At Carnegie Mellon University Libraries, we celebrate the many contributions of the faculty and staff who make the Libraries the destination for scholarly information, creative inquiry, and intellectual collaboration across disciplines, propelling the significance, reach, and impact of the university.
STEM Librarian and Open Science Program Director Melanie Gainey and STEM Librarian Chasz Griego presented a poster on using hackathons to teach STEM students research skills and literacies at the STELLA Unconference on December 12.
Associate Dean for Research and Innovation Brian Mathews gave a talk at CNI's Fall/Winter Meeting: Personal & Collaborative Knowledge Management Systems titled “Infrastructure for Idea Management & Research Development.” The talk explored the potential of personal and collaborative knowledge management systems designed to foster idea emergence, identify research gaps, and coordinate tasks across projects, focusing on tools like foundational resources, glossaries, expert networks, and tracking future trends.
Mathews also recently published a paper titled “Thinking Around the Box: using complementary innovation for designing programs and nurturing community.” This essay explores a nuanced approach to innovation, challenging the traditional emphasis on either disruptive "outside the box" thinking or incremental improvements within established frameworks. Drawing inspiration from David Robertson's concept of "complementary innovation," the essay proposes a third way — thinking around the box — that libraries can apply to program and service development.
STEM Librarian Lauren Herckis was elected Fellow of the Society for Applied Anthropology. The status of Fellow of the Society for Applied Anthropology is conferred in recognition of significant and enduring contributions to the field of applied anthropology and social sciences, including contributions to the academic and professional canon, leadership engagement in applied social science organizations, policy and programming contributions, and demonstration of applying anthropological thinking to real world problems.
Feature image: Guastavino vaulted tile stairs inside Baker Hall. Image found in CMU Digital Collections.