Featured Stories
UNIC Athens at the International Conference Connect to Protect 2026
NICOSIA, Cyprus, Oct. 13 -- The University of Nicosia issued the following news:
* * *
UNIC Athens at the International Conference Connect to Protect 2026
UNIC Athens participated in the 1st International Conference "Connect to Protect: Children & Youth at Risk", held on October 5 and 6, 2026 in Athens, organized by IASIS NGO. The University supported the organization as a sponsor, while it also contributed to the scientific dialogue through the presentation of the Associate Professor of Social Psychology Theophilos Ginopoulos, Director of the School of Humanities and Social Sciences of UNIC
... Show Full Article
NICOSIA, Cyprus, Oct. 13 -- The University of Nicosia issued the following news:
* * *
UNIC Athens at the International Conference Connect to Protect 2026
UNIC Athens participated in the 1st International Conference "Connect to Protect: Children & Youth at Risk", held on October 5 and 6, 2026 in Athens, organized by IASIS NGO. The University supported the organization as a sponsor, while it also contributed to the scientific dialogue through the presentation of the Associate Professor of Social Psychology Theophilos Ginopoulos, Director of the School of Humanities and Social Sciences of UNICAthens.
Mr. Ginopoulos spoke entitled "From Victimization to Resilience: A Bioecological Approach to Intergroup Conflict and Holistic Interventions for Children and Youth", in the context of the theme "Childhood After the Conflict: Displacement, Collective Trauma and Recovery".
In his presentation he highlighted how the victimization of children and young people in conflict conditions is influenced by factors that extend beyond the individual level, to the family, community and wider socio-political environment. At the same time, he referred to the importance of an integrated approach to designing interventions that meet children's complex needs, enhancing their mental health and resilience.
Connect to Protect was a meeting point for researchers, academics, frontline professionals and representatives of international organizations and institutions, with the common goal of strengthening child protection systems. Discussions focused on critical issues such as childhood trauma, mental health, risks in the digital environment and the effective participation of children in the decisions that concern them.
Particular emphasis was placed on the need for closer cooperation between scientific research, policy-making and professional practice, so that knowledge can translate into effective prevention and protection actions.
For UNIC Athens, the participation in the conference was also an opportunity to explore new research partnerships, especially in fields such as online radicalism, participatory research methods and European networks for the protection of children.
The University seeks to use these contacts to develop joint research initiatives and create opportunities for its students to participate in future scientific actions.
October 13th, 2026
* * *
Original text here: https://www.unic.ac.cy/to-unic-athens-sto-diethnes-synedrio-connect-to-protect-2026/
Princeton: Luc Deike Wins Experimental Physics Investigators Initiative Award From the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation
PRINCETON, New Jersey, Oct. 13 -- Princeton University issued the following news:
* * *
Luc Deike wins Experimental Physics Investigators Initiative award from the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation
Oct. 12, 2026
Luc Deike, professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering and the High Meadows Environmental Institute, has won an Experimental Physics Investigators Initiative award from the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation.
The award supports tenured, mid-career faculty doing experimental work in physics. Deike is one of 21 U.S. researchers in this year's cohort.
Deike's research focuses on
... Show Full Article
PRINCETON, New Jersey, Oct. 13 -- Princeton University issued the following news:
* * *
Luc Deike wins Experimental Physics Investigators Initiative award from the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation
Oct. 12, 2026
Luc Deike, professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering and the High Meadows Environmental Institute, has won an Experimental Physics Investigators Initiative award from the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation.
The award supports tenured, mid-career faculty doing experimental work in physics. Deike is one of 21 U.S. researchers in this year's cohort.
Deike's research focuses onfundamental fluid dynamics, including surface waves, drops and bubbles in turbulence, motivated by their importance in ocean-atmosphere interaction, oxygen and carbon fluxes in the ocean, marine aerosol emissions and atmospheric cloud processes.
The Moore Foundation award will support his work using a new facility housed in his lab to study cloud microphysics at cold temperature.
"Clouds and airborne particles remain one of the largest sources of uncertainty in atmospheric science because they can either cool or warm the planet depending on where they are and how they form," the foundation said in its award announcement. "Deike's work could provide a stronger experimental basis for understanding how ice forms in clouds and for testing competing ideas about cloud behavior. ... More broadly, the project could help clarify how clouds respond to changing atmospheric conditions."
