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idea exchange Getting 'REDay' for Research The Goal Researchers are among the most vital members of the academic community. Even so, the audience for their work is most often small and specialized—immediate colleagues or classmates, the readers of journals, or the attendees at small conferences. Bryant faculty wanted to provide students and faculty alike with a greater audience for their scholarship. Last spring, Bryant faculty organized the school's first annual Research and Engagement Day, or REDay (pronounced "ready"). The Event On April 20, the school cancelled classes so that its entire community could attend panel discussions and view poster displays that featured 160 research projects conducted by 346 participants—including 272 students. Forty percent of the research presented originated in Bryant's College of Business. How It Was Organized: REDay was divided into two morning sessions and two afternoon ses- sions, each featuring between nine and 13 concurrent presentations. Dur- ing a 90-minute lunch break, 67 additional researchers set up three-fold poster displays throughout the two-story rotunda of a central building on campus, so that attendees could browse and ask questions. Most sessions featured two to three presentations organized around common subject matter, which ranged from "Advertising to Today's Gen- eration" to "Looking at Health and Happiness" to "Finance and Non- Profits." Specific presentations addressed topics such as climate change, Web technologies, global transitional economics, the financial impact of natural disasters—and even bedbugs in the workplace. Carol DeMoranville, professor of marketing at the business school, worked on a committee of 12 faculty, students, and staff to organize, market, and vet submissions for the event. The event introduced faculty to the work of their col- leagues from other disci- plines, and students to the work of their professors, DeMoranville says. Students and faculty interact during REDay's lunch break, where attendees could browse the work of 67 presenters. Future Plans: The university plans to hold REDay again in 2012. Many who weren't quite sure what to expect were impressed by the work they saw, says DeMoranville. She expects even more submissions this year, and notes that many fac- ulty will require their students to attend. The committee plans to add panel moderators to make sure presentations end on time, and it also will give "best paper" awards in gen- eral disciplinary areas. The school will open this year's event to the public to give its community's research even wider reach. "Show- casing academics is a chal- lenge for many universities, especially those that aren't Research I," DeMoranville says. "There's so much going on here. We just want to cel- ebrate our academics." To find more information about REDay and to see lists of presentations, visit www. bryant.edu/wps/wcm/connect/Bryant/Academic%20Centers%20and%20Institutes/ and then click on the link for "Research and Engagement Day" at left. 72 January/February 2012 BizEd Idea Cancel classes for a daylong event dedicated to the univer- sity's best research. Location Bryant University in Smithfield, Rhode Island