Introducing NARI, A New Institute at UNO
- contact: Scott Snyder - Chief Research Officer, NARI
- email: unonari@unomaha.edu
The following email about NARI, a new institute at the University of Nebraska at Omaha, was sent to faculty, staff, and students on Tuesday, July 26, 2016:
Dear UNO Community,
At last Friday’s University of Nebraska Board of Regents meeting, the board voted 5-0 to approve its two-year budget request to the Nebraska Legislature.
Included in that budget request was startup funding to support a new institute at UNO called the Nebraska Applied Research Institute, or NARI.
Recent news coverage has mentioned this new effort at UNO. The purpose of today’s note is to share the name, NARI, and to provide general information about the institute we are currently building. NARI marks another big step for UNO as a metropolitan institution and continues our strong commitment to groundbreaking research efforts here on campus.
NARI will be the primary occupant of the First Data building, which is also anticipated to house functions that will tie the building and the institute to the UNO campus and to the broader community. Until then, the work of NARI will occur in the Scott Technology Center. Building on the already award-winning work currently being done by members of the UNO community, NARI will serve as a unique entity focused on providing solutions to customer-focused problems facing businesses and government institutions.
NARI will offer high-consequence systems support, addressing problems that, if unresolved, could result in significant security risks, financial losses or even loss of life. NARI will initially focus on three core areas of expertise:
- Data Science
- Cyber Physical Systems
- Modeling, Simulation, and Visualization
This is an exciting opportunity for the university, adding a new research model at UNO, in addition to the already vibrant academic research. We will be bringing on researchers dedicated to the NARI mission who will collaborate with UNO faculty and students as well as other researchers to solve applied problems for industry and government.
We are exceptionally fortunate to have added Beverly Seay as the executive director of NARI. Ms. Seay is a former senior vice president at SAIC, a major international high tech company where she led innovation and development of the firm’s extensive presence in modelling and simulation. Her role at SAIC allowed her to develop deep ties to universities and the Omaha business community. She will be a dynamic champion of NARI and of UNO in Omaha and around the nation.
She is also currently chair of the Georgia Tech College of Computing Advisory Board and trustee and chair of University of Central Florida’s College of Engineering and Computer Science Advisory Board.
As we grow our relationships with business and government leaders across the city, state, and nation, I look forward to working with faculty, staff, and students who are interested in exploring opportunities in collaboration with the institute. We believe having this institute on campus will create an engaging, vibrant “Maverick Triangle” between UNO, industry and the community.
NARI is still in its early development. As the institute begins to do business, more information will be shared and I will be communicating with interested members of the UNO community. A frequently asked questions document is being compiled and a website will be created.
I encourage anyone with questions to email unoNARI@unomaha.edu. We will get back to you with answers as they become available.
Sincerely,
Scott Snyder
Chief Research Officer, University of Nebraska Omaha
President, Nebraska Applied Research Institute (NARI)