Re-framing Your Research

I've heard some great examples of re-framing projects to better appeal to sponsors from a few of our faculty researchers that were successful.

Anne Chin, a Professor in Geography and Environmental Sciences has significant expertise in mountain stream research, but with the wild fires sweeping through Colorado in the last couple of years, Dr. Chin realized that if she were to look at the impact of forest fires on mountain streams and their paths, she would be better positioned to apply for funding from the NSF. When the Waldo Canyon Fire struck, Dr. Chin was poised to apply for a RAPID grant from the NSF to conduct research on the streams at the site.

In another example, Jean Scandlyn, Professor of Anthropology, had begun a book project with a colleague at Colorado College on returning soldiers and their struggles with PTSD. Although the book had a social science perspective, Dr. Scandlyn and her colleague were able to re-design their approach to take a humanities perspective and to look at the issue of veterans with PTSD along the lines of classic hero stories and struggles (e.g., The Odyssey). By re-framing, Dr. Scandlyn and her colleague were able to attain funding from the National Endowment for the Humanities.

These examples illustrate different ways that researchers have been able to re-focus their work to better position themselves for funding and further their research and work.