of transformative interdisciplinary research and graduate education

impact

on academic institutions

MAY 2008

workshop report

of transformative interdisciplinary research and graduate education

impact

on academic institutions

MAY 2008

workshop report

SponSored By

National Science Foundation

Education and Human Resources Directorate

Division of Graduate Education

Integrative Graduate Education and Research Traineeship (IGERT) Program

prepared By

Carol Van Hartesveldt, PhD

Judith Giordan, PhD

IGERT Program Directors

Table of Contents

Executive Summary

OrganizationandPurpose 1

KeyObservationsandRecommendations 2

Research 2

Faculty 3

GraduateEducation 4

AcademicInstitutions 5

Background and Rationale for the Workshop 7

Summary of Workshop Proceedings 9

TheImpactofInterdisciplinarityonResearch 9

MeasuringInterdisciplinarityinResearch 11

RecommendationsforAdvancingInterdisciplinaryResearch 11

TheImpactofInterdisciplinarityonFaculty 12

MeasuringandEnablingInterdisciplinarityinFacultyInteraction 13

RecommendationsforAdvancingInterdisciplinarityandEngagingFaculty 14

TheImpactofInterdisciplinarityonGraduateEducation 15

MeasuringandEvaluatingInterdisciplinarityandItsImpactonGraduateEducationandStudents 19

RecommendationsforFutureInterdisciplinaryGraduateEducation 20

TheImpactofInterdisciplinarityonAcademicInstitutions 21

MeasuringInterdisciplinarityinAcademicInstitutions 23

RecommendationsforSupportingInterdisciplinarityinAcademicInstitutions 24

References 25

Photo Credits 27

Appendices

Appendix1:ListofWorkshopParticipantsOrganizedbyWorkingGroups 29

Appendix2:WorkshopAgenda 35

Appendix3:QuestionTemplatesforWorkingGroups 39

Appendix4:OverviewofWorkProcess 43

1

Anyopinions,findings,conclusionsandrecommendationsexpressedinthisreportarethoseoftheworkshopparticipantsanddonotnecessarily

reflectorrepresenttheviewsoftheNationalScienceFoundation.

Executive Summary

In May 2008, a two-day workshop was held in Arlington, Virginia with the

goal of defining the progress of interdisciplinary research and graduate

education and their impacts on academic institutions. The workshop was

sponsored by the National Science Foundation (NSF) Directorate of Educa-

tion and Human Resources, Division of Graduate Education, Integrative

Graduate Education and Research Traineeship (IGERT) Program.

Organization and Purpose

Theworkshopwasconvenedbecause

ofthegrowingacknowledgmentof

theimportanceofdiscoveriesand

outcomesofinterdisciplinary,cutting-

edgescienceandtechnologyfor

economicandsocietalgrowthand

vitality.Recognizingthemanyimpacts

ofinterdisciplinaryresearchcan

catalyzeachangeinthelandscapeof

U.S.universitiestovalueandincrease

interdisciplinarygraduateeducation.

Framingoptionsforthefutureof

supportforinterdisciplinaryresearch

andeducationrequiresanunder-

standingofthecurrentinstitutional

landscapeandthechallengesof,

opportunitiesfor,andimpactsof

thetransformationsstimulatedby

interdisciplinaryresearchatuniver-

sities.Toensureabroadview,the

perspectivesofbothinstitutional

leadershipandthefacultyleading

interdisciplinarychangeprojects

suchasIGERTweresought.The

meetingengaged101participantswho

aretheprincipalinvestigators(PIs)of

IGERTprojectsaswellasthesenior

leadershipofU.S.universitiesthathad

activeIGERTprojectsatthetime.See

Appendix1foralistofparticipants.

Eightworkinggroupsaddressed

questionsfocusedonfourcritical

impactareasofinterdisciplinary

institutionalchange:

Research,

Faculty,

GraduateEducation,and

AcademicInstitutions.

Eachoftheworkinggroups,four

comprisingPIsandco-PIsofactive

IGERTprojectsandfourcomprising

leadingadministratorsatIGERT

institutions,wasaskedtoconsider

andsummarizecentralquestionson

thefourimpactareasthataddressed

thefollowingtopics:

Progressandimpactsmadetodate;

Whatworksandwhatdoesnot;

Opportunitiesandchallenges

goingforward;and,

Metricsforsuccessofinter-

disciplinaryresearchand

graduateeducation.

Themeetingagendaispresentedin

Appendix2andthespecificquestions

addressedbyeachworkinggroupare

summarizedinAppendix3.Forthe

purposeofthismeeting,participants

usedtheterm“interdisciplinary”to

meanresearchandeducationthat

crossesdisciplinarylines.

Discussionofthethemeofinter-

disciplinarityforeachtopicfrequently

touchedupononeormoreofthe

othertopics.Therefore,thesummaries

oftheworkshopthemesinthisreport

presentkeythoughts,contributions,

andrecommendationsderived

fromboththeworkinggroupswho

IGERT  Workshop Report 1

specificallychosetofocusonthat

topicandfromotherdiscussionson

thattopicthatoccurredduringthe

two-dayworkshop.Thissummaryisa

synopsisratherthanacompleteand

detailedaccountoftheentirework

productthateachgroupdeveloped.The

processusedtodevelopthisreportis

describedinAppendix4.

Key Observations and Recommendations

Thefollowingarekeyobservations

andrecommendationsresultingfrom

theworkshopdiscussionsaspresented

intheworkinggroups’reports.

REsEaRch

Key Observations

Contentandmethodsusedin

researchareinconstantfluxboth

withinandbetweendisciplines,

andresearchersmustfrequently

employinterdisciplinaryapproaches

torespondtoemergingresearch

problems.Tocarryoutinterdisci-

plinaryresearch,onemusthave

bothdisciplinarycapabilityand

interdisciplinaryconversance.The

abilitytoconductinterdisciplinary

researchisnecessarytomaintain

U.S.competitivenessinhigh-value

industriesandhasimportant

economicandsocietalbenefitsthrough

inventionsandinnovationsthat

delivernewproductsandservices

orimprovetheeffectivenessand

efficiencyofexistingprocesses.

Fundingagenciesplayakeyand

ongoingroleinsupportinginnovation

andmustcontinuesupportforthe

advancesofcoredisciplinaryresearch

whilealsosupportingresearchthat

cutsacrossdisciplines.Whilefederal

fundingagenciesexpresstheneed

forinterdisciplinaryapproachesto

problems,theirstructuresandpractices

fallshort.Somefundingagencies

haverespondedbyfundingmulti-

investigator,interdisciplinaryproposals

orproblem-basedproposals,butthere

arestillconcernsaboutthelocusfor

reviewandfundingofindividual

investigator-initiatedgrants.

Recommendations for advancing Interdisciplinary Research

Universities

Developnewmodelsofuniversityorganizationalstructures

andfundingtofacilitateinterdisciplinaryresearchand

buildincentivesforinterdisciplinaryfacultycollaboration.

> Organizediscussionsaboutresearcharoundachieving

open-endedscientificdiscoveryandaddressing

socialchallengesratherthanframingdiscussionsin

termsofdisciplinaryversusinterdisciplinaryscience.

> Formresearchteamsdrivenbybasicorapplied

problem-orientedresearchchallengesthatserveto

reducetheemphasisonwhetheragivenresearch

matterisdisciplinaryorinterdisciplinary.

Developshort-term,intermediate-term,andlong-term

measuresofsuccessofinterdisciplinaryresearch

encompassingpedagogy,thestructureofacademia,

anddevelopingadiverseworkforceinscienceand

engineering,aswellasexternaleffectsonindustry,

society(societalproblems),andpolicymaking.

Funding agencies

Reducetheboundariesbetweendisciplinesateachof

thefundingagenciestoencouragecooperationon

reviewandfunding.Fosterinterdisciplinaryresearch

attheindividualresearchgrantlevelinadditionto

thelargerinterdisciplinarygrants.

Collaborateamongfundingagenciesandother

constituencygroupssuchasindustryorstates,and

learnfromeachother’sexperience.

Maintainabalanceoffundingbetweendisciplinary

andinterdisciplinaryresearch,emphasizingscientific

problemsasthemajordeterminantinthetypesof

fundingprogramsintheportfolio.

Increasethenumbersofgrantssupportinginter-

disciplinaryresearchandtrainingclustersand

centersinordertoenhancethetotalinvestment

ininterdisciplinaryresearch.

Ensuretheinclusionofmorereviewerswhoare

receptivetoandconversantwithinterdisciplinary

research.Multipledisciplinaryreviewsarenotthe

sameasreviewbycolleagueswhoareexperienced

ininterdisciplinarycollaborations.

IGERT  Workshop Report2

   Key Observations

Theprincipaldriverofinterdisciplin-

aryresearchisthefaculty,asfaculty

membersareinapositiontoidentify

newresearchopportunities.Faculty

hiringpracticesarechangingrapidly

asthenatureofresearchchanges.

Toaddresstheongoingchangesin

thenatureofinquiry,institutions

continuetodeveloparangeofhiring

strategies,includingclusterhires

withavarietyofmodelsandhires

withappointmentssharedbetween

oramonguniversityunits.

Whiletheexcitementofaddressing

significantnewresearchproblems

aswellastheadvantagesof

collaborativeresearchareintrinsic

incentives,successfulcollaboration

dependsuponfacultyrecognition

andappreciationofeachother’s

contributionstotheresearch.

However,successfulinterdisciplinary

collaborationsinbothresearchand

educationcanbedifficultand

time-consuminginmanycurrent

universitystructures.Toooften

facultylackinstitutionalincentives

andmayevenhavedisincentives

forinterdisciplinaryresearchand

education.Facultymaynotbeableto

findfundingforaninterdisciplinary

researchgrantormaynotbe

rewardedbyobtainingpromotion

ortenureforparticipationin

researchandeducationthatcrosses

universityunits.

Recommendations for advancing Interdisciplinarity and Engaging Faculty

University Policies and Procedures

Developmechanismsforfacultywithtraditional

disciplinaryexpertisetolearnandembracenew

interdisciplinaryapproachesandcollaborations.

> Establishincentivesandremovedisincentives

forfacultytoperforminterdisciplinaryresearch

andteaching.

> Addresstheincompatibilitybetweentraditional

hierarchicaladministrativestructuresandnew

interdisciplinarycross-cuttingprograms.

> Developpathstoreducethepotentialtension

betweendisciplinaryandinterdisciplinaryinterests

whenhiringfaculty.

> Rewardsuccessfulinterdisciplinaryinitiatives.

> Providementoringandtrainingofbothjunior

andseniorfacultyintheskillsneededtosucceed

ininterdisciplinaryresearch,includingeffective

communicationandteamwork.

Developnewandagreed-uponmodelsforevaluating

facultycontributionstointerdisciplinarywork.

> Establishpoliciesregardingdistributionofinter-

disciplinarygrantoverheadfundsandcreditfor

multi-authoredpublications,patents,andgrants.

> Defineamechanismforfacultytoexplicitlyidentify,

communicate,andobtaincreditfortheirindividual

contributionswithinmulti-investigatorinterdisci-

plinaryprojectsandpublications.

Inordertofacilitatethedevelopmentofabroader

moreinterdisciplinaryviewbyfacultyresearch

collaborators,considerseparatingtheresearch/graduate

teachingfunctionsfromtheacademicunit-driven

undergraduateteachingmission.

Collectdataandevaluatesuccessfulmodelsof

institutionsthathavedemonstratedsuccesswith

interdisciplinaryinitiatives.

Developwaystoensurebenefitformultipleacademic

departmentsbyusingeachother’scourses,avoiding

duplicationofeffort,andatthesametimeacknowledging

thevalueofwhattheircognatecolleaguesbring

tothetable.

IGERT  Workshop Report 3

Recommendations for advancing Interdisciplinarity and Engaging Faculty –Continued

Faculty hiring, appointments, and assignments

Forbothprospectivefacultyandforcurrentfaculty

engagingininterdisciplinaryendeavors,provideabsolute

clarityandtransparencyinthefollowingareas:

> Policiesfortenure,promotion,andraises;

> Facultyworkloadassignmentswhenshared

acrossdepartmentsorotherunitstofosterinter-

disciplinarity;and

> Valuationofwork,whichmustbeexplicitandinclude

bothtraditionalmeasuresandnontraditional

measuresthatcaptureinterdisciplinarybreadth.

GRadUaTE EdUcaTIon

Key Observations

Thereisacurrentandfutureneedfor

scientificallytrainedprofessionalswho

cansolvemorecomplexproblems,

applytechniquesfromonefieldto

another,communicatewithothers

acrossdisciplines,takerisks,andbe

creative.Ithasbeenobservedthat

studentsattractedtointerdisciplinary

graduateeducationappeartobemore

independentandmorelikelyto“think

outsidethebox”thanothers.Onthe

otherhand,ithasalsobeenobserved

thatinterdisciplinarygraduate

trainingenablesstudentstotackle

morecomplexresearchproblems,tobe

morecreative,andtotakegreaterrisks.

Exposuretointerdisciplinarystudyas

undergraduatesisthebestpreparation

forinterdisciplinarystudyatthe

graduatelevel.Becausemanycomplex

problemsareinterdisciplinaryin

nature,graduatestudentsmust

acquireabroaderknowledgebase

Recommendations for Future Interdisciplinary Graduate Education

Ensurethatundergraduatesarepreparedtodoresearch

andhavesufficientdepthandbreadthinadisciplineto

undertakeinterdisciplinaryresearchwhentheyare

graduatestudents.

