Teaming for Interdisciplinary Research Pre-Seed Program

This is an initiative to bring together researchers who study myriad facets of the human imagination and artistic communities across domains of practice (e.g., visual art, music, theater) in Athens and neighboring regions to engage in cross-disciplinary discourse with the objective of generating informed and mutually beneficial research projects. The aim of such partnerships would be to attain deeper understanding of the creative process across and within domains of artistic practice, to clarify the roots of creative efficacy, and to zone in on the conditions (individual and environmental) that benefit versus deter the creative drive. Our goal is to learn how the potential for human imagination can be optimally channeled and maximized for the welfare of the individual and society. 

This initiative will help facilitate a truly collaborative spirit of research inquiry into the creative imagination that is directly informed by bringing together people who have devoted their time and energy to creative pursuits and those who study the human imagination, each from their own disciplinary perspective. This will be a big step towards augmenting the research culture at UGA. Across campus, we have scores of talented researchers who carry out important and insightful work, and we live in a town that is a recognized and vital creative wellspring from which world-renowned talents have emerged. One problem that remains though is that interactions and discourses are largely siloed with limited crosstalk across departments and colleges, and between the university and the local creative practitioners. As the interdisciplinary work being conducted rarely grows beyond individual research projects, what is lacking is a vibrant research culture and conversations across silos. 

 This pre-seed program will be led by an interdisciplinary program team of experts from across the several colleges at UGA who are driven by fundamental curiosity and are fascinated by the human creative imagination and its power to lead us to productive, positive, and fulfilling outcomes. We will directly interact with artistic communities in Athens and activities will include symposia and brainstorming sessions to work out common objectives. The long-term outcomes of this program include the establishment of future collaborations for research and implementing community outreach projects. 

Team Lead

Anna Abraham 
aa25721@uga.edu 
College: College of Education 
Department: Torrance Center for Creativity and Talent Development 

Team Members

Mark Callahan 
mark.callahan@uga.edu
College: Franklin College of Arts and Sciences
Department: Lamar Dodd School of Art 

Shira Chess 
schess@uga.edu
College: Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication
Department: Entertainment & Media Studies 

Callan Steinman 
callan@uga.edu
College: Georgia Museum of Art
Department: Georgia Museum of Art 

Elizabeth King 
egking@uga.edu
College: Odum School of Ecology & Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources
Department: Odum School of Ecology & Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources 

David Barbe 
dbarbe@uga.edu
College: Terry College of Business
Department: Music Business Certificate Program 

Lisa Renzi-Hammond 
lrenzi@uga.edu
College: College of Public Health
Department: Institute of Gerontology, Health Promotion & Behavior 

Jenay Beer 
JENAY.BEER@uga.edu
College: College of Public Health
Department: Institute of Gerontology, Health Promotion & Behavior 

Kimberly Van Orman 
kvanorman@uga.edu
College: Franklin College of Arts and Sciences
Department: Institute for Artificial Intelligence