Deike joined the Princeton faculty in 2017 from the Scripps Institution of Oceanography at the University of California-San Diego, where he was a postdoctoral researcher from 2013 to 2016. He is currently serving as acting director of the High Meadows Environmental Institute.
He received his Ph.D. from Paris Diderot University in 2013 and his M.Sc. and B.Sc. from the Ecole Normale Superieure in Paris. Among other honors, he is the recipient of a 2019 National Science Foundation CAREER award.
Deike was one of four professors honored in 2023 with a Graduate Mentoring Award from the Princeton Graduate School and the McGraw Center for Teaching and Learning, recognizing Princeton faculty "who nurture the intellectual, professional and personal growth of their graduate students."
* * *
Original text here: https://www.princeton.edu/news/2026/10/12/luc-deike-wins-experimental-physics-investigators-initiative-award
Now 50 Years Old, One of the World's Most Diverse Collection of Organisms Lives On at UT
AUSTIN, Texas, Oct. 13 -- The University of Texas issued the following news:
* * *
Now 50 Years Old, One of the World's Most Diverse Collection of Organisms Lives On at UT
David Nobles Jr., curator of the UTEX Culture Collection of Algae, looks back and explains why algae matter in research.
October 12, 2026
In 2026, a remarkable collection, unique to The University of Texas in Austin, celebrated its 50th anniversary -- the UTEX Culture Collection of Algae. David Nobles Jr., just the third curator of the collection in its 50 years, is charged with maintaining one of the most diverse collections
... Show Full Article
AUSTIN, Texas, Oct. 13 -- The University of Texas issued the following news:
* * *
Now 50 Years Old, One of the World's Most Diverse Collection of Organisms Lives On at UT
David Nobles Jr., curator of the UTEX Culture Collection of Algae, looks back and explains why algae matter in research.
October 12, 2026
In 2026, a remarkable collection, unique to The University of Texas in Austin, celebrated its 50th anniversary -- the UTEX Culture Collection of Algae. David Nobles Jr., just the third curator of the collection in its 50 years, is charged with maintaining one of the most diverse collectionsof organisms anywhere on Earth.
Nobles is a world-class phycologist, the term he and his colleagues prefer for a person who studies algae (the other term, "algologist," also applies to people who study pain, and Nobles quipped that, though there can be days when that feels fitting, a distinction should be made). This summer, he and his colleagues moved their entire collection, more than 1,500 species, into a new space in the Moffett Molecular Biology Building at UT. We spoke with him to learn about the importance of the collection. This conversation has been edited for space.
Why is algae so important to catalog and understand, and do you have an example from your own research?
Algae have been found to have tremendous commercial applications, from pharmaceuticals to fuel to mining. For example, phosphate is a limited resource vital to all agriculture, and algae are used to recover it from wastewater. Last year, we got a grant with a group from Sandia National Laboratories in Los Alamos to study algae that bind to rare earth elements. There are few accessible sources of such elements, which is why we call them rare, but these are critical minerals for our modern electronics, computers and phones. Some algae not only bind to these minerals naturally and efficiently, they can be made to collect the precious minerals in wastewater. So, we've been studying, including with an incredible group of undergraduates, which algae to use for bio-mining. It's pretty amazing. Algae may give us an environmentally friendly way to mine rare earth metals.
What's more, more than half of all carbon dioxide that's naturally removed from our atmosphere is done so by algae. Algae are vital to our planet's health. These organisms are also the bottom of the food chain in the oceans. Without them, there would be no marine life. They are often used to feed farm animals, so they are a primary source of protein and nutrients for us, too (plus, pretty much any time you buy a green smoothie to be healthy, one of its main ingredients is spirulina, a kind of algae). Of course, algae also frequently disrupt our lives, such as the frequent cyanobacterial blooms in lakes when no one can swim. For all these reasons, understanding algae better is critical.
Maybe I should also ask: What is algae?
Well, I like to tell people that algae is plural. That's a good place to start because there is no singular group of organisms we can call alga.
Have you ever seen the tree of life? There are a few big domains like the eukaryotes, bacteria and archaea. Humans are on a single branch, near the bottom with all the other animals, under the eukaryotes. Plants are in another group of eukaryotes nearby. That means, even the most amazing zoo in the world focuses on organisms from only one group, the animals. The lushest botanical garden anywhere focuses on organisms from only one group, the plants. But what we call algae are not a single natural group. They are on many branches. So, we have 3,000 organisms from across the tree of life that we call algae. That's why I always say our collection is perhaps the most diverse collection of living organisms in the world.
