Cooperative Institute for Dynamic Earth Research (CIDER)
Institute Without Walls
Founded in 2003, CIDER is an institute without walls, funded from 2012 to 2018 by the Frontiers of Earth Systems Dynamics (FESD) program of NSF. Its centerpiece is a 4-6 week-long summer program, that brings together scientists across generations around a given theme. CIDER encourages sustained, in-depth interactions among participants, requiring them to spend significant time on-site. The summer program includes two weeks of lectures and tutorials, during which multi-disciplinary groups are formed around specific timely topics that emerge from discussions during lectures or social events. These groups then have two weeks to start collaborative research. Many gain enough momentum to continue beyond the summer program, supported by CIDER, often resulting in publications or proposals for further funding.