SPRING 2025 | 21 The ACES leadership team includes Arindam Banerjee (third from right), Paul B. Reinhold Professor and department chair of mechanical engineering and mechanics, and Shalinee Kishore (second from right), Iacocca Chair and professor of electrical and computer engineering. To enhance their research, Banerjee says the ACES team will leverage the interdisciplinary ecosystem within Lehigh. Faculty researchers committed to ACES are experts in a range of engineering and social science fields. The graduate and undergraduate students involved in ACES projects will benefit from this interdisciplinary work and engage in research that aims to deliver community impact, Banerjee says. Small Cities Lab Awarded Planning Grant In addition to naming these two new University Research Centers, a planning grant was awarded to Lehigh’s Small Cities Lab, led by Wes Hiatt, assistant professor in the art, architecture and design department, and Karen Beck Pooley, professor of practice in the political science department. The Small Cities Lab is focused on the distinctive challenges faced by smaller cities typically overlooked in urban research as they tackle pressing issues such as affordable housing, economic development, public health and public history. The first research center of its kind at Lehigh, the Small Cities Lab is designed as an action-oriented collaborative hub that directly engages with communities to co-create practical, scalable solutions tailored to the unique needs of small cities. Reflecting the complex nature of cities, the Lab merges interdisciplinary research and hands-on student involvement in participatory design with innovative local partnerships, creating the potential to be an agent of transformational change. The Lab will build on the success it has already seen in its first year by merging the expertise of faculty in multiple disciplines within the College of Arts and Sciences, College of Business, College of Health and the P.C. Rossin College of Engineering and Applied Science. “The work performed in the Small Cities Lab is integral to overcoming challenges faced by less expansive and populous metropolitan areas,” says Urban. “This planning grant will help advance research and drive collaboration, and ultimately improve and enhance the vibrancy of small cities including those in the Lehigh Valley.” A Priority Within the Lehigh Strategy The new University Research Centers and Small Cities Lab directly align with the priorities outlined in the Lehigh Strategy, Inspiring the Future Makers. One of the strategy’s initiatives is investing significantly in interdisciplinary research, acknowledging that critical problems require a holistic approach. “The goal of establishing these URCs is to identify areas where, through strategic investment and careful planning, Lehigh can lead research nationally and internationally,” says Urban. “We are already seeing great momentum from the URC in Catastrophe Modeling, which is leading to enhanced visibility and philanthropic support. I am hopeful that these new URCs will develop in similar ways.” During the planning phase of the Lehigh Strategy in 2022, community feedback indicated interdisciplinary research was emerging as an institutional priority, specifically in the areas of innovation for sustainable and resilient infrastructure, assessing and improving health by working outside of healthcare settings, and understanding conflict and change. When the Lehigh Strategy debuted a year later, it included an initiative focusing on strengthening and investing in interdisciplinary research. With the launch of the Center for Catastrophe Modeling and Resilience in 2024, Lehigh reaffirmed its commitment to this initiative. These two additional University Research Centers underscore the importance of and need for interdisciplinary research and collaboration at the university. The goal outlined in the Lehigh Strategy is to establish multiple centers of prominence over time. L MARCUS SMITH ’25
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