What we call algae are different organisms that share one characteristic. Most are a single cell, but they all use chlorophyll-a to gather energy from the sun through photosynthesis. And though they are green, they can be distinguished from plants because algae don't have structures like roots, stems and leaves. Even so, plants stem from one group of algae in the tree of life, so one of my colleagues jokingly refers to plants as "higher and drier algae." I like that.
How did the UTEX collection start?
Richard Starr, the founder of our collection, met a man named Ernst Pringsheim in 1953, who gifted him some cultures when they were both at Cambridge University in England. Pringsheim was one of the first people to study and grow algae in the early 1900s, and he escaped from the Nazis with his collection of about 400 strains several years before meeting Starr. Starr brought cultures back to the United States and grew the cultures into a collection, eventually returning to where he had gotten his Ph.D., here at UT. When he returned in 1976, he brought 2,000 strains with him, taking over a space in the Biological Laboratories Building and renamed it the UTEX Culture Collection. He was the director until he passed away unexpectedly in 1998, when Jerry Brand succeeded him. The collection still exists today largely because of Brand's dedication and skill. We still have some of the original strains from the early 1900s in the collection because of him. Jerry retired in 2015, and I became just the third director. This year, the collection's 50th anniversary, we finally moved out of our old space and into a new one in the Moffett Molecular Biology Building, a more modern space for the collection.
How did the collection grow to what it is today?
Mostly, the collection grew by accretion. Many researchers have private collections. After they retire, they will bequeath us their most important organisms, to take care of and make available to others. It's a big responsibility, taking care of someone else's life's work. But it's also a tremendous honor to do this for the community. I've just done my best to be a good steward of the collection.
Do you have any famous strains of algae in the collection?
We have the algae used in the original experiments that revealed the Calvin cycle. That's the process in which carbon is removed from the air by photosynthetic organisms to make sugars, which not only helps the organisms grow but also provides food for all living creatures on Earth. Most people learn about it in school.
What's a normal day like with the collection?
It's a very hands-on job, taking care of 3,000 strains of living organisms. Jerry Brand, our former director, grew up on a farm, and he said the work was basically the same: Cows have to be milked every day; algae have to be tended to. That means we don't get much time off. Most of our work is making food, what we call media, to grow the cultures. Algae can be pretty picky about what they consume. That's OK because we don't want them to be too happy and grow too quickly or they'd overwhelm the lab, so we are careful about what we feed them.
We spend much of our remaining time transferring the cultures and making new ones, which is a bit like making sourdough bread from a starter. We have to make sure the cultures don't get contaminated when we grow new ones from old ones. We're also a commercial enterprise. We distribute algae to researchers and companies around the world. We fulfill some 3,000 orders to every state in the United States and to some 50 or so countries every year. And more than 1,000 publications a year cite us.
In between, we make time to do research ourselves and train undergraduates. We've been lucky that almost half the collection is now frozen and preserved in liquid nitrogen, so we don't have to care for all the strains we have every day.
Do you have some favorite algae?
So many algae do incredible, weird things. But it is probably Acetabularia, which people call maiden's wineglass. It looks like a flower. It has a stem and a cup on the end, and it grows to be 7 or 8 centimeters long. But it is still just a single cell. They were very popular for many years in research because you can remove the base where the nucleus is and the cap will live on, because of its incredible messenger RNA. There's another one I like called Valonia ventricosa, resembling a ping pong ball. They have a very thick cell wall on the outside, but the organism itself is just a thin sphere of protoplasm surrounding an empty space filled with air. When you pop one, all the cytoplasm very quickly makes tiny spheres. After a day or so, all those tiny spheres are new organisms. We show this all the time in demonstrations for the public.
* * *
Original text here: https://news.utexas.edu/2026/10/12/now-50-years-old-one-of-the-worlds-most-diverse-collection-of-organisms-lives-on-at-ut/
K-State Students Combine Spanish Immersion With Interdisciplinary Research During Summer Study Abroad Program
MANHATTAN, Kansas, Oct. 13 -- Kansas State University issued the following news:
* * *
Spanish in action
K-State students combine Spanish immersion with interdisciplinary research during summer study abroad program
By Rebecca Bender, Department of Modern Languages
Oct. 12, 2026
Sixteen Kansas State University students spent part of their summer putting their Spanish language skills to work through immersive cultural experiences and individualized research projects in Spain.
