Research and Inspiration

The Psychoanalytic Interview as Inspiration for Qualitative Research

A qualitative research wave has swept through the social sciences during the last decades. Interviews, textual analyses and natural observations have come into widespread use as modes of inquiry. The qualitative research movement is interdisciplinary, and an opening of the social sciences to the humanities has taken place, drawing on hermeneutics, as well as narrative, discursive, conversationa...

From inspiration to impact: delivering value from global root research

A robust understanding of root systems biology exists as one of the greatest challenges to plant and crop scientists. The complex interactions of the root with both the soil and microbiome, the dynamic and spatial complexity of root activity in both time and space, and our inability to reliably capture and predict repeatable phenotypes (Watt et al., 2013) has slowed delivery and impact in root ...

Serendipity, Generosity, and Inspiration

Inspiration (and perspiration) from biology.

The exquisite structures produced by biological systems provide inspiration for the fabrication of nanomaterials. We sometimes forget, however, that Nature can provide muscle while serving as a Muse--a wide array of nanosystems are produced biologically that can be used for the design of functional materials. At the 2007 Materials Research Society Fall Meeting in Boston, Symposium MM (Biomolecu...

My Inspiration

I sometimes have difficulty walking and use a cane. Recently on a journey to Northern Arizona, I knew I was going to pass near an iconic image of the Colorado River and the desire to witness that sight kept teasing me. I had read about the access to Horseshoe Bend and knew that it included a walk through sand that was about a mile from the parking lot. Although the hike was described in the gui...