Grad15: Knowledge Mobilization helps graduate students put research into action

A central tenet of ASU's charter is to advance research and discovery of public value, assuming a fundamental responsibility for the communities it serves. In this week's Grad15 webinar, Heather Fauland, Manager for Graduate Initiatives, shared updates on the Graduate College's Knowledge Mobilization initiatives and how these initiatives — from workshops to for-credit classes, research experiences, and grants — help graduate students and postdoctoral scholars leverage their research in ways to meet the challenges of this charter.

What is Knowledge Mobilization?

Knowledge mobilization is about putting research into use: applying academic knowledge and current research to practice, policy, and industry or community organizations. It's about explaining your research and its social value in a way anyone can understand.

Knowledge mobilization is about starting conversations and finding out what your constituents need. It's also about an iterative learning process: collaborating with non-academic partners, reflecting on mutually desired outcomes, and gaining a wider perspective of the industry or sector you're considering a career in.

The Graduate College KM Portfolio

Our KM initiatives support use-forward and impactful research, allowing novice, intermediate and advanced researchers to build skills to enhance the value of their work.

Current KM programming includes structured, interdisciplinary research experiences, collaborative design workshops and courses, and both funding and recognition opportunities.

Students can gain experience in KM strategies by joining existing research projects, attend workshops to learn how KM can fit into their theses or dissertations, apply for up to $250 per academic year in support of their use-inspired research project through the KM Innovation grant, or submit their in-progress or completed use-forward research project for the annual Knowledge Mobilization Awards.

For more information, visit the Knowledge Mobilization website or email knowledge.mobilization@asu.edu.

To learn more about our upcoming Grad15 webinars and to register, see our schedule here. In our next session, Amanda Athey will share details of the Graduate College's new Career Navigators initiative.