Transformative research. We have seen this term used more and more over the last two decades, spurred in part by its adoption by major funders like the National Science Foundation and the National Institutes of Health. The phrase originated with physicist, historian, and philosopher of science Thomas Kuhn, who introduced the academic world to the idea of paradigm shifts that restructure and revolutionize scientific inquiry.
Transformation is also a pillar of UNCG’s new strategic plan, which officially launched this year, on the 125th anniversary of the opening of our university.
But what does that transformation — of students, of our region, and of knowledge — look like?