A vast reservoir of knowledge and innovation
The history of great American research universities is a history of innovation. We can look back to the discovery of vitamin D and its benefits at the University of Wisconsin, the polio vaccine at the University of Pittsburgh and fluoride toothpaste here at Indiana University for just a few examples. These examples, in particular, show us the far-reaching impact that university discoveries can have on the health of people across the nation and around the world.
Now more than ever before, universities are at the forefront of addressing the most critical issues of the 21st century -- from AIDS, cancer and other life-threatening diseases to energy, the environment and poverty. At Indiana University, we have developed a strong foundation upon which to address these and other challenges and to dramatically improve -- and even save -- lives.
That foundation dates back many years and includes well over 400 Distinguished and titled professors, at least 127 winners of Guggenheim Fellowships, seven Pulitzer Prize winners, six Nobel Prize winners, five MacArthur Fellows and more than 30 active and emeritus members of major national academies. It also includes nationally ranked programs in entrepreneurship, analytical chemistry, psychological and brain sciences, primary care at the IU School of Medicine, and many other areas, as well as major new facilities for research and teaching, such as the award-winning multidisciplinary Simon Hall building on the IU Bloomington campus and the magnificent new Melvin and Bren Simon Cancer Center in Indianapolis.
As this special issue of IU Home Pages reveals, Indiana University is continuing to build upon this foundation toward a future of improved health here in Indiana and around the world. Read about psychologists at IUPUI who are analyzing the relationship between chronic stress and cardiovascular disease; scientists at the School of Public and Environmental Affairs who are engaged in environmental research and researchers in the School of Informatics who are investigating how social networking and gaming affect social connectedness among the elderly. These are just three studies among thousands that reveal the innovative approaches our outstanding faculty use to address critical scientific questions.
Indeed, our scholars are creating a vast reservoir of knowledge and innovation. As a public university, we have a responsibility to transform and mobilize that knowledge and innovation in order to benefit the public. Our challenge is to identify and overcome barriers between the lab and the marketplace and build partnerships that leverage our greatest research strengths.
To this end, the new Indiana Innovation Alliance, formed by IU and Purdue University, will enhance our core research capabilities, strengthen our competitive edge in securing federal funding, and improve medical education and health-care innovation. In addition, through our vital partnership with Clarian Health, the state's largest health care system, we will continue to bring medical breakthroughs to the bedsides of hundreds of thousands of Hoosiers across the state. The firm foundations of research and educational excellence make such partnerships possible.
This issue of IU Home Pages offers a snapshot of the outstanding work being done across all of our campuses. Such work builds upon the foundations of excellence that make IU a leader in innovation and education in the sciences and countless other areas.
