So much of science is focused on incremental improvement on an idea that either no one or very few will ever read or cite. From early in my career, I hoped to conduct research that has real-world impact and application. My recent work has supported non-profit organizations in the Jacksonville community who help others who are making important transitions in their life. The Jacksonville Re-Entry Center supports ex-offenders as they make the transition from jail to the community. My service as a social trustee of knowledge has its culmination in the Florida Data Science for Social Good program, which supports non-profit organizations with data and technology solutions that address wicked problems in the community, such as homelessness, community health, and mental health.
In 2017-2018, I served as Co-Editor of the International Journal of Research in Service Learning and Community Engagement. My recent scholarship in service learning and community engagement involves the development of the PACE model of adult civic engagement and the identification of motivations and orientations related to persistence in community engagement for faculty.
Scholars interested in pursuing community-based transformational learning can find important principles and examples of this work in a recent edited book, Interdisciplinary Inquiry into Student Experiences and Challenges.
F. Dan Richard 