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 Research
Great Plains Network
greg@greatplains.net
Interdisciplinary
“research, teaching, or problem
solving that integrates several
disciplines to create a unified
outcome”
James Collins
Multi- and Interdisciplinary
Research
A
B
A
B
A
Work on
Multidisciplinary
common problem
Interaction
B
C
Interdisciplinary
forges new discipline
Lawrence Tabak, NIH
Monitoring the Temporal Patterns of
Cholera Transmission Risk
AVHRR
AVHRR-SST
TOPEX-SSA
SeaWiFS-Chl-a
Life Sciences Division
Ames Research Center
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
Bio-X Program Themes
biocomputation
biodesign
genomics/
proteomics
imaging
regenerative
medicine
biophysics
chemical biology
brain and behavior
Harvey 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 Workforce
•
•
•
•
•
RFPs
•
RFP Announcement: Molecular Libraries Small Molecule Repository
Broad 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 projects
Dr. Bill Berry
Director, Basic Research
ODUSD(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
We
should
always
be looking
for
leaders
who
can foster
interdisciplinary
leaders
who can
connections
andfoster
thus advance the
interdisciplinary
connections and thus
scientific enterprise
advance
the scientific
enterprise
– Rita Colwell,
NSF
Rita Colwell, NSF