Developmechanismstosupport,recognize,and

rewardteamworkingraduateeducationandinthesis

topicresearch.

Developspecificoutcomegoalsforskilldevelopment

inthebroadtopicofprofessionalskillsandmatch

trainingtothesegoals.

Recognizetheuniquestressesongraduatestudents

ininterdisciplinaryprogramsandprovidesupport

andmentoring.

Makefundingmechanismsthataretypicallytiedto

departmentsmoreportableandguaranteemulti-year

support,butalsoensureamixofexperiences,

includingteachingexperience,forthoseaimingfor

careersinacademia.

Providecredentialingthroughdualdegreeprograms,

certificates,minors,concentrations,designated

emphases,orothermeanssoastorecognizeagraduate

student’sinterdisciplinarytrainingandpotentially

aidincommunicatingbothdisciplinarydepthand

interdisciplinarybreadthtopotentialemployers.

Utilizeandbuildonsuccessfulcollaborationsfrom

thepastandusetheseasmodelsfortransformative

interdisciplinarygraduatetraining.

IGERT  Workshop Report4

anddifferentskillsinapproaching

complexinterdisciplinaryproblems.

Yet,departmentalresourcealloca-

tionmaylimittheirabilitytowork

acrossunits.Furthermore,graduate

studentsarestronglyaffectedbythe

complexityandbreadthofthe

researchtheypursueaswellasthe

numberoffacultyfromareasoutside

theirownwithwhomtheyinteract.

Therefore,studentsneedboth

traininginandexposuretointerdis-

ciplinaryresearchandeducation.

Themaximalamountofinterdisci-

plinarygraduateeducationwithin

aninstitutionisdeterminedbythe

amountofinterdisciplinaryresearch

attheinstitution.However,interdis-

ciplinaryresearchdoesnotensure

interdisciplinarygraduateeducation.

Therearemanyexamplesofuniver-

sitiesthathavefoundwaystomake

graduateeducationmoreflexible

andtoprovidebothdisciplinary

depthandinterdisciplinarybreadth,

rangingfromcross-campuspro-

gramstoindividualizedinterdisci-

plinarydoctoralprograms.

acadEmIc InsTITUTIonsKey Observations

Universityadministrationscanmake

arealdifferenceassupportersof

facultytoleadandadminister

visionaryinterdisciplinaryresearch

andeducationalprogramsand

collaborations.Maximalsuccessof

interdisciplinaryresearchrequires

institutionalrecognitionofits

importancethroughtheinvestment

ofresourcesandprovisionof

incentivesandrewardstofaculty

anddepartments.Thecentral

administrationofaninstitutioncan

facilitateinterdisciplinaryresearch

bythetypesofnewfacultypositions

createdandbytheresourcesprovided

tonewfacultyininterdisciplinary

areasofresearch.

Supra-departmentalstructuressuch

ascentersandinstitutescanplayan

importantroleinsupportinginter-

disciplinaryresearchandeducation

andareidealforhousingexpensive

corefacilitiestobesharedbyfaculty

ofvariousdisciplines,buttheycanalso

createtensionwithdiscipline-based

facultyanddepartments.Someof

thistensionrevolvesaroundgraduate

educationandtheparticipationof

graduatestudentsinresearchin

thesesupra-departmentalstructures.

Thevalueofinterdisciplinarycolla-

borationsandtheiroutputhavebeen

acceptedinternationallyandmodels

arebeingdevelopedandinstituted

abroadtoexploitthesebenefits.

Recommendations for supporting Interdisciplinarity in academic Institutions

Bestrategicinplanningforinvestmentininterdisci-

plinaryresearchandeducationbasedoninstitutional

strengths,size,andtype.

Moveawayfromrigidhierarchicalstructuresto

moredynamicandflexiblestructuresinwhichfaculty

havesomefluidityofmovementbetweenoracross

disciplinaryhomes.

> Providephysicalspaceandsharedfacilitiesthat

bringpeopletogethertosupportcollaborativework.

> Takeadvantageofnewinterdisciplinaryfunding

opportunitiesofferedbyfederalfundingagencies.

Clarifyexpectationsfornewandcurrentfacultydoing

interdisciplinaryresearchandeducation,andinclude

allpartiesinthecontract.

Addnewelementsinpromotionandtenureguidelines

toincluderecognitionandrewardforcontributionsto

interdisciplinaryresearchandeducation.

Continuetobaseinterdisciplinarygraduateeducation

solidlyindisciplinaryprogramswhileallowingmecha-

nismsfornewprogramstoevolve.

Extendsupportforinterdisciplinaryresearchand

educationintoundergraduateeducation.

Forgelinksbetweenmajorityandminorityinstitutions

inordertotakeadvantageoftheattractionofinter-

disciplinaryresearchtobroadenparticipationinscience

andengineering.

Examineinternationalmodelsforinterdisciplinary

researchandeducationandconsideradapting/

adoptingsuccessfulmodels.

IGERT  Workshop Report 5

Background and Rationale for the Workshop

From global sustainability to renewable energy to the origins of life in the

cosmos to forecasting and potentially mitigating economic upheavals,

the largest scientific challenges—and those that may hold the greatest

opportunity for transformative technological solutions into the 21st

century—are interdisciplinary in nature. The skills required from a new

generation of trained scientists and engineers to address these challenges

have been and continue to be broadly discussed and debated.

TheNationalAcademyofSciences

(NAS)CommitteeonScience,

EngineeringandPublicPolicy

(COSEPUP),seeingthemounting

challenge,tookaleadinaddressing

theissuein1995.1TheNASreportwas

followedbyaseriesofotherworks,all

ofwhichemphasizetheimportance

andvalueofinterdisciplinarygraduate

trainingintheformofbroadened

researchandeducationalexperiences

bothasaresponsetomorecomplex

globalchallengesandtoenabling

broadercareeropportunitiesfor

graduatestudents.2

In1998,adistinctiveprogramwas

developedbytheNSFtoaddressthese

issues:theIntegrativeGraduate

EducationandResearchTraineeship

(IGERT)program.Inthedecadesince

itsinception,IGERThasfundedover

4800interdisciplinaryscience,

technology,engineering,and

mathematics(STEM)traineesin98

institutions.TheimpactofIGERTon

thefirstthreecohortswasevaluated

andtheresultspublishedin2006.3

Inaddition,outputfromallIGERT

projectsfrom2006—2007was

summarizedinanIGERTAnnual

Report.4Anevaluationoftheimpact

addressourlargerglobalinterdisci-

plinaryscientificchallenges.

Itisnownearly14yearssincethe

1995COSEPUPreport,andmany

otherreportsandpublicationson

Discovery increasingly requires the expertise of individuals with

different perspectives – from different disciplines… working

together to accommodate the extraordinary complexity of

today’s science and engineering challenges.

national science Foundation Investing in america’s Future.  

strategic Plan FY 2006-2011 (nsF 06-48)

ofIGERTongraduatedtraineesand

theircareersisunderway.Other

reportshavecitedIGERT—andthe

interdisciplinarytrainingthe

studentsreceive—asanexampleof

thetypeofprogramthatcould

positivelyimpactandbeginto

interdisciplinarytrainingandresearch

havefollowedit.5Butmanyinstitu-

tions,aswellasthefederalfunding

agenciesonwhichtheseinstitutions

relyforfunding,stillstrugglewith

developingandimplementing

appropriateandsupportivestructures,

IGERT  Workshop Report 7

procedures,andrecognitionand

rewardsystemstoenableinterdisci-

plinaryresearchandeducation.

Itiswiththishistoryandatthe10th

anniversaryoftheinceptionofthe

IGERTprogramasabackdropthat

theworkshopfromwhichthisreport

isdrawnwasconvened.Thepurpose

oftheworkshopwastogaininsights

fromthecountry’sleadinginstitutions

thathavehadatleastoneIGERTaward

onhowtocapitalizeonthevalueof

interdisciplinarySTEMresearchand

graduateeducationfortheeconomic

andsocietalhealthofthecountry,

andtodeterminewhatisrequiredfor

faculty,graduatestudents,academic

institutions,andtheresearchenter-

priseitselftothriveandcontribute

toU.S.competitivenesstoaneven

greaterextentintothefuture.

IGERT  Workshop Report8

Summary of Workshop Proceedings

The workshop participants were faculty and administrative leaders

from some of America’s most prominent universities engaged in inter-

disciplinary transformation. Both the faculty and administrative leaders

who participated are involved with the implications of interdisciplinary

education, training, and research on a regular basis. These implications

affect the way that research is conducted; how students are trained and

educated; how faculty are hired, promoted, and rewarded; and even the

structure of the university itself.

Allinvitedparticipantsinthe

workshopwereactiveparticipantsin

theworkinggroupsandallwere

laterinvitedtocommentonthetext

ofthereportassummarizedhere.

TheSummaryofWorkshopProceed-

ingsispresentedinthefoursections

thatfollow.Thissummaryisasynopsis

andnotacompleteaccountofall

discussionsandwrittenmaterials.

Statementsandobservationsshared

bythevariousworkinggroupsthat

helptoillustratekeypointsareshown

throughoutthetextofthereport.

The Impact of Inter disciplinarity on Research

Researchthatcutsacrossdisciplinary

lineshasbecomeincreasinglypromi-

nentandimportant,bothinbasic

andappliedareas,concomitantwith

changesintechnologyandthe

increasingurgencyofcomplexprob-

lemswithsocietalimpact.Discoveries

andnewtechnologiescontinueto

changethewaywethinkabout

problemsinscienceandengineering

andhowtoapproachthem.Both

basicandappliedinterdisciplinary

researchareexpectedtobecomemore

importantsegmentsoftheresearch

ventureinthefutureasissuesand

problemssuchasthoserelatingtothe

biosphere,theimpactsoftechnology

onsociety,andrenewableenergy

becomemoreprominent.

Despitetheneedforandthevalue

ofinterdisciplinaryresearch,

rigorousdisciplinaryresearchalso

hasintrinsicvalueandprovidesthe

foundationforinterdisciplinary

IGERT  Workshop Report 9

Interdisciplinary research can lead to major practical advances

and most ‘problem-oriented’ research is interdisciplinary.

Research Working Group, administrators

problem-orientedapproachesto

addressnewproblemsoflargescope.

Interdisciplinaryresearchhashad

importantimpactsondisciplines

intwoways.

First,paradigmswithinsingle

disciplineshaveoftenchanged

andbenefitedfromresearchers

borrowingfromandworking

withresearchersfromotherdisci-

plines.Respondingtonew

discoveriesandchallenges,

disciplineshaveadvancedby

utilizingtheoretical,experimen-

tal,andtechnologicaladvances

fromotherfields(e.g.,biological

sciencehasbeenadvancedby

discoveriesinphysicalsciences

andmathematics;archaeology

benefitsfromnewknowledgein

climatology,botany,geology,etc).

Second,manycurrentdisciplines

havegrownoutofinterdisciplin-

aryresearch;examplesinclude

cognitivepsychology,genomics,

bioinformatics,neuroscience,

andnanoscience.

Interdisciplinaryresearchmay

havesubstantialeconomicand

societalbenefittotheU.S.Ithasthe

potentialtomaintainU.S.competi-

tivenessinhigh-valueindustriesboth

throughinventionsandthrough

innovations,includingthosethat

decreasethecostandincreasethe

speedofmanyprocesses.Inindustry,

interdisciplinaryworkistherule

ratherthantheexception,and

potentialemployeeswhoknowhow

toworkwithteammatesoutside

theirownspecializedareasof

expertisearehighlyvalued.

Thecontinuingincreaseinandempha-

sisoninterdisciplinaryresearchhas

importantimplicationsforfaculty,

graduatestudents,andinstitutions

ofhighereducation.Theseissueswill

befurtherexploredinotherareasof

thisreport.Collegesanduniversitiesare

traditionallyorganizedaccordingto

disciplinarystructures,andmanyhave

nowstrategicallyoverlaiddisciplinary

structureswithsupportiveunitsor

newproceduresinordertofacilitate

interdisciplinaryinteractionsand

research.Theintegrationofthese

overlaidstructureswiththemore

traditionalstructuresalreadyin

placeneedstobearticulatedto

optimizeinterdisciplinaryresearch

andoutcomes.

Fundingagencieshaveaparallel

challenge:theymustmaintain

supportforadvancesbycore

disciplinaryresearchwhilealso

supportingresearchthatcutsacross

disciplines.Whilefederalfunding

agenciesexpresstheneedfor

interdisciplinaryapproachesto

problems,theirstructuresand

practicesfallshort.Fundingagencies

haverespondedbyfundingmulti-

investigator,interdisciplinary

proposalsorproblem-basedproposals

(suchasDepartmentofEnergyCenters

organizedaround“grandchallenges”).

However,eveninthosecaseswhere

thereisacallformoreinterdisciplin-

aryresearchproposals,theproposals

receivedareoftenreviewedbypanels

orstudysectionsthatmaynotbe

structuredtohandlethevarious

disciplinesreflectedintheproposal

contents.Therecontinuetobeconcerns

aboutthelocusofreviewandfunding

whenaproposalwithaninterdisci-

The challenge for disciplines is not to become interdisciplinary

per se, but to be responsive to new discoveries and challenges

associated with both scientific innovation and pedagogy.

Research Working Group, IGERT Principal Investigators

Interestingly, the structure of many funding agencies, like the

structure of universities, is still based on disciplines, as are the

major resource allocations. These structures face the same admin-

istrative challenges that the universities do, and are encouraged

to consider being leaders in terms of structural change.

