Emory University News Release

Release date: Nov. 1, 2002

Emory Advances Innovations in Research, Teaching

As one of the fastest growing research universities in the country, Emory University is receiving both recognition and increasing support for its influential and interdisciplinary approaches to research and teaching. Across the university, collaboration is a hallmark of Emory scholars, who are breaking new ground in fields ranging from biomolecular chemistry to religion.

With this newsletter, we invite you to learn more about Emory's momentum through the following stories on its academic programs, dynamic research and top-rated professional schools. We hope this summary of the latest developments will give you a sense of what's happening at Emory and, by extension, in higher education. For more information, follow the links at the end of each story or go to www.emory.edu/central/NEWS/.

As always, we welcome your questions and comments; contact Nancy Seideman, director of Emory's Office of University Media Relations, 404-727-0640, nseidem@emory.edu. We look forward to hearing from you.

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EMORY DRAWS TOP INTERDISCIPLINARY RESEARCH OPPORTUNITIES
A recent story by The Chronicle of Higher Education notes that government agencies are stepping up funding for interdisciplinary research collaboration to solve today's most complex problems. A growing number of foundations and non-profits also have seen the value of interdisciplinary research, and are supporting scholars at Emory University, who relish the chance to do collaborative work in everything from the sciences to the humanities.

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EMORY JOINS SCIENCE BUILDING BOOM AT CAMPUSES ACROSS THE COUNTRY
Gone are the days when university science research took place in Spartan and windowless buildings, filled with funky chemical smells, harsh florescent lighting and cramped quarters. Across the country, these Cold War-era buildings are being replaced with modern and sleek ones--and Emory's $40 million investment in its new Mathematics and Science Center is no exception.

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EMORY EMBRACES STUDY OF RELIGION FROM ALL DISCIPLINES, PERSPECTIVES
When Emory received a $3.2 million grant two years ago to establish the Center for the Interdisciplinary Study of Religion, faculty saw it as confirmation of what they already knew: The study of religion is pursued differently here. Part of the difference is that religion suffuses Emory's research. Some 300 faculty on campus--only a third of them in religion or theology--have a scholarly interest in the field. Religion is bubbling up everywhere at Emory, from interdisciplinary ventures to a new Ph.D. specialty supported by a $10 million grant from The Lilly Endowment.

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EMORY'S LAW & RELIGION PROGRAM MARKS 20 YEARS OF PIONEER RESEARCH, TEACHING
Emory's Law and Religion Program is celebrating its 20th anniversary this fall with two new research grants that are typical of its diverse profile: One project explores America's land bank authorities as community development tools; the other examines social justice philanthropies in Muslim societies. Research efforts like these are possible because the program has taken a far-reaching approach to scholarship and teaching that in the last two decades has altered the landscape of American legal education.

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PRESIDENT REFLECTS ON IRELAND, EMORY AND EDUCATION
College and university presidents across the country are known to maintain their ties to the classroom, but how many of them seek to introduce freshmen to the world of ideas and the culture of their university by taking them abroad? Emory President Bill Chace--a James Joyce scholar by training--has done exactly that by taking 15 first-year students to Ireland during fall break to explore the history and literature of that rich culture. Chace took time during the trip to reflect on the experience.

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EMORY RECEIVES MAJOR GIFT TO AFRICAN-AMERICAN STUDIES ARCHIVE
Emory has been given part of "the most important archive of African-American arts and letters of the 20th century in private hands." A portion of the Hatch/Billops Collection in New York--an extraordinary collection assembled during the past 35 years--has been given to the university by the collectors. The Emory archive will be known as the Camille Billops and James V. Hatch Archives at Emory University and will greatly increase teaching and research opportunities in 20th-century African-American studies. "This sort of material will attract students and researchers from across the country," says curator Randall Burkett.

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LYNN SELECTED BY HHMI TO DEVELOP UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH PROGRAMS
Emory biochemistry professor David Lynn will receive $1 million over four years to translate his passion for science to the undergraduate classroom as one of 20 inaugural Howard Hughes Medical Institute professors. Lynn's goal is to attract more students to graduate school and careers in science through innovative undergraduate research initiatives. "Mentoring independent undergraduate research has proven to be the single most important and influential educational experience for selecting a career in science," he says. "Research-intensive universities like Emory have the means and the responsibility to link their dual research and education missions."