The students, representing majors and minors across the colleges of Arts and Sciences, Agriculture, Architecture, Planning
... Show Full Article
MANHATTAN, Kansas, Oct. 13 -- Kansas State University issued the following news:
* * *
Spanish in action
K-State students combine Spanish immersion with interdisciplinary research during summer study abroad program
By Rebecca Bender, Department of Modern Languages
Oct. 12, 2026
Sixteen Kansas State University students spent part of their summer putting their Spanish language skills to work through immersive cultural experiences and individualized research projects in Spain.
The students, representing majors and minors across the colleges of Arts and Sciences, Agriculture, Architecture, Planning& Design, Engineering, Health and Human Sciences and Veterinary Medicine, participated in "Spain Today: Madrid, Pamplona y el Norte," a faculty-led study abroad program directed by Rebecca Bender, associate professor of Spanish in the Department of Modern Languages.
Now in its sixth year, the 4 1/2-week program ran from May 24 to June 24 and allowed students to earn six credit hours through a Spanish course at the University of Navarra in Pamplona, Spain, and a K-State Spanish course taught by Bender.
Coursework included visits to cultural sites and historical monuments in Madrid and Pamplona, as well as day trips to Toledo; the medieval towns and castles of Olite and Javier; the Basque coast, including San Sebastian and fishing villages such as Zumaia; and the Baztan Valley, where students visited the Zugarramurdi caves and toured a small-scale cheese farm in the Pyrenees.
The group also spent a day walking a 13-mile stretch of the Camino de Santiago, following a segment of the French Way from the base of the Pyrenees into central Pamplona.
All coursework, cultural activities and guided tours were conducted in Spanish, giving students opportunities to put their language skills into practice every day.
For Lemuel Dill, a horticulture production and Spanish major from Lenexa, the opportunity to use Spanish outside the classroom was transformative.
"Going to another country and learning the language there is such a valuable experience," Dill said.
The experience helped Dill overcome his initial fear of speaking with native Spanish speakers and gain confidence communicating in everyday situations.
Baron Frye, a civil engineering major and Spanish minor from Kansas City, Missouri, found opportunities to connect his two areas of study.
"I am very grateful that I had the opportunity to build both my Spanish and engineering knowledge when I walked along the medieval walls of Pamplona, learning about their construction and historical impact on the city," Frye said.
Connecting language learning with academic interests
For their K-State credits, advanced students completed individualized research projects centered on interactive, hands-on learning experiences. Intermediate students enrolled in a Spanish culture course that offered similar opportunities for individualized assignments.
Working with Bender, advanced students tailored their research projects to their academic interests and career goals, while intermediate students selected cultural topics that intersected with their majors. These faculty-mentored, student-driven projects, conducted in a Spanish-language immersion environment, distinguished the program from traditional study abroad experiences.
One student majoring in horticulture and Spanish developed interview questions and planned self-guided visits to local garden centers. Through conversations with employees and customers, he explored which plants were most popular, which plants and flowers were associated with different seasons in northern Spain and where garden centers sourced their plants.
Another student majoring in Spanish, microbiology and biochemistry investigated attitudes toward vaccinations in Spain, gathering responses through conversations and QR code surveys with residents in public spaces.
An animal sciences and Spanish major interviewed Pamplona residents about their relationships with their dogs and approaches to animal care, particularly in light of Spain's recent animal sentience law protecting the rights of domestic animals.
The program's interdisciplinary approach gave students opportunities to use Spanish not only as a subject of study but also as a tool for research, learning and communication.
"Immersing myself in Spain helped me grow more confident in my Spanish and taught me how meaningful language can be in connecting with people," said Mary Graeve, an animal sciences industry and Spanish major from Council Bluffs, Iowa.
Jack Francis-Cummins, a biology and Spanish major from Parkville, Missouri, emphasized the personal impact of learning through immersion.
"I now have a deeper appreciation for new experiences and meeting new people that I'll carry with me for the rest of my life," Francis-Cummins said.
Building skills beyond the classroom
The combination of language learning, global engagement and faculty-mentored interdisciplinary research reflects the hands-on learning opportunities supported by the Department of Modern Languages, Education Abroad and K-State.