Research Working Group, IGERT Principal Investigators

IGERT  Workshop Report10

IGERT  Workshop Report 11

plinarythemeishandledthrough

atraditionalreviewmechanism.

Measuring Interdisciplinarity

in Research

Althoughtherehasbeenagreatdeal

ofdiscussionconcerningtheimpacts

ofandneedforinterdisciplinary

research,ithasbeenchallengingto

explicitlymeasureitsvalue.Measures

ofthevalueofinterdisciplinary

researchanditsimpactcanbeframed

asshort-term(researchbreak-

throughs,developmentofnew

academicprograms);intermediate-

term(effectsonindustry,publicpolicy,

theworkforce);andlong-term

(creationofnewdisciplines).Societal

impactcanbeframedinthesame

way:broadeningparticipationin

theshort-term;developingamore

flexibleanddiverseworkforceinthe

intermediate-term;andattracting

moreK-12studentstoscienceand

engineeringinthelong-term.

Thedegreetowhichaspecificresearch

programisinterdisciplinaryandthe

extentoftheimpactofsuchaprogram

maybemeasuredbythefollowing

factors,someofwhichareeasily

recognized,andsomeofwhichwill

requireafundamentaldefinitionof

howtodevelopameasurement:

Multi-PI/co-PIexternalfunding;

Numbersofpeople(faculty,

graduatestudents,undergraduates)

activelyinvolvedinproducing

collaborativeoutcomessuchas

multi-authoredpapersin

high-impactjournals;

Filingofpatentsthatareinter-

disciplinary;

Organizediscussionsaboutresearcharoundachieving

open-endedscientificdiscoveryandaddressingsocial

challengesratherthanframingthemintermsof

disciplinaryversusinterdisciplinaryscience.

Leveloftransformationproduced

(interdisciplinaryresearchshould

partlyjustifyitsexistenceby

producinglevelsoftransformation

notpossiblewithindisciplines);

and

Connectivityamongparticipants

(aretheywellconnectedandhow

wideistheconnectivity).

Recommendations for advancing Interdisciplinary Research

Universities

Consultwithandlearnfromindustryonhowbestto

achieveteamworkoninterdisciplinaryresearchproblems

andhowtopreparepeopleforitinthefuture.

Developshort-term,intermediate-term,andlong-term

measuresofsuccessofinterdisciplinaryresearch,

encompassinginternaleffectsonpedagogy,thestructure

ofacademia,anddevelopmentofadiverseworkforcein

scienceandengineering,aswellasexternaleffectson

industry,society(societalproblems),andpolicymakers.

Formresearchteamsdrivenbyproblem-orientedresearch

challengesthatservetodefocusemphasisonwhethera

givenresearchchallengeisdisciplinaryorinterdisciplinary.

Removedisincentivesandcreateincentivesforfaculty

toengageininterdisciplinaryresearch.

Assessment of the impact of both the technology and edu-

cational outcomes (of interdisciplinary research) is extremely

difficult. A first difficulty is the time lag between when a

change is implemented and when outcomes can be measured.

Research Working Group, IGERT Principal Investigators

The need for continued support of single investigator, focused

research proposals is clear. However, it is equally clear that there

need to be efforts on the part of federal funding agencies to

foster and support interdisciplinary research.

Research Working Group, IGERT Principal Investigators

IGERT  Workshop Report12

Recommendations for advancing Interdisciplinary Research – Continued

Developnewmodelsofuniversityorganizational

structuresandfundingtofacilitateinterdisciplinary

research.

Funding agencies Reducetheboundariesbetweendisciplinesateachof

thefundingagenciestofacilitatecooperationonreview

andfunding.

Maintainabalanceoffundingbetweendisciplinary

andinterdisciplinaryresearch,emphasizingscientific

problemsasthemajordeterminantinthetypesof

fundingprogramsintheportfolio.

Increasethenumbersofgrantssupportinginter-

disciplinaryresearchandtrainingclustersandcenters

inordertoenhancethetotalinvestmentforinter-

disciplinaryresearch.

Becausetheimpactofdiscoveriesisoftenunforeseen,

maintainaportfolioapproachtoresearchfunding

includingbothresearchwithexpectedshorterterm

practicalandeconomicimpact,andresearchwithless

definedbutpotentiallylongertermimpact.

Fosterinterdisciplinaryresearchattheindividual

researchgrantlevelinadditiontothelargerinter-

disciplinarygrants.Includemorereviewerswhoare

receptivetoandconversantwithinterdisciplinary

research.Multipledisciplinaryreviewsarenotthesame

asreviewsbycolleagueswhoareexperiencedininter-

disciplinarycollaborations.

Effectivelycollaboratewithotherfundingagencies

andotherconstituencygroups,suchasindustryor

states,andlearnfromeachother’sexperience

regardinginterdisciplinaryresearchandeducation.

Beaggressiveinstayingknowledgeableabout

currentandemergingresearchareas.Onemechanism

toachievethisgoalwouldbetoexpandsupportfor

workshopsinwhichscientistsandconstituencies

convenetobrainstormresponsestocriticalinter-

disciplinaryresearchissues.

Includeinterdisciplinaryskillstrainingasapartof

grant-writingworkshops.

The Impact of Inter disciplinarity on Faculty

Thefacultyisacriticaldriverofinter-

disciplinaryresearchandeducation.

Inresponsetothedemandsofthe

changingresearchenterpriseandthe

greaterneedtoworkacrossdisciplines,

themethodsforandtypesofnew

facultyhiresarechangingrapidly.

Someuniversitiesareengagingin

interdisciplinarystrategicplanning

forthefuture,includingplanningfor

facultyhires.Typesofappointments

includeclusterhires,jointormultiple

appointments,andappointments

tootherunitssuchascentersor

institutesinadditiontodepartments.

Universitiesareclearlyadoptinga

widerangeofhiringstrategies.

Examplesofsuchhiringprocesses

andfacultyappointmentsinclude

thefollowing:

AttheUniversityofAlabama,

clusterhiresareinitiatedby

severalinterdisciplinarycenters,

butsuccessfulcandidatesdecide

whichunittheywanttojoin.

AtRutgersUniversity,cluster

hiresareattheassociateprofessor

orhigherlevelonly.

AtOregonStateUniversity,the

interdisciplinaryprogramcan

makehires,althougheachhireis

typicallyassociatedwithone

department.

AttheUniversityofWashington,a

distinguishedprofessorwashired

andallowedtobringher/histeam.

AtMichiganTechnological

University,aninterdisciplinary

clusterhiringteamcomposedof

From a faculty perspective, the change in hiring practices has

injected energy into campuses, although problems remain.

Faculty Working Group, IGERT Principal Investigators

IGERT  Workshop Report 13

researchersinsustainability

fromacrosstheuniversityinvited

candidatestoselectthedepart-

ments(uptotwoorthree)inwhich

theywouldbeplaced.

Atsomeschools,facultyhiresare

alignedwithstrategicstrengths.

AtSUNYBuffalo,forexample,

facultyhiresarealignedto

strategicstrengthsidentifiedvia

alengthybottom-upprocess.

AtNortheasternUniversity,

therehasbeenachangefrom

fillingteachingneedstofulfilling

interdisciplinaryneedswith

jointdepartmentalhires.Itis

alsocommontohavehireswith

jointdepartmental/center

appointments.

AgainatRutgersUniversity,a

facultymemberstartedin

chemicalengineeringbutwas

jointlyappointedtochemical

engineeringandbioengineering

afteracquiringtenure.

Facultymembershavemanyintrinsic

incentivestoengageininterdisci-

plinaryresearchandeducation.

Theseincludetheopportunitytodo

somethingnew,particularlyiffaculty

areatmid-career;theexcitementof

addressinglargeproblemswith

societalsignificance;abroaderrange

offundingpossibilities;opportunities

tonetworkwithotherfacultyoutside

thehomedepartment;thefunof

collaboration;theopportunityto

recruitbetterandmorediverse

students;andtheknowledgethat

thesestudentswillgetwhatthefaculty

considerabettereducation.While

theseincentivesandrewardsare

important,theymustbebolsteredby

institutionalrewardsandrecognition.

Althoughtherearemanyattractions

forinterdisciplinarywork,thereare

alsoconcernsatseverallevels.

Facultyengagingininterdisci-

plinaryactivitiesmayfindthat

tiestotheirtraditionaldisci-

plines,whetherthroughpersonal

relationshipsorprofessional

societyaffiliations,maybe

weakenedasaresultofbeing

moreengagedwithother

disciplines.

Fornewfaculty,theremaybea

riskinengagingininterdisciplinary

activitiestotheexclusionof

disciplinaryactivitiesandthus

theriskofalienationfroma

disciplinaryunit.Because

undergraduateteachingstill

revolvesarounddisciplines,there

maybeatensionbetweenthe

facultyroleasteacherand

interdisciplinaryresearcher.

Otherchallengesforfaculty

includetheneedforabroader

knowledgebasethantheirsingle-

disciplinecolleagues,thediffi-

cultyfordepartmentstoappreciate

orevaluateinterdisciplinary

research,andinterdisciplinary

team-teachingasanoverload.

Measuring and Enabling Interdisci-

plinarity in Faculty Interaction

Innovativemeasuresforthevalue

orsuccessoffacultyadoptingor

participatingininterdisciplinary

researchincludefulfillingtheneedsto:

Quantifyco-authorshipfrom

differentdisciplineswithroles

andcontributionsoffacultyon

interdisciplinaryscholarlywork

explicitlyidentified.Consider

givingeachauthorfullcredit

regardlessofauthorshipposition.

Quantifyparticipationinextra-

murallyfundedinterdisciplinary

researchandeducation.

Provetheachievementofbroader

impactswithevidenceofpolicy

impact,K-12curriculumchanges,

adoptionofresultsbytheprivate

The principal driver of effective interdisciplinary research in

areas amenable to it is the faculty.

Institutions Working Group, administrators

Is collaboration recognized at tenure time?

Faculty Working Group, administrators

IGERT  Workshop Report14

sector,andlevelofsatisfaction

withinandacrossprograms.

Quantifytheeffortinvolvedin

developinginterdisciplinary

initiatives;forexample,partici-

pationinworkinggroups,

developmentoflettersofintent

orpreliminaryproposals,and

submissionoffullproposals.

Includethenumberofstudents

supervisedwhoarefromother

departmentsasaconsideration

infacultyevaluation.

Recommendations for advancing Interdisciplinarity and Engaging Faculty

University Policies and ProceduresInordertofosterinterdisciplinarywork,universitiesshould

takethefollowingstepstobenefitthefaculty:

Developmechanismsforfacultywithtraditional

disciplinaryexpertisetolearnandembracenew

interdisciplinaryapproachesandcollaborations.

Developpathstoreducethepotentialtension

betweendisciplinaryandinterdisciplinaryinterests

whenhiringfaculty.

Developnewmodelsforevaluationoffacultycontri-

butionstointerdisciplinarywork.Allpartiesshould

agreeonsuchpoliciesasdistributionofgrantoverhead

fundsandcreditformulti-authoredpublications,

patents,andgrants.Facultyshouldhaveamechanism

tomoreexplicitlyidentifyandcommunicatetheir

individualcontributionswithinmulti-investigator

interdisciplinaryprojectsandpublications.

Removedisincentivestointerdisciplinaryteachingand

researchsuchasteachingoverloads,barriersregarding

newcurricula,andexcessiveadministrativedemands.

Addresstheincompatibilitybetweentraditional

hierarchicaladministrativestructuresandnewinter-

disciplinarycross-cuttingprograms.

Considerseparatingtheresearch/graduateteaching

functionsfromtheacademicunit-drivenundergraduate

teachingmissionsuchthatabroadermoreinterdisci-

plinaryviewcanbedevelopedbyfacultycollaborators.

Establishincentivesforthefacultytodointerdisci-

plinaryresearch.

Assistfacultysothattheymaymostefficientlyand

effectivelycarryoutinterdisciplinaryresearch.Such

assistancecouldincludeaproactiveapproachtothe

formationofinterdisciplinaryteams,includingrelease

timeinrecognitionofthetimerequired;mentoring

andtrainingofbothjuniorandseniorfacultyinthe

skillsneededtosucceedininterdisciplinaryresearch,

includingeffectivecommunicationandteambuilding;

identifyingexternalfundingopportunities;and

providingincentivessuchasseedfundingorrelease

timeforinterdisciplinaryproposalpreparation.

Rewardsuccessfulinterdisciplinaryinitiatives,for

example,allocatespaceandadditionalfacultyfull-time

equivalents(FTEs).

Collectdataandevaluatesuccessfulmodelsof

institutionsthathavedemonstratedsuccesswith

interdisciplinaryinitiatives.

Faculty hiring, appointments and assignmentsBothforprospectivefacultyandforcurrentfaculty

engagingininterdisciplinaryendeavors,absoluteclarity

andtransparencyareessentialinthefollowingareas:

Policiesfortenure,promotion,andraisesmustbelaid

outwellinadvance.Thesedecisionsaretypicallymade

withindepartments,andinterdisciplinaryactivities

takeplaceacrossdepartments.

Facultyworkloadassignmentsshouldbetransparent.

Iftheworkloadissharedacrossdepartmentsand/or

otherunits,thenaformal,writtenagreementsuchas

aMemorandumofUnderstandingshouldbereached

amongallparticipatingparties.Thepotentialdifficulties

IGERT  Workshop Report 15

Recommendations for advancing Interdisciplinarity and Engaging Faculty – Continued

ofappointmentscrossingunitswithdifferentmissions

andworkloadsmustberecognizedandaddressed.

