Position statement
Multidisciplinary Research and Development
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
- Supports increasing basic research investment by the federal government with an increased emphasis on multi-disciplinary research and the physical, mathematical and engineering sciences.
- Supports expansion of multi-institutional university/industry-government partnerships to conduct basic and applied research.
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