Facilitating Interdisciplinary Research (2005) / Chapter Skim
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4 The Academic Researcher and Interdisciplinary Research
4 The Academic Researcher and Interdisciplinary Research
Pages 61-83
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From page 61... ...
They have a responsibility to explain and demonstrate the benefits of IDR, venture into new fields, and be open to the cultures and values of other disciplines. The following sections condense numerous interviews, workshop discussions, survey results, and firsthand experiences of committee members to portray in some depth the experiences of interdisciplinary students, postdoctoral fellows, and faculty members in academic institutions.
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From page 62... ...
. At Stanford University a multiyear decline in the number of students majoring in earth science was reversed when the major, originally based in the single discipline of geology, was reformulated into the interdisciplinary program "earth systems" (see Figure 8-1)
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From page 63... ...
SOURCES: Data provided by the Office of the Dean of the College, Brown University, June, 2004, Brown University Undergraduate Concentration Requirement: General Information http://www.brown.edu/Administration/Registrar/concentration. html; Brown University Dean of the College, Academic Advising and Support, Concentration Programs http://www.brown.edu/Administration/Dean_of_the_ College/DOC/s1_advising_support/conc_codes.shtml.
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From page 64... ...
This increased student interest followed university administration promotion of and faculty interest in interdisciplinary research and teaching in the 1990s. The 9.7 percent average annual increase in interdisciplinary program majors and concentrations has outpaced interdepartmental (6.7 percent)
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The Shingobee Headwaters Aquatic Ecosystems Project (SHAEP) d in Min nesota offers summer interdisciplinary immersion experiences for researchers in terested in hydrology.
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One study concludes that although graduate students report that interdisciplinary activities have adverse effects on their careers, they are convinced of the value of IDR; the study also describes graduate students and postdoctoral scholars as "essential links" in the skill networks of IDR centers.1 1 Rhoten, D Final Report, National Science Foundation BCS-0129573: A Multi-Method Analysis of the Social and Technical Conditions for Interdisciplinary Collaboration.
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From page 67... ...
. Despite committee interviews that indicate heightened interest in IDR among postdoctoral scholars, progress toward interdisciplinary expertise may be slowed by a relative shortage of interdisciplinary postdoctoral fellowships.
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The additional training in a new field needed for an interdisciplinary researcher may reduce a postdoctoral scholar's apparent productivity relative to that of a scholar who focuses on a single discipline. As a result of the lower productivity, they may require more time and assistance in finding faculty positions after the postdoctoral
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From page 69... ...
THE ACADEMIC RESEARCHER AND INTERDISCIPLINARY RESEARCH 69 period, although postdoctoral scholars interested in pursuing nonacademic careers may find their employability enhanced by their interdisciplinary experiences. HIRING Candidates for tenure-track positions who are interested in IDR face the additional challenge of finding departments that feel that the candidates "belong" with them.
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Project,a based at Harvard's Kennedy School of Government, ran an interdisciplinary research and training pro gram funded by a 5-year grant from the National Science Foundation. To help to build a next generation of professionals trained in and sensitive to the unique prob lems of linking science and policy on global environmental problems, the GEA Project recruited fellows through an international competition open to natural sci entists, social scientists, and professional-school students.
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Current Jobs held by 37 Former GEA Project Fellows US International Total Academe 19 (51%)
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There have been 191 postdoctoral members since IMA was founded in 1990 and 35 additional scholars in the IMA industrial postdoctoral program.b IMA focuses on two important factors to ensure that postdoctoral scholars have a positive experience. First, it creates a focused scientific atmosphere built around a yearly thematic program in which one broad field of quantitative interdis ciplinary science is studied; this offers a unique environment for the postdoctoral scholar to become truly immersed in a problem or question.
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From page 73... ...
Involvement in IDR provides a number of benefits, including the opportunity to participate in unique projects and to build collaborative relationships with peer faculty members in other departments. GAINING TENURE An interdisciplinary faculty member seeking tenure often faces two challenges beyond those faced by members working in a single discipline.
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The provost charged all departments to come up with a 10% reduction in budget -- the savings were recycled to the university -- and then en gaged the faculty in determining new initiatives. The resulting Huck Institutes of the Life Sciencesb is a virtual organization comprising seven of PSU's colleges.
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Students in the program have to identify two advisers in at least two colleges or departments.d To promote interdisciplinarity and innovativeness in research and graduate educa tion in the life sciences at PSU, the Huck Institutes is working with faculty members to develop interdisciplinary graduate groups; these may generate new options in existing graduate programs, new interdepartmental programs, or options in a new integrative-biosciences degree program of the Huck Institutes. aPartially derived from staff interview with institute Director C
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From page 76... ...
reported that interdisciplinary researchers spend about 50 percent of their total work time on extradepartmental activities related to IDR centers. About 30 percent of their sample reported that their interdisciplinary affiliations had not helped or had hindered their careers.2 2 Rhoten, D
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NOTES: Survey Question: "If you could recommend one action that principal investigators could take that would best facilitate interdisciplinary research, what action would that be? " The top two recommendations for principal investigators given by survey respondents (n = 186)
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From page 78... ...
established an Interdisci plinary Research and Training Initiative in 1996,a which includes a Dual Mentor Program for graduate students and postdoctoral scholars, a Joint Degree Pro gram, and a Pilot Project Fund Program (which awards about eight to 10 grants of $20,000-25,000 each year)
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(2004) The Interdisciplinary Research and Training Initiative at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center.
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Students, especially undergraduates, are strongly attracted to interdisci plinary courses, especially those of societal relevance. RECOMMENDATIONS Students S-1: Undergraduate students should seek out interdisciplinary experi ences, such as courses at the interfaces of traditional disciplines that address basic research problems, interdisciplinary courses that address societal problems, and research experiences that span more than one traditional discipline.
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For example, postdoctoral scholars can seek positions at institutions that · Have strong interdisciplinary programs or institutes. · Have a history of encouraging mentoring relationships across departmental lines.
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· Learn about the career expectations of the postdoctoral scholars, when possible, and the demands that they will encounter in their careers. · Guide the postdoctoral scholars toward interdisciplinary learning opportunities, including workshops, research presentations, and social gatherings.
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From page 83... ...
THE ACADEMIC RESEARCHER AND INTERDISCIPLINARY RESEARCH 83 · Create more opportunities for students to learn how research disciplines complement one another by -- Developing policies and practices that support team teaching of interdisciplinary courses by faculty members in diverse departments or colleges. -- Modifying core course requirements so that students have more opportunities to add breadth to their study programs.
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