Valuationofworkmustbeexplicit,includingboth

traditionalmeasuressuchasproductivityandfunding

obtained,andnontraditionalmeasuressuchasforma-

tionofinterdisciplinarygroups;publishingoutsidethe

homedisciplineincollaborationwithotherfaculty;

mentoringstudentsoutsidethehomedepartment;

valuingcourseofferingsthatattractstudentsfrom

otherdisciplines;andsupportingstudentsoutsidethe

homediscipline.Appropriaterewardsmustalsobe

madeexplicit.

The Impact of Inter disciplinarity on Graduate Education

Todayandinthefuture,themost

excitingresearchtopicsinclude

manythatmustbeapproached

fromtheperspectivesofmorethan

onediscipline.Tobecomesuccessful

leadersandinnovatorsintheinter-

disciplinaryscienceandengineering

oftomorrow,graduatestudentsneed

bothdisciplinarydepthandinter-

disciplinaryeducation.Inpart,the

debateaboutthekindofpreparation

graduatestudentsneedisembed-

dedintheenduringdiscussionon

breadthversusdepthingraduate

educationaswellastheemerging

discussiononthevalueoftransfor-

mativeresearch.Moreover,theques-

tionofappropriategraduate-level

preparationisrelatedtothetopics

oftransformativegraduatetrain-

ingandinterdisciplinarygraduate

training.Yetregardlessofthetype

ofgraduateeducationalprogram,it

isacceptedthatdisciplinarydepth

enablesscientistsandengineersto

bringknownandrespectedexpertise

tothetableinanycollaborativeproj-

ect.Thus,deepdisciplinaryknowl-

edgewillcontinuetobecriticaland

mustcontinuetobeinstilled.

Whilecriticalthinkingskills,creativity,

andthecapacitytocreatenew

knowledgewillcontinuetobethe

foundationsofallgraduateeducation,

so-called“softskills”mustalsobe

developedingraduatestudents.

Teamworkskillsareanecessityfor

allgraduatestudentsregardlessof

theirgraduateprograms.Teamwork

skillsincludethecriticalabilityto

communicateacrossdisciplines,and

teamworktrainingcantakeplace

eitherasapartofcourseworkor

duringworkonaresearchproject.

Governmentandindustryhavehad

moreemphasisonandexperiencein

workinginteamsthanacademia

and,thus,haveexpertiseinthisarea

thatshouldbeutilizedandadapted

foracademiccontexts.Theability

tocommunicatethevalueand

importanceofsciencetopublic

stakeholdersisalsobecomingmore

important.Therefore,effective

interdisciplinarytrainingmustalso

includemechanismsofeffective

communicationtononscientificas

wellasscientificaudiencesoutside

agivenareaofexpertise.

Inconsideringwhatconstitutes

transformativeinterdisciplinary

graduatetraining,thefollowingare

importantelements:

Trainingthatleadsstudentsto

workcomfortably,independently,

andeffectivelyatinterfaces,i.e.,

notonlyhavingtheknowledge

ofhowinterdisciplinaryteams

couldbeputtogetherandhowto

workwithpeopleinotherfields,

butalsohowtodevelopresearch

Interdisciplinary training will prepare students for the careers of

the future, which may be vastly different from the careers of today.

Graduate Education Working Group, IGERT Principal Investigators

IGERT  Workshop Report16

visionandcarryouttheresearch

atinterdisciplinaryinterfaces.

Mechanismstohelpgraduate

studentsdevelopskillsthat

enablethemtoreinventthem-

selvesthroughouttheircareers,

trackingchangesinscienceas

knowledgeevolves.

Integrationofethicalconsider-

ationsintoprofessionaldevelop-

mentofgraduatestudents.

Inadditiontoitsimportanceasan

elementoftransformativegraduate

training,interdisciplinaryresearch

stronglyattractsstudents.K-12,

undergraduate,andgraduate

studentsalikeareexcitedbythe

chancetoworkonproblemstheysee

asrelevantandimportanttosociety,

whichareofteninterdisciplinary

problems.Thereisanongoing

discussionwhetherinterdisciplinary

graduateeducation,particularlyin

areassuchassustainability,maybe

particularlyattractivetowomen

andminorities.

Studentsattheundergraduatelevel

needtodevelopflexibilityearlieron

iftheyaretomoveintointerdisci-

plinaryfieldsatthegraduatelevel.

Someundergraduateinstitutionsare

becomingmoreinterdisciplinaryin

theirundergraduatecurriculumas

occurredinresponsetotheNational

ResearchCouncil’sReportBIO 2010:

Transforming Undergraduate

Education for Future Research

Biologists.6Interdisciplinarythemes

mayprovidemorecreativeand

attractivevenuesforundergraduate

students,improvingtheretentionof

creativeanddiversestudents.

Graduatestudentsseekinginterdis-

ciplinarytrainingareperceivedto

havebroaderbackgrounds,more

independence,greatercreativity,and

morewillingnesstotakerisksthan

thoseenteringsingle-discipline

programs.Graduatestudentsgetting

interdisciplinarytrainingare

perceivedbyfacultytobecome

highlymotivated,focused,willingto

tacklecomplexproblems,more

creative,andmorewillingtotake

risks.Theymayalsoacquirethe

flexibilitynecessarytotransform

themselvesthroughouttheircareers

asresearchopportunitieschange.

Graduatestudentsundertaking

interdisciplinaryresearchare

stronglyimpactedbyanumberof

factors.Thesefactorsincludethe

numberoffacultyfromdifferent

areaswithwhomtheyinteract,as

wellasthecomplexityandbreadth

ofcurrentresearchtopics,which

demandofthemadifferentknow-

ledgebasethanthatrequiredfor

disciplinaryresearch.Positive

impactsofconductinginterdisciplin-

aryresearcharedevelopingskillsto

approachproblemsthatcannotbe

solvedbysingledisciplinesanda

broaderrangeoffacultyinputand

guidance.Potentialnegativeimpacts

mayincludelessspecializedtraining

incertainareas,aless-well-marked

professionalidentity,andamore

nebuloussetofcriteriaforsuccess.

Finally,thedepartmentalstructure

ofresourceallocationcansometimes

negativelyimpactstudentswho

workbetweendepartments.

Interdisciplinaryresearchcanbean

effectivemeansofbroadening

participationbycreatingbridges

betweenminority-servinginstitu-

tions(MSIs)andmajority-serving

institutionsatseverallevels.Exam-

plesofthewaythatthesebridges

maybebuiltareasfollows:

Strong core disciplines still provide an important foundation

for undergraduate study, but undergraduate exposure to inter-

disciplinary themes can be a strong value-added component.

academic Institutions Working Group, IGERT Principal Investigators

We must do more to promote and support undergraduate

interdisciplinary training.

Graduate Education Working Group, administrators

IGERT  Workshop Report 17

Interdisciplinaryresearch

projectscanenhancetheresearch

infrastructureavailabletofaculty

andstudentsatMSIs.Collabora-

tiveresearchprojectsenable

cost-effectiveleveragingofNSF’s

andotheragencies’investments

inresearchinfrastructure.

Researchtiesoftenleadto

educationalties,particularlyat

thegraduatelevel.Forexample,

teleconferencedresearchgroup

meetingsarethefirststepina

naturalprogressionthatcanlead

tothesharingofresearch

seminarsandgraduatecourses.

Interdisciplinaryresearchisan

effectivemeansforbuildingstrong

recruitingpipelinesbetweenMSI

andnon-MSIinstitutions.For

example,studentsfromMSIswho

workoncross-campusinterdisci-

plinaryresearchprojectsare

morelikelytoconsidergraduate

orpostdoctoralpositionsatthe

partnerinstitution.

Strongfaculty-to-facultyconnec-

tionsareinvaluableinrecruiting.

FacultyatMSIscanbeoutstanding

ambassadorsforlargeresearch

institutions.Insomecases,these

pipelinescanbeformalizedthrough

bridgeprograms.TheNSF’s

PartnershipforResearchand

EducationinMaterials(PREM)

programisanexcellentexample

ofthebridgingrolebetween

MSIsandmajorityinstitutions

thatinterdisciplinaryresearch

mayserve.

Newapproachestointerdisciplinary

trainingincludeadmissionspolicies

thatallowstudentstomakechoices

concerningtraditionaldepartments

orinterdisciplinaryprogramsor

mixturesofthese;commonintro-

ductorygraduatecoursesshared

amongdepartments;co-advisorsfrom

differentdisciplines;rotationsacross

researchlaboratories;designated

emphases,specializations,or

concentrations;interdepartmental

programsthatcutacrossdepartments;

newstructuredinterdisciplinary

programs;andindividuallydesigned

interdisciplinaryprograms.

Examplesofmechanismstoallow

orpromotestudentflexibilityand

breadthincludethefollowing:

AtSUNYBuffalo,emphasison

interdisciplinaryeducationhas

ledgraduatedirectorsfrom

differentengineeringand

physicalsciencedepartmentsto

begindevelopingcommon

introductorycoursesshared

amongdepartments.These

coursescreatespaceinthe

curriculumtodomoreinterdisci-

plinaryworkattheupperlevels.

AttheUniversityofCalifornia-

Davis,oneofthemechanisms

usedtoallowgreaterflexibility

andbreadthwhileensuring

depthinarecognizeddiscipline/

fieldisthe“DesignatedEmphasis

(DE).”Thecampushasanumber

ofDEs,suchastheDEinBiotech-

nologyandDEinBiophotonics,

whichallowPh.D.studentsfrom

avarietyofgraduategroups/

programstoreceiveadditional

traininginaparticularinter-

disciplinaryareathatisrecognized

ontheirdiplomasandtranscripts.

Forexample,theymaycomplete

aPh.D.inChemicalEngineering

alongwithaDEinBiotechnology.

Thisapproachprovidesaformal-

izedstructurethatissimilarto

“specializations”or“concentra-

tions”atotherinstitutions.

Oneofthemostimportant

considerationsistostrikeabalance

betweendisciplinaryexpertiseand

interdisciplinarytraining.

ThePennsylvaniaStateUniversity

offersgraduatestudentsadual-

titlegraduatedegreeprogram.

Studentsenterthroughadiscipline-

basedgraduateprogramand

mustthenapplytoandbe

Providing opportunities to participate in an interdisciplinary

program of study may enhance efforts to recruit a diverse

student body. The integration of undergraduate and graduate

training should be enhanced in order to improve the recruit-

ment of a diverse graduate population. The pipeline needs to

be broadened at the undergraduate level…

Faculty Working Group, IGERT Principal Investigators

IGERT  Workshop Report18

admittedintothesecondaryarea

ofstudyforsubstantialcoursework

underthesupervisionofafaculty

advisorfromthatarea.The

GraduateCouncilmustapprove

anynewlyconstituteddual-title

degree.Thestudent’sdiploma

carriesthenameofboththe

majorandthedual-titleoffering.

Anothermechanismtoencourage

interdisciplinary,collaborative

researchistoallowstudentsto

includejointlyauthoredchapters

intheirdissertations.Graduate

schoolsattheUniversityofIdaho

andtheUniversityofMinnesota

allowstudentstoincludechapters

thatareco-authoredbymultiple

students,i.e.,thesamechapteris

usedinmultipledissertations.

Thispracticegoesastepbeyond

allowingjointlyauthored

chapterstobeincludedinthe

seniorauthor’sdissertation,

whichmostuniversitiesdo.

Anothernovelapproachisthe

ACCESSprogramattheUniver-

sityofCalifornia-LosAngelesin

whichstudentsareadmittedto

graduatestudyinagiven

interdisciplinaryfieldandreceive

fundingpledgedbyparticipating

departmentsbeforetheyhave

evenselectedtheparticular

degreeprograminwhichthey

willenroll.Theycanthenselect

thedepartmentandresearch

grouptheywilljoinlateronin

theirprogram.Thisapproach

maybeeasiertoimplementin

somefieldsthanothers.For

example,sucharotationsystem

iscommoninbiologybutnotin

engineering,inwhichstudents

usuallyjoinresearchgroups

withintheirfirstyear.

The“Matrix”organization

employedatMichiganState,the

UniversityofMinnesota,andthe

UniversityofIdahoconsistsof

interdepartmentalprograms

thatenablecollaboration,

interaction,andjointefforts

amongstudentsandfacultyin

differentdepartments.

AttheUniversityofFlorida,

studentsmayenteraninterdisci-

plinaryprogramandthendecide

onthedepartmentwithwhich

theyhaveanaffinity,givingthem

exposureandoptionsacross

disciplines.

InadditiontoInterdepartmental

DegreePrograms,theUniversityof

Michiganoffersgraduatestudents

theoptionofcombiningstudies

fromtwoPh.D.programsthatwill

leadtoasinglePh.D.(theStudent-

InitiatedDegreeProgram).

AttheUniversityofMaine,

studentsintheInterdisciplinary

Ph.D.(IPhD)programmust

establishaninterdisciplinary

graduatecommitteeandnegotiate

boththeprogramofstudyand

theirsupportwithrelevant

facultymembers.

