Measuring Convergence in Science and Engineering Proceedings of a Workshop (2021) / Chapter Skim
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9 Summary of Key Themes and Thoughts to Move the Work Forward
9 Summary of Key Themes and Thoughts to Move the Work Forward
Pages 67-76
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From page 67... ...
Hall began by reading the National Science Foundation (NSF) mission statement: to "promote the progress of science; to advance the national health, prosperity, and welfare; and to secure the national defense and for other purposes."1 This expansive mission covers complex societal and scientific challenges, necessitating multilevel, multidimensional, multi actorial, f 1 From the National Science Foundation Act of 1950 (P.L.
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From page 68... ...
She highlighted conceptual models that esearchers r can draw from to help discern the elements and emphasized the need to move beyond publication metrics. In addition to the conceptual models from which researchers can draw to help discern the elements, it is important to establish structures that enable people to work together in a team or system and to design and develop processes and platforms to help teams create products that align with the team or system's vision and goals.
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From page 69... ...
Funding agencies can intervene to help facilitate the conduct of team research needed to pursue convergent science projects that is not happening organically due to existing barriers to collaboration. One such strategy includes issuing Funding Opportunity Announcements to help incentivize institutions to participate.
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From page 70... ...
K hargonekar reminded the audience about the 2014 National Academies of Sciences, Engi eering, and Medicine report on the deep integration of n knowledge, tools, techniques, and ways of thinking from multiple disciplines as a novel method for producing new knowledge that is particularly suited to solving complex problems of societal interest.2 He agreed with Ben Jones ( orthwestern University) that an immense demand exists for N such knowledge, but the demand encounters a bottleneck on the supply side, because the numbers of possible combinations are exponentially large and a priori knowledge of what would be truly successful is not available.
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From page 71... ...
Would it be useful for NCSES to work with the Graduate Education Division at NSF on a national dialogue on doctoral student preparation, training, and dissertation production to gain insight on indicators? Could NCSES partner with other directorates and divisions at NSF that might be interested in measuring convergence among their research programs and funded researchers?
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From page 72... ...
She referenced Kalton's pessimism about operating on a national scale at this time, Schaeffer's suggestion that convergence could expand over time, Khargonekar's caveat about not adopting one criterion, Owen-Smith's caveat regarding survey research limitations given ambiguities inherent in surveys with human subjects, Holbrook's concerns regarding the impact that standardization could have on convergence approaches, and Joseph DeSimone's (Stanford University) direct suggestion that trends must be considered.
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From page 73... ...
Some process must have brought the researchers together, and initializing factors must have led to convergence happening on a minute scale. Smyth raised a few related questions: First, at what point do participating individuals understand something as convergent and can report it as such, rather than underreporting convergent research that may be happening because they do not recognize it?
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From page 74... ...
In her view, an interest in the integration of multiple fields derives from a theory of progress based on crossing boundaries, where boundaries can be disciplines, departments, universities, and other entities, such as nations. She particularly wanted to draw attention to nations because the workshop did not include extensive discussion of international research.
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From page 75... ...
Entwisle then turned to some specific measures of boundary crossing. In her previous role as vice chancellor, she developed measures of convergence based on collaborations on funded research involving faculty from different departments and from different schools at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
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From page 76... ...
This workshop allowed participants to see the breadth of knowledge that NCSES covers from both the national and international science and engineering communities. Rivers said that she found ideas for leveraging administrative records to assist NCSES efforts especially interesting because of concerns associated with the respondent burden posed by survey data collections.
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