interdisciplinary surface science: Topics by Science.gov

Sample records for interdisciplinary surface science

Philosophy, history and sociology of science: interdisciplinary relations and complex social identities.

PubMed

Riesch, Hauke

2014-12-01

Sociology and philosophy of science have an uneasy relationship, while the marriage of history and philosophy of science has--on the surface at least--been more successful I will take a sociological look at the history of the relationships between philosophy and history as well as philosophy and sociology of science. Interdisciplinary relations between these disciplines will be analysed through social identity complexity theory in oider to draw out some conclusions on how the disciplines interact and how they might develop. I will use the relationships between the disciplines as a pointer for a more general social theory of interdisciplinarity which will then be used to sound a caution on how interdisciplinary relations between the three disciplines might be managed.
The birth and evolution of surface science: child of the union of science and technology.

PubMed

Duke, C B

2003-04-01

This article is an account of the birth and evolution of surface science as an interdisciplinary research area. Surface science emanated from the confluence of concepts and tools in physics and chemistry with technological innovations that made it possible to determine the structure and properties of surfaces and interfaces and the dynamics of chemical reactions at surfaces. The combination in the 1960s and 1970s of ultra-high-vacuum (i.e., P < 10(-7) Pascal or 10(-9) Torr) technology with the recognition that electrons in the energy range from 50 to 500 eV exhibited inelastic collision mean free paths of the order of a few angstroms fostered an explosion of activity. The results were a reformulation of the theory of electron solid scattering, the nearly universal use of electron spectroscopies for surface characterization, the rise of surface science as an independent interdisciplinary research area, and the emergence of the American Vacuum Society (AVS) as a major international scientific society. The rise of microelectronics in the 1970s and 1980s resulted in huge increases in computational power. These increases enabled more complex experiments and the utilization of density functional theory for the quantitative prediction of surface structure and dynamics. Development of scanning-probe microscopies in the 1990s led to atomic-resolution images of macroscopic surfaces and interfaces as well as videos of atoms moving about on surfaces during growth and diffusion. Scanning probes have since brought solid-liquid interfaces into the realm of atomic-level surface science, expanding its scope to more complex systems, including fragile biological materials and processes.
The birth and evolution of surface science: Child of the union of science and technology

PubMed Central

Duke, C. B.

2003-01-01

This article is an account of the birth and evolution of surface science as an interdisciplinary research area. Surface science emanated from the confluence of concepts and tools in physics and chemistry with technological innovations that made it possible to determine the structure and properties of surfaces and interfaces and the dynamics of chemical reactions at surfaces. The combination in the 1960s and 1970s of ultra-high-vacuum (i.e., P < 10−7 Pascal or 10−9 Torr) technology with the recognition that electrons in the energy range from 50 to 500 eV exhibited inelastic collision mean free paths of the order of a few angstroms fostered an explosion of activity. The results were a reformulation of the theory of electron solid scattering, the nearly universal use of electron spectroscopies for surface characterization, the rise of surface science as an independent interdisciplinary research area, and the emergence of the American Vacuum Society (AVS) as a major international scientific society. The rise of microelectronics in the 1970s and 1980s resulted in huge increases in computational power. These increases enabled more complex experiments and the utilization of density functional theory for the quantitative prediction of surface structure and dynamics. Development of scanning-probe microscopies in the 1990s led to atomic-resolution images of macroscopic surfaces and interfaces as well as videos of atoms moving about on surfaces during growth and diffusion. Scanning probes have since brought solid–liquid interfaces into the realm of atomic-level surface science, expanding its scope to more complex systems, including fragile biological materials and processes. PMID:12651946
Students' Attitudes towards Interdisciplinary Education: A Course on Interdisciplinary Aspects of Science and Engineering Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gero, Aharon

2017-01-01

A course entitled "Science and Engineering Education: Interdisciplinary Aspects" was designed to expose undergraduate students of science and engineering education to the attributes of interdisciplinary education which integrates science and engineering. The core of the course is an interdisciplinary lesson, which each student is…
Quantitative biological surface science: challenges and recent advances.

PubMed

Höök, Fredrik; Kasemo, Bengt; Grunze, Michael; Zauscher, Stefan

2008-12-23

Biological surface science is a broad, interdisciplinary subfield of surface science, where properties and processes at biological and synthetic surfaces and interfaces are investigated, and where biofunctional surfaces are fabricated. The need to study and to understand biological surfaces and interfaces in liquid environments provides sizable challenges as well as fascinating opportunities. Here, we report on recent progress in biological surface science that was described within the program assembled by the Biomaterial Interface Division of the Science and Technology of Materials, Interfaces and Processes (www.avs.org) during their 55th International Symposium and Exhibition held in Boston, October 19-24, 2008. The selected examples show that the rapid progress in nanoscience and nanotechnology, hand-in-hand with theory and simulation, provides increasingly sophisticated methods and tools to unravel the mechanisms and details of complex processes at biological surfaces and in-depth understanding of biomolecular surface interactions.
Students' attitudes towards interdisciplinary education: a course on interdisciplinary aspects of science and engineering education

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gero, Aharon

2017-05-01

A course entitled 'Science and Engineering Education: Interdisciplinary Aspects' was designed to expose undergraduate students of science and engineering education to the attributes of interdisciplinary education which integrates science and engineering. The core of the course is an interdisciplinary lesson, which each student is supposed to teach his/her peers. Sixteen students at advanced stages of their studies attended the course. The research presented here used qualitative instruments to characterise students' attitudes towards interdisciplinary learning and teaching of science and engineering. According to the findings, despite the significant challenge which characterises interdisciplinary teaching, a notable improvement was evident throughout the course in the percentage of students who expressed willingness to teach interdisciplinary classes in future.
Why Teach Science with an Interdisciplinary Approach: History, Trends, and Conceptual Frameworks

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

You, Hye Sun

2017-01-01

This study aims to describe the history of interdisciplinary education and the current trends and to elucidate the conceptual framework and values that support interdisciplinary science teaching. Many science educators have perceived the necessity for a crucial paradigm shift towards interdisciplinary learning as shown in science standards.…
Office of Interdisciplinary Health Studies Education, East Carolina university.

PubMed

Greer, Annette G; Clay, Maria C

2010-01-01

The Office of Interdisciplinary Health Sciences Education resides organizationally within East Carolina University (ECU), Division of Health Sciences; ECU established this office in 1999. The mission of the office is fivefold: 1. promote the expansion of interdisciplinary training within and between Health Sciences and other health-related programs on campus; 2. promote innovative research opportunities across disciplines, in particular, projects regarding interdisciplinary health sciences education; 3. serve as a clearinghouse for information relative to existing and planned interdisciplinary activities and projects within the Division; 4. collaborate with units, and communities in establishing community partnerships for interdisciplinary rural health training; and 5. identify core curricular content across health-related disciplines, minimizing curricular redundancy while promoting interdisciplinary collaboration.
A Novel Interdisciplinary Science Experience for Undergraduates across Introductory Biology, Chemistry, and Physics Courses

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Murray, Joelle L.; Atkinson, Elizabeth J. O.; Gilbert, Brian D.; Kruchten, Anne E.

2014-01-01

Successfully creating and implementing interdisciplinary curricula in introductory science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) courses is challenging, but doing so is increasingly more important as current problems in science become more interdisciplinary. Opening up the silos between science disciplines and overcoming common…
Exploring the Role of Ideology in Interdisciplinary Science Education Policy

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Allen, Benjamin

2017-01-01

Despite its popularity in education studies literature, interdisciplinary science education is mostly considered outside the multitude of social forces that drive education reform. This has contributed to a mythologizing of interdisciplinary science education and lead to assumptions about the necessity of its intervention into science education…
A framework for analyzing interdisciplinary tasks: implications for student learning and curricular design.

PubMed

Gouvea, Julia Svoboda; Sawtelle, Vashti; Geller, Benjamin D; Turpen, Chandra

2013-06-01

The national conversation around undergraduate science instruction is calling for increased interdisciplinarity. As these calls increase, there is a need to consider the learning objectives of interdisciplinary science courses and how to design curricula to support those objectives. We present a framework that can help support interdisciplinary design research. We developed this framework in an introductory physics for life sciences majors (IPLS) course for which we designed a series of interdisciplinary tasks that bridge physics and biology. We illustrate how this framework can be used to describe the variation in the nature and degree of interdisciplinary interaction in tasks, to aid in redesigning tasks to better align with interdisciplinary learning objectives, and finally, to articulate design conjectures that posit how different characteristics of these tasks might support or impede interdisciplinary learning objectives. This framework will be useful for both curriculum designers and education researchers seeking to understand, in more concrete terms, what interdisciplinary learning means and how integrated science curricula can be designed to support interdisciplinary learning objectives.
A Framework for Analyzing Interdisciplinary Tasks: Implications for Student Learning and Curricular Design

PubMed Central

Gouvea, Julia Svoboda; Sawtelle, Vashti; Geller, Benjamin D.; Turpen, Chandra

2013-01-01

The national conversation around undergraduate science instruction is calling for increased interdisciplinarity. As these calls increase, there is a need to consider the learning objectives of interdisciplinary science courses and how to design curricula to support those objectives. We present a framework that can help support interdisciplinary design research. We developed this framework in an introductory physics for life sciences majors (IPLS) course for which we designed a series of interdisciplinary tasks that bridge physics and biology. We illustrate how this framework can be used to describe the variation in the nature and degree of interdisciplinary interaction in tasks, to aid in redesigning tasks to better align with interdisciplinary learning objectives, and finally, to articulate design conjectures that posit how different characteristics of these tasks might support or impede interdisciplinary learning objectives. This framework will be useful for both curriculum designers and education researchers seeking to understand, in more concrete terms, what interdisciplinary learning means and how integrated science curricula can be designed to support interdisciplinary learning objectives. PMID:23737627
Using integrated research and interdisciplinary science: Potential benefits and challenges to managers of parks and protected areas

USGS Publications Warehouse

van Riper, Charles; Powell, Robert B.; Machlis, Gary; van Wagtendonk, Jan W.; van Riper, Carena J.; von Ruschkowski, Eick; Schwarzbach, Steven E.; Galipeau, Russell E.

2012-01-01

Our purpose in this paper is to build a case for utilizing interdisciplinary science to enhance the management of parks and protected areas. We suggest that interdisciplinary science is necessary for dealing with the complex issues of contemporary resource management, and that using the best available integrated scientific information be embraced and supported at all levels of agencies that manage parks and protected areas. It will take the commitment of park managers, scientists, and agency leaders to achieve the goal of implementing the results of interdisciplinary science into park management. Although such calls go back at least several decades, today interdisciplinary science is sporadically being promoted as necessary for supporting effective protected area management(e.g., Machlis et al. 1981; Kelleher and Kenchington 1991). Despite this history, rarely has "interdisciplinary science" been defined, its importance explained, or guidance provided on how to translate and then implement the associated research results into management actions (Tress et al. 2006; Margles et al. 2010). With the extremely complex issues that now confront protected areas (e.g., climate change influences, extinctions and loss of biodiversity, human and wildlife demographic changes, and unprecedented human population growth) information from more than one scientific discipline will need to be brought to bear in order to achieve sustained management solutions that resonate with stakeholders (Ostrom 2009). Although interdisciplinary science is not the solution to all problems, we argue that interdisciplinary research is an evolving and widely supported best practice. In the case of park and protected area management, interdisciplinary science is being driven by the increasing recognition of the complexity and interconnectedness of human and natural systems, and the notion that addressing many problems can be more rapidly advanced through interdisciplinary study and analysis.
Definitions of Interdisciplinary Research: Toward Graduate-Level Interdisciplinary Learning Outcomes

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Borrego, Maura; Newswander, Lynita K.