ArizonaStateUniversityhas

developedmultipleplatforms

bywhichstudentsmayenter

doctoralprograms:theymayenter

intoamoretraditionalPh.D.

programheavilygroundedina

discipline;theymayenterthrough

atraditionalPh.D.programthat

hasdevelopedahostofconcen-

trationsthataresharedbyother

interdisciplinaryprogramsand

beincourseswithstudentsfrom

otherdisciplines(withinthe

concentration);ortheymayenter

trulyinterdisciplinaryPh.D.

programswherestudentsare

partofamoreinterdisciplinary

Researchers with interdisciplinary training and a solid disciplin-

ary foundation will be required for many careers of the future.

Graduate Education Working Group, IGERT Principal Investigators

The ability to effectively work in teams to solve complex

problems will be essential to many careers in the future.

Graduate Education Working Group, IGERT Principal Investigators

IGERT  Workshop Report 19

worldandyetcantakeconcentra-

tionsandcourseworkinother

programs.Intheuniversity’s

experience,thekeyistofindthe

bestmatchforthestudents

dependingontheirgoals,

perspectives,andcareeraspirations.

Emergingfieldsareexpectedto

presentnewjobopportunities.The

promiseofacareeraftergraduation

isastrongmotivatorforgraduate

studentstoacquiretheskillsand

expertisetheywillneedforthese

careersandtocompletetheirdegrees.

Flexibilityandadaptabilitywillbe

hallmarksofsuccessfulscientistsof

thefuture,andwhileinterdisciplinary

trainingmaynotbeanadvantagein

obtainingpositionsdefinedbysingle

disciplineexpertise,itwillimprovea

graduate’spossibilitiesofobtaining

otherpositions.

Inaddition,thereisanimportantrole

fortrainingprogramsthatmakeit

possibleforgraduatestoadaptto

changesincareeropportunitiesthat

theyfaceaftergraduationandto

planforflexiblecareerpaths.Itmay

beimportanttoscreenapplicantsto

graduateprogramsnotonlyfor

academicprowessinthediscipline,

butalsoforevidenceofleadership,

communicationskills,andteamwork

experiencethatwouldenablethem

tobeflexibleintheircareers.

Measuring and Evaluating Interdis-

ciplinarity and Its Impact on Gradu-

ate Education and Students

Evaluationofinterdisciplinary

educationalprogramsmightinclude

topicsasoutlinedbelow,someof

whichareeasilymeasurableand

someofwhichwillrequirenew

methodsofmeasurement.

Numbersofstudentsattending

meetingsoutsidetheirhome

disciplines;

Numberandqualityofteam-

taughtclassesbridgingmultiple

disciplinesandacademicunits;

Studentparticipationininter-

disciplinarycollaborationsand

leadershiprolesininterdiscip-

linaryteams;

Publicationrecordsofthe

studentsintheprogram,

includingjointpublications

acrossdisciplines;

Compositionsofthesis

committeesthatincludean

interdisciplinarymix;

Thenatureoftheresearchdone

asdescribedinthethesisabstracts;

Comparinginterdisciplinary

thesesanddissertationswith

thoseofstudentsintraditional

departmentsforimpactthrough,

forexample,citations,publica-

tionsand/orcitationsininfluen-

tialjournals;and

Opportunitiesandcareerout-

comesforstudentsaftergradua-

tion.Specifically:

> Doestheemployment

obtainedmeetthestudent’s

goals?

> Dostudentsgetjobsadver-

tisedasinterdisciplinary?

> Dostudentswithinterdisci-

plinarytraininghavedifferent

careertrajectoriesthan

studentswhohavenot?Do

theyadvancemorerapidly,

havegreaterflexibility,or

followdifferentcareerpaths?

> Dothesestudentscontribute

todiscoveriesatthe“white

spaces”betweendisciplines?

> Dotheymoreoftenbecome

entrepreneurs?

> Arestudentswithinterdisci-

plinarytrainingeffective

educators,communicators,

andteambuilders?

Future STEM graduates must be able to explain why science

matters to society and how basic science and technology relate

to each other.

Graduate Education Working Group, IGERT Principal Investigators

As a nation, we cannot continue to rely on the availability of

international talent.

Graduate Education Working Group, administrators

IGERT  Workshop Report20

Recommendations for Future Interdisciplinary Graduate Education

Undergraduatesshouldbebetterpreparedtodore-

searchandshouldhavesufficientbreadthtoundertake

interdisciplinaryresearchwhentheybecomegraduate

students.

Graduatestudentsshouldbebetterpreparedtofor-

mulateandimplementbroad-basedinterdisciplinary

researchquestionsandhelpedtodevelopbetterbasic

analyticandquantitativeskills.

Newlearningtechnologiesshouldbeintegratedinto

graduateeducation.

Graduateeducationofthefutureshouldfreeitself

fromthe“3-creditintellectualstructure”andbegin

creatingmoreimmersionandmoduleexperiencesthat

focusonknowledgeandcompetencieswithappropriate

learningoutcomesattheendoftheexperience.Asthe

breadthanddepthofknowledgeandskillsrequiredby

interdisciplinarystudentsincrease,theorganizationof

trainingexperiencesmustbereconfiguredforthemost

effectiveandefficientdelivery.

Mechanismsshouldbedevelopedtosupportteamwork

ingraduateeducationandinthesistopicresearch.

Modelsfortransformativeinterdisciplinarygraduate

trainingmaybefoundinsuccessfulcollaborationsfrom

thepastwhereinterdisciplinaryteamsmadeincredible

advances.Thisapproachcouldbeusedmorebroadly

toengageyoungscholarsfromdisparatedisciplines

totacklesignificantscientificchallengesandsocietal

problems.Itwouldfostercollaborativeeffortsinfields

wheresingle-investigatorresearchistraditionallymore

common.

Specificoutcomesforskilldevelopmentinthebroad

topicofprofessionalskillsneedtobedevelopedand

trainingneedstobematchedtotheseoutcomes.Skills

forcommunicationandengagementwiththepublic;

traininginethicsandresponsibleconductofresearch;

globalawareness;andtheabilitytousenewlearning

technologies,incorporatingmorecooperativeand

collaborativelearningtechniquesandgreaterbreadth

shouldbeincluded.

Recognizingtheuniquestressesongraduatestudents

ininterdisciplinaryprograms,mentoringandtracking

shouldbecarefullyplanned.

Fundingmechanismswithintheuniversityaretypically

tiedtodepartmentsbutshouldbemoreportable.A

fundingmechanismforthefirstyearofgraduateschool

shouldallowgreaterexplorationpriortochoosingan

advisorandresearcharea.Further,supportmechanisms

shouldbefoundtofundgraduatestudentsinaway

thatallowsandencouragestheireducationandre-

searchtocrossinstitutionalunits.

Multi-yearsupportshouldbeguaranteed,butamix

ofexperiencesshouldbeensured,includingteaching

experienceforthoseaimingatcareersinacademia.

Dissertation-yearfellowshipsupportisdesirableso

thatgraduatestudentsmaycarryoutinterdisciplinary

thesisresearch.

Buildingcollaborativeinterdisciplinaryresearch

involvingbothminority-servingandmajorityinstitutions

shouldbeutilizedasameanstobroadenparticipation

inscienceandengineering.

Credentialingthroughdual-degreeprograms,certificates,

minors,concentrations,designatedemphases,orother

meansshouldbefoundtoidentifyagraduatestudent’s

interdisciplinarytrainingandpotentiallyaidincommu-

nicatingbothdisciplinarydepthandinterdisciplinary

breadthtopotentialemployers.

WhilethereisaneedtoincreasethenumberofU.S.

citizensandpermanentresidentsinscienceand

engineeringsothatinnovationisnotoutsourced,

admissionspoliciesshouldtakeintoaccountnotonly

studentdemandandstudentfundingavailabilitybut

alsoworkforceneedsandtheplacementsofgraduates

inspecificfields,includinginterdisciplinaryfields.

RecruitmentofunderrepresentedminoritiestoSTEM

graduatestudyshouldfocusongrowingtheentire

pipelineratherthanredistributingafixednumberof

minoritystudentswhowouldbeboundforgraduate

schoolinanycase.Interdisciplinaryresearchontopics

ofsocietalsignificancecanbeanimportantattractant.

IGERT  Workshop Report 21

The Impact of Inter disciplinarity on Academic Institutions

Themagnitudeandscopeofinterdis-

ciplinaryresearch—andstructures

andincentivestosupportit—vary

significantlyacrossacademic

institutions.Thoseinstitutionsthat

havefocusedondisciplinesthatare

historicallybasedonsolitaryrather

thancollaborativescholarshipareby

designlessinterdisciplinaryin

structureandoutlook.Boththesize

ofaninstitutionandtheamountof

disciplinaryteachingresponsibilities

haveanimportantimpactonthe

faculty’sabilitytofocusonandthe

freedomtopursueopportunities

outsidetheirowndisciplines.Small

departmentsmaynothavethe

resourcestoallocatetointerdisci-

plinaryresearchorteachingwithout

threateningtheirabilitytodeliver

theircorecurriculum.Yetsmaller

institutionsmayalsohavethe

advantageofbeingabletoimple-

mentchangeintargeted,strategic

areasmorequickly.Largerinstitu-

tionsmayhavemoreresourcesand

mayhavemoreopportunitiesto

“grow”interdisciplinaryresearchor

educationatrelativelylittlerisk.

Disciplinesarenotfixedintimebut

continuetoevolve,andthusthe

universitymustadaptadministra-

tivelyandstructurallytoaccommo-

datethisevolution.Departments

mayretainthesametitle,butthey

canbequitedifferentthanthey

wereseveraldecadesago.Examples

includeBiologyandMechanical

Engineering.Someresearchareas,

suchasMaterialsScience,didnot

existasdisciplinesuntilquiterecently.

Somedepartments,suchasNeuro-

science,beganasinterdisciplinary

endeavors,andsometimesformation

ofnewdepartmentstakesplacelong

aftertheirfoundingdisciplinesare

recognized,asinthecaseofComputer

Science.Instillothercases,research

centersandinstitutesratherthan

departmentshavebeencreatedto

bringfacultytogethertoworkon

researchproblemsthatcross

disciplinaryboundaries.

Changesindepartmentaland

universitypracticeareoftenbased

onnewresearchchallenges,and

thesechangesarenumerous.

Traditionaldepartmentsarehiring

facultyoutsidetheirowndisciplines

(chemistshiringbiologists,chemical

engineeringunitshiringchemistry

andbiologymajors).Newinter-

disciplinarydepartmentsarenaturally

evolvingfromclusterhiresorcenters.

Traditionaldepartmentsarebeginning

tolookoutward,andtheirfacultyare

moreconnectedacrossdisciplines.

Facultymayhavejointormultiple

appointments.Physicallocationsof

facultyfromtraditionaldepartments

andinterdisciplinaryprogramsmaybe

atvariousplacesoncampus.Faculty

officesmaybeinacentralized

locationbuttheirlaboratoriesmaybe

inotherbuildingswhereequipment

canbesharedacrossdisciplines.

Thesenewstructuresareoften

formedbasedonnewchallenges,

andnotonthecorediscipline,

providingacontextinwhichto

engageandconnectfaculty.

Centralunitscanfacilitateinter-

disciplinaryresearchbythetypeof

facultypositionscreatedandby

providingproximalresearchspaceand

corefacilities.Continuedsuccessful

facultycollaborationrequires

recognitionoftheimportanceof

theseinterdisciplinaryeffortsasthey

arefrequentlyoutsidetheusual

criteriafortenureandpromotion.

Strategicfacultyhiringwithshared

positionsbetweendepartmentscan

bekeytofosteringthedevelopment

ofnewareasofinterdisciplinary

collaboration.Successintheseshared

Evolution is pervasive!

academic Institutions Working Group, Principal Investigators

IGERT  Workshop Report22

positionsrequiresclearandtrans-

parentunderstandingsbetween

deans,departmentchairs,andfaculty

aboutpromotionandtenurecriteria.

Whiletheincentivesforinterdisci-

plinarycollaborationaresubstantial,

therearealsosignificantdisincentives

forchangetowardinterdisciplinary

researchandeducation.Amongthe

mostimportantdisincentivesare

structuresandpoliciesthatplace

disciplinaryresearchandtrainingin

conflictwithinterdisciplinaryresearch

andtrainingorthatdonotsupportthe

infrastructurerequiredforinterdisci-

plinarysuccess.Observationsfromthe

workshopregardingstructureand

policychallengesincludethefollowing:

Policiespertainingtofaculty

incentivesandrewardsincluding

tenureandpromotioncriteriaare

oftenimplementedprimarilyby

departments.

Stringentwithin-discipline

accreditingcriteriaatthe

institutioncanlimitshared

facultytimeforinterdisciplinary

teachingandresearch.

Departmentalresponsibilitiesfor

theundergraduatecurriculum

canimpactnotonlyfaculty

participationininterdisciplinary

activities,butalsograduatestudent

participationthroughheavy

requirementsfordepartmental

teachingassistantshipsthatare

importantforstudentsupport.

Thecurrentrankingsystemsbya

varietyofenterprises,including

theNationalResearchCouncil,

havetaxonomiesrootedin

traditionaldisciplines.These

rankingsareusedbothexternally

andinternallytoevaluate

programsanddepartments.

Thoseprogramsthathavemoved

towardinterdisciplinaryeducation

arerankedinappropriatelyornot

rankedatalland,therefore,are

atadisadvantageforapplicants

usingtherankingsystemsas

importantcriteriainevaluating

theirchoiceofwhichinstitutions

toattend,oradministrators

valuingtheprogramswithin

theinstitution.

