programs
Center Projects
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Painting From the Same Palette Initiative: The Center, and particularly Director of Dispute Resolution Leah Wing, continues involvement with conflict resolution professionals, activists, artists, and former adversaries in Northern Ireland/ the north of ireland. Involvement has focused on support for locally drivent conflict transformation efforts, such as joint mural makings. This builds upon the long standing tradition of political and cultural mural making in the north of ireland/ Northern Ireland. On Monday, April 28, 2008 the Center was pleased to participate and facilitate the unveiling of a significant new mural from Belfast completed by murlalists from two of the sides in the conflict: Danny Devenny, former Irish Republican Army (IRA) prisoner, and Mark Ervine, son of David Ervine, former Progressive Unionist Party leader and Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF) member. The Center is pleased to have been able to use cutting edge video conferencing technology to connect the artists with the unveiling audience state-side in a unique trans-Atlantic conversation. Check back here later in '08/'09 for details for Spring 2009 symposium at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. |
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Government ODR Initiative : The Center is collaborating with the National Mediation Board (NMB) on a National Science Foundation (NSF) project to integrate ODR tools and techniques into the services NMB provides to its clients, constituents, and partners. The Center is teamed with the Umass-Amherst Computer Science Department to integrate process modeling techniques in precedent setting research focused experiments oriented around NMB's work to explore the applicability of ODR in the federal government. |
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International ODR Forums: The Center coordinates the annual International ODR Forum. The Sixth International Forum was held December 3-4, 2007 in Hong Kong under the auspices of the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific and the Hong Kong International Arbitration Center. The Seventh International ODR Forum took place in Victoria, Canada June 18-19, 2008. Prior to that Forums were held in Liverpool (April 2007), Cairo (March 2006), Melbourne (June 2004) and Geneva (2002 and 2003).
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eBay Foundation - Walter Reed Army Hospital / Online Ombudsmen: Center is collaborating with the U.S. Army Ombudsmen, particularly for the Walter Reed Army Medical Command patient advocacy program, to devolop an online portal to provide wounded Warriors-In-Transition (WIT) assistance in successfully navigating the patient advocacy process. NCTDR received a pilot project seed grant from eBay in 2007 to model, design, deploy, and administer an online portal for the U.S. Army Ombudsmen. |
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Virtual World Initiative: The Center is exploring ODR in a new online environment, that of "virtual worlds." These are environments in which one can build an identity and engage in many social activities which one pursues offline. Users can create things such as houses, designs, and other artifacts and do so without being bound by the laws of physics. In one such world, SecondLife, the creators own the intellectual property rights in what is created and a market is developing in which virtual objects are exchanged for real currency. Virtual worlds then seem ripe for many of the same frictions that the corporeal social world presents The Center is exploring the evolution of disputes, dispute resolution, and ODR in these worlds. |
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EHealth Initiative: The Center has entered into an exploratory relationshiop with the Massachusetts Health Data Consortium to examine and analyze the growing use of electronic medical records and the expanding need to resolve disputes related to such. Electronic medical records fall into two categories those in which an individual maintains a database of personal medical information. The other form of electronic medical record is maintained by a health service provider and contains information about discrete relationships and interactions between clients and that provider (or components thereof). |
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Access to Justice Initiative: The Center is beginning a project to bring ODR to small claims courts. In Massachusetts, such courts have been under attack for being inefficient and for not serving the needs of individuals in need of dispute resolution. Ethan Katsh and Jeff Aresty wrote an op- ed piece in the Boston Globe in response to a report prepared by the Massachusetts Judiciary. The Center is partnering with Quabbin Mediation in implementing a pilot ODR process for the Small Claims Court. |
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InternetBar Organization Collaboration: The Center has undertaken several projects in collaboration with the InternetBar Organization . These include: Cyberweek 2006 and 2007, the Peacetones project, and the Microcommerce Justice effort in Africa. |
ODR Contests and Competitions : The Center sponsors and implements online dispute resolution contests and competitions. ICODR is an international competition for online dispute resolution between law school students from all over the globe. ICODR ran from 2002 - 2006. Additionally, during Cyberweek 2007 the Center partnered with SmartSettle.com to provide an online eNegotiation contest for Cyberweek participants. As of November 2007 the Center is in discussions with platform providers and others regarding a new round of ICODR competitions.
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ODR Training: The Center is developing prototype ODR training modules as well as fostering discussion and debate about the potential for ADR training being facilitated and delivered, at least partially, through online or information technology methods. |
NanoTechnology Societal Implications NSF Project:
NCTDR continues its collaboration w/ the Center for Hierarchical Manufacturing and the Center for Public Policy in the Societal Dimensions of NanoTechnology NSF project.
The first societal dimensions of nanotechnology workshop was held on Thursday, May 17, 2007. Presentations and hand outs can be viewed HERE . |
