Campus Connection

Open mics are traditionally reserved for the entertainment of comedy sketches and musical shows. But this Friday April 4, UW-L faculty will be stepping up to the microphone for a more academic purpose. They’ll have a couple minutes to share their research endeavors. The open mic is one of several agenda items in store at the first-ever Scholar Connection — an informal networking open house for UW-L faculty and staff – from 1-4 p.m., Friday, April 4, in 150 Murphy Library. “We want to create some new collaborations on campus that bridge the silos we sometimes get stuck in within our own departments,” says Melissa Nielsen, interim director of Research and Sponsored Programs. The event will include:

• Informal networking opportunities
• An introduction to the new UW-L faculty/staff scholarly networking group on LinkedIn
• Fun agenda items to learn about colleagues’ scholarly interests and seek out new collaborators across disciplines, departments and colleges
• Cookies and coffee

Event planners are also considering offering “scholarly idea speed dating” where attendees rotate every few minutes to sit with a new person and talk about what they do. An event handout will feature participants' areas of interest to help people connect with new collaborators. The Scholar Connection stemmed from a UW-L survey conducted by the Office of Research & Sponsored Programs (ORSP) in December, which showed faculty and staff were interested in opportunities to network outside of their colleges and divisions. Members of ORSP will be available at the event to answer questions people have about finding support for their research and project ideas. The office promotes faculty and staff research and scholarship by offering professional development opportunities and assistance navigating the grant seeking and development process. Contact members of ORSP by visiting 220 Morris Hall or exploring the office website. RSVP for the Scholar Connection event online. Even faculty who cannot attend are encouraged to fill out the online form, which includes a summary of scholarly interests. This summary will be shared at the event to facilitate faculty connections. Contact ORSP with questions at 785.8007 or grants@uwlax.edu.