Researchandadministrative

staffmembersareimpacted

byinterdisciplinaryprograms,

sincetheymustrespondtoa

broaderclientele.Thefinancial

supportfortheseindividualscan

beasharedresponsibilityamong

variouscentralunitsortheycan

betemporarypositionspaid

fromanyinterdisciplinary

funding(e.g.,IGERT).Theformer

modelprovidesthemoststability

butistheleastused.Thesecond,

soft-moneysolutionisthe

morecommonandistheleast

desirableformanyreasons

includinglackofstability,

insufficientfundsforthese

functions,andtemporarystaff

thatlackinstitutionalmemory

orsufficienttrainingingrants

oracademicmanagement

processes.

Therecanbeamajorimpact

ongrantsmanagementbythe

institution,sinceinterdisciplinary

proposalsubmissionandman-

agementaremorecomplex.This

impactcanbeaburdenforsmall

departmentsorpotentially

confusingifthereisnotsufficient

clarityontheprocess.

Inaddition,severalchallengesarise

inmeasuringproductivityand

assigningcreditforinterdisciplinary

endeavorsacrossinstitutionalunits:

Perspectivesconcerningauthor-

shipsdifferamongdisciplines

(e.g.,perceivedmeritofsingle

versusmulti-authorpublications,

authororderinrecognitionof

contribution,etc.),

Theassignmentofcreditfor

collaborativeproducts(proposal

submission,funding,graduate

thesiswork)isdifficult.

FTEdistributionacrossunitsfor

courseswithstudentsenrolled

fromdifferentdisciplines

oftendiffers.

Many pressing problems requiring solution are interdisci-

plinary, so there is a mismatch between current disciplinary

structure and the nature of inquiry.

Graduate Education Working Group, IGERT Principal Investigators

IGERT  Workshop Report 23

Theimportanceofinterdisciplinary

collaborationsforthefutureofthe

scientificenterprisehasalsoprompt-

edexaminationinternationally,and

modelsforinterdisciplinaryresearch

andgraduateeducationarebeing

developedthatsucceedinrespecting

existingculturaldifferences.Itis

importanttoexploreinstitutional

arrangementsthatmightbeusefully

adoptedoradapted.TheU.S.model

ofgraduateeducationfocuseson

purelyacademicinstitutionsand

independentresearchinstitutes,most

ofwhicharestructuredmuchlike

academicinstitutions.

Incontrast,manyEuropeanmodels

linkinginterdisciplinaryresearchwith

graduateeducationincludemuch

closercollaborationsbetween

academicinstitutionsandtheprivate

sector.Theprivatesectorcollaboration

canworkverywellforbothbasicand

appliedresearch,dependingonthe

fieldandindustryinvolved.Amajor

limitation,however,istheconflictof

interestbetweenthefacultymember’s

freedomtopublishandtheprivate

sector’sintellectualpropertyposition.

Anothercommonresearchand

educationmodelthatisusedoutside

theU.S.isinterdisciplinaryresearch

andgraduateeducationconcentrated

ingovernmentlaboratories.The

currentlimitationsintheU.S.forthe

governmentlaboratorymodel

comparedtoothercountriesinclude

differentmodelsofprimaryand

secondaryeducationinothercountries,

differentmodelsforthestructureof

thescientificworkforce,different

accreditingstructuresanddiffering

viewsofandrolesofgovernmentlabs.

U.S.accreditingassociationshave

beenreluctanttograntaccreditation

tonon-academicinstitutions,sothe

lattermustpartnerwithanacademic

institutiontobeaccreditedfor

graduateeducation.Theprincipal

tensionistheperceptionthatthe

facultyofoneunitisresponsiblefor

theteachingandtheothergetsthe

benefitofthetrainedstudent.

Someexamplesofinternational

modelsinclude:

TheMaxPlanckInstitutes

(Germany)modelforindustry

andgovernmentparticipation

alonginterdisciplinarythemes.

TheAustralianCommonwealth

ScientificandIndustrialResearch

Organisation(CSIRO)modelin

whichindustry,government,and

academiacollaboratewith

aspectsofathinktankoperation

includingvisitinginternational

scientists,afluidandopen

environment,numerousstudent

opportunities,anunderstanding

ofindustryneeds,andconsul-

tancyareanormalexpectation

forCSIROresearchers.

Theincreasingimportanceof

graduateeducationatinternational

sitesservesasareminderthat

scienceandengineeringareglobal,

andthatU.S.Ph.D.graduateswillbe

incompetitionwithdoctoral

graduatesfromabroad.TheU.S.

mustcontinuetonurturecreativity

anddevelopthoseskillsthatwill

serveitsgraduateswellinthefuture.

Measuring Interdisciplinarity in

Academic Institutions

Generallyspeakingthesame

metricsusedtoevaluatedisci-

plinaryresearchandeducation

(e.g.,publications,funding,

studentoutcomes)canbeusedto

evaluateinterdisciplinary

programs,buttheyneedtobe

evaluatedindependently.

Specificmetricsneedtobe

developedatalllevels—faculty,

student,andinstitutional.

The university, department or school must establish metrics to

reward interdisciplinary activity.

academic Institutions Working Group, administrators

The most important incentives for interdisciplinary research

and education are that they attract and retain high-quality

faculty and students.

academic Institutions Working Group, administrators

IGERT  Workshop Report24

Recommendations for supporting Interdisciplinarity in academic Institutions

Institutionsmustbestrategicinplanningforinvest-

mentininterdisciplinaryresearchandeducationbased

ontheirstrengths,sizes,andtypes.

Institutionsshouldmovefromhierarchicalstructuresto

moredynamicandflexiblestructuresinwhichfaculty

havesomefluidityofmovementbetweenoracross

disciplinaryhomes.

Physicalspaceandsharedfacilitiessuchasmicroscopy

unit,analyticallabs,etc.,thatbringpeopletogether

shouldbeprovidedtosupportcollaborativework.

Interdisciplinarygraduateeducationshould,inmost

cases,remainsolidlybasedindisciplinaryprograms

whileallowingforamechanismfornewprogramsto

evolve.

Newfacultypositionsforinterdisciplinaryresearchand

educationrequireclarityofexpectations,andallparties

mustbeincludedinthecontract.

Newelementsofpromotionandtenureguidelines

needtobeaddedtoincluderecognitionandrewardfor

contributionstointerdisciplinaryresearchandeducation.

Supportforinterdisciplinaryresearchandeducation

shouldbeextendedintoundergraduateeducation.

Supportisrequiredforadministrativehelpandother

personnelandmayneedtoincludefundingsources

externaltotheinstitution.

Linksbetweenmajorityandminorityinstitutions

shouldbeforgedinordertotakeadvantageofthe

attractionofinterdisciplinaryresearchtobroaden

participationinscienceandengineering.

Institutionsshouldexploreestablishinginternalgrant-

ingprogramsthatrequireinterdisciplinarycollaboration.

Waysofbetterorganizingtheinstitutionshouldbe

foundtotakeadvantageofnewexternalinterdisciplin-

aryfundingopportunities.

IGERT  Workshop Report 25

References

1 CommitteeonScience,Engineer-

ingandPublicPolicy(COSEPUP).

(1995).Reshaping the Graduate

Education of Scientists and

Engineers.Washington,DC:

NationalAcademiesPress.

2 CommitteeonFacilitating

InterdisciplinaryResearch,

CommitteeonScience,Engineer-

ing,andPublicPolicy(COSEPUP).

(2004).Facilitating Interdiscip-

linary Research.Washington,DC:

NationalAcademiesPress.

3 NationalScienceFoundation.

(2006).Evaluation of the Initial

Impacts of the National Science

Foundation’s Integrative Gradu-

ate Education and Research

Traineeship Program(NSF06-17).

Arlington,VA:NationalScience

FoundationPrintingOffice.

4 NationalScienceFoundation.

(2008).Integrative Graduate

Education and Research Trainee-

ship (IGERT): 2006-2007 Annual

Report(NSF08-40).Arlington,VA:

NationalScienceFoundation

PrintingOffice.

5 CommitteeonFacilitating

InterdisciplinaryResearch,

CommitteeonScience,Engineer-

ing,andPublicPolicy(COSEPUP).

Facilitating Interdisciplinary

Research.(2004).Washington,DC:

NationalAcademiesPress.

6 NationalResearchCouncilofthe

NationalAcademiesofScience.

(2003).BIO 2010: Transforming

Undergraduate Education for

Future Research Biologists.

Washington,DC:National

AcademiesPress.

IGERT  Workshop Report 27

Photo Credits

FrontCover(lefttoright):

IGERTFellowAmyHenry

andThaiPh.D.student

PanpimThrongsripong

collectingdiseasevectors

inatropicalforestnear

KhaoYaiNationalPark

inThailand.(0549514:

Wilcox,University

ofHawaii)

Credit: Ron Paik,

University of Hawaii

Climatechange

representsoneoftoday’s

mostprominentscientific

challenges,andpolar

bearsareoneofthemany

speciesaffectedby

climatechange.Charles

Kolstad,principal

investigatorofanIGERT

projectbringingtogether

economicsand

environmentalscience

attheUniversityof

CaliforniaatSanta

Barbara(UCSB),gave

graduatestudentNick

Burgeranopportunityto

workwithhimasalead

authorofasectionofthe

fourthreportofthe

IntergovernmentalPanel

onClimateChange(IPCC).

(0114437:Kolstad,

UniversityofCalifornia-

SantaBarbara)

Credit: Susanne Miller, U.S.

Fish and Wildlife Service

BLMco-campdirector,

ChristopherNoyles,using

theSUBRGPSequipment

tomeasurethelocationof

aMichiganTechseismic

monitoringsystem

deployedontheBering

Glacier,Alaska.(0333401:

Sutherland,Michigan

TechnologicalUniversity)

Credit: Bob Shuchman,

MTRI

UniversityofWashington

IGERTtraineesandfaculty

workwithSichuan

Universitystudentsand

JiuzhaigouNationalPark

Stafftoestablish

permanentecological

plotsinformerTibetan

pasturesandfarmland.

(0333408:Hinckley,

UniversityofWashington)

Credit: Julie Combs

BootCamp2007IGERT

traineeSilviaCermelli-

Ferrantepreparessamples

inIGERTfacultymember

Dr.EdwardNelson’slab.

IGERTstudentswere

introducedtoflow

cytometry,whichis

atechnologythat

simultaneouslymeasures

andthenanalyzesmultiple

physicalcharacteristicsof

singleparticles,usually

cells,astheyflowina

fluidstreamthrough

abeamoflight.(0549479:

Li,Universityof

California-Irvine)

Credit: Rachel Mangold

Page3:Membersofthe

departmentofbiological

sciencesattheUniversity

ofAlabama,areshownat

theSipseyRiverfloodplain

inwest-centralAlabama,

afieldsiteusedfor

researchbyIGERT

trainees.(9972810:Ward,

UniversityofAlabama-

Tuscaloosa)

Credit: Dr. Amelia K.

Ward, Center for

Freshwater Studies,

University of Alabama

Page4:Avoidingthe

tropicalheat,Hawaii

IGERTstudentssort

collectedmosquito

sampleslateatnightnear

KhaoYaiNationalParkin

Thailand.(0549514:

Wilcox,Universityof

Hawaii)

Credit: Ron Paik,

University of Hawaii

Page8:Anorthern

saw-whetowl(Aegolius

acadicus)inthePacific

NorthwestForest,partof

aresearchstudyinthe

PacificNorthwestForest

byJohnMarzluff,College

ofForestResources,

UniversityofWashington.

(0114351:Bradley,

UniversityofWashington)

Credit: John Marzluff,

College of Forest Resources,

University of Washington

Page9:ALandsat

ThematicMappersatellite

imagefrom2002showing

landcoverforcentral

PugetSoundinWashington

State.Thesetypesofmaps

areusedbyIGERTPIs

andtraineestobetter

understandthewaysin

whichhumansinteract

withtheirenvironment.

(0114351:Bradley,

UniversityofWashington)

Credit: Jeffrey Hepinstall,

Urban Ecology Research

Laboratory, Department

of Urban Design and

Planning, University of

Washington

Page10:Thispicturewas

takenin2007,oneyear

afterthe2006Tripod

ComplexFireinnorthern

WashingtonState.The

wildfireswereinitiatedby

twolightningstrikesand

spreadover175,000acres

ofmixedconiferforestin

theOkanoganNational

Forest.TheTripod

Complexwasoneofthe

largestwildfiresin

Washingtoninthepast

half-century,costingmore

than$82millionin

resourcestofight.

(0333408:Hinckley,

UniversityofWashington)

Credit: Joanne Ho, College

of Forest Resources,

University of Washington

Page13:AnO’ahuEarly

DetectionProjectintern,

JoshuaAtwood,and

internshiphostDanielle

Frohlichuseakeyto

identifyanon-native

palmspeciesduringa

botanicalsurveyin

Waipahu,O’ahu.

