Tackling society’s biggest challenges takes more than individual effort — it demands bold ideas, multiple perspectives and collective action.
As the needs of society grow more complex, collaboration between researchers and field-based partners has become essential for creating meaningful change.
For 20 years, the Nebraska Center for Research on Children, Youth, Families and Schools has been building a community of researchers driving transformational research and innovation in the social, behavioral and educational sciences.
The community was formalized with the launch of the CYFS Research Network in 2019 — an online hub that helps connect research collaborators across the University of Nebraska system and showcases their life-changing work.
The network includes more than 90 research affiliates from 29 academic departments across all four campuses who partner with the center on various research projects. The network website is dynamic and searchable by researcher name, research theme, campus, CYFS-affiliated projects and more.
“As a center, we are positioned very uniquely in having the capability of being very flexible and responsive to the changing needs in society,” said Sue Sheridan, CYFS director. “The CYFS Research Network is a vibrant, interdisciplinary community of researchers that highlights the connections between these various disciplines in ways that promote new and innovative solutions.”
The network website allows users to explore researchers’ expertise and work aligned with six themes:
- Academic intervention and learning
- Early childhood education and development
- Social, emotional and behavioral well-being
- Biological bases of learning and behavior
- Rural schools and communities
- Research, measurement and evaluation methods
In addition to simplifying the collaboration process, the network also makes researchers and their work more accessible to community stakeholders, including practitioners and policymakers.
“It is untenable to think that any one discipline, any one perspective, any one research question or any one solution can really tackle the kinds of issues we’re facing today and well into the future,” Sheridan said. “We need people to come together to work collaboratively, hand in hand, shoulder to shoulder, to really have the best possible outcomes available and accessible to society.”