2010-01-01

Combining the interdisciplinary studies (primarily humanities) literature with the content analysis of 129 successful National Science Foundation proposals written predominantly by science and engineering faculty members, the authors identify five categories of learning outcomes for interdisciplinary graduate education: disciplinary grounding,…
Toward an Interdisciplinary Science of Culture

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hayes, Linda J.; Fryling, Mitch J.

2009-01-01

Cultural events are of interest to scientists working in many scientific domains. Given this, an interdisciplinary science of culture may provide a more thorough understanding of cultural phenomena. However, interdisciplinary sciences depend upon the validity and vitality of the participating disciplines. This article reviews the nature of…
Workshop on the Martian Surface and Atmosphere Through Time

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Haberle, Robert M. (Editor); Jakosky, Bruce M. (Editor)

1992-01-01

The purpose of the workshop was to bring together the Mars Surface and Atmosphere Through Time (MSATT) Community and interested researchers to begin to explore the interdisciplinary nature of, and to determine the relationships between, various aspects of Mars science that involve the geological and chemical evolution of its surface, the structure and dynamics of its atmosphere, interactions between the surface and atmosphere, and the present and past states of its volatile endowment and climate system.
Science Writer's Guide to Landsat 7

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1999-01-01

The Earth Observing System (EOS), the centerpiece of NASA's Earth science program, is a suite of spacecraft and interdisciplinary science investigations dedicated to advancing our understanding of global change. The flagship EOS satellite, Terra (formerly EOS AM-1), scheduled for launch in July 1999, will provide key measurements of the physical and radiative properties of clouds; air-land and air-sea exchanges of energy, carbon, and water; trace gases; and volcanoes. Flying in formation with Terra, Landsat 7 will make global high spatial resolution measurements of land surface and surrounding coastal regions. Other upcoming EOS missions and instruments include QuikSCAT, to collect sea surface wind data; the Stratospheric Gas and Aerosol Experiment (SAGE III), to create global profiles of key atmospheric gases; and the Active Cavity Radiometer Irradiance Monitors (ACRIM) to measure the energy output of the Sun. The second of the major, multi-instrument EOS platforms, PM-1, is scheduled for launch in 2000. Interdisciplinary research projects sponsored by EOS use specific Earth science data sets for a broader investigation into the function of Earth systems. Current EOS research spans a wide range of sciences, including atmospheric chemistry, hydrology, land use, and marine ecosystems. The EOS program has been managed since 1990 by the Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md., for NASA's Office of Earth Science in Washington, D. C. Additional information on the program can be found on the EOS Project Science Office Web site (http://eospso.gsfc.nasa.gov).
A Multidimensional Approach to Examine Student Interdisciplinary Learning in Science and Engineering in Higher Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Spelt, Elisabeth Jacoba Hendrika; Luning, Pieternelleke Arianne; van Boekel, Martinus A. J. S.; Mulder, Martin

2017-01-01

Preparing science and engineering students to work in interdisciplinary teams necessitates research on teaching and learning of interdisciplinary thinking. A multidimensional approach was taken to examine student interdisciplinary learning in a master course on food quality management. The collected 615 student experiences were analysed for the…
Mixing It Up: Integrated, Interdisciplinary, Intriguing Science in the Elementary Classroom. An NSTA Press Journals Collection.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

National Science Teachers Association, Arlington, VA.

This compendium of articles from "Science and Children", the elementary school journal of the National Science Teachers Association (NSTA), aims to help teachers build connections in their students' minds. The articles describe lessons and units that are interdisciplinary, both integrated and interdisciplinary, or thematic. Each article is…
Current issues and problems in welding science

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

David, S. A.; Debroy, T.

1992-07-01

Recent advances in welding science are examined with consideration given to the progress made in understanding physical processes of welding and in understanding weldment microstructure and properties and the correlation between microstructure and properties of the welds. Particular attention is given to the methods used for intelligent control and automation of welding. Also discussed are issues and problems that were brought to the surface by technological advances and interdisciplinary research on welding.

Research design: the methodology for interdisciplinary research framework.

PubMed

Tobi, Hilde; Kampen, Jarl K

2018-01-01

Many of today's global scientific challenges require the joint involvement of researchers from different disciplinary backgrounds (social sciences, environmental sciences, climatology, medicine, etc.). Such interdisciplinary research teams face many challenges resulting from differences in training and scientific culture. Interdisciplinary education programs are required to train truly interdisciplinary scientists with respect to the critical factor skills and competences. For that purpose this paper presents the Methodology for Interdisciplinary Research (MIR) framework. The MIR framework was developed to help cross disciplinary borders, especially those between the natural sciences and the social sciences. The framework has been specifically constructed to facilitate the design of interdisciplinary scientific research, and can be applied in an educational program, as a reference for monitoring the phases of interdisciplinary research, and as a tool to design such research in a process approach. It is suitable for research projects of different sizes and levels of complexity, and it allows for a range of methods' combinations (case study, mixed methods, etc.). The different phases of designing interdisciplinary research in the MIR framework are described and illustrated by real-life applications in teaching and research. We further discuss the framework's utility in research design in landscape architecture, mixed methods research, and provide an outlook to the framework's potential in inclusive interdisciplinary research, and last but not least, research integrity.
Science Education Attuned to Social Issues: Challenge for the '80s.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Yager, Robert E.; And Others

1981-01-01

Provides rationale for interdisciplinary science curricula which emphasize decision-making skills. Includes examples of interdisciplinary curricula using an issue-centered approach: Unified Science and Mathematics for Elementary School (USMES), Health Activities Program (HAP), Human Sciences Program (HSP), Individualized Science Instructional…
The Ocean's Vital Skin: Toward an Integrated Understanding of the Sea Surface Microlayer

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Engel, Anja; Bange, Hermann W.; Cunliffe, Michael

Despite the huge extent of the ocean’s surface, until now relatively little attention has been paid to the sea surface microlayer (SML) as the ultimate interface where heat, momentum and mass exchange between the ocean and the atmosphere takes place. Via the SML, large-scale environmental changes in the ocean such as warming, acidification, deoxygenation, and eutrophication potentially influence cloud formation, precipitation, and the global radiation balance. Due to the deep connectivity between biological, chemical, and physical processes, studies of the SML may reveal multiple sensitivities to global and regional changes. Understanding the processes at the ocean’s surface, in particular involvingmore » the SML as an important and determinant interface, could therefore provide an essential contribution to the reduction of uncertainties regarding ocean-climate feedbacks. This review identifies gaps in our current knowledge of the SML and highlights a need to develop a holistic and mechanistic understanding of the diverse biological, chemical, and physical processes occurring at the ocean-atmosphere interface. We advocate the development of strong interdisciplinary expertise and collaboration in order to bridge between ocean and atmospheric sciences. Although this will pose significant methodological challenges, such an initiative would represent a new role model for interdisciplinary research in Earth System sciences.« less
The Ocean's Vital Skin: Toward an Integrated Understanding of the Sea Surface Microlayer

DOE PAGES

Engel, Anja; Bange, Hermann W.; Cunliffe, Michael; ...

2017-05-30

Despite the huge extent of the ocean’s surface, until now relatively little attention has been paid to the sea surface microlayer (SML) as the ultimate interface where heat, momentum and mass exchange between the ocean and the atmosphere takes place. Via the SML, large-scale environmental changes in the ocean such as warming, acidification, deoxygenation, and eutrophication potentially influence cloud formation, precipitation, and the global radiation balance. Due to the deep connectivity between biological, chemical, and physical processes, studies of the SML may reveal multiple sensitivities to global and regional changes. Understanding the processes at the ocean’s surface, in particular involvingmore » the SML as an important and determinant interface, could therefore provide an essential contribution to the reduction of uncertainties regarding ocean-climate feedbacks. This review identifies gaps in our current knowledge of the SML and highlights a need to develop a holistic and mechanistic understanding of the diverse biological, chemical, and physical processes occurring at the ocean-atmosphere interface. We advocate the development of strong interdisciplinary expertise and collaboration in order to bridge between ocean and atmospheric sciences. Although this will pose significant methodological challenges, such an initiative would represent a new role model for interdisciplinary research in Earth System sciences.« less
Toward an Analytic Framework of Interdisciplinary Reasoning and Communication (IRC) Processes in Science

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shen, Ji; Sung, Shannon; Zhang, Dongmei

2015-11-01

Students need to think and work across disciplinary boundaries in the twenty-first century. However, it is unclear what interdisciplinary thinking means and how to analyze interdisciplinary interactions in teamwork. In this paper, drawing on multiple theoretical perspectives and empirical analysis of discourse contents, we formulate a theoretical framework that helps analyze interdisciplinary reasoning and communication (IRC) processes in interdisciplinary collaboration. Specifically, we propose four interrelated IRC processes-integration, translation, transfer, and transformation, and develop a corresponding analytic framework. We apply the framework to analyze two meetings of a project that aims to develop interdisciplinary science assessment items. The results illustrate that the framework can help interpret the interdisciplinary meeting dynamics and patterns. Our coding process and results also suggest that these IRC processes can be further examined in terms of interconnected sub-processes. We also discuss the implications of using the framework in conceptualizing, practicing, and researching interdisciplinary learning and teaching in science education.
Designing Interdisciplinary Assessments in Sciences for College Students: An example on osmosis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shen, Ji; Liu, Ou Lydia; Sung, Shannon

2014-07-01

College science education needs to foster students' habit of mind beyond disciplinary constraints. However, little research has been devoted to assessing students' interdisciplinary understanding. To address this problem, we formed a team of experts from different disciplines to develop interdisciplinary assessments that target introductory college-level science. We started our project by focusing on osmosis, a topic that involves knowledge from multiple science disciplines. We developed an instrument focusing on this topic and administered it to 3 classes of college students. A Rasch partial credit analysis showed that the items demonstrated satisfactory psychometric properties. The findings also revealed the differences between student's disciplinary and interdisciplinary understanding. The educational implications of the study were discussed.
Assessing Research Collaboration through Co-Authorship Network Analysis

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fagan, Jesse; Eddens, Katherine S.; Dolly, Jennifer; Vanderford, Nathan L.; Weiss, Heidi; Levens, Justin S.

