5 Building a better world

It’s not all about the technology. RT staff work diligently to ensure that humanity has a bright future, whether through the research they support or the professional and personal activities they pursue.

We advocate for better communities
In their personal time, staff help improve quality of life through activities such as advocating for solar energy, maintaining a genealogy website, running a local minority- and women-owned benefit corporation that recycles organic waste into compost, and helping to build homes in Mexico. Some volunteer for their children’s schools. Others help with Makevention, an annual family-friendly celebration of the DIY spirit.

We promote diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI)
We are proactive when it comes to DEI education and activism. As a panelist, one staff member shared how IU’s policy changes during the pandemic helped them to balance caregiving an ailing parent while still being productive at work. Another speaks with IU classes about sexual orientation, knowing that research has shown that meeting someone who is LGBTQ+ is the best way to influence their attitudes about the population. Others help refugees and immigrants feel welcome, serve on the Indianapolis Hebrew Congregation’s social justice team, and raise money for local charities in areas including HIV awareness and research, homelessness, mental health stigma, and suicide prevention and awareness.

In February 2022, Research Technologies’ Manager of Virtual Platforms Stephanie Cox was named a Fellow in the inaugural 12-member Next Leaders Fellowship (NLF) cohort. NLF is a program designed to identify, develop, and advocate for IT professionals in higher education—particularly those who identify as Black, Indigenous, people of color (BIPOC).

We share knowledge
We are engaged in leadership positions in national and international IT organizations, ensuring that IU stays at the leading edge of information technology and can deploy technology to improve research at local, state, and national levels. Many serve as panelists and presenters around the world, educating—and learning from—the research community. We have numerous conference organizers and members of communities of practice on staff. And multiple RT staff members hold teaching appointments in academic departments where they regularly share their expertise with IU students by teaching full-semester, for-credit classes.