IRIS - Interdisciplinary Research Institute on Sustainability
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Interdisciplinary Research Institute on Sustainability
IRIS is an inter-university research centre formed by the Department of Animal and Human Biology and the Department of Economics "Cognetti de Martiis" of the University of Turin and the Department of Social Studies of the University of Brescia.
The members of IRIS are both university lecturers and institutional or independent researchers who share a common desire to learn through debating together complex and often controversial issues concerning sustainability.
Different, learning together
IRIS began as the result of a desire to create a research environment in which specialists in different disciplines could enrich their competencies through sharing ideas on problems related to sustainability and integrating the various perspectives which emerge. In this sense IRIS reflects an international move towards interdisciplinary studies of complex and dynamic systems and a holistic approach to problems (Nature 25 January 2007, p.340).
The belief in the possibility of learning through the contribution of disciplines other than one’s own, with the objective of building not only multi- but also trans-disciplinary competencies, was the principle reason for creating and developing IRIS.
The work of IRIS has subsequently grown via the empirical interdisciplinary research projects of its members, educational initiatives in the field of sustainability, seminars, workshops and research publications.
A growing group
After a series of informal initiatives on the part of a small group of researchers, IRIS was formally constituted by order of the Dean of the University of Turin on 4 February 2003. As well as various meetings, the initiatives included a series of seminars on “Aspects of sustainability”, specifically designed to permit sharing ideas and research.
The diversity of competencies and areas of professional interest immediately became hallmarks of IRIS.
The interests of the founding members - Marco Bagliani, Giuseppe Barbiero, Fabrizio Bertolino, Gian Giacomo Bravo, Roberto Burlando, Elena Camino, Silvana Dalmazzone, Egidio Dansero, Anna Perazzone, Anna Segre – range from geography to economics and from biology to sociology, from pure research to educational issues and methods of environmental management.
New members joined in 2004 - Marta Angelotti, Silvia Battaglia, Elsa Bianco, Carla Calcagno, Laura Colucci-Gray, Martin Dodman, Elena Ferrero, Giovanna Garrone, Donald Gray, Daniela Marchetti, Fiorenzo Martini, Marco Davide Tonon, Lucia Tamburino – and in 2005 - Angela Dogliotti, Daniele Gimigliano, Fabrizio Maia, Alice Benessia, Vincenzo Guarneri, Andrea Caretto, Enrico Degiorgis – thereby bringing an influx of new competencies of various kinds – historical, technical, artistic, reflective, naturalistic. In 2004 the death of Anna Segre caused the loss of a passionate and active founding member.
In 2005 a cooperation agreement was stipulated between IRIS and the University of the Valle d’Aosta.
In 2006 the entry of researchers from the University of Brescia as new members (Oria Tallone e Antonella Pietta), led to the creation of the inter-university research centre formed by the Department of Animal and Human Biology and the Department of Economics "Cognetti de Martiis" of the University of Turin and the Department of Social Studies of the University of Brescia.
Research, education, reflection, collaboration
The complex and controversial question of sustainability requires a multi-facetted approach, capable of building new knowledge both through rigorous specialist disciplinary research studies and interdisciplinary approaches based on a systemic dimension. The development of knowledge of natural, economic and social systems can thus be a result of sharing the results of various specialist disciplinary competencies and of the dialogue between this type of analytical approach and a perspective which emphasizes qualitative and reflective aspects.
In this way, the common denominator between the researchers is the perception of having much to learn from the work of others and that no one point of view can be considered exhaustive or a priori superior or unworthy of consideration.
The presence of experts in the field of economics, physics, biology, sociology, linguistics, natural sciences and science education, allows the pursuit of an important objective: putting together different knowledge and perspectives and promoting a dialogue between fields of learning which rarely have the courage to speak to each other and even more infrequently possess the instruments necessary for mutual understanding. This dialogue makes possible the creation of new conceptual tools for studying the issues involved in sustainability and the development of approaches to education and professional training based on the idea of human beings as self-conscious and reflective systems, able to observe themselves and their own evolution and thereby build models of relation between the socio-economic and ecological systems in which they live.
IRIS also promotes collaboration with institutions and associations which, at local, national and international level, are involved in processes of research or projects on sustainability and endeavours to facilitate relations between the worlds of study and of work on the one hand and that of education on the other, involving graduate and postgraduate students and trainee teachers.
Considering issues from various points of view enables IRIS to develop research procedures which take into consideration contradictions, differing presuppositions and conclusions, and which permit a dialectic capable of expressing the complex reality of social, natural, economic and cultural systems, considered as interrelated sub-systems of the question of sustainability.
ANGELOTTI Marta
BAGLIANI Marco
BARBIERO Giuseppe
BATTAGLIA Silvia
BENESSIA Alice
BERTOLINO Fabrizio
BIANCO Elsa
BURLANDO Roberto
CALCAGNO Carla
CAMINO Elena
CARETTO Andrea
COLUCCI-GRAY Laura
DALMAZZONE Silvana
DANSERO Egidio
DEGIORGIS Enrico
DODMAN Martin
DOGLIOTTI Angela
FERRERO Elena
GARRONE Giovanna
GIMIGLIANO Daniele
GRAY Donald
GUARNIERI Vincenzo
MAIA Fabrizio
MARCHETTI Daniela
MARTINI Fiorenzo
PERAZZONE Anna
PIETTA Antonella
SEGRE Anna
TALLONE Oria
TAMBURINO Lucia
TONON Marco Davide