Arts & Sciences Magazine

Deborah Carr is the founding director of the Center for Innovation in Social Science. Photo by Jackie Ricciardi

By Rich Barlow & Marc Chalufour

BU boasts renowned faculty in the social sciences, from economics to history. But collaborating with each other can be hard.

“There has not been a single, cross-cutting, coordinating center that helps to foster multidisciplinary research initiatives, team teaching, and externally funded research,” says Deborah Carr, a professor of sociology. Now, she’s doing something about that.

Carr is the founding director of the Center for Innovation in Social Science (CISS), which she calls “a one-stop shopping point” for the BU community to learn about social science research, internships, collaborative opportunities, events, and education programs.

“I’m a big believer that the more minds that you dedicate to a particular project, the more creative it will be,” Carr says.

Despite operating as a virtual center for its first year, while a permanent space in 704 Commonwealth Ave. was renovated, CISS began fostering that creativity on several fronts. Among the center’s highlights in year one:

• Hired a CISS administrator, grant administrator, and communications intern
• Funded the first cohort of five undergraduate research interns to work with faculty on projects related to mass incarceration, racism, rural suicide, and climate change
• Awarded two $10,000 grants for interdisciplinary research, to Makarand Mody, an associate professor of hospitality marketing at the School of Hospitality Administration, and Daryl Ireland, a research assistant professor of mission at the School of Theology
• Awarded 27 summer mini-grants to fund research, travel, training, and research assistants
• Hosted workshops and shared resources on topics ranging from how to find careers outside of academia to how to seek external funding for research

Now that CISS has moved into its office space, Carr is excited to continue expanding its programs. There are plans to host visiting scholars, and she hopes to host an annual event with a marquee speaker. Tapping into more outside funding will help encourage more research, and an analysis of social science research methods courses and programs may inspire recommendations for new interdisciplinary courses or certificate programs.

The early response to CISS, from across BU, has been resounding, Carr says. “The folks who have been applying for grants and attending our sessions, a lot of them have said they’ve found their people, they found their home, and the kind of foothold they’ve been looking for. That’s been really rewarding.”