From the Vice President for Research, Scholarship and Innovation

For many, the term “disruptor” conjures up an unwelcome intervening, an off-key note in the humming along of our daily routines. Recall a friend who was constantly uncooperative in the classroom, drawing your teacher’s ire. The crack of thunder that wakes you in the middle of the night. Or the road work between Newark and Wilmington, creating impossibly long delays along I-95 for tens of thousands of commuters.

As the definition reminds us, a disruptor prevents things from proceeding as usual. But that’s not always bad. In research and education, we’re always turning ideas and methods on their ear in the quest to learn something new, to discover something that works better.

The unflattering phrase—universities move at a glacial pace—reflects the perception that universities are slower to change than other institutions. But under the surface of such a seemingly stable environment, our faculty and students are shaking things up. Uni­versities have the irresistible combination of talented educators and experts, at the top of their fields, pushing into often uncharted territory, and students who want to join them in making their mark on the world.

It’s a combination that delivers. Universities are high-energy intellectual and cultural hubs, preparing students to solve the challenges of the future, from developing more effective medical treatments to protecting the planet’s biodiversity. Such solutions will require a deep understanding in a particular discipline, with complementary skills in critical thinking, communication, collaboration, entrepreneurship—know-how we are equipped to supply in conjunction with our community partners from business and nonprofits.

Increasingly, U.S. universities also are becoming the research and development centers for industry, helping our nation maintain its innovation prowess, which directly translates into economic growth. According to a recent study commissioned by the University, UD is a significant driver of our region’s economy, spurring $2.8 billion in economic activity in Delaware and $4.7 billion throughout the Northeast corridor.

So at UD, you’ll find disruptors and their positive impacts everywhere you go. This issue of UD Research highlights only a few of them. In this issue are the firsthand accounts of what drives these scholars—their aha! moments, how they deal with naysayers, what satisfies them, what terrifies them—to ensure things don’t proceed as usual. I hope you enjoy meeting them.

Although universities may seem like sleeping giants to some, I would argue that here at UD, we are idea giants that never sleep—overcoming challenges once-thought impossible and changing the world for the better.

Charles G. Riordan, Ph.D.
Vice President for Research, Scholarship and Innovation

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