Students from the humanities, health sciences, STEM, agriculture and professional fields connected their Spanish studies to their academic interests and career goals. Through their projects, they used Spanish to conduct research, interact with local communities, explore new perspectives and better understand the cultures and societies connected to their future professions.
Anna Hawk, a psychology and Spanish major from Overland Park, reflected on what makes immersive language learning different from studying a language at home.
"Getting to become fully immersed in a language and culture different from your own pushes you outside of your comfort zone in a way that no experience at home could provide," Hawk said.
Beyond improving her Spanish language skills, Hawk said the experience helped her build lasting friendships.
"I created memories that will last a lifetime alongside a group that started out as predominantly strangers, that now I consider my very dear friends," she said.
Students to showcase research Oct. 28
Several students will share their research through posters or five- to six-minute oral presentations at the "Spain Today: Research & Photography" event from 3-4:15 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 28, in 015 Eisenhower Hall.
Together with Bender, students will highlight how continued language study can intersect with STEM and other academic fields while demonstrating the value of language learning for global citizenship, intercultural competence and professional development.
Students interested in participating in the 2027 program are encouraged to attend.
Plans are underway to offer the six-credit-hour, faculty-led Spain Today program again May 22-June 23, 2027. Intermediate Spanish skills are required, with a prerequisite of SPAN 550 completed by spring 2027 or permission from the instructor.
For more information, contact Bender at rmbender@k-state.edu.
* * *
Original text here: https://www.k-state.edu/news/articles/2026/10/spain-study-abroad-language-immersion-student-research.html
Georgia State University Receives Approval for State's First Doctor of Social Work Degree
ATLANTA, Georgia, Oct. 13 -- Georgia State University issued the following news:
* * *
Georgia State University Receives Approval for State's First Doctor of Social Work Degree
October 12, 2026
ATLANTA -- Following unanimous approval by the University System of Georgia Board of Regents at its Oct. 6 meeting, Georgia State University will offer the state's first Doctor of Social Work (DSW) degree.
Housed in the Andrew Young School of Policy Studies' School of Social Work, the program is expected to begin in 2027. The hybrid program, with both in-person and online modalities, will offer experienced
... Show Full Article
ATLANTA, Georgia, Oct. 13 -- Georgia State University issued the following news:
* * *
Georgia State University Receives Approval for State's First Doctor of Social Work Degree
October 12, 2026
ATLANTA -- Following unanimous approval by the University System of Georgia Board of Regents at its Oct. 6 meeting, Georgia State University will offer the state's first Doctor of Social Work (DSW) degree.
Housed in the Andrew Young School of Policy Studies' School of Social Work, the program is expected to begin in 2027. The hybrid program, with both in-person and online modalities, will offer experiencedprofessionals advanced preparation to lead human service organizations, apply research to practice and educate future social workers.
"This degree opens a new pathway for social workers who want to extend their impact through leadership," said Thomas J. Vicino, dean of the Andrew Young School of Policy Studies. "By creating Georgia's first Doctor of Social Work program, we are expanding opportunities for experienced professionals to advance their careers while strengthening the organizations and services our communities depend on."
According to the Board of Regents proposal, no Georgia institution currently offers a practice doctorate in social work. Professionals seeking that credential must turn to programs based outside the state. Nationally, the Group for the Advancement of Doctoral Education in Social Work reported 39 DSW programs among its member institutions as of April 2025.
The new degree responds to a need for leaders who can improve service delivery and support workforce retention. The proposal identifies significant gaps in Georgia's behavioral health workforce, particularly in rural communities, and emphasizes the role of organizational leadership in strengthening the state's social service infrastructure.
Addressing these needs is part of the Andrew Young School's strategic plan, which includes strengthening Georgia's workforce and creating pathways for lifelong learning and career progression. It offers experienced social workers a way to build on their expertise while continuing to serve their communities.
"A master's degree prepares social workers for professional practice. The DSW builds on that foundation, helping experienced practitioners use evidence to improve how organizations operate and how services reach people," said Y. Joon Choi, a professor and director of the School of Social Work. "That means their impact can extend beyond the individuals they serve directly to the teams they lead, the programs they design and the future social workers they teach."
The practice-focused doctorate will emphasize executive leadership, organizational change and applied research. Students will connect their coursework to challenges in their professional settings and complete an applied capstone project designed to produce measurable organizational, community or policy impact.
