UA’s Institute for Social Science Research is a launchpad for actionable research that touches multiple parts of everyday life, from support for traumatic brain injuries to driving safety insights for early drivers. Here are five things you need to know.
1. Interdisciplinary research THRIVEs at ISSR.
THRIVE supports collaborative, interdisciplinary research teams in generating ideas to solve problems ranging from national defense to helping seniors reconstruct memory through virtual reality. Creative change management consultants coach teams in out-of-the-box thinking that results in research agendas and proposals for funding. THRIVE 2.0, which launches in the fall, has just been announced.
2. COMPASS serves Alabamians with traumatic brain injuries.
Though emergency and acute care systems excel at saving lives after a traumatic brain injury, patients often struggle in returning to life and work and navigating a number of fragmented support systems. COMPASS launched in March in partnership with Alabama Department of Rehabilitation Services, providing free, same-day interdisciplinary evaluations for Alabamians living with the long-term effects of traumatic brain injury. Each evaluation results a clear, actionable roadmap for the individual as well as their family and care team.
3. The TRIP Lab drives transportation safety research.
Led by Dr. Despina Stavrinos, the lab features a start-of-the-art, immersive driving simulator to study distracted driving, post-concussion recovery and human-autonomy interaction. Recently, the TRIP Lab has been focused on teen and early driver safety issues, and has rolled out a new simulator software managed and built by the TRIP Lab team.
4. ISSR helps federally funded programs demonstrate success.
A key function of ISSR is to act as an external evaluator, assessing federally funded programs for effectiveness. ISSR evaluators serve clients ranging from statewide tobacco prevention programs to school systems in rural Alabama. For over 20 years, ISSR has delivered thorough, unbiased reports that enable programs to demonstrate their success and continue their good work.
5. The Research Engine is coming.
ISSR is the go-to center for support in UA social science research. Whether clients need help with grant writing, data collection, statistical consulting or research translation, ISSR is the infrastructure that helps faculty move from idea to funded project to real-world impact. Currently, ISSR is building what it calls the Research Engine — a process that supports and guides researchers from ideation all the way through the end of the research project.
Learn more about ISSR.