The National Opinion Research Center (NORC) at the University of Chicago announced today the establishment of a new research center to assist the National Science Foundation (NSF) in advancing, assessing, and coordinating the diffusion of knowledge generated by basic and applied research in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.
"ARC will increase the likelihood that opportunities for impacting policy and practice are not missed, and that investments in basic, upstream, 'frontier' STEM education research are supported and promising work is brought to scale," said Principal Investigator and NORC Senior Fellow Barbara L. Schneider (Michigan State University) who will direct the center.
Headquartered at the University of Chicago's Hyde Parkcampus, the Center for Advancing Research and Communication in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (ARC) is the newest of NORC's Academic Research Centers. The Co-principal Investigators are Sarah-Kathryn McDonald (NORC), Larry Hedges (Northwestern University), and Colm O'Muircheartaigh (University of Chicago). NORC Research Scientist Kevin Brown will direct community-building and outreach efforts.
ARC will strengthen, stimulate, and support the utilization of work produced by the NSF's Research and Evaluation on Education in Science and Engineering (REESE) program. REESE was created in 2006 to address problems of integrating evidence across disciplines; avoid issues of research fragmentation; and synthesize knowledge in science, technology, engineering and mathematics.
ARC will provide technical assistance; synthesize and disseminate findings; conduct special evaluative studies; build communities; and undertake research in support of the REESE program. In carrying out its activities, ARC will work closely with its Board of Science Advisors in collaborating with REESE projects and program staff to identify promising interventions, promising scholars, new methods, and opportunities to capitalize on science, technology engineering and math research findings to improve educational policy and practice.
For more information on ARC, visit http://www.norc.org/Aboutus/divisions/ARC/.
—Prof. Chuan He
