Despite the explosion of new communication systems and the torrents of information flowing through them, valuable knowledge often goes unnoticed. It is no longer viable to stick with the status quo when it comes to sharing and understanding this knowledge, especially if it has the potential to make positive contributions to our human experience. Like a tree that falls in the forest when no one is
around, what is the value of a message nobody hears? Increasing the impact of knowledge requires innovation in both what we say and how we say it. With a quarter century of experience, the IRC is a leader in taking an entrepreneurial approach to leveraging new technologies and emerging transmedia platforms to reimagine content in forms that will do good. We use these new tools to experiment with the language of art, design, and storytelling, to break through the noise and create meaningful connections between knowledge and people. Often, they require building teams of researchers and students who come from diverse domains. The conference table is where some of the most creative ideas come to life, and as a leading up-and-coming university, UMBC is a superb environment for collaboration. We are building a trans-disciplinary community on campus and beyond that takes risks together to discover new forms that can inspire and engage audiences in meaningful ways. We are student and faculty researchers, artists, scholars, and industry leaders. Our progressive approach to education complements students’ classroom experiences with a project-based, hands-on approach to solving real problems. Students are mentored by and work alongside faculty, staff, alumni, and UMBC’s external partners, learning how to bring new strategies, practices, and ideas to fruition. They learn the latest technologies and the art of collaboration through valuable experiences that help prepare them to be industry leaders by the time they graduate. Equally important is our commitment to providing faculty with a supportive environment and opportunities to transform their research and teaching.