2018-01-01

Interdisciplinary research collaboration is needed to perform transformative science and accelerate innovation. The Science of Team Science strives to investigate, evaluate, and foster team science, including institutional policies that may promote or hinder collaborative interdisciplinary research and the resources and infrastructure needed to…
Designing Interdisciplinary Assessments in Sciences for College Students: An Example on Osmosis

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Shen, Ji; Liu, Ou Lydia; Sung, Shannon

2014-01-01

College science education needs to foster students' habit of mind beyond disciplinary constraints. However, little research has been devoted to assessing students' interdisciplinary understanding. To address this problem, we formed a team of experts from different disciplines to develop interdisciplinary assessments that target…
Science IDEAS: A Research-Based K-5 Interdisciplinary Instructional Model Linking Science and Literacy

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Romance, Nancy R.; Vitale, Michael R.

2012-01-01

Science IDEAS is an evidence-based model that reflects interdisciplinary research findings that support the integration of literacy (e.g., reading comprehension) within science instruction in grades K-5. Presented is a framework for planning integrated science and literacy instruction in which six elements (hands-on investigations, reading,…
Using student feedback to improve student attitudes and mathematical confidence in a first year interdisciplinary quantitative course: from the ashes of disaster!

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Everingham, Yvette; Gyuris, Emma; Sexton, Justin

2013-09-01

Today's scientist is faced with complex problems that require interdisciplinary solutions. Consequently, tertiary science educators have had to develop and deliver interdisciplinary science courses to equip students with the skills required to solve the evolving real-world challenges of today and tomorrow. There are few reported studies of the lessons learned from designing and delivering first year compulsory interdisciplinary science subjects at regional universities. Even fewer studies assess the impact that teaching interventions within interdisciplinary courses have on students' attitudes towards mathematics and technology, and mathematics anxiety. This paper discusses the feedback received from the first student cohort of a new compulsory, first year interdisciplinary science subject at a regional Australian university which resulted in curricular revisions. These revisions included a greater emphasis on the subject relevance and increased student support in tutorials. Assessment practices were also dramatically modified. The change in student attitudes and anxiety levels a priori and a posteriori to the interventions was measured quantitatively and qualitatively. Post-intervention, female and non-mathematics major students had grown in mathematical confidence and were less anxious. It is important that positive and negative research findings are reported, so science educators can learn from one another, and can better prepare their students for the challenges they will face in bringing interdisciplinary solutions to contemporary real-world problems.
Preparing High School Students for the Interdisciplinary Nature of Modern Biology

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nagle, Barbara

2013-01-01

Fostering interdisciplinary learning in biology will require significant changes in the way one teaches science to K-12 students. The perspective on interdisciplinary biology teaching and learning in this essay is based on the author's experiences as a former research cell biologist, high school science teacher, and developer of secondary science…
The Science-Mathematics Connection: Using Technology in an Interdisciplinary Module.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Flournoy, Bonita E.; Cook-Bax, Janice E.; Harris, Lillian

2001-01-01

Points out the importance of mathematics and science connections in the curriculum and introduces the Science Teachers Open Support System (STOSS) program which aims to assist African American middle school and high school teachers in designing and implementing technology-based interdisciplinary science and mathematics modules for culturally…
An Interdisciplinary Team Project: Psychology and Computer Science Students Create Online Cognitive Tasks

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Flannery, Kathleen A.; Malita, Mihaela

2014-01-01

We present our case study of an interdisciplinary team project for students taking either a psychology or computer science (CS) course. The project required psychology and CS students to combine their knowledge and skills to create an online cognitive task. Each interdisciplinary project team included two psychology students who conducted library…
A Place for Materials Science: Laboratory Buildings and Interdisciplinary Research at the University of Pennsylvania

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Choi, Hyungsub; Shields, Brit

2015-01-01

The Laboratory for Research on the Structure of Matter (LRSM), University of Pennsylvania, was built in 1965 as part of the Advanced Research Projects Agency's (ARPA) Interdisciplinary Laboratories (IDL) program intended to foster interdisciplinary research and training in materials science. The process that led to the construction of the…
Ozone and Interdisciplinary Science Teaching--Learning to Address the Things That Count Most.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hobson, Art

1993-01-01

Presents the ozone depletion story as an excellent case study for the integration of science-related social issues into the college science curriculum. Describes the history of ozone depletion and efforts to remedy the problem. Provides a lecture outline on ozone depletion. Discusses integrating other science-related interdisciplinary topics in…
Examining Science Teachers' Development of Interdisciplinary Science Inquiry Pedagogical Knowledge and Practices

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chowdhary, Bhawna; Liu, Xiufeng; Yerrick, Randy; Smith, Erica; Grant, Brooke

2014-01-01

The current literature relates to how teachers develop knowledge and practice of science inquiry, but little has been reported on how teachers develop interdisciplinary science inquiry (ISI) knowledge and practice. This study examines the effect of university research experiences, ongoing professional development, and in-school support on…
The Development of Interdisciplinary Teaching Approaches among Pre-service Science and Mathematics Teachers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Miranda Martins, Dominique

This study sought to understand how a group of pre-service teachers in a combined secondary science and mathematics teaching methods course conceptualized and experienced interdisciplinary approaches to teaching. Although knowing how to plan interdisciplinary activities is an essential teaching practice in Quebec, these pre-service teachers faced many challenges during the process of learning to teach with this approach. By using two interdisciplinary frameworks (Nikitina, 2005; Boix Mansilla & Duraising, 2007), I qualitatively analyzed the development of the pre-service teachers' prior and emerging ideas about interdisciplinarity and their ability to plan interdisciplinary teaching activities. The provincial curriculum and issues related to time greatly shaped students' conceptions about interdisciplinarity in the classroom and constrained their ability to plan for and envision the enactment of interdisciplinary lessons in secondary science and mathematics classes. In addition, images of themselves as content-specialists, self-efficacy beliefs in relation to interdisciplinary teaching, and student learning as a source of teacher motivation emerged as key factors promoting or interrupting the development of interdisciplinary teaching approaches. Examination of these factors highlights the need for teacher-education programs to provide opportunities for pre-service teachers to explore how they see themselves as educators, increase their instructional self-efficacy beliefs, and motivate them to teach in an interdisciplinary fashion. Keywords: interdisciplinary teaching, student-teachers, curriculum, teacher-education program, self-efficacy, motivation.
SoSTI Course: An Elective Science Course for Thai Upper Secondary School Non-Science Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pruekpramool, Chaninan; Phonphok, Nason; White, Orvil L.; Musikul, Kusalin

2013-01-01

This study is aimed to develop the interdisciplinary SoSTI (science of sound in traditional Thai musical instruments) course for Thai non-science upper secondary school students to study the students' attitudes toward science before and after studying from the course. The SoSTI course development is based on the interdisciplinary concept model and…
Rational accountability and rational autonomy in academic practice: An extended case study of the communicative ethic of interdisciplinary science

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Robertson, Susan Margaret

The dissertation investigates the interaction of rational accountability and rational autonomy in interdisciplinary science within the lifeworld of the university. It focuses on the cultural, social and motivational forces that university researchers draw on, and develop, to constitute and regulate interdisciplinary science. Findings are analyzed within an applied critical social theory framework that attends to the interaction of instrumental and communicative rational action within the public spaces that constitute the lifeworld of the university as a public sphere in society. The research raises questions of how academics practice interdisciplinary science and how these practices relate to the reproduction of the regulative ideal of the university as a community that practices public reason. The conceptual framework informing the research is Habermas' (1984) theory of communicative action. Using Burawoy's (1991) extended case study method as an operational strategy, two modes of constituting and regulating interdisciplinary science were found. Instrumental rational modes dominated in social contexts of interdisciplinary science where consensus on the normative goals and purposes of rational academic action were pre-existing and pre-supposed by participants. Communicative rational modes dominated in social contexts of interdisciplinary science where the normative goals and purposes of rational academic action entered a contested domain. Endorsements for interdisciplinary science policies are coinciding with demands for increased accountability and relevance of Canada's university system. At the same time that the university system must respond to external demands, it must reproduce itself as a public institution open to the discursive redemption of factual and normative validity claims. The study found that academics participate in, but also contest the instrumental regulation of academic inquiry and conduct by using their constitutional autonomy and freedom to hold others accountable and demonstrate a rational disposition to realize mutual understanding on factual and normative validity claims. By demonstrating a rational disposition to practice autonomy and freedom in realizing mutual understanding on contested validity claims within the lifeworld of the university, public intellectuals realize a capacity for extending the regulative ideal of practicing public reason within the university into the constitution and regulation of public spaces for practicing public reason in the lifeworld of society.
Interdisciplinary Teaching in a Water Educational Training Science Program: Its Impact on Science Concept Knowledge, Writing Performance, and Interest in Science and Writing of Elementary Students.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Moore-Hart, Margaret A.; Liggit, Peggy; Daisey, Peggy

This paper presents a study investigating the effects of the Water Education Training (WET) program on students' performance in science. The WET Program is an after school program using an interdisciplinary approach which has three main objectives: improving science concept knowledge, writing performance, and attitudes toward science and writing.…

Team Teaching an Interdisciplinary First-Year Seminar on Magic, Religion, and the Origins of Science: A "Pieces-to-Picture" Approach

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nungsari, Melati; Dedrick, Maia; Patel, Shaily

2017-01-01

Interdisciplinary teaching has been advocated as a means to foster cooperation between traditionally separate fields and broaden students' perspectives in the classroom. We explored the pedagogical difficulties of interdisciplinary team teaching through a first-year seminar in magic, religion, and the origins of science. Although many accounts in…
Seventh Grade Interdisciplinary Packet (Science-Social Studies).

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Madison Public Schools, WI. Dept. of Curriculum Development.

GRADES OR AGES: Grade 7. SUBJECT MATTER: Science and Social Studies. ORGANIZATION AND PHYSICAL APPEARANCE: This guide presents a series of earth sciences units which would have interdisciplinary potential specifically in the area of social studies. Introductory material includes a rationale, evaluation procedures, 44 "key" environmental concepts,…
Science Education in Two-Year Colleges: Interdisciplinary Social Sciences.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Beckwith, Miriam M.

Anthropology and interdisciplinary social sciences (ISS) education at two-year colleges are examined as revealed in a study of science education conducted by the Center for the Study of Community Colleges that involved a review of the literature, an examination of the catalogs and class schedules from 175 institutions, and a survey of 1,125…
Psychology as an Evolving, Interdisciplinary Science: Integrating Science in Sensation and Perception from Fourier to Fluid Dynamics

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ebersole, Tela M.; Kelty-Stephen, Damian G.

2017-01-01

This article outlines the theoretical rationale and process for an integrated-science approach to teaching sensation and perception (S&P) to undergraduate psychology students that may also serve as an integrated-science curriculum. The course aimed to introduce the interdisciplinary evolution of this psychological field irrespective of any…
The Structure and Assessment of a Unique and Popular Interdisciplinary Science Course for Nonmajors

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Train, Tonya Laakko; Gammon, David E.

2012-01-01

Science Without Borders is a unique interdisciplinary science course that uses group and active-learning strategies and is in high demand among nonscience majors at a masters-level university. Registrar data showed that nonscience majors were far more likely to choose this course compared with other, discipline-based science courses. In an…
Water Quality Monitoring of an Urban Estuary and a Coastal Aquifer Using Field Kits and Meters: A Community-Based Environmental Research Project

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jung, Hun Bok; Zamora, Felix; Duzgoren-Aydin, Nurdan S.

