Richard Barber Interdisciplinary Research Program
Since 2010 Richard Barber has generously funded our research program that has brought together researchers from across WSU for transformative research and educational experiences. Our program has fostered collaborations between faculty and students from the College of Engineering, the School of Medicine, the College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, and College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. The program emphasizes on student mentorship and research experiences to help students develop scientific approaches to problem solving and fostering their high-tech careers.
It is with great loss that we report the passing of Mr. Richard Barber. Mr. Barber passed away on December 19, 2023, at the age of 90. Thoughout the proceeding months, Mr. Barber maintained his enthusiastic and encouraging spirit as he provided guidance for the future of research and education at Wayne State University. His decades of generoscity and shared wisdom will have a lasting impact on the lives of the students and faculty members who had the pleasure of working with him, in addition to the uncountable scientific advances he has funded.
Program History
Over the past ten years, the Richard Barber Interdisciplinary Research Program has provided opportunities for students to participate in cutting-edge, interdisciplinary research while building collaborations between diverse academic departments. Over 200 WSU students and 20 different academic departments have participated. Many of the collaborations initiated via this program have continued to prosper, and many of the students have launched successful scientific careers. We are very proud of our past successes and are excited about our future improvements to the program.
The primary activity of the Richard Barber Interdisciplinary Research Program historically has been our summer research projects. Each project supported collaborating faculty mentors from different, complementary departments, undergraduate student researchers, and experienced graduate students or postdoctoral researchers. By bringing together researchers with diverse academic backgrounds and experience levels, we provided an educational and productive research experience for all program participants. Faculty members from across WSU will developed their research mentorship team and propose research projects that exemplify the program goals. The winning projects were selected by peer-review and by Mr. Barber. The winning project mentors will then select the undergraduate applicants that are likely to both contribute the research and benefit from the opportunity for full-time research experience over the summer.
Starting in 2023, the Richard Barber Interdisciplinary Research Program is entering a new phase. Mr. Barber has guided us away from funding student salaries while continuing to support burgeoning collaborations. We continue to be focused on supporting undergraduate research and interdepartmental research collaborations across WSU.
Advisory Committee
Christopher V Kelly, Physics
Alana Conti, Psychiatry
Glen Hood, Biological Scienes
Donna Kashian, Biological Sciences
Leela Mohana Reddy Arava , Mechanical Engineering
Ashis Mukhopadhyay, Physics