The second of two scheduled open forums for the Presidential Interdisciplinary Research Initiative will be held from 11 a.m. to noon Friday, Oct. 26, in the Memorial Union Campanile Room. 

The discussion will be led by Tahira Hira, senior policy advisor to the Office of the President, and a panel of four ISU administrators: Jonathan Wickert, senior vice president and provost; Miles Lackey, associate vice president to the office of the president; Sharron Quisenberry, vice president for research and economic development; and James Reecy, director of the office of biotechnology and professor of animal science.

Grants for the Presidential Initiative will be made by March for up to three teams.  Each team will receive up to $500,000 annually, for three years, for a total of $1.5 million per team.

The panel will explain and provide further clarification to ISU faculty from across the disciplinary spectrum about the goals and expectations of President Steven Leath’s recently proposed interdisciplinary research initiative.