University of Michigan Institute for Social Research marks 60th anniversary
National surveys, newspapers, a laptop computer and a staff greeting card are among the items to be buried in a time capsule Monday outside the University of Michigan Institute for Social Research.
The ISR marks its 60th anniversary this year, and employees created a time capsule to be opened in 2049 on the 100th anniversary.
The ISR, the largest academic social science survey and research organization in the world, is most known for some of its long running and widely cited surveys - such as the Reuters/U-M Surveys of Consumers and the American National Election Study.
The ISR's five centers and $80 million annual budget support the research of 200 scientists across 20 disciplines. In addition to survey studies, the ISR develops and tests survey methodologies, hosts a global archive of computerized social science data and serves as a training ground for researchers and students.
ISR Director James Jackson said the future will include more disciplines, more funding, a greater international reach and a focus on climate change.
"Energy, climate issues, internationalization, more interface with biology and biological science - these are all of the trends for the future of ISR," Jackson said.
Items selected for the time capsule were meant to give a sense of the intellectual work of ISR scientists and the daily life of people working at the ISR, said Diane Swanbrow, ISR communications director.
A selection of items included in the time capsule:
- The Health and Retirement Survey, which details financial status, physical and mental health, insurance coverage, labor market status and retirement planning of 22,000 Americans over the age of 50. Supported by the National Institute on Aging and the Social Security Administration, participants are studied every two years.
- Different questionnaires from the Survey of Consumers to show how the nature of the questions changed over time.
- A thumb drive.
- A DVD of training tips for interviewers.
Juliana Keeping covers higher education for AnnArbor.com. Reach her at julianakeeping@annarbor.com or 734-623-2528.