2017-01-01

Water quality is an important interdisciplinary environmental topic for project-based learning. An undergraduate summer research internship program at a public minority serving institution engaged environmental science majors in community-based research experiences. The research focused on the field monitoring of water quality for surface water…
Interdisciplinary Science Research and Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

MacKinnon, P. J.; Hine, D.; Barnard, R. T.

2013-01-01

Science history shows us that interdisciplinarity is a spontaneous process that is intrinsic to, and engendered by, research activity. It is an activity that is done rather than an object to be designed and constructed. We examine three vignettes from the history of science that display the interdisciplinary process at work and consider the…
The Age of Newton: An Intensive Interdisciplinary Course.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Calvert, J.B.; And Others

1981-01-01

Describes interdisciplinary science course for nonscience science majors which is part of the humanities program at the University of Denver. The course consists of a central lecture series, a mathematics and science tutorial, and four workshops on astronomy, mathematics, mechanics, and optics. The structure is also appropriate for a history of…
Strategic Planning for Interdisciplinary Science: a Geoscience Success Story

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Harshvardhan, D.; Harbor, J. M.

2003-12-01

The Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences at Purdue University has engaged in a continuous strategic planning exercise for several years, including annual retreats since 1997 as an integral part of the process. The daylong Saturday retreat at the beginning of the fall semester has been used to flesh out the faculty hiring plan for the coming year based on the prior years' plans. The finalized strategic plan is built around the choice of three signature areas, two in disciplinary fields, (i) geodynamics and active tectonics, (ii) multi-scale atmospheric interactions and one interdisciplinary area, (iii) atmosphere/surface interactions. Our experience with strategic planning and the inherently interdisciplinary nature of geoscience helped us recently when our School of Science, which consists of seven departments, announced a competition for 60 new faculty positions that would be assigned based on the following criteria, listed in order of priority - (i) scientific merit and potential for societal impact, (ii) multidisciplinary nature of topic - level of participation and leveraging potential, (iii) alignment with Purdue's strategic plan - discovery, learning, engagement, (iv) existence of critical mass at Purdue and availability of faculty and student candidate pools, (v) corporate and federal sponsor interest. Some fifty white papers promoting diverse fields were submitted to the school and seven were chosen after a school-wide retreat. The department fared exceedingly well and we now have significant representation on three of the seven school areas of coalescence - (i) climate change, (ii) computational science and (iii) science education research. We are now in the process of drawing up hiring plans and developing strategies for allocation and reallocation of resources such as laboratory space and faculty startup to accommodate the 20% growth in faculty strength that is expected over the next five years.
Practical Strategies for Collaboration across Discipline-Based Education Research and the Learning Sciences

PubMed Central

Peffer, Melanie; Renken, Maggie

2016-01-01

Rather than pursue questions related to learning in biology from separate camps, recent calls highlight the necessity of interdisciplinary research agendas. Interdisciplinary collaborations allow for a complicated and expanded approach to questions about learning within specific science domains, such as biology. Despite its benefits, interdisciplinary work inevitably involves challenges. Some such challenges originate from differences in theoretical and methodological approaches across lines of work. Thus, aims at developing successful interdisciplinary research programs raise important considerations regarding methodologies for studying biology learning, strategies for approaching collaborations, and training of early-career scientists. Our goal here is to describe two fields important to understanding learning in biology, discipline-based education research and the learning sciences. We discuss differences between each discipline’s approach to biology education research and the benefits and challenges associated with incorporating these perspectives in a single research program. We then propose strategies for building productive interdisciplinary collaboration. PMID:27881446
Joint Interdisciplinary Earth Science Information Center

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kafatos, Menas

2004-01-01

The report spans the three year period beginning in June of 2001 and ending June of 2004. Joint Interdisciplinary Earth Science Information Center's (JIESIC) primary purpose has been to carry out research in support of the Global Change Data Center and other Earth science laboratories at Goddard involved in Earth science, remote sensing and applications data and information services. The purpose is to extend the usage of NASA Earth Observing System data, microwave data and other Earth observing data. JIESIC projects fall within the following categories: research and development; STW and WW prototyping; science data, information products and services; and science algorithm support. JIESIC facilitates extending the utility of NASA's Earth System Enterprise (ESE) data, information products and services to better meet the science data and information needs of a number of science and applications user communities, including domain users such as discipline Earth scientists, interdisciplinary Earth scientists, Earth science applications users and educators.
The Monsoon-90 / SALSA / EOS / SUDMED / SAHRA / HELP / USPP Experience: A Progression of Interdisciplinary Integration of Science and Decision Making over 20 years.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chehbouni, G.; Goodrich, D.; Kustas, B.; Sorooshian, S.; Shuttleworth, J.; Richter, H.

2008-12-01

The Monsoon'90 Experiment conducted at the USDA-ARS Walnut Gulch Experimental Watershed in southeast Arizona was the start of a long arc of subsequent experiments and research that were larger, longer-term, more international, more interdisciplinary, and led to more direct integration of science for decision making and watershed management. In this era, much of our research and science must be more directly relevant to decision-makers and natural resource managers as they increasingly require sophisticated levels of expert findings and scientific results (e.g. interdisciplinary) to make informed decisions. Significant effort beyond focused, single disciplinary research is required conduct interdisciplinary science typical in large scale field experiments. Even greater effort is required to effectively integrate our research across the physical and ecological sciences for direct use by policy and decision makers. This presentation will provide an overview of the evolution of this arc of experiments and long-term projects into a mature integrated science and decision making program. It will discuss the transition in project focus from science and research for understanding; through science for addressing a need; to integrated science and policy development. At each stage the research conducted became more interdisciplinary, first across abiotic disciplines (hydrology, remote sensing, atmospheric science), then by merging abiotic and biotic disciplines (adding ecology and plant physiology), and finally a further integration of economic and social sciences with and policy and decision making for resource management. Lessons learned from this experience will be reviewed with the intent providing guidance to ensure that the resulting research is socially and scientifically relevant and will not only result in cutting edge science but will also directly address the needs of policy makers and resource managers.
Offering a Forensic Science Camp to Introduce and Engage High School Students in Interdisciplinary Science Topics

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ahrenkiel, Linda; Worm-Leonhard, Martin

2014-01-01

In this article, we present details of a one-week interdisciplinary science camp for high school students in Denmark, "Criminal Camp". We describe the use of forensic science and simulated crimes as a common foundation for teaching the theory and practice of concepts in chemistry, physics, and medicine or biology. The main goal of the…
Herbert Simon and the GSIA: building an interdisciplinary community.

PubMed

Crowther-Heyck, Hunter

2006-01-01

This article explores Herbert Simon's attempts to build Carnegie Tech's Graduate School of Industrial Administration into a center for interdisciplinary social research. It shows that despite the pressures toward disciplinary specialization created by the rapid growth of the postwar social sciences, there were strong countercurrents supporting interdisciplinary work. Support for interdisciplinary work came from a network of powerful new patrons that were interested in transforming social science into behavioral science and that supported mathematical, behavioral-functional analysis whatever the topic of study. These patrons deliberately defined their goals in terms of solving problems, not building disciplines, and the networks of advisory committees they created enabled certain entrepreneurial researchers, such as Simon, to exert influence across a range of fields and institutions. (c) 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
[Benchmarks for interdisciplinary health and social sciences research: contributions of a research seminar].

PubMed

Kivits, Joëlle; Fournier, Cécile; Mino, Jean-Christophe; Frattini, Marie-Odile; Winance, Myriam; Lefève, Céline; Robelet, Magali

2013-01-01

This article proposes a reflection on an interdisciplinary seminar, initiated by philosophy and sociology researchers and public health professionals. The objective of this seminar was to explore the mechanisms involved in setting up and conducting interdisciplinary research, by investigating the practical modalities of articulating health and human and social sciences research in order to more clearly understand the conditions, tensions and contributions of collaborative research. These questions were discussed on the basis of detailed analysis of four recent or current research projects. Case studies identified four typical epistemological or methodological issues faced by researchers in the fields of health and human and social sciences: institutional conditions and their effects on research; deconstruction of the object; the researcher's commitment in his/her field; the articulation of research methods. Three prerequisites for interdisciplinary research in social and human sciences and in health were identified: mutual questioning of research positions and fields of study; awareness of the tensions related to institutional positions and disciplinary affiliation; joint elaboration and exchanges between various types of knowledge to ensure an interdisciplinary approach throughout all of the research process.
Science Instruction through the Game and Physical Activities Course: An Interdisciplinary Teaching Practice

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Boyraz, Celal; Serin, Gökhan

2017-01-01

The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of science instruction given through the game and physical activities course in accordance with interdisciplinary teaching approaches on students' science achievement and retention. The participants were 82 third grade students from a public elementary school. Three classes were chosen as…
Analysis of the Interdisciplinary Nature of Library and Information Science

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Prebor, Gila

2010-01-01

Library and information science (LIS) is highly interdisciplinary by nature and is affected by the incessant evolution of technologies. A recent study surveying research trends in the years 2002-6 at various information science departments worldwide has found that a clear trend was identified in Masters theses and doctoral dissertations of social…
Science Education in Our Time: The Need for an Interdisciplinary Approach.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

de Korte, Aart

Perspectives on the need for retailoring science education so that college graduates will be better prepared to make decisions about scientific, technological priorities and personal career options are presented in this paper. The values and problems associated with an interdisciplinary approach to science education are discussed and a new…
Analysis of Teaching Resources for Implementing an Interdisciplinary Approach in the K-12 Classroom

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Yarker, Morgan B.; Park, Soonhye

2012-01-01

Articles from the National Science Teacher Association (NSTA) publications were analyzed to investigate resources available for teachers who want to implement interdisciplinary approaches into the science classroom. All articles in each journal from 2004 through 2008 were read an analyzed; approximately 13% of Science & Children (elementary), 21%…
Validation of an Instrument for Measuring Students' Understanding of Interdisciplinary Science in Grades 4-8 over Multiple Semesters: A Rasch Measurement Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Yang, Yang; He, Peng; Liu, Xiufeng

2018-01-01

So far, not enough effort has been invested in developing reliable, valid, and engaging assessments in school science, especially assessment of interdisciplinary science based on the new Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS). Furthermore, previous tools rely mostly on multiple-choice items and evaluation of student outcome is linked only to…

Catalyzing Interdisciplinary Research and Training: Initial Outcomes and Evolution of the Affinity Research Collaboratives Model.