(0504103:August,

UniversityofRhode

Island)

Credit: Joshua Atwood,

University of Rhode Island

Page14:AMEIGERT

personnelworkwitha

strokesurvivorusingthe

mediatedrehabilitation

systemdevelopedbythe

program.(0504647:

Rikakis,ArizonaState

University)

Credit: Hari Sundaram,

Arizona State University

Page15:AnO’ahuEarly

DetectionProjectintern,

JoshuaAtwood,assists

botanistsfromtheO’ahu

InvasiveSpecies

Committeeinremoving

theinvasiveplantMiconia

calvescensfromManoa

Valleyontheislandof

O’ahu.(0504103:August,

UniversityofRhode

Island)

Credit: Joshua Atwood,

University of Rhode Island

Page16:BrianSchulkin,

anIGERTtraineeand

doctoralstudentin

physicsatRensselaer

PolytechnicInstitutehas

inventedanultralight,

handheldterahertz

spectrometercalledthe

Mini-Z.(0333314:Wang,

RensselaerPolytechnic

Institute)

Credit: Rensselaer/

Kris Qua

Page17:TTUWindfluvana:

Studentsandinstructors

visitingwindfarmnear

Lubbock,Texas.(0221688:

Mehta,TexasTech

University)

Credit: Courtesy of Wind

Science and Engineering

Research Center, Texas

Tech University - Kishor C.

Mehta

Page18:Shubha

Chakravartyconducting

fieldworkinKenya.

(0333418:Stiglitz,

Affiliation)

Credit: Shubha Chakravarty

Page21(bottom):This

pictureoverlookspartsof

theOkanoganNational

Forestthatwerenot

consumedbythe2006

TripodComplexwildfire.

Thebrown-coloredtrees

signalthattheareahas

beenattackedbythebark

beetle.Dead,standing

trees(brown)intermixed

withlivetreesincrease

thechancesoffire

occurring,andreducesthe

chanceofsurvivalofthe

neighboringlive,green

trees.Thisisbecause

standingdeadtreesactas

dryfuelsinthecanopy.

Theyallowfirenotonlyto

burnontheground,but

alsoinducecrownfirein

thecanopy.(0333408:

Hinckley,Universityof

Washington)

Credit: Joanne Ho, College

of Forest Resources,

University of Washington

Page21(top):Susannah

Gordon-Messer

demonstrateshowto

makeslimeduringa

programattheDiscovery

MuseumsinActon,MA.

(0549390:Marder,

BrandeisUniversity)

Credit:Vicki Green, The

Discovery Museums

IGERT  Workshop Report28

Page22:Referencestand

10oftheH.J.Andrews

Long-termEcological

Research(LTER)site

provideslong-term

monitoringofforest

conditions,allowing

researcherstoreconstruct

pastdisturbancesand

understandhowthese

pasteventshaveshaped

thecharacteroftoday’s

forest.(0333257:Jones,

OregonStateUniversity)

Credit: Al Levno,

USDA Forest Service,

Pacific Northwest

Research Station

BackCover(lefttoright):

BootCamp2007IGERT

studentsaretrained

insidetheIntegrated

NanosystemsResearch

Facilityonmicrofabrica-

tiontechniques.Richard

Chang(center)back-

groundIGERTtrainee

MarkMerlo.(0549479:

Li,Universityof

California–Irvine)

Credit: Rachel Mangold

Electrodearraysmaller

thanapenny.(0549352:

Touretzky,Carnegie

MellonUniversity)

Credit: Ryan Kely,

Matthew Smith, and Tai

Sing Lee, Center for the

Neural Basis of Cognition,

Carnegie Mellon University

IGERTTraineeScotWaye

presenteda30-minute

discussionofcommon

indoorairpollutantsand

theirsourcestokickoffa

trainee-organizedpublic

workshoponindoorair

quality.(Corsi:University

ofTexasAustin)

Credit: Ralph Barrera,

Austin-American

Statesman

Appendix 1List of Workshop Participants Organized by Working Groups

IGERT Principal Investigators

Dr. John Flach

Professor / Chair of Psychology

Wright State University

Dr. Melissa Hines

Professor, Director, Cornell Center

for Materials Research

Cornell University

Dr. Hutchison Keith

Professor of Biochemistry, Micro -

biology and Molecular Biology

UniversityofMaine

Dr. Timothy A. Kohler

Regents Professor of Anthropology

Washington State University

Dr. Kenneth A. Oye

Associate Professor of Political

Science and Engineering Systems

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Dr. Anu Ramaswami

Professor of Civil Engineering

University of Colorado Denver

Dr. John W. Sutherland

Henes Chair Professor

of Mechanical Engineering

Michigan Technological University

Dr. Branka Valcic

(for Dr. Gary Kofinas)

Assistant Professor of Economics

University of Alaska Fairbanks

Dr. Ouri Wolfson

Professor of Computer Science

University of Illinois Chicago

Dr. Neal W. Woodbury

Professor of Chemistry

and Biochemistry

Arizona State University

Administrators

Dr. John A. Bantle II

Vice President for Research

and Graduate Studies

Wright State University

Dr. Joe Benson

Interim Vice President for Research

University of Alabama Tuscaloosa

Dr. John Brighton

Vice President for Research

and Economic Development

Iowa State University

Dr. James A. Calvin

Interim Vice President for Research

Texas A&M University

Dr. Larry H. Danziger

Interim Vice Chancellor for Research

University of Illinois Chicago

Dr. Sandra Degen

Vice President for Research

University of Cincinnati

Dr. Arthur Ellis

Vice Chancellor for Research

University of California San Diego

Dr. Pierre Hohenberg

Senior Vice Provost for Research

New York University

Dr. Jorge V. José

Vice President for Research

University at Buffalo, The State

University of New York

REsEaRch WoRkInG GRoUP

IGERT  Workshop Report 29

IGERT  Workshop Report30

Dr. Richard W. Linton

Vice President for Research

and Graduate Studies

University of Oregon Eugene

Dr. Thomas N. Parks

Vice President for Research

University of Utah

Dr. Sandra Schneider

Associate Vice President for Research

University of South Florida

Dr. James Siedow

Vice Provost for Research

Duke University

Dr. M.J. Soileau

Vice President for Research

and Commercialization

University of Central Florida

Dr. Michael Witherell

Vice Chancellor for Research

University of California

Santa Barbara

IGERT Principal Investigators

Dr. Peter V. August

Director, Coastal Institute

University of Rhode Island

Dr. Lee Fitzgerald

Associate Professor of Wildlife

and Fisheries Sciences

Texas A&M University

Dr. Thomas M. Hinckley

Professor of Forest Resources

University of Washington

Dr. David C. Johnson

Professor of Chemistry

University of Oregon Eugene

Dr. John Little

(for Dr. Michael Hochella)

Professor of Civil

and Environmental Engineering

Virginia Polytechnic Institute

and State University

Dr. Bangalore S. Manjunath

Professor of Electrical

and Computer Engineering

University of California Santa Barbara

Dr. Prabhas V. Moghe

Professor of Biomedical Engineering;

Chemical and Biochemical

Engineering

Rutgers University

Dr. David D Myrold

Professor of Crop and Soil Science

Oregon State University

Dr. Alan Rabideau

Professor of Civil, Structural and

Environmental Engineering

University at Buffalo,

The State University of New York

Dr. Susan Roberts

Associate Professor of Chemical

Engineering

University of Massachusetts Amherst

Dr. Sara Wadia-Fascetti

Associate Professor of Civil

and Environmental Engineering

Northeastern University

Dr. Amelia K. Ward

Professor of Biological Sciences

University of Alabama Tuscaloosa

Administrators

Dr. John Cunningham

Deputy Provost and Dean

of Undergraduate Education

University of Massachusetts Amherst

Dr. Patrick V. Farrell

Provost

University of Wisconsin – Madison

Dr. Brad Fenwick

Vice Chancellor for Research

and Engagement

University of Tennessee Knoxville

Dr. Steve Fluharty

Vice Provost for Research

University of Pennsylvania

Dr. Michael R. Gottfredson

Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost

University of California Irvine

Dr. Jim Hageman

Associate Vice Chancellor for Research

University of Colorado Denver

Dr. John Huchra

Senior Advisor to the Provost

for Research Policy

Harvard University

FacUlTY WoRkInG GRoUP

IGERT  Workshop Report 31

Dr. Mark S. Kamlet

Provost and Senior Vice President

Carnegie Mellon University

Dr. Charles Louis

Vice Chancellor for Research

University of California Riverside

Dr. Michele Marcolongo

Associate Vice Provost

Drexel University

Dr. Stephen McKnight

Vice Provost for Research

Northeastern University

Dr. Mark G. McNamee

Senior Vice President and Provost

Virginia Polytechnic Institute

and State University

Dr. Buck Sharpton

Vice Chancellor for Research

University of Alaska Fairbanks

GRadUaTE EdUcaTIon WoRkInG GRoUP

IGERT Principal Investigators

Dr. Nilsa Bosque-Perez

Professor of Plant, Soil

and Entomological Sciences

University of Idaho

Dr. Mary Anne Carroll

Professor of Atmospheric Oceanic

and Space Sciences; Chemistry;

Geological Sciences

University of Michigan

Dr. Alexander N. Cartwright

Professor of Electrical Engineering

University at Buffalo,

The State University of New York

Dr. Fred C. Dyer

Professor of Zoology

Michigan State University

Dr. Robin Garrell

Professor of Chemistry

and Biochemistry

University of California Los Angeles

Dr. Shaik Jeelani

Vice President for Research

and Sponsored Programs /

Director of the Center for

Advanced Materials

Tuskegee University

Dr. Karen McDonald

Professor and Associate Dean

of Chemical Engineering

and Materials Science

University of California Davis

Dr. Ray Newman

Professor of Fisheries, Wildlife,

and Conservation Biology

University of Minnesota Twin Cities

Dr. Paul S. Russo

Professor of Chemistry

Louisiana State University

and A&M College

Dr. Joe B. Whitehead

Professor of Physics and Astronomy

University of Southern Mississippi

Administrators

Dr. Maria Allison

University Vice Provost and Dean

of the Graduate College

Arizona State University

Dr. Jonathan Bagger

Vice Provost for Graduate

and Postdoctoral Programs

Johns Hopkins University

Dr. Sally Francis

Dean of the Graduate School

Oregon State University

Dr. Henry Frierson

Associate Vice President and Dean

University of Florida

Dr. Karen Gleason

Associate Dean of Engineering

for Research

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Dr. Jon Harbor

Associate Vice President for Research

Purdue University

Dr. Mary Lidstrom

Vice Provost for Research

University of Washington

Dr. Patrick S. Osmer

Vice Provost for Graduate Studies

and Dean of the Graduate School

The Ohio State University

Dr. Roberto Peccei

Vice Chancellor for Research

University of California Los Angeles

IGERT  Workshop Report32

Dr. Daniel H. Sandweiss

Dean and Associate Provost

for Graduate Studies

University of Maine

Dr. Brian B. Schwartz

Vice President for Research

and Sponsored Programs

The Graduate Center of the

City University of New York

Dr. Carol Sigelman

Associate Vice President for Graduate

Studies and Academic Affairs

George Washington University

Dr. Stein Sture

Vice Chancellor for Research

and Dean of the Graduate School

University of Colorado Boulder

Dr. Andrew Szeri

Dean of the Graduate Division

University of California Berkeley

acadEmIc InsTITUTIons WoRkInG GRoUP

IGERT Principal Investigators

Dr. Christopher Atkeson

Professor of Robotics Institute

and Human-Computer

Interaction Institute

Carnegie Mellon University

Dr. Shekhar Bhansali

Associate Professor

of Electrical Engineering

University of South Florida

Dr. Alexander Couzis

(for Dr. Morton Denn)

Professor of Chemical Engineering

City University of New York

City College

Dr. Abhaya Datye

Distinguished Professor of Chemical

and Nuclear Engineering

University of New Mexico

Dr. Susan E. Duncan

Professor of Food Science

and Technology

Virginia Polytechnic Institute

and State University

Dr. Jeffrey L. Feder

Professor of Biological Sciences

University of Notre Dame

Dr. William Inskeep

Professor of Land Resources

and Environmental Sciences

Montana State University

Dr. Kishor C. Mehta

Horn Professor of Civil Engineering

Texas Tech University

Dr. Claudia M. Neuhauser

Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs /

HHMI and Distinguished McKnight

University Professor

University of Minnesota Rochester

Dr. Jonathon A. Patz

Professor of Environmental Studies

and Population Health

University of Wisconsin – Madison

Dr. Thanassis Rikakis

Professor of Arts, Media

and Engineering Program

Arizona State University

Dr. Mary E. Watwood

Professor / Chair of Biological Sciences

Northern Arizona University

Administrators

Dr. Robert J. Bernhard

Vice President for Research

University of Notre Dame

Dr. Royce C. Engstrom

Provost and Vice President

for Academic Affairs

The University of Montana

Dr. Joseph Fedock

Senior Vice Provost

Montana State University

Dr. Bernadette Gray-Little

Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost

University of North Carolina

Chapel Hill

Dr. Karlene Hoo

Associate Vice President for Research

Texas Tech University

Dr. Barbara Horwitz

Interim Provost & Executive

Vice Chancellor

University of California Davis

Dr. Laura Huenneke

Vice President for Research

Northern Arizona University

IGERT  Workshop Report 33

Dr. George Klinzing

Vice Provost for Research

University of Pittsburgh

Dr. Bruce E. Koel

Interim Vice Provost for Research

Lehigh University

Dr. Lesley Lovett-Doust

Provost and Vice President

for Academic Affairs

Michigan Technological University

Dr. Eva J. Pell

Senior Vice President for Research /

Dean of the Graduate School

Pennsylvania State University

Dr. Maria Pellegrini

Vice President for Research

Brandeis University

Dr. John Russell

Associate Dean

for Graduate Education

Washington University School

of Medicine

Dr. Wolf W. von Maltzahn

Acting Vice President for Research

Rensselaer Polytech Institute

Dr. Luther S. Williams

Provost and Vice President

for Academic Affairs

Tuskegee University

IGERT  Workshop Report 35

Appendix 2Workshop Agenda

DAY 1: TuESDAY MAY 20, 2008

1:30pm–2:30pm SessionI:Welcome

Speakers Dr. Kathie L. Olsen

Deputy Director,NationalScienceFoundation

Dr. Wanda E. Ward

Acting Deputy Assistant Director,EducationandHumanResourcesDirectorate

Ms. Carol F. Stoel

Acting Division Director,DivisionofGraduateEducation

Dr. Carol Van Hartesveldt

Program Director,IGERT

2:30pm–2:45pm MeetingOverviewandAnticipatedOutcome(s)

SummaryreportontheInstitutionalImpactsofInterdisciplinaryResearchandGraduateEducation

andtheroleofIGERT.Reporttoincludewhathasbeenaccomplishedtodate;whatstillneedstobe

done;howwillitgetaccomplishedandthemetricsrequiredformonitoringprogressandout-

comes.Topicstobediscussedareembodiedinthebreakoutgroups.

