Structure & Governance
CAREMI was created and continues to grow through multiple team building events and ideation workshops. Emerging from these events is the following organizational structure: CAREMI will have:
- three main Research Hives: Arthropods (A), Materials (M), and Humans (H)
- a connecting Substrate upon which the community is built: Infrastructure (I)
- Anchors: Engagement (E), that connect CAREMI to society broadly.
Each of the Hives, Substrate, and Anchors will support specific Pods dedicated to research, education, and/or engagement projects.
Hive (A, M, H), Substrate (I), and Anchor (E) Pods are pitched by CAREMI teams and voted on by the community during our annual “Pod Pitch” day (piloted fall 2024, to be held in Spring 2026 and annually), ensuring community buy-in and support. Annual Pod Pitches will facilitate continual innovation within our community.
Our community-driven research, infrastructure, and engagement priorities reflect our commitment to a dispersed governance structure. Through sociocratic leadership - a dynamic peer governance system based on consent - CAREMI will promote equal participation across all levels of the organization, ensuring that ideas and innovations are contributed democratically and representatively. Each of our Hives, Substrate, and Anchors will have 2-3 leaders that will link with other Hives, Substrate and Anchors through Pod engagement (total of 13 leaders). This will create a decentralization of power and a clear line of communication between and across groups. We will also have two queens that will be in continual contact with all leaders. This structure fosters a more inclusive working environment while enhancing the creativity and effectiveness of the research outcomes by integrating diverse perspectives from various fields such as biology, chemistry, computer science, engineering, and the arts.
Impacts
Local
Efforts in CAREMI will increase engagement with the public on the importance and contribution of arthropods and on how they can shape society in terms of human health, agricultural management, as well as biosecurity for the environment. Activities will include planned art exhibits to engage local partners and increase awareness and engagement in CAREMI on arthropod related research. CAREMI will also establish a model for center structure and leadership and establish a new community of researchers on campus.
Regional
CAREMI will provide new understanding on dynamics of pest populations that impact regional agriculture or spreading patterns of vector-borne diseases, in the context of climate patterns. New interventions and approaches will be shared with regional partners. New professional development and training will empower undergraduate and graduate students with unique multi-disciplinary skills.
Nationally
CAREMI will represent a new multi-disciplinary research community that puts arthropods at the center, resulting in novel discoveries and new emerging technologies inspired by arthropods, which will impact major industries that include computing, robotics, pharmaceutical science, vector surveillance, agricultural production and biotechnology. CAREMI will position UNL as a leader in arthropod-inspired innovation and a driver of solutions to global challenges