PubMed

Ravid, Katya; Seta, Francesca; Center, David; Waters, Gloria; Coleman, David

2017-10-01

Team science has been recognized as critical to solving increasingly complex biomedical problems and advancing discoveries in the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of human disease. In 2009, the Evans Center for Interdisciplinary Biomedical Research (ECIBR) was established in the Department of Medicine at Boston University School of Medicine as a new organizational paradigm to promote interdisciplinary team science. The ECIBR is made up of affinity research collaboratives (ARCs), consisting of investigators from different departments and disciplines who come together to study biomedical problems that are relevant to human disease and not under interdisciplinary investigation at the university. Importantly, research areas are identified by investigators according to their shared interests. ARC proposals are evaluated by a peer review process, and collaboratives are funded annually for up to three years.Initial outcomes of the first 12 ARCs show the value of this model in fostering successful biomedical collaborations that lead to publications, extramural grants, research networking, and training. The most successful ARCs have been developed into more sustainable organizational entities, including centers, research cores, translational research projects, and training programs.To further expand team science at Boston University, the Interdisciplinary Biomedical Research Office was established in 2015 to more fully engage the entire university, not just the medical campus, in interdisciplinary research using the ARC mechanism. This approach to promoting team science may be useful to other academic organizations seeking to expand interdisciplinary research at their institutions.
How to Conceptualize and Implement a PhD Program in Health Sciences—The Basel Approach

PubMed Central

Keller, Franziska; Dhaini, Suzanne; Briel, Matthias; Henrichs, Sina; Höchsmann, Christoph; Kalbermatten, Daniel; Künzli, Nino; Mollet, Annette; Puelacher, Christian; Schmidt-Trucksäss, Arno; von Niederhäusern, Belinda; De Geest, Sabina

2018-01-01

Objectives: Over the past decade, several excellent guidelines have been published on how to enhance the quality of PhD education in Europe. Aimed primarily at preparing students for innovative roles in their fields, they include variously structured approaches to curricular offerings, as well as other program components applicable across specialties (eg: supervisor support, scientific conduct, transferable skills). Since 2012, the interdisciplinary PhD Program in Health Sciences (PPHS) at the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Basel in Switzerland has focused on translating these guidelines into a 21st-century health sciences PhD program. Results: The PPHS started in 2012 based on the European Union (EU) guidelines for PhD education. This article describes the resulting interdisciplinary PhD program’s conceptual underpinnings, rationale, structures, and 10 building blocks, like student portfolios, thematic training, interdisciplinary research seminars, student-initiated interdisciplinary activities, financial support of course participation, top-up and extension stipends, PhD supervision, research integrity, alumni follow-up network, and promotional tools including a dedicated website. Students enter from Clinical Research, Medicine Development, Nursing Science, Epidemiology and Public Health including Insurance Medicine, Sport Science (all from the Faculty of Medicine), and Epidemiology (Faculty of Science). Discussion and Conclusion: The Basel PPHS exemplifies state-of-the-art PhD education in Health Sciences based on European guidelines and offers guidance to other groups from conceptualization to rollout of an interdisciplinary health sciences PhD program. PMID:29780889
Research and Teaching: Toward Interdisciplinary Perspectives--Using Osmotic Pressure as an Example for Analyzing Textbook Explanations

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sung, Shannon; Shen, Ji; Stanger-Hall, Kathrin F.; Wiegert, Craig; Li, Wan-l; Brown, Scott; Robertson, Tom

2015-01-01

Despite the increasing interests and practices in interdisciplinary science education, little research has been documented to develop effective assessments targeting students' interdisciplinary learning. In response to this gap, a team of scientists and educators developed an interdisciplinary assessment instrument targeting osmosis, which was…
Convergent Evolution in the Interest of Integrative Problem Solving: Connecting the Policy Sciences and Interdisciplinary Studies

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wallace, Richard L.; Clark, Susan G.

2014-01-01

The contemporary fields of interdisciplinary studies and the policy sciences have evolved over similar intellectual paths and timelines, beginning in the early 20th century. Both have their roots in professional efforts--within and outside the academy--to address numerous, growing, and complex problems that face humanity. The policy sciences'…
Vision 21: Interdisciplinary Science and Engineering in the Era of Cyberspace

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1993-01-01

The symposium Vision-21: Interdisciplinary Science and Engineering in the Era of Cyberspace was held at the NASA Lewis Research Center on March 30-31, 1993. The purpose of the symposium was to simulate interdisciplinary thinking in the sciences and technologies which will be required for exploration and development of space over the next thousand years. The keynote speakers were Hans Moravec, Vernor Vinge, Carol Stoker, and Myron Krueger. The proceedings consist of transcripts of the invited talks and the panel discussion by the invited speakers, summaries of workshop sessions, and contributed papers by the attendees.
Data management for interdisciplinary field experiments: OTTER project support

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Angelici, Gary; Popovici, Lidia; Skiles, J. W.

1993-01-01

The ability of investigators of an interdisciplinary science project to properly manage the data that are collected during the experiment is critical to the effective conduct of science. When the project becomes large, possibly including several scenes of large-format remotely sensed imagery shared by many investigators requiring several services, the data management effort can involve extensive staff and computerized data inventories. The OTTER (Oregon Transect Ecosystem Research) project was supported by the PLDS (Pilot Land Data System) with several data management services, such as data inventory, certification, and publication. After a brief description of these services, experiences in providing them are compared with earlier data management efforts and some conclusions regarding data management in support of interdisciplinary science are discussed. In addition to providing these services, a major goal of this data management capability was to adopt characteristics of a pro-active attitude, such as flexibility and responsiveness, believed to be crucial for the effective conduct of active, interdisciplinary science. These are also itemized and compared with previous data management support activities. Identifying and improving these services and characteristics can lead to the design and implementation of optimal data management support capabilities, which can result in higher quality science and data products from future interdisciplinary field experiments.
Supplement: Proceedings XIth Latin American Congress of Surface Science and Its Applications (XI CLACSA)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Häberle, Patricio; Fuenzalida, Victor

2004-07-01

The 2003 Congreso Latinoamericano de Ciencia de Superficies y sus Aplicaciones (Latin American Congress of Surface Science and Its Applications) was held in Pucón, Chile, 7-12 December 2003. XI CLACSA is the continuation of a series of events that started in 1980. Until 1992, this series was called Simposio Latinoamericano de Física de Superficies (SLAFS). In recognition of the interdisciplinary nature of the field, starting in 1994 the meeting became CLACSA. The conference was organized by the Sociedad Latinoamericana de Ciencia de Superficies (SLACS) with the purpose of becoming a forum for the exchange of information associated with scientific research carried out in Latin America in the field of surface physics, systems of low dimensionality and areas related to condensed matter physics and science of materials. This scientific event has enjoyed a large participation from Latin American scientists, and has helped to stimulate the collaboration between researchers from Europe, Latin America and the United States.
Geography and Geographical Information Science: Interdisciplinary Integrators

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ellul, Claire

2015-01-01

To understand how Geography and Geographical Information Science (GIS) can contribute to Interdisciplinary Research (IDR), it is relevant to articulate the differences between the different types of such research. "Multidisciplinary" researchers work in a "parallel play" mode, completing work in their disciplinary work streams…
Eclecticism as the foundation of meta-theoretical, mixed methods and interdisciplinary research in social sciences.

PubMed

Kroos, Karmo

2012-03-01

This article examines the value of "eclecticism" as the foundation of meta-theoretical, mixed methods and interdisciplinary research in social sciences. On the basis of the analysis of the historical background of the concept, it is first suggested that eclecticism-based theoretical scholarship in social sciences could benefit from the more systematic research method that has been developed for synthesizing theoretical works under the name metatheorizing. Second, it is suggested that the mixed methods community could base its research approach on philosophical eclecticism instead of pragmatism because the basic idea of eclecticism is much more in sync with the nature of the combined research tradition. Finally, the Kuhnian frame is used to support the argument for interdisciplinary research and, hence, eclecticism in social sciences (rather than making an argument against multiple paradigms). More particularly, it is suggested that integrating the different (inter)disciplinary traditions and schools into one is not necessarily desirable at all in social sciences because of the complexity and openness of the research field. If it is nevertheless attempted, experience in economics suggests that paradigmatic unification comes at a high price.
Teaching Science in Art: Technical Examination of 17th-Century Dutch Painting as Interdisciplinary Coursework for Science Majors and Nonmajors

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Uffelman, Erich S.

2007-01-01

Two linked courses examining conservation science and art history of 17th-century Dutch painting are described. The two courses have been taught on campus and, most recently, as study-abroad courses in collaboration with the Center for European Studies, Universiteit Maastricht, The Netherlands. The highly interdisciplinary courses are intense, yet…
An Analysis of Metaphors Used by Students to Describe Energy in an Interdisciplinary General Science Course

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lancor, Rachael

2015-01-01

The meaning of the term energy varies widely in scientific and colloquial discourse. Teasing apart the different connotations of the term can be especially challenging for non-science majors. In this study, undergraduate students taking an interdisciplinary, general science course (n?=?49) were asked to explain the role of energy in five contexts:…
An Analysis of the Effects of Instructional Methods Upon Selected Outcomes of Instruction in an Interdisciplinary Science Unit.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Thomas, Barbara Schalk

Studied was the effect of instructional method on educational outcomes in an interdisciplinary science uni t taught to 143 eighth grade students of earth science. Compared were the didactic and guided discovery methods of teaching. Also analyzed were the interactions of methods with student characteristics including sex, intelligence, creativity,…
Two Departments, Two Models of Interdisciplinary Peer Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wenner, Julianne A.; Simmonds, Paul J.

2017-01-01

On graduation, teacher candidates (TCs) are typically underprepared to teach science, particularly physical science, whereas physics graduates frequently lack training in teaching or effective communication. In response, we created two models for interdisciplinary peer learning where TCs were paired with either graduate or undergraduate physics…
BioMaPS: A Roadmap for Success

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McCarthy, Maeve L.; Fister, K. Renee

2010-01-01

The manuscript outlines the impact that our National Science Foundation Interdisciplinary Training for Undergraduates in Biological and Mathematical Sciences program, BioMaPS, has had on the students and faculty at Murray State University. This interdisciplinary program teams mathematics and biology undergraduate students with mathematics and…
Concept Mapping Assessment of Media Assisted Learning in Interdisciplinary Science Education

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schaal, Steffen; Bogner, Franz X.; Girwidz, Raimund

2010-05-01

Acquisition of conceptual knowledge is a central aim in science education. In this study we monitored an interdisciplinary hypermedia assisted learning unit on hibernation and thermodynamics based on cooperative learning. We used concept mapping for the assessment, applying a pre-test/post-test design. In our study, 106 9th graders cooperated by working in pairs ( n = 53) for six lessons. As an interdisciplinary learning activity in such complex knowledge domains has to combine many different aspects, we focused on long-term knowledge. Learners working cooperatively in dyads constructed computer-supported concept maps which were analysed by specific software. The data analysis encompassed structural aspects of the knowledge corresponding to a target reference map. After the learning unit, the results showed the acquisition of higher-order domain-specific knowledge structures which indicates successful interdisciplinary learning through the hypermedia learning environment. The benefit of using a computer-assisted concept mapping assessment for research in science education, and in science classrooms is considered.
Advanced Artificial Science. The development of an artificial science and engineering research infrastructure to facilitate innovative computational modeling, analysis, and application to interdisciplinary areas of scientific investigation.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Saffer, Shelley

2014-12-01

This is a final report of the DOE award DE-SC0001132, Advanced Artificial Science. The development of an artificial science and engineering research infrastructure to facilitate innovative computational modeling, analysis, and application to interdisciplinary areas of scientific investigation. This document describes the achievements of the goals, and resulting research made possible by this award.
Enhancing student engagement to positively impact mathematics anxiety, confidence and achievement for interdisciplinary science subjects

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Everingham, Yvette L.; Gyuris, Emma; Connolly, Sean R.

