History of the Integration and Application Network (IAN)

The Scholarship of Integration and Application

IAN was inspired by the notion that university scholarship in the 21st century must be multifaceted. The University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science (UMCES) has embraced the four dimensions of scholarship (including integration and application) proposed by The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching:

"Surely, scholarship means engaging in original research. But the work of the scholar also means stepping back from one’s investigation, looking for connections, building bridges between theory and practice, and communicating one’s knowledge effectively to students. Specifically, …the work of the professorate may be thought of as having four separate, yet overlapping functions. These are the scholarship of discovery; the scholarship of integration; the scholarship of application; and the scholarship of teaching." Boyer, Ernest. 1990. Scholarship Reconsidered: Priorities of the Professorate. Jossey-Bass Publishers, San Francisco.

We use the term "network" rather than "center" or "institute" because IAN spans across UMCES' three laboratories into all corners of our information and knowledge resources and beyond—a virtual nexus. The acronym IAN also honors the late Director of UMCES, Dr. Ian Morris, who during his eight year tenure fostered a high standard of scientific scholarship and collegial collaboration.

Former UMCES President,
the late Dr Ian Morris