VCUarts Qatar organises research week

The aim of the event was to present VCUarts Qatar faculty with an informal platform where they could share their exciting and diverse research with each other. It also enabled participants to explore opportunities for further collaboration among themselves. The faculty from the departments of the Liberal Arts and Sciences, Graphic Design, Interior Design, Fashion Design, Painting + Printmaking, Art History, Art Foundation, Graduate Studies, the Library, and the Innovative Media Studios, took turns in sharing a synopsis of their research. Collectively, the areas of interest ranged from astronomy, data, computation design, fine art, design thinking, pedagogy, ethnography, audio, and sound, to women and gender studies, and archaeology.In addition to these presentations, workshops aimed at enhancing creative and pedagogical research were held each afternoon. These workshops were conducted by invited guest facilitators from Qatar and abroad. The facilitators for the workshops and their areas of focus were: Rosena Nhlabatsi, Intellectual Property (IP) expert, Qatar Research Development and Innovation Office – Qatar Foundation IP; John Ryan, associate vice-president for research development, Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU), Richmond (presentation Via Zoom) – Grant writing; Mike Wirtz, head of Research and Library Technology, VCUarts Qatar – Predatory practices; Melissa Throckmorton, director of Research Development and Strategic Projects, VCU, Richmond (Presentation Via Zoom) – Grant proposal development; Mike Wirtz, head of research and library technology, VCUarts Qatar – Research Sprints and Josh Hahn Senior Grant Development Specialist, VCU, Richmond (Presentation Via Zoom) – Funding acquisition in the arts.A highlight of the week was the introduction of DIS:CO. Serving the VCU School of the Arts in Richmond, and the VCUarts Qatar community, DIS:CO (abbreviated from ‘discovery and collection’) is a community-driven online repository of relevant opportunities in support of research, scholarship, creative activities, and professional development across disciplines. Dr Diane Derr, associate dean, Research and Development, VCUarts Qatar, shared an online demonstration of the new website's purpose, functions, and layout with an audience from both VCUarts Qatar and VCU, Richmond, campuses. VCUarts Qatar recently launched the Institute for Creative Research. The institute, which has been awarded University-Level status, is the first such Institute dedicated to research in creative practice in the country.