Multidisciplinary
research is the intersection of more than one traditional science (social,
biological, physical, etc.) or engineering with another. For example,
semiconductor research and development has been particularly adept at
bringing together disciplines such as chemistry with engineering. Development
of technology tools has been increasingly pairing engineers with social
scientist to better understand how and why people use technology and how
to make technology more user-friendly and accessible.
Background:
Economic
growth is partially dependent on the creation and use of science and technology
to spur innovation and help solve national problems. The multidisciplinary (or interdisciplinary) aspect of research
is increasingly important as we realize that the complexity of problem-solving
requires new and enlightened ways of analyzing, learning and thinking.
Examples of multidisciplinary research disciplines include:
bioinformatics,
bioengineering, nanobiotechnology, biophysical chemistry, and the Human
Genome Project.
The U.S.
Department of Defense has a program designed to bring together scientists
of varying disciplines to solve research problems and turn research findings
in to practical applications of importance to defense. The National Research
Council report entitled, Bio2010: Transforming Undergraduate Education for Future Research Biologists,
has recommended that undergraduate biology education should incorporate
mathematics, physics, chemistry, computer science and engineering. The
National Institutes of Heath and
Howard Hughes Medical Institute
support this recommendation.
The United Kingdom has similarly
encouraged physicists and chemists to prepare themselves for research
and job opportunities that interface with the life sciences. President
of the UK Royal Society of Chemistry and Nobel laureate, Professor S.
Harry Kroto notes “…the traditional chemistry/physics/biology departmentalized
university infrastructures…must be replaced by new ones which actively
foster the synergy inherent in multidisciplinarity.”
IBM Position
1.Supports increasing basic research investment by the federal government with an increased emphasis on multi-disciplinary research and the physical, mathematical and engineering sciences.
2.Supports expansion of multi-institutional university/industry-government partnerships to conduct basic and applied research.