2017-11-01

Contemporary science educators must equip their students with the knowledge and practical know-how to connect multiple disciplines like mathematics, computing and the natural sciences to gain a richer and deeper understanding of a scientific problem. However, many biology and earth science students are prejudiced against mathematics due to negative emotions like high mathematical anxiety and low mathematical confidence. Here, we present a theoretical framework that investigates linkages between student engagement, mathematical anxiety, mathematical confidence, student achievement and subject mastery. We implement this framework in a large, first-year interdisciplinary science subject and monitor its impact over several years from 2010 to 2015. The implementation of the framework coincided with an easing of anxiety and enhanced confidence, as well as higher student satisfaction, retention and achievement. The framework offers interdisciplinary science educators greater flexibility and confidence in their approach to designing and delivering subjects that rely on mathematical concepts and practices.
Organizational and training factors that promote team science: A qualitative analysis and application of theory to the National Institutes of Health's BIRCWH career development program.

PubMed

Guise, Jeanne-Marie; Winter, Susan; Fiore, Stephen M; Regensteiner, Judith G; Nagel, Joan

2017-04-01

Research organizations face challenges in creating infrastructures that cultivates and sustains interdisciplinary team science. The objective of this paper is to identify structural elements of organizations and training that promote team science. We qualitatively analyzed the National Institutes of Health's Building Interdisciplinary Research Careers in Women's Health, K12 using organizational psychology and team science theories to identify organizational design factors for successful team science and training. Seven key design elements support team science: (1) semiformal meta-organizational structure, (2) shared context and goals, (3) formal evaluation processes, (4) meetings to promote communication, (5) role clarity in mentoring, (6) building interpersonal competencies among faculty and trainees, and (7) designing promotion and tenure and other organizational processes to support interdisciplinary team science. This application of theory to a long-standing and successful program provides important foundational elements for programs and institutions to consider in promoting team science.
Interdisciplinary MSc and Doctoral Education in Climate System Science at the University of Hamburg

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dilly, Oliver; Stammer, Detlef; Pfeiffer, Eva-Maria

2010-05-01

Modern education in climate system sciences is based on a number of disciplines such as meteorology, geophysics, oceanography, geosciences and also economics and social sciences. Facts across these disciplines are required to address the faced key issues related to climate change effectively. Climate experts need to have profound knowledge that can only be achieved in interdisciplinary MSc and PhD programs. In Europe, graduate students who completed a BSc degree are typically proceeding with MSc programs to increase knowledge and qualification. Afterwards, the participation in a doctoral program may follow. Many doctoral programs include courses supporting disciplinary methodological and scientific background in particular. Those courses derive either from advanced MSc programs or specific trainings. Typically, interdisciplinary exchange is difficult to achieve at any stage of disciplinary graduate programs. Recent developments showed the need to educate climate experts in interdisciplinary MSc programs in climate system sciences for both researchers and professionals outside the university. The University of Hamburg offers an interdisciplinary 2-yr MSc program in Integrated System Sciences with 120 ECTS (30 compulsory, 90 eligible) in English language. If the MSc student decides to proceed with a PhD thesis, he/she may not necessarily complete the MSc program but may start to work on a specific and disciplinary doctoral thesis for 3 years. Each doctoral student is guided by an advisory panel (AP) which meets at least bi-annually. The AP consists of a Principal Advisor, a Co-Advisor and a Chair of the panel who come from neighboring disciplines. The structured doctoral program with only 12 CPs includes interdisciplinary compulsory courses and tailor-made eligible expert courses. Summer schools and soft skill courses add to both MSc and doctoral programs. Accordingly, the new graduate school concepts in climate system sciences at the University of Hamburg supports starting with the interdisciplinary MSc program Integrated Climate System Sciences and then get in-depth disciplinary expertise during PhD studies. The completion of the total MSc curriculum may not be essential. Advantages and limitations of this concept will be discussed.
Interdisciplinary Introductory Course in Bioinformatics

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kortsarts, Yana; Morris, Robert W.; Utell, Janine M.

2010-01-01

Bioinformatics is a relatively new interdisciplinary field that integrates computer science, mathematics, biology, and information technology to manage, analyze, and understand biological, biochemical and biophysical information. We present our experience in teaching an interdisciplinary course, Introduction to Bioinformatics, which was developed…

Teaching the Urban Student as a Whole: Utilizing Universal Skills in Science and Social Studies Interdisciplinary Curricula

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Berg, Christianna

The purpose for this project is to utilize interdisciplinary curricula to emphasize transferable skills across the four main subject areas: reading, mathematics, science, and social studies. This project aims to provide a background for the creation of an interdisciplinary curricula that can be adjusted to current instructional programs being used in any classroom. The proposed curriculum is intended for a science and social studies elementary classroom where students rotate to a different mathematics and language arts classroom, but it could be applied to older grades or to self-contained classes. The proposed curriculum emphasizes problem solving, reading, and writing skills.
An Interdisciplinary Approach to Success for Underrepresented Students in STEM

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Goonewardene, Anura U.; Offutt, Christine A.; Whitling, Jacqueline; Woodhouse, Donald

2016-01-01

To recruit underrepresented students with demonstrated financial need into STEM disciplines, Lock Haven University established the interdisciplinary Nano Scholars Program, offering National Science Foundation-funded scholarships, academic support, and social support. Small cohort sizes, a student-led science learning community (the Nano Club), and…
Assessing Changes in Teachers' Attitudes toward Interdisciplinary STEM Teaching

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Al Salami, Mubarak K.; Makela, Carole J.; de Miranda, Michael A.

2017-01-01

Integrating engineering and technology concepts into K-12 science and math curricula through engineering design project-based learning has been found to increase students' interest in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM), however preparing teachers to shift to interdisciplinary teaching remains a significant challenge.…
Pitfalls and Successes of Developing an Interdisciplinary Watershed Field Science Course

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pearce, Andrea R.; Bierman, Paul R.; Druschel, Gregory K.; Massey, Christine; Rizzo, Donna M.; Watzin, Mary C.; Wemple, Beverly C.

2010-01-01

At the University of Vermont, an interdisciplinary faculty team developed an introductory watershed science field course. This course honed field skills and catalyzed communication across water-related disciplines without requiring specific prerequisites. Five faculty (geology, engineering, geography, natural resources) taught the four-credit…
Exploring Connections Between Earth Science and Biology - Interdisciplinary Science Activities for Schools

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vd Flier-Keller, E.; Carolsfeld, C.; Bullard, T.

2009-05-01

To increase teaching of Earth science in schools, and to reflect the interdisciplinary nature and interrelatedness of science disciplines in today's world, we are exploring opportunities for linking Earth science and Biology through engaging and innovative hands-on science activities for the classroom. Through the NSERC-funded Pacific CRYSTAL project based at the University of Victoria, scientists, science educators, and teachers at all levels in the school system are collaborating to research ways of enriching the preparation of students in math and science, and improving the quality of science education from Kindergarten to Grade 12. Our primary foci are building authentic, engaging science experiences for students, and fostering teacher leadership through teacher professional development and training. Interdisciplinary science activities represent an important way of making student science experiences real, engaging and relevant, and provide opportunities to highlight Earth science related topics within other disciplines, and to expand the Earth science taught in schools. The Earth science and Biology interdisciplinary project builds on results and experiences of existing Earth science education activities, and the Seaquaria project. We are developing curriculum-linked activities and resource materials, and hosting teacher workshops, around two initial areas; soils, and marine life and the fossil record. An example activity for the latter is the hands-on examination of organisms occupying the nearshore marine environment using a saltwater aquarium and touch tank or beach fieldtrip, and relating this to a suite of marine fossils to facilitate student thinking about representation of life in the fossil record e.g. which life forms are typically preserved, and how are they preserved? Literacy activities such as fossil obituaries encourage exploration of paleoenvironments and life habits of fossil organisms. Activities and resources are being tested with teachers and student teachers through workshops, at teacher conferences, and participating Faculties of Education.
40 CFR 1502.6 - Interdisciplinary preparation.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... Section 1502.6 Protection of Environment COUNCIL ON ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT STATEMENT § 1502.6 Interdisciplinary preparation. Environmental impact statements shall be prepared using an inter-disciplinary approach which will insure the integrated use of the natural and social sciences and the...
40 CFR 1502.6 - Interdisciplinary preparation.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... Section 1502.6 Protection of Environment COUNCIL ON ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT STATEMENT § 1502.6 Interdisciplinary preparation. Environmental impact statements shall be prepared using an inter-disciplinary approach which will insure the integrated use of the natural and social sciences and the...
40 CFR 1502.6 - Interdisciplinary preparation.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... Section 1502.6 Protection of Environment COUNCIL ON ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT STATEMENT § 1502.6 Interdisciplinary preparation. Environmental impact statements shall be prepared using an inter-disciplinary approach which will insure the integrated use of the natural and social sciences and the...
40 CFR 1502.6 - Interdisciplinary preparation.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... Section 1502.6 Protection of Environment COUNCIL ON ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT STATEMENT § 1502.6 Interdisciplinary preparation. Environmental impact statements shall be prepared using an inter-disciplinary approach which will insure the integrated use of the natural and social sciences and the...
HESS Opinions "Integration of groundwater and surface water research: an interdisciplinary problem?"

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Barthel, R.

2014-02-01

Today there is a great consensus that water resources research needs to become more holistic, integrating perspectives of a large variety of disciplines. Groundwater and surface water (hereafter: GW and SW) are typically identified as different compartments of the hydrological cycle and were traditionally often studied and managed separately. However, despite this separation, these respective fields of study are usually not considered to be different disciplines. They are often seen as different specialisations of hydrology with different focus, yet similar theory, concepts, methodology. The present article discusses how this notion may form a substantial obstacle in the further integration of GW and SW research and management. The article focusses on the regional scale (areas of approx. 103 to 106 km2), which is identified as the scale where integration is most greatly needed, but ironically the least amount of fully integrated research seems to be undertaken. The state of research on integrating GW and SW research is briefly reviewed and the most essential differences between GW hydrology (or hydrogeology, geohydrology) and SW hydrology are presented. Groundwater recharge and baseflow are used as examples to illustrate different perspectives on similar phenomena that can cause severe misunderstandings and errors in the conceptualisation of integration schemes. It is also discussed that integration of GW and SW research on the regional scale necessarily must move beyond the hydrological aspects, by collaborating with social sciences and increasing the interaction between science and the society in general. The typical elements of an ideal interdisciplinary workflow are presented and their relevance with respect to integration of GW and SW is discussed. The overall conclusions are that GW hydrology and SW hydrogeology study rather different objects of interest, using different types of observation, working on different problem settings. They have thus developed different theory, methodology and terminology. Yet, there seems to be a widespread lack of awareness of these differences which hinders the detection of the existing interdisciplinary aspects of GW and SW integration and consequently the development of truly unifying, interdisciplinary theory and methodology. Thus, despite having the ultimate goal of creating a more holistic approach, we should start integration by analysing potential disciplinary differences. Improved understanding among hydrologists of what interdisciplinary means and how it works is needed. Hydrologists, despite frequently being involved in multidisciplinary projects, are not sufficiently involved in developing interdisciplinary strategies and do usually not regard the process of integration as such as a research topic of its own. There seems to be a general reluctance to apply (truly) interdisciplinary methodology because this is tedious and few, immediate incentives are experienced.
Interdisciplinary team science and the public: Steps toward a participatory team science.

