BU Launches Research Website
Features stories, videos, and support and resources for researchers
The University’s new Research website will run articles of various lengths, as well as Q&As, faculty accolades, videos, images, and graphics.
Boston University has launched a new website, called simply Research to showcase the depth and breadth of research at the University. The site will publish articles, profiles, and videos aimed at policy makers, other universities, potential students and faculty, federal agencies, funders, and mainstream media. It will also provide resources and support for researchers.
“This site will shine a bright light on the efforts of researchers, scientists, and doctoral students across the University,” says Gloria Waters, vice president and associate provost for research. “We hope it serves not only as a valuable resource, but as an inspiration for cross-disciplinary collaboration.”
“Many of our most successful researchers work at frontiers where interdisciplinary collaboration is essential,” says Thomas Bifano, a College of Engineering professor of mechanical engineering and director of the Photonics Center. “The Research website will disseminate information about enabling breakthroughs and emerging capabilities across the University. By enhancing the communication of ideas, the website will become not only an archive, but also a catalyst for world-class research.”
Sara Rimer, BU Marketing & Communications director of research communications and a former New York Times national education reporter and Boston bureau chief, is the editor of the site. Barbara Moran, who earned a master’s in science journalism at the College of Communication and was a Knight Fellow at MIT, is the site’s senior science writer.
“During my 26 years at the New York Times, I loved being a reporter, and I’m excited about applying my reporting and writing skills to this site,” says Rimer. “We want to tell stories about the people who devote their lives to research and how they go about it—not just the published studies and breakthroughs, but also the process, the persistence, the questions.”
The site will run articles of various lengths, Rimer says, as well as Q&As, faculty accolades, videos, images, and graphics. “We also want to tell high-impact stories that spin off the news—as BU Today did with the recent ‘Battling Ebola’ series—and stories about controversial subjects, like our multimedia feature about e-cigarettes for the site launch.”
The site also contains a “For Researchers” section, which will provide information about funding opportunities, assistance with grant applications, University compliance policies, connections to BU representatives in Washington, D.C., and information on resources available to commercialize research. This section also includes links to key BU research support services, such as Clinical Research Resources, Corporate Relations, and Research Compliance.
“The BU Research website is a much-needed central hub and will enhance our awareness of research, promote collaboration, and act as a catalyst for new research ideas,” says Sucharita Gopal, a College of Arts & Sciences professor of earth and environment and a faculty member of the Center for Remote Sensing. “I look forward to seeing this exciting new site becoming part of knowledge dissemination and exchange at BU.”
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