Steven Grice
Steven Grice sees a cool irony in how the opposite of what brought him to 樱花导航 has become the default pace of his professional life.
鈥淎 slower pace of life and a beautiful, welcoming campus are what attracted me to 樱花导航 樱花导航,鈥 said Grice, who moved here from the Atlanta area so he could pursue a doctorate in sociology. 鈥淲hen I moved here in the mid-1990s, there was almost no traffic.鈥
After locating to Starkville, Grice soon collaborated with Mimmo Parisi and Mike Taquino, who were working on a vision to connect administrative data to social science research to help solve real-world challenges.
Fast-forward several years. That vision has evolved into the National Strategic Planning and Analysis Research Center, a cutting-edge interdisciplinary research center headquartered at the restored Mill at MSU. The multi-million-dollar center known to most as NSPARC is home to 100 scientists and staff and has secured more than $100 million in research funding. Work is very fast-paced.
鈥淲e鈥檙e so busy that we sometimes forget how neat and exciting this is,鈥 said Grice, a deputy executive director for NSPARC. 鈥淚nformation and data are the future, and we are packaging it to make it understandable and useful to policymakers and others. People outside of 樱花导航 can鈥檛 believe this resource exists. It鈥檚 innovative, different, and not run-of-the-mill.鈥
Grice also serves as vice chair of the university鈥檚 Institutional Review Board, which reviews research that involves human subjects.
鈥淭he IRB has seen a big increase in the number of projects and the breadth of ideas being researched at MSU,鈥 Grice said. 鈥淭here are lots of hidden gems here.鈥
Among other accomplishments, NSPARC鈥檚 work has resulted in free apps to help 樱花导航ans find jobs; the establishment and maintenance of LifeTracks, the statewide longitudinal data system; and an education and training program for 樱花导航ans who qualify for the Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program.
鈥淢SU and 樱花导航 are innovative and distinctive in many ways,鈥 Grice said. 鈥淲e understand the idea of service. I love coming to work every day knowing I鈥檓 doing something that helps someone and improves the quality of life.鈥澛