The program builds on the School of Social Work's existing graduate education and community partnerships, expanding opportunities for working professionals seeking advanced leadership and teaching roles.
Vicino credited Choi and the School of Social Work's faculty and staff with developing the program, alongside colleagues in the Andrew Young School, the Office of the Provost and The Graduate School.
"This milestone reflects a tremendous collaborative effort across Georgia State," Vicino said. "We are grateful for the support that made it possible and excited about what our graduates will contribute to Georgia's communities."
* * *
Original text here: https://news.gsu.edu/2026/10/12/georgia-state-university-receives-approval-for-states-first-doctor-of-social-work-degree/
Family Medicine Physician Iram Qureshi, M.D., Joins UAMS Family Medical Center in Fort Smith
LITTLE ROCK, Arkansas, Oct. 13 -- The University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences issued the following news release:
* * *
Family Medicine Physician Iram Qureshi, M.D., Joins UAMS Family Medical Center in Fort Smith
Oct. 12, 2026 | LITTLE ROCK -- Iram Qureshi, M.D., has joined the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) Family Medical Center in Fort Smith, where she will offer comprehensive care for all ages.
Qureshi earned her medical degree from Dow International Medical College in Karachi, Pakistan, in 2017, and completed her family medicine residency at the UAMS West Regional
... Show Full Article
LITTLE ROCK, Arkansas, Oct. 13 -- The University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences issued the following news release:
* * *
Family Medicine Physician Iram Qureshi, M.D., Joins UAMS Family Medical Center in Fort Smith
Oct. 12, 2026 | LITTLE ROCK -- Iram Qureshi, M.D., has joined the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) Family Medical Center in Fort Smith, where she will offer comprehensive care for all ages.
Qureshi earned her medical degree from Dow International Medical College in Karachi, Pakistan, in 2017, and completed her family medicine residency at the UAMS West RegionalCampus in Fort Smith. After graduating from her residency, she worked as a family medicine attending physician at Mercy Clinic Primary Care - Towson in Fort Smith, where she managed preventive, acute and chronic needs for her patients.
Qureshi trained in outpatient and inpatient medicine with an emphasis on obstetrics, offering prenatal care and performing deliveries. She has extensive training in preventive care and women's health and can perform steroid injections, colposcopies, IUD placements/removals, and pap smears. Qureshi is also versed in mental health evaluations and treatment.
In addition to caring for patients, Qureshi will train future family medicine physicians as an assistant professor with the UAMS West Family Medicine Residency Program.
Chris Holland, administrative director at UAMS West, said, "We are especially proud to welcome Dr. Qureshi back to the UAMS West program as a faculty member after completing her residency here in 2024. She understands our mission of providing outstanding patient care while training the next generation of family physicians. Her experience, clinical expertise, and commitment to our community will make a lasting impact on our patients, our residents and the region we serve."
She is accepting new patients at the UAMS Health West Family Medical Center in Fort Smith. To schedule an appointment, call 479-785-2431.
* * *
Original text here: https://news.uams.edu/2026/10/12/family-medicine-physician-iram-qureshi-m-d-joins-uams-family-medical-center-in-fort-smith/
A multidisciplinary research institute to guide the business world
PHILADELPHIA, Pennsylvania, Oct. 13 -- Temple University College of Public Health posted the following news:
* * *
A multidisciplinary research institute to guide the business world
*
Housed within the Fox School of Business, Temple's Responsible Business Institute (RBI) is a new multidisciplinary hub for research, dialogue and innovation that has launched this fall.
Only 53% of Americans believe large U.S. companies are very or somewhat just, the lowest percentage that the number has been since it started being tracked by JUST Capital seven years ago. That same study also indicates that 80%
... Show Full Article
PHILADELPHIA, Pennsylvania, Oct. 13 -- Temple University College of Public Health posted the following news:
* * *
A multidisciplinary research institute to guide the business world
*
Housed within the Fox School of Business, Temple's Responsible Business Institute (RBI) is a new multidisciplinary hub for research, dialogue and innovation that has launched this fall.
Only 53% of Americans believe large U.S. companies are very or somewhat just, the lowest percentage that the number has been since it started being tracked by JUST Capital seven years ago. That same study also indicates that 80%percent of Americans think that business still can be a force for positive change.
For today's business leaders, this presents a challenge. The public wants to see companies and organizations do well, but there is a general disbelief in their ability to do so.
