The mansions of the Studebaker and Oliver families that line West Washington Street in South Bend stand as a testament to the city’s history as a powerhouse of industrial innovation. Just a few blocks to the west, the University of Notre Dame Center for Civic Innovation (CCI) highlights the power of community partners, working together to address the needs of the community. Formed in 2018, CCI has worked to strengthen the University’s efforts to build connections, driving innovation by developing new programs and technologies with local partners.
Now, CCI is strengthening its connection to applied research by merging with Notre Dame’s Lucy Family Institute for Data & Society. The merger will allow CCI to expand existing research and education opportunities and enhance its data-driven approach to increasing the region’s civic engagement.
“From the very beginning, starting with the Bowman Creek Educational Ecosystem, which helped restore a local polluted waterway, we have always had a strong thread of data analysis and data visualization in the work that we do,” said Jay Brockman, professor of the practice of computer science and engineering in the College of Engineering. According to Brockman, who has served as the director of CCI, "joining the Lucy Family Institute for Data & Society is an opportunity to bring greater impact into our communities and a broader reach throughout campus.”
CCI will also be renamed as the Lucy Civic Innovation Lab (LCIL). The downtown office will serve as a vibrant hub for campus and community collaborations.
“The University’s new strategic framework is guiding us toward deeper engagement with the local community and to think institutionally,” says Nitesh Chawla, founding director of the Lucy Institute and the Frank M. Freimann Professor of Computer Science and Engineering. “Welcoming the Center for Civic Innovation into the Lucy Family Institute as the Lucy Civic Innovation Lab is helping to advance the University towards this mission, igniting our collaborative capacity to address challenges directly in our local community.”
The Lucy Civic Innovation Lab will continue to offer internship and educational opportunities to area students to tackle complex community-based issues by developing civic engagement projects in the local community. These programs will supplement educational opportunities already available through the Lucy Family Institute that explore data science through the lens of social responsibility.
Future projects are already underway within the Lucy Institute framework. “This is an exciting time for us,” Chawla said. “We are embarking on an adventurous new convergence that can only help to reinforce our mission to produce innovations as a force for good.”
To learn more about ongoing research and educational opportunities within the Lucy Institute, please visit the website.
Contact: Christine Grashorn, communications specialist, Notre Dame Research, 574-631-4856