aid of optical instruments, such as microscopes and telescopes, which bring small and large phenomena into focus.   Today, science increasingly follows a different ‘data-driven’ script.  We try to understand complex phenomena by capturing data through sensors and digitized scientific instruments, or generating data through simulation and crowd-sourcing.  Given the size and complexity of this data, we then need computational methods throughout data collection and analysis, including “black box” methods that can be difficult for people to understand.  To steer a large, data-driven scientific project, researchers with diverse expertise, as well as other stakeholders and decision makers, need to collaborate and understand data and computational methods as a team.  In other words, our ability to generate new knowledge, in this context, depends on how well we can leverage big data, steer opaque computational methods, and collaborate.  Data visualization is a critical component of this process, bring people into the loop with data and computational methods, and providing a platform for collaboration and communication.  In this seminar, I will present my research engineering visualization environments ‘beyond the desktop’- including large and immersive environments- which integrate multi-user interactions ‘beyond mouse and keyboard’- such as speech, movement, gestures and an array of personal devices. I will present future plans for collaborative, visualization environments at the University of Cincinnati, and will discuss how these environments can support research, education and outreach at UC.  

 

Registration has been closed.

3:00 PM - 4:30 PM
Research + Innovation Awards Ceremony

Hosted by Office of Research


Nippert West


Patrick Limbach, PhD Valerio Ferme, PhD

Vice President for Research Patrick Limbach and Provost Valerio Ferme will award the annual faculty excellence awards and the research mentoring awards to faculty nominated by college leadership in each category.In addition, the Vice President for Research will award two more sets of key recognitions. One will be the Office of Research Core Value Partnership Awards in recognition of University of Cincinnati faculty and staff partners who have demonstrated respectfulness, positivity, and overall professionalism in their interactions with the staff of The University of Cincinnati Office of Research. The second will be the Research Ethics in Action Awards promoting and rewarding actions and methods that go above and beyond to promote ethical research, scholarship, and/or workplace. These are sponsored by UC’s newly established Cincinnati Ethics Center and will be awarded one in each category of faculty, staff, and students.This event is by invitation only.

Past Event Highlights

Research Week 2018

Disruption !

The UC Innovation Quest Elevator Pitch Competition gave inventors & entrepreneurs the opportunity to present a short "elevator pitch" to investors in order to commercialize their ideas and launch start-up ventures.

Research Week 2018

The Presidential Kickoff

The President of the University of Cincinnati, Neville G. Pinto, kicked off Research + Innovation Week by welcoming thought leaders and intellectuals over refreshments.

Research Week 2018

Instrumentations, Intelligence, Abundance, & Resilience

Thought leaders explored animal behaviors, climate change, & environmental impacts while focusing on water quality & purification technology.

Research Week 2018

Research + Innovation Week Awards Ceremony

The 2018 Awardees were honored for their outstanding Faculty Excellence, Mentoring, and Core Values during the closing ceremony of the week.

Research Week 2019

Acute Care Research Symposium

The Acute Care Research Council is bringing together expertise across the AHC to foster collaboration and empower ACR stakeholders amidst the ever-challenging risks that are unique to the acute care setting. Presentations included EFIC trials from CCHMC and UC, updates on changes to the Common Rule, Research vs. Critical Illness, and concluded with an audience-participation panel session.

Research Week 2018

Hutton Ethics Leadership – Informed Consent: Evidence and Practice

Approaches to gaining respect and consent in the research recruitment process were evaluated through informed and practical applications.