PubMed

Tebes, Jacob Kraemer; Thai, Nghi D

2018-01-01

Interdisciplinary team science involves research collaboration among investigators from different disciplines who work interdependently to share leadership and responsibility. Although over the past several decades there has been an increase in knowledge produced by science teams, the public has not been meaningfully engaged in this process. We argue that contemporary changes in how science is understood and practiced offer an opportunity to reconsider engaging the public as active participants on teams and coin the term participatory team science to describe public engagement in team science. We discuss how public engagement can enhance knowledge within the team to address complex problems and suggest a different organizing framework for team science that aligns better with how teams operate and with participatory approaches to research. We also summarize work on public engagement in science, describe opportunities for various types of engagement, and provide an example of participatory team science carried out across research phases. We conclude by discussing implications of participatory team science for psychology, including changing the default when assembling an interdisciplinary science team by identifying meaningful roles for public engagement through participatory team science. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2018 APA, all rights reserved).
Exploring Hybrid Instruction in Science: Using LMS for Contextual, Interdisciplinary Active Learning Enrichment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Quarless, Duncan; Nieto, Fernando

2013-01-01

Learning Management Systems are instructional platforms that offer opportunities to address the development of core competencies across disciplines. The emergence of instructional models which place greater emphasis on core skill development in science education help to build interdisciplinary communities through curricular connectivity and…
Three-Dimensional Printing of Human Skeletal Muscle Cells: An Interdisciplinary Approach for Studying Biological Systems

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bagley, James R.; Galpin, Andrew J.

2015-01-01

Interdisciplinary exploration is vital to education in the 21st century. This manuscript outlines an innovative laboratory-based teaching method that combines elements of biochemistry/molecular biology, kinesiology/health science, computer science, and manufacturing engineering to give students the ability to better conceptualize complex…
Tour Brookhaven Lab's Future Hub for Energy Research: The Interdisciplinary Science Building

ScienceCinema

Gerry Stokes; Jim Misewich; Caradonna, Peggy; Sullivan, John; Olsen, Jim

2018-04-16

Construction is under way for the Interdisciplinary Science Building (ISB), a future world-class facility for energy research at Brookhaven Lab. Meet two scientists who will develop solutions at the ISB to tackle some of the nation's energy challenges, and tour the construction site.
INFORMATION SCIENCE--OUTLINE, ASSESSMENT, INTERDISCIPLINARY DISCUSSION. REPORT FOR JUNE, 1965-JUNE, 1966.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

IBERALL, A.S.

THIS REPORT PROVIDES AN ASSESSMENT AND INTRODUCTION TO THE INTERDISCIPLINARY LITERATURE OF THREE APSECTS OF INFORMATION SCIENCE, IN ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY FORM. THESE ARE--COMMUNICATION NETWORKS, HUMAN INFORMATION PROCESSES (PRINCIPALLY LANGUAGE AND INFORMATION RETRIEVAL), AND THE LARGE CYBERNETIC SYSTEMS SUCH AS THE HUMAN BRAIN AND CENTRAL…
Advancing K-8 Teachers' STEM Education for Teaching Interdisciplinary Science and Mathematics with Technologies

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Niess, Margaret; Gillow-Wiles, Henry

2013-01-01

This primarily online Master's degree program focused on advancing K-8 teachers' interdisciplinary mathematical and science content knowledge while integrating appropriate digital technologies as learning and teaching tools. The mixed-method, interpretive study examined in-service teachers' technological, pedagogical, and content knowledge (TPACK)…
The Sea, An Interdisciplinary Approach to Marine Science for Elementary School Children.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Vaiuso, Frank

This teacher's guide develops an interdisciplinary approach to marine science for elementary school children. The lessons are concerned with food chains, interdependencies, physical characteristics, comparative dissections, and student involvement in political issues dealing with water and air pollution. For each activity suggestions are provided…
Scaffolding the Science: Problem Based Strategies for Teaching Interdisciplinary Undergraduate Research Methods

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Keebaugh, Alaine; Darrow, Lyndsey; Tan, David; Jamerson, Heather

2009-01-01

Previous research has highlighted the effectiveness of Problem-Based Learning (PBL) in multiple disciplinary settings, including medicine, teacher education, business, allied health, and the social sciences. Yet interdisciplinary educators have very little information about how to implement PBL in classrooms where multiple disciplines are…
Research and Teaching: Project-Based Instruction with Future STEM Educators--An Interdisciplinary Approach

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wilhelm, Jennifer

2014-01-01

This study documented the means by which STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) educators experienced the mathematics and science associated with understanding lunar phenomena. The article reports how well STEM education graduate students interacted with projectbased materials as they engaged in interdisciplinary teaching and…
Collaboration-Focused Workshop for Interdisciplinary, Inter-Institutional Teams of College Science Faculty

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hanson, Pamela K.; Stultz, Laura

2015-01-01

Many science educators know of the pedagogical benefits of inquiry- and research-based labs, yet numerous barriers to implementation exist. In this article we describe a faculty development workshop that explored interdisciplinary and inter-institutional collaborations as potential mechanisms for overcoming barriers to curricular innovation.

Commons problems, common ground: Earth-surface dynamics and the social-physical interdisciplinary frontier

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lazarus, E.

2015-12-01

In the archetypal "tragedy of the commons" narrative, local farmers pasture their cows on the town common. Soon the common becomes crowded with cows, who graze it bare, and the arrangement of open access to a shared resource ultimately fails. The "tragedy" involves social and physical processes, but the denouement depends on who is telling the story. An economist might argue that the system collapses because each farmer always has a rational incentive to graze one more cow. An ecologist might remark that the rate of grass growth is an inherent control on the common's carrying capacity. And a geomorphologist might point out that processes of soil degradation almost always outstrip processes of soil production. Interdisciplinary research into human-environmental systems still tends to favor disciplinary vantages. In the context of Anthropocene grand challenges - including fundamental insight into dynamics of landscape resilience, and what the dominance of human activities means for processes of change and evolution on the Earth's surface - two disciplines in particular have more to talk about than they might think. Here, I use three examples - (1) beach nourishment, (2) upstream/downstream fluvial asymmetry, and (3) current and historical "land grabbing" - to illustrate a range of interconnections between physical Earth-surface science and common-pool resource economics. In many systems, decision-making and social complexity exert stronger controls on landscape expression than do physical geomorphological processes. Conversely, human-environmental research keeps encountering multi-scale, emergent problems of resource use made 'common-pool' by water, nutrient and sediment transport dynamics. Just as Earth-surface research can benefit from decades of work on common-pool resource systems, quantitative Earth-surface science can make essential contributions to efforts addressing complex problems in environmental sustainability.
Interdisciplinary Approach to Understanding Literary Texts

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dossanova, Altynay Zh.; Ismakova, Bibissara S.; Tapanova, Saule E.; Ayupova, Gulbagira K.; Gotting, Valentina V.; Kaltayeva, Gulnar K.

2016-01-01

The primary purpose is the implementation of the interdisciplinary approach to understanding and the construction of integrative models of understanding literary texts. The interdisciplinary methodological paradigm of studying text understanding, based on the principles of various sciences facilitating the identification of the text understanding…
Interdisciplinary training in mathematical biology through team-based undergraduate research and courses.

PubMed

Miller, Jason E; Walston, Timothy

2010-01-01

Inspired by BIO2010 and leveraging institutional and external funding, Truman State University built an undergraduate program in mathematical biology with high-quality, faculty-mentored interdisciplinary research experiences at its core. These experiences taught faculty and students to bridge the epistemological gap between the mathematical and life sciences. Together they created the infrastructure that currently supports several interdisciplinary courses, an innovative minor degree, and long-term interdepartmental research collaborations. This article describes how the program was built with support from the National Science Foundation's Interdisciplinary Training for Undergraduates in Biology and Mathematics program, and it shares lessons learned that will help other undergraduate institutions build their own program.
Practical Strategies for Collaboration across Discipline-Based Education Research and the Learning Sciences.

PubMed

Peffer, Melanie; Renken, Maggie

Rather than pursue questions related to learning in biology from separate camps, recent calls highlight the necessity of interdisciplinary research agendas. Interdisciplinary collaborations allow for a complicated and expanded approach to questions about learning within specific science domains, such as biology. Despite its benefits, interdisciplinary work inevitably involves challenges. Some such challenges originate from differences in theoretical and methodological approaches across lines of work. Thus, aims at developing successful interdisciplinary research programs raise important considerations regarding methodologies for studying biology learning, strategies for approaching collaborations, and training of early-career scientists. Our goal here is to describe two fields important to understanding learning in biology, discipline-based education research and the learning sciences. We discuss differences between each discipline's approach to biology education research and the benefits and challenges associated with incorporating these perspectives in a single research program. We then propose strategies for building productive interdisciplinary collaboration. © 2016 M. Peffer and M. Renken. CBE—Life Sciences Education © 2016 The American Society for Cell Biology. This article is distributed by The American Society for Cell Biology under license from the author(s). It is available to the public under an Attribution–Noncommercial–Share Alike 3.0 Unported Creative Commons License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0).
Biomedical Science, Unit III: The Circulatory System in Health and Science. The Heart and Blood Vessels; Blood and Its Properties; The Urinary Tract. Student Text. Revised Version, 1976.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Biomedical Interdisciplinary Curriculum Project, Berkeley, CA.

This student text presents instructional materials for a unit of science within the Biomedical Interdisciplinary Curriculum Project (BICP), a two-year interdisciplinary precollege curriculum aimed at preparing high school students for entry into college and vocational programs leading to a career in the health field. Lessons concentrate on the…
Biomedical Science, Unit III: The Circulatory System in Health and Science. The Heart and Blood Vessels; Blood and Its Properties; The Urinary Tract. Instructor's Manual. Revised Version, 1976.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Biomedical Interdisciplinary Curriculum Project, Berkeley, CA.

This instructor's manual presents lesson plans for a unit of science within the Biomedical Interdisciplinary Curriculum Project (BICP), a two-year interdisciplinary precollege curriculum aimed at preparing high school students for entry into college and vocational programs leading to a career in the health field. Lessons concentrate on the…
Biomedical Science, Unit III: The Circulatory System in Health and Science. The Heart and Blood Vessels; Blood and Its Properties; The Urinary Tract. Laboratory Manual. Revised Version, 1976.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Biomedical Interdisciplinary Curriculum Project, Berkeley, CA.

