ISER Assistant Professors Dayna DeFeo, Mary Kopriva, Brett Watson, and Jennifer Schmidt participated in an ISER webinar to discuss their work, what fascinates them, and what projects they envision in the future. Much of their work is interdisciplinary and collaborative with other ISER researchers and institutions. They answered a series of questions about what they have learned as researchers in Alaska, how ISER stays non-partisan, and what large research projects they would pursue given the funding.
Lee Gorsuch, who was ISER director from 1976-1994 and UAA Chancellor from 1994-2004, joined to provide a perspective from the past.
“I’m impressed at the thoughtfulness that already is taking place among the researchers and their agendas,” he said. “I am delighted to see that the Institute is now participating in major National Science Foundation funding.” He said that when he came to ISER in 1974, previous director Vic Fischer had just landed an unprecedented $1 million NSF project called “Man in the Arctic.”
“It was one of the largest social science grants ever awarded by the National Science Foundation and it really gave the Institute a kickstart. One of the benefits that came out of it was the economic model that has served the Institute well. It’s illustrative of having some innovative tools that can be applied to a variety of different research endeavors.”
Diane Hirshberg, ISER’s current director, noted that ISER’s research endeavors include studying key economic resource and governance issues, along with health, education, social welfare, and indigenous policy issues. ISER’s work is frequently interdisciplinary, with collaboration among researchers within the Institute, across Alaska, and internationally.
You can watch the full video or skip to different sections below.
Dayna DeFeo – Director of the Center for Alaska Education Policy Research and Research Assistant Professor of Education Policy
Brett Watson – Research Assistant Professor of Economics
Mary Kopriva – Assistant Professor of Health Care Economics
Jennifer Schmidt – Assistant Professor of Natural Resources Management and Policy
Thoughts on the research agenda – Lee Gorsuch
Questions for Panelists
In an increasingly partisan world, how does an institute like ISER say non-partisan? (also includes discussion on communicating findings)
What is the project that each of you would really like to do, given the funding?
How can policy researchers at ISER approach critical issues about aging in Alaska?