Dr. Judith Giordan

Program Director,IGERT

2:45pm–3:00pm BREAKandrepositioning

IGERT  Workshop Report36

3:00pm–5:00pm SessionII:ConcurrentWorkingBreakoutSession

Determiningtheprogressandimpactsmadetodate;whatworksanddoesn’t;opportunities,

challengesandoptionsgoingforwardandmetricsforsuccessofinterdisciplinaryresearchand

graduateeducationon:

SessionIIaandb:Faculty

SessionIIcandd:GraduateStudents

SessionIIeandf:Research

SessionIIgandh:Institutions

Work Introductionsofparticipants

Definitionofworkplan,timing,rolesandresponsibilities

Kick-offofworkpertemplatesprovided

5:00pm–6:00pm SessionIII:Cross-GroupInteraction(includesbreak)

Work Cross-groupcomparisonanddiscussion–Faculty/Adminonsametopics

Cross-groupdiscussionandcomparison–Faculty/Adminondifferenttopics

6:30pm–9:30pm SessionIV:WorkingDinnerwithSpeaker

Host Dr. Cora Marrett

Assistant Director,DirectorateforEducationandHumanResources

Speaker The Honorable Vernon J. Ehlers

Ranking Member

SubcommitteeonResearchandScience

CommitteeonScienceandTechnology

HouseofRepresentatives

WorkinggroupstobeseatedtogetherfordinnertocontinueworkfromSessionIIandincorporate

speakercommentsintotheirthinking.

Work Incorporateremarksofspeakerintothoughtprocessforgroup

Addresstemplatequestionsandissuespergroup

Defineworkplanfornextday

IGERT  Workshop Report 37

DAY 2: WEDNESDAY MAY 21, 2008

8:00am–8:15am SessionV:WelcomeandAgendaOverview

CarolVanHartesveldt/JudithGiordan

8:30am–1:00pm SessionII(continued):ConcurrentWorkingBreakoutSession

includeslightrefreshmentsduringthemorningat9:30andaworkinglunch(box)

(Pickuplunchandreturntoworkingsessions)

SessionIIaandb:Faculty

SessionIIcandd:GraduateStudents

SessionIIeandf:Research

SessionIIgandh:Institutions

Work Addresstemplatequestionsandissues

Determinewaysforgainingadditionalinput

9:30am–9:45am Break

1:00pm–2:00pm SessionII(continued):ConcurrentWorkingBreakoutSession

SessionIIaandb:Faculty

SessionIIcandd:GraduateStudents

SessionIIeandf:Research

SessionIIgandh:Institutions

Work Beginsummaryofworkaccomplished

Definenextstepswhenbackatinstitutionsforfinalizinginputsummary

toNSFinaccordancewithtimelines

Determinerolesandresponsibilitiesforfollow-upandnextsteps

DevelopreportoutforSessionVI(tofollowimmediately)

2:00pm–2:15pm Break

2:15pm–3:30pm SessionVI:NextStepsfromSessionII(BreakoutSessionChairs)

Wrap-up CarolVanHartesveldt

IGERT  Workshop Report 39

Appendix 3Question Templates for Working Groups

Research

PleaseExplicitlyAddress

Whatarethebarriers,ifany,totransformativeinterdis-

ciplinaryscientificadvancementsandwhatshouldbe

donetoeliminatethesebarriers?

Howshould/couldtraditionaldisciplinesrespondto

newlyemerginginterdisciplinaryresearchareas?

Whatrole,ifany,hasinterdisciplinaryresearchplayed

inaidingadvancementswithinsingledisciplines?

Whichinterestgroups(bothinternalandexternalto

theuniversity)aremostimpactedbytransformational

interdisciplinaryresearchadvancements,andhowcan

thisimpactbeassessed?

Howcaninterdisciplinaryresearchplayaroleinbridg-

ingbetweenresearchersatminorityservinginstitu-

tions(MSIs)andnon-MSIinstitutions?

Howhavethefederalfundingagenciesrespondedto

newinterdisciplinaryscience?Dothecurrentfunding

mechanismsworkatthevariousagenciestowhich

youapply?Dosomehandlefundingoftransformative

interdisciplinaryresearchbetterthanothers?Whatare

someofthemodelsthatshouldbefollowedandwhy?

moving Into Future   

PleaseExplicitlyAddress

Whatwillbetheroleofinterdisciplinaryscientific,

technology,engineeringandmathematics(STEM)

research,anditsimpactonsociety,intothefuture?

Howshouldthevalueofsuchtransformativeinter-

disciplinaryresearch,anditsimpactonsociety,be

measuredorassessedtodayandintothefuture?

Whatfactorswillinfluencetheemergence/growth

ofinterdisciplinarySTEMresearchintothefuture?

For Your consideration   

PleaseExplicitlyAddress

Inyourcollectiveview,whatisthepotentialeconomic

valueofinterdisciplinarydiscoveries,andwhatcriteria

areyouusingtodevelopthisview?

Shouldthepotentialeconomicvalueofinterdisciplinary

discoveriesplayarole,ifatall,inshiftingresearch

towardsinterdisciplinarythemes?

IGERT  Workshop Report40

Faculty

PleaseExplicitlyAddress

Howhaveorshouldhiringpracticesforfacultychange

asaconsequenceoftheevolutionofresearchparadigms

towardquestionsofgreatercomplexityandbroader

scope(e.g.,interdisciplinaryormulti-disciplinary;cross

department;crosscollege;crossinstitution;other)?

Whatdofacultyviewasthevalueofinterdisciplinary

researchandcollaborationstotheircareersandwhy?

Whatdofacultyviewasthechallengesofinter-

disciplinaryresearchandcollaborationstotheircareers

andwhy?

Whataretheincentivesordisincentivesforfaculty

toadoptinterdisciplinaryperspectives:

> Ingraduateeducation?

> Intheirownresearch?

Whatmeasurescouldbe/shouldbeusedtodetermine

thelevelofvalueorsuccessforfacultyadopting/

participatingininterdisciplinary:

> Researchefforts?

> Graduateeducation?

moving Into Future   

PleaseExplicitlyAddress

Whatmechanismsdoyoubelieveshouldbedeveloped

orimplemented–andbywhom–tosupportfaculty

adoptionofinterdisciplinaryperspectivesin:

> Theirownresearchnowandintothefuture?

> Graduateeducationnowandintothefuture?

For Your consideration   

PleaseExplicitlyAddress

Arethereuniversitiesthathaveaddressedoverarching

facultyquestionssuccessfully?Ifso,howhavethey

beenaddressed?Willthesequestionschangeintothe

futureorremainthesame?Willthesemethodsof

addressingoverarchingfacultyquestionsremain

thesameintothefutureorwillthesemethodsneed

tochange?

Whatwillbetheimpact,ifany,onthefacultypipeline

forthefutureascurrentfacultyretireandnewpotential

facultyhaveacombinationoftraditionalaswellas

interdisciplinarytraining?

Havefacultyhireswhohavehadinterdisciplinary

trainingbeensuccessfulinyouruniversitysetting?

Pleasediscusstherelativeeaseorchallengeforinter-

disciplinaryinteractionsamongfacultyasafunctionof

thedisciplinesinvolved.

IGERT  Workshop Report 41

Graduate students

PleaseExplicitlyAddress

Whatdoyouseeastheimpactthatinterdisciplinary

research/science/engineeringhashadandwillhave

ongraduateeducation?

Whatmechanismshasyourinstitutionadoptedto

alloworpromotestudentflexibilityintheirgraduate

educationorresearch?

Howareyourgraduatestudentspreparedtodothe

interdisciplinaryresearchofthefuture?

Howcanwebroadentheparticipationbyunderrepre-

sentedgroupsinscience,technology,engineering,and

mathematics(STEM)graduateeducation?Whatrole,if

any,can/doesinterdisciplinarySTEMgraduatetraining

playinachievingthisgoal?

Howdoesonedefine“transformativegraduate

training”?Whatelementsmustbeinvolvedforitto

besuccessful?Whatwouldbetheobjectivemeasures

forsuccessforsuchtraining?

Howhasinterdisciplinarytrainingimpactedtheability/

easeofgraduatestudentstoget:

> TheirPhDdegrees?

> Apositionafterattainingtheirdegree?

Whatmeasuresormethodsofevaluationandassessment

couldbe/shouldbeusedtodeterminetheimpactof

andvaluefrominterdisciplinarygraduateeducation:

> Forgraduatestudents?

> Onthecareersofgraduates?

moving Into Future   

PleaseExplicitlyAddress

Howisinterdisciplinarytrainingimportantforthe

careersofthefuture?

Whatshouldthescience,technology,engineering,

andmathematics(STEM)graduatetrainingforthe21st

centuryencompass?

Whatmechanismsneedtobedeveloped,changedor

added,ifany,tograduateSTEMtrainingforthe21st

centuryascomparedwithcurrenttraining?

Whatisthevalueof/whatroleshouldtraineeship

programsplayfor21stcenturyglobalscienceand

theeconomy?

For Your consideration   

PleaseExplicitlyAddress

Howshouldinstitutionpoliciesforacceptanceof

graduatestudentschangeintothefuture?

> Isthereamandateforchange?

> Shouldthenumbersofstudentsbeingaccepted

increase,decrease,staythesame?Pleaseshare

thereasonsforyourresponses.

Whatrole,ifany,shouldcareerandjobopportunities

forgraduatesplayinaffectingacceptancepoliciesfor

graduatestudents?

Whatisthevalue/relativeimportanceofattracting

U.S.citizens/permanentresidentsintograduate

traininginSTEMfields?

AspertainstograduateSTEMtraining,pleasediscuss

therelativeeaseorchallengeforinterdisciplinary

interactionsasafunctionofdisciplines.

IGERT  Workshop Report42

Institutions

PleaseExplicitlyAddress

Fromyouroverallperspective,ininstitutions,whatis

themagnitudeandscopeof:

> Interdisciplinaryresearch?

> Interdisciplinarygraduateeducation?

Atyourinstitution,howdoyoumeasuremagnitude

andscopeandassessthevalueof:

> Interdisciplinaryresearch?

> Interdisciplinarygraduateeducation?

Havechangestakenplacewithinorbetweenstructures

representingthetraditionaldisciplinesduetoemerging

interdisciplinaryinteractions,andifso,how?

Whataretheincentivesordisincentivesforchange

duetointerdisciplinaryresearchandeducationand

whatmechanismsdoyoubelieveshouldbedeveloped

orimplementedbyinstitutionstomaximizethese

opportunities?

Whichpersonnelgroupsareimpactedbyinstitutional

changesduetointerdisciplinaryadvancements,and

howcanthisimpactbeassessed(e.g.,groupsother

thanfacultyandstudents)?

Whatistherole,ifany,ofinterdisciplinarytraineeship

programsincatalyzinginstitutionalchange?

moving Into Future   

PleaseExplicitlyAddress

Howshould/willinterdisciplinaryresearch/science/

engineeringaffecthowyourinstitutiondoesbusiness

inthefuture?

Whatshould/willyourresponsebetotheways

interdisciplinaryresearch/science/engineeringwill

affecthowyourinstitutiondoesbusinessinthefuture

foryourinstitution?Foryourfaculty?Foryour

graduatestudents?

For Your consideration   

PleaseExplicitlyAddress

Whatrole,ifany,docenters/researchinstitutesand

othersuchsupra-departmentalstructuresplayin

supportinginterdisciplinaryresearchandeducation?

Howdoesthesizeortypeofinstitution,ifinanyway,

impacttheinstitution’sabilitytoembraceanduseto

greatestbenefit:

> Interdisciplinaryresearch?

> Interdisciplinarygraduateeducation?

Aretheremodelsforinterdisciplinaryresearchand/or

graduateeducationthathavebeendevelopedinter-

nationallyandcould/shouldbeappliedintheU.S.?

IGERT  Workshop Report 43

Appendix 4Overview of Work Process

NSFdevelopsDRAFTquestionsforeachtopicasbasisfordiscussion

Topicgroups(8breakoutgroups)meetatWorkshoptodiscussDRAFTquestions

andothersoftheirselection

NSFsharesDRAFTquestionsforeachtopicpriortomeeting

Topicgroups(8breakoutgroups)workupinformationandsendbacktoNSF

afterWorkshopforSummary

Topicgroups(8breakoutgroups)shareinitialinformationatreportsession

NSFsummarizesinformationandshareswithWorkshopparticipants

forcomment

NSFincorporatescommentsfromWorkshopparticipants,developsreport

andpublishes

nsf 09-33