An early May report from the Advancing Research in Science and Engineering (ARISE) committee suggests a revolutionary change in the way that science and engineering data is researched in the United States: a switch to full collaboration between multiple fields.
Since the late 2000s, ARISE has been investigating the world of scientific research and how it can be improved, particularly in regard to the evolving digital world and dependence on online communication. The group suggests that the future lies in more thorough collaboration between biologists, clinicians, computer scientists, physicists and many other science professionals.
According to ARISE, the United States is ready for a new type of interdisciplinary work, a transdisciplinary approach that removes barriers between physical sciences, such as engineering, and life sciences, such as medicine.
When it comes to universities and funding organizations, this new level of collaboration requires removing disciplinary and mission-based boundaries, allowing for the creation of new specialties that combine scientific fields in new, innovative ways.
Of course, a lot of traditional and cultural attitudes must be overturned to make room for the change, as well. To begin the revolution, ARISE suggests a widespread “knowledge network,” where research from all sectors can come together and literally compare notes or start projects together.
Other transdisciplinary measures could include new policies to share core research facilities (if applicable) and new postdoctoral training programs that integrate goals and concepts between physical and life sciences. If these new levels of collaboration can be reached, the result should be greater innovation, new commercial success for American firms, and a much deeper impact on key societal issues, such as sustainability and long-term health care.
Universities and organizations that want to attain such collaborative heights can look toward the strides taken in online research and communication. Scientists are proving more willing than ever to work together through online portals.
Oak Ridge National Laboratory’s recent Innovation Hub, for example, recruits scientists from across the nation through the latest “telepresence” technology, creating digital conference rooms that mimic real, monitored rooms in labs throughout the country. The technology has already been utilized by the Department of Defense for CASL, one of its Nuclear Energy projects drawing in support from around the country.
Meanwhile, the National Science Foundation is already doing its part to fuel transdisciplinary collaboration with an announcement earlier in 2013 that it would expand public access to the results of all NSF-related research. The primary objective behind the new transparency is to encourage innovative scientists in all disciplines to use the research to make strides in their own fields, regardless of NSF affiliation. NSF partners like the USDA and NASA hailed the change as a chance for new work in the agricultural and space sciences. With such strides by major organizations, cross-industry collaboration — and its related economic benefits — are becoming a fast-realized dream.
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