Perspectives on Interdisciplinary Research (IDR)

Great Plains Network/MIDnet

A Report on the National Academies of Science Convocation on Facilitating Interdisciplinary

Research

Greg Monaco, Ph.D., Director for ResearchGreat Plains Network

greg@greatplains.net

“research, teaching, or problem solving that integrates several disciplines to create a unified outcome”

James Collins

Interdisciplinary

Multi- and Interdisciplinary Research

A

B common problem

Work on

A

B

C

A

B

Multidisciplinary

Interdisciplinary Interaction

forges new discipline

Lawrence Tabak, NIH

AVHRR

AVHRR-SST

TOPEX-SSA

SeaWiFS-Chl-a

Ames Research CenterLife Sciences Division

Monitoring the Temporal Patterns of Cholera Transmission Risk

Research Focus: Visualization

• Design, implementation and evaluation of novel methods for more accurately, intuitively, and effectively conveying information through images

• An inherently interdisciplinary effort, involving the integration of insights from vision and perception with inspiration from art and illustration, and algorithms from computer graphics, computer vision, and mathematics, along with human subjects experiments

Victoria Interrante, Assistant Professor, Computer Science and Engineering,

University of Minnesota

Human Language Technology

Including machine translation (speech to text, text to speech, text to text)…

• Linguists

• Computer Scientists

• Psychologists

genomics/proteomics

biophysics

regenerative medicine

Bio-X Program Themes

chemical biology

imaging

biodesign

biocomputation

brain and behaviorHarvey Cohen, Professor, Pediatrics, Stanford School of Medicine, and Chair, The Interdisciplinary Initiatives Committee, Bio-X, Stanford University

Source: NSF/SBR

NSF

• CLEANER – Collaborative Large-Scale Engineering Analysis Network for Environmental Research: An Engineering Cyberinfrastructure "Test Bed"

• IGERT: Integrative Graduate Education and Research Traineeship

• Human and Social Dynamics• Biocomplexity in the Environment• Workforce Training• Engineering Sensor Research• Information Technology Research

NIH Roadmap Activity (1/24/2004)RFAs• Dynamic Assessment of Patient-Reported Chronic Disease Outcomes • Interdisciplinary Health Research Training: Behavior, Environment and Biology • Short Programs for Interdisciplinary Research Training • Curriculum Development Award in Interdisciplinary Research • Centers for Innovation in Membrane Protein Production • Multidisciplinary Clinical Research Career Development • Programs Development of High Resolution Probes for Cellular Imaging • Meetings and Networks for Methodological Development in Interdisciplinary

Research • Metabolomics Technology Development• Exploratory Centers (P20) for Interdisciplinary Research • National Technology Centers for Networks and Pathways • National Centers for Biomedical Computing• Training For A New Interdisciplinary Research WorkforceRFPs• RFP Announcement: Molecular Libraries Small Molecule RepositoryBroad Agency Announcements (BAA’s) • Re-Engineering the Clinical Research Enterprise: Feasibility of Integrating

and Expanding Clinical Research Networks

MULTIDISCIPLINARY UNIVERSITY RESEARCH INITIATIVE (MURI)

Supports teams of researchers investigating topics that:

– Are key to DoD Science and Technology Strategy– Interest more than one Service.– Intersect more than one traditional discipline.

Takes multidisciplinary approach that, for many problems:

– Accelerates research progress.– Expedites transition of results to application.– Prepares students to works across disciplines.

Complements Service Defense Research Sciences programs that predominantly support single‑investigator approach.

183 Active projectsDr. Bill BerryDirector, Basic ResearchODUSD(LABS)

Characteristics of successful interdisciplinary grants

• Faculty already talking/collaborating

• Funds move seamlessly as needed

• Students/Postdocs move seamlessly as needed

Maria Pellegrini, W. M. Keck Foundation

Challenges to Interdisciplinary Research

• The current system of academic advancement favors the independent investigator

• Most institutions house scientists in discrete departments

• Interdisciplinary science requires interdisciplinary peer-review

• Project management and oversight is currently performed by discrete ICs

• Interdisciplinary research teams take time to assemble and require unique resources

Lawrence Tabak, NIH

How to Facilitate Inter-disciplinary Research

• Inter-disciplinary research by definition requires the researchers to learn the other discipline’s vocabulary, methodology and techniques.

• This requires effort and investment of time.

• The researchers involved must trust each other -have a mutual respect for each other. It will not work if one discipline is perceived as superior to the other.

• There must be a reward system in place which will acknowledge the overhead in time and effort that interdisciplinary research takes.

Ruzena Bajcsy, UC Berkeley

What Motivates Inter-disciplinary Research?

• New scientific and technological problems, examples are: Biotechnology, BioInformatics, or BIO + any scientific combination.

• Nano science and Nano technology• Space science• Networking: sensor webs, computer webs, social

webs..• Complex systems and their interaction over time,

environment, machines, people/society/cultures

Ruzena Bajcsy, UC Berkeley

Thoughts on Interdisciplinary Research Reward System

• Cluster hiring including senior staff• Reward Deans/Chairs who foster

interdisciplinary research• Set up special tenure/salary reward processes• Seed funds

Maria Pellegrini, W. M. Keck Foundation

Interdisciplinary

• We should always be looking for leaders who can foster interdisciplinary connections and thus advance the scientific enterprise– Rita Colwell, NSF

We should always be looking for leaders who can foster interdisciplinary connections and thus advance the scientific enterprise

Rita Colwell, NSF