This laboratory manual presents activities for a unit of science within the Biomedical Interdisciplinary Curriculum Project (BICP), a two-year interdisciplinary precollege curriculum aimed at preparing high school students for entry into college and vocational programs leading to a career in the health field. These twenty-five laboratory…
Leadership styles in interdisciplinary health science education.

PubMed

Sasnett, Bonita; Clay, Maria

2008-12-01

The US Institute of Medicine recommends that all health professionals should deliver patient-centered care as members of interdisciplinary health science teams. The current application of the Bolman and Deal Leadership model to health sciences provides an interesting point of reference to compare leadership styles. This article reviews several applications of that model within academic health care and the aggregate recommendations for leaders of health care disciplines based on collective findings.
Engaging Undergraduates through Interdisciplinary Research in Nanotechnology

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Goonewardene, Anura U.; Offutt, Christine; Whitling, Jacqueline; Woodhouse, Donald

2012-01-01

To recruit and retain more students in all science disciplines at our small (5,000 student) public university, we implemented an interdisciplinary strategy focusing on nanotechnology and enhanced undergraduate research. Inherently interdisciplinary, the novelty of nanotechnology and its growing career potential appeal to students. To engage…
Chaos: A Topic for Interdisciplinary Education in Physics

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bae, Saebyok

2009-01-01

Since society and science need interdisciplinary works, the interesting topic of chaos is chosen for interdisciplinary education in physics. The educational programme contains various university-level activities such as computer simulations, chaos experiment and team projects besides ordinary teaching. According to the participants, the programme…
Women, Minorities, and Interdisciplinary Research

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pfirman, S.; Rhoten, D.

2007-05-01

Two major issues face the scientific enterprise: the need to engage the next generation of scientists and the recognition that research frontiers don't necessarily fall within disciplinary lines. While research has focused on each of these trends independently, surprisingly few studies have considered how intellectual preferences for and professional consequences of interdisciplinary science might be influenced by one's gender. This presentation assembles some of the first empirical data on gender and interdisciplinarity, showing that women appear to be disproportionately involved in interdisciplinary science. It considers what draws women in this direction and explores the implications of such a tendency. Interdisciplinary research may present a promising angle by which to engage women in the scientific enterprise, and institutions interested in increasing interdisciplinary research may have a greater chance for success if they involve women. Similarly, institutions interested in increasing their diversity may have a greater chance for success if they value interdisciplinary scholarship, which is still an issue on most campuses where disciplinary departments dominate.
Toward Meaningful Interdisciplinary Education: High School Teachers' Views of Mathematics and Science Integration

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Weinberg, Andrea Elizabeth; Sample McMeeking, Laura Beth

2017-01-01

Numerous national initiatives call for interdisciplinary mathematics and science education, but few empirical studies have examined practical considerations for integrated instruction in high school settings. The purpose of this qualitative study was twofold. First, the study sought to describe how and to what extent teachers integrate mathematics…
Development Studies as an Interdisciplinary Field: Research, Teaching, and Institutional Building in Uruguay

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Arocena, Rodrigo; Sutz, Judith

2016-01-01

The need that emerged in Development Studies to trespass across disciplinary boundaries is discussed. An interdisciplinary characterization of Human Sustainable Development is sketched. Some attempts at the University of the Republic in Uruguay to foster related work that connects sciences and natural sciences are briefly described. This work…
101 Environmental Education Activities. Booklet 5--Science & Social Studies (Interdisciplinary) Activities.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Whitney, Helen, Comp.

Forestry is the main focus of this fifth booklet in the series "101 Environmental Education Activities" by the Upper Mississippi River ECO-Center. Designed for students in the intermediate grades and junior high school, the booklet contains 9 science and social studies activities and 5 interdisciplinary activities. Most activity…
Evaluation of an Interdisciplinary Studio Experience To Teach Architecture and Construction Science Students the Design-build Project Delivery Method.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Graham, Charles W.; Geva, Anat

2001-01-01

An interdisciplinary studio project involved architecture and construction students. Evaluation of the integrated studio experience found that it gave students an accurate picture of professional practice. Architecture students were made more aware of building materials, construction technology, and cost; construction science students better…
University Interdisciplinary Research Organizations in the Process of Collaborative Innovation: Advantages, Difficulties and Strategies

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bi Ying; Yang, Liansheng

2015-01-01

Under the background of collaborative innovation, interdisciplinary research organizations due to its structural advantages should actively target frontier science and the great needs of national development, key research and strategic issues of solving the country's need, prospective issues in the frontier of science and technology and major…
Preservice Teachers' Knowledge of Interdisciplinary Pedagogy: The Case of Elementary Mathematics-Science Integrated Lessons

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

An, Song A.

2017-01-01

The purpose of the study is to explore how elementary preservice teachers' mathematics-science integrated teaching strategies changed as a result of participating in exemplary interdisciplinary activities with multiple themes across school curricula. The participating elementary preservice teachers (n = 28) were recruited for this study from the…
The Need for a Core, Interdisciplinary, Life-Sciences Curriculum in the Middle Grades.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Heller, H. Craig

1993-01-01

Campaigns to improve adolescent health must involve schools, focusing on middle grades. Currently, school organization is poor, with too little good curricular material for such students. The article describes Stanford University's interdisciplinary, core, middle grades curriculum in human biology that combats alienation from science by making it…
Integrating Literacy, Math, and Science to Make Learning Come Alive

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bintz, William P.; Moore, Sara D.; Hayhurst, Elaine; Jones, Rubin; Tuttle, Sherry

2006-01-01

In this article, the authors who are an interdisciplinary team of middle school educators collaboratively developed and implemented an interdisciplinary unit designed to help middle school students: (1) think like mathematicians and scientists; (2) develop specific areas of expertise in math and science; and (3) use literature as a tool to learn…
Toxicity of Nanoparticles to Brine Shrimp: An Introduction to Nanotoxicity and Interdisciplinary Science

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Maurer-Jones, Melissa A.; Love, Sara A.; Meierhofer, Sharon; Marquis, Bryce J.; Liu, Zhen; Haynes, Christy L.

2013-01-01

Nanotoxicity is an area of intense research, stimulated by increased use of nanoparticles in commercially available products. Herein, using nanotoxicity as a platform, we describe an experiment that emphasizes interdisciplinary science in a collaborative work setting while expanding the traditional realm of chemistry and chemistry research.…

History of Science as Interdisciplinary Education in American Colleges: Its Origins, Advantages, and Pitfalls

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Viterbo, Paula

2007-01-01

Before 1950, history of science did not exist as an independent academic branch, but was instead pursued by practitioners across various humanities and scientific disciplines. After professionalization, traces of its prehistory as a cross-disciplinary area of interest bound to an interdisciplinary, educational philosophy have remained. This essay…
STEM Learning Community: An Interdisciplinary Seminar for First- and Second-Year College Science Majors

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Piper, Jon K.; Krehbiel, Dwight

2015-01-01

To attract and retain more academically qualified students to science and mathematics, we developed a merit-based scholarship program for incoming students with STEM interests. Scholarship recipients participate for the first two years in an interdisciplinary learning community and declare a STEM major by the sophomore year. STEM Learning…
The Impact of an Interdisciplinary Learning Community Course on Pseudoscientific Reasoning in First-Year Science Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Franz, Timothy M.; Green, Kris H.

2013-01-01

This case study examined the development and evaluation of an interdisciplinary first-year learning community designed to stimulate scientific reasoning and critical thinking. Designed to serve the needs of scholarship students majoring in mathematics and natural sciences, the six-credit learning community course was writing-intensive and…
Interdisciplinary Studies as Nexus: Crossing Discipline Borders into the World.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Peterson, Laurel S.

At Norwalk Community College in Norwalk, Connecticut, a small group of faculty created three interdisciplinary courses with the belief that they would assist students in developing more finely honed critical thinking skills. One course is in the hard sciences, another in the social sciences, and another in the humanities. This paper discusses the…
Preparing to understand and use science in the real world: interdisciplinary study concentrations at the Technical University of Darmstadt.

PubMed

Liebert, Wolfgang J

2013-12-01

In order to raise awareness of the ambiguous nature of scientific-technological progress, and of the challenging problems it raises, problems which are not easily addressed by courses in a single discipline and cannot be projected onto disciplinary curricula, Technical University of Darmstadt has established three interdisciplinary study concentrations: "Technology and International Development", "Environmental Sciences", and "Sustainable Shaping of Technology and Science". These three programmes seek to overcome the limitations of strictly disciplinary research and teaching by developing an integrated, problem-oriented approach. For example, one course considers fundamental nuclear dilemmas and uses role-playing techniques to address a controversy in the area of nuclear security. At the same time, incorporating interdisciplinary teaching into a university that is organized around mono- or multi-disciplinary faculties also poses a number of challenges. Recognition in disciplinary curricula, and appropriate organizational support and funding are examples of those challenges. It is expected that science and engineering students, empowered by such interdisciplinary study programmes, will be better prepared to act responsibly with regard to scientific and technological challenges.
Case-based Long-term Professional Development of Science Teachers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dori, Yehudit J.; Herscovitz, Orit

2005-10-01

Reform efforts are often unsuccessful because they failed to understand that teachers play a key role in making educational reforms successful. This paper describes a long-term teacher professional development (PD) program aimed at educating and training teachers to teach interdisciplinary topics using case-based method in science. The research objective was to identify, follow and document the processes that science teachers went through as they assimilated the interdisciplinary, case-based science teaching approach. The research accompanied the PD program throughout its 3-year period. About 50 teachers, who took part in the PD program, were exposed to an interdisciplinary case-based teaching method. The research instruments included teacher portfolios, which contained projects and reflection questionnaires, classroom observations, teacher interviews, and student feedback questionnaires. The portfolios contained the projects that the teachers had carried out during the PD program, which included case studies and accompanying student activities. We found that the teachers gradually moved from exposure to new teaching methods and subject matter, through active learning and preparing case-based team projects, to interdisciplinary, active classroom teaching using the case studies they developed.
Teaching scientific literacy in an introductory women's studies course: a case study in interdisciplinary collaboration

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fuselier, Linda; Murphy, Claudia; Bender, Anita; Creel Falcón, Kandace

2015-01-01

Background and purpose:The purpose of this exploratory case study is to describe how scholars negotiated disciplinary divides to develop and communicate to their students an understanding of the basic features of scientific knowledge. Our goals were to examine boundary crossing in interdisciplinary collaboration and to assess the efficacy of adding science content to an introductory Women's Studies course. Sample:We studied a collaboration between faculty in Biology and Women's Studies and evaluated science modules in a Women's Studies course at a regional four-year university in the Midwestern USA. The study included 186 student participants over three semesters and four faculty from Philosophy, Women's Studies and Biology. Design and method:Women's Studies and Biology faculty collaborated to design and implement science content learning modules that included the case of women and science in an introductory Women's Studies course. Qualitative data collected from faculty participants in the form of peer debrief sessions and narrative reflections were used to examine the process of interdisciplinary collaboration. Students exposed to curriculum changes were administered pre- and post-lesson surveys to evaluate their understanding of issues faced by women in science careers, the nature of science, and interest in science studies. Data from collaborators, student journal reflections, and pre-/