IGERT: Incentive-Centered Design for Information and Communication Systems
Emerging from our current, very successful multidisciplinary program, we propose a program with three major innovative initiatives:
RESEARCH: We embrace the sciences of motivated human choice and system design as principled foundations for an emerging incentive-centered design (ICD) methodology, which we will apply to emerging cyberinfrastructure and other information system research questions. We have been pioneers in the recent development of ICD as a coherent, intellectually-grounded multidisciplinary field. For the proposed ICD research, we embrace multiple research methods. Science often follows a closed loop: design, implement, test, re-design. We will actively contribute to each stage (sometimes in a single project, sometimes collectively): design (theory, algorithms and architecture), implementation (of flexible and robust mechanisms), and testing (simulation of our designs, human-subject laboratory and field experiments).
TRAINING: We propose to disseminate our early success in developing a multidisciplinary curriculum and research training program to a second campus. Wayne State University (WSU) is an inner-city research university serving a large minority student body. We propose a serious, well-designed and well-funded collaborative IGERT so that the University of Michigan (UM) can transfer its experience and incubate a successful program at WSU. We will operate the program as a joint, collaborative venture: in our proposal we detail exciting facilities and program plans to enable this collaboration.
RECRUITING/MENTORING: We propose a new undergraduate summer research training and mentoring program to provide the crucial function of increasing the pool of students from underrepresented groups who choose to pursue graduate education. This program will provide a training ground in research leadership and mentoring for our PhD students, and an exciting, effective experience to prepare and encourage promising undergraduates to pursue a graduate degree. We have obtained substantial funding and logistical commitments from five partner organizations to support undergraduate participation.