So, how can leaders be provided with the necessary tools to create highly efficient workforces that thrive within productive, innovative and inclusive workplace cultures? That is where the Responsible Business Institute (RBI) comes in.
Housed within Temple University's Fox School of Business, RBI is a new multidisciplinary hub for research, dialogue and innovation that has launched this fall.
"The idea of the Responsible Business Institute is to focus on the pillars that every responsible business should be focused on and viewing those pillars as interrelated. So, ethics and compliance; sustainability, inclusion and workplace culture. The key is not viewing each of those in a vacuum but viewing them as connected in the way that a company strategizes and moves forward. That is the starting point for how we hope to educate business leaders moving forward," said Leora Eisenstadt, RBI's director who is also an associate professor in the Department of Risk, Actuarial Science, Healthcare Management and Legal Studies at the Fox School.
The institute represents the evolution of the Center for Ethics, Diversity and Workplace Culture (CEDWC), which previously operated out of Fox. RBI reflects a broader and more interdisciplinary vision for the future of organizational leadership and impact, and that can be seen through its various partners across campus. While the institute is housed in Fox, it is a universitywide institute supported by Temple's Office of the Vice President for Research.
"The Fox School is excited to host this new institute and join our campus partners in fostering more of the world-class research that Temple University is known for, as well as finding applications of that research in dialogue with our corporate partners and the broader community," said Chip Hunter, dean of Fox and the School of Sport, Tourism and Hospitality Management. "This cross-campus collaboration reinforces the strategic commitment made by the university to realizing sustainable, positive impact in Greater Philadelphia and beyond."
"RBI embodies research in action, bringing researchers and corporate and community partners together to address the challenges organizations face," added Josh Gladden, Temple's vice president for research. "By translating evidence into practical tools, RBI will help our partners develop a skilled, adaptable workforce, strengthen business competitiveness and support economic growth while creating the conditions for people to thrive. This is what drives research at Temple: advancing knowledge that makes a meaningful difference in people's lives and in communities."
The initiative is also supported by five additional Temple schools and colleges, including the College of Public Health; the Beasley School of Law; the College of Liberal Arts; the Klein College of Media and Communication; and the School of Sport, Tourism and Hospitality Management. Each school has an RBI fellow, who works in tandem with Eisenstadt on RBI's various initiatives and research.
"Each of the fellows has a different sort of research focus, but they're all interested in translational research. So, the idea is the same idea we had with CEDWC, in that we are focusing on research sponsorship, educational programming and industry engagement. But now, we are approaching this work from so many more disciplines. That is exciting because it means our impact will grow," Eisenstadt said.
"For me, it's been great to see the institute's commitment to fostering an interdisciplinary community. I've had two opportunities to present my research regarding disability," said Dustin Kidd, professor of sociology in the College of Liberal Arts and a faculty fellow at RBI. Kidd used the faculty fellowship to make progress on a forthcoming book.
The ultimate goal with RBI's expanded approach is for the institute to engage more deeply with complex organizational issues influencing the future of work and responsible business leadership. This is intended to be across industries, as well. So, for instance, RBI may partner with a large corporation on one research project but the institute is just as likely to work with a smaller nonprofit organization on another.
"When you're thinking about how to handle whistleblowing policy in your company, you shouldn't be doing that in a vacuum, and you probably shouldn't have to pay consulting companies hundreds of thousands of dollars if you're a corporate partner with an academic institution that is doing leading research on this. You should look to us," Eisenstadt said. "So, one of the things we're doing is saying to our faculty fellows, when you publish new research, we want you to then go to our corporate partners and say, in layman's terms, here's what my research means to you."
Helping guide the institute as it pursues its new work is a highly qualified, senior advisory board led by Board Chair Timothy Fair, vice president of culture and community impact at Burlington Stores Inc. The board also includes representation from companies and organizations that include EY, Nixon Peabody LLP, Lincoln Financial, PwC and Merrill Lynch.
RBI will formally launch later this fall when the institute hosts a special panel event, titled "Ethical AI? Can AI be deployed responsibly across people, processes and the planet?" Scheduled for Monday, Oct. 26, from 12:30 to 2 p.m. in Alter Hall, the event will feature an insightful and engaging conversation with industry leaders from Intel, Google DeepMind and Nike.
***
Original text here: https://now.temple.edu/news/2026-10-12/multidisciplinary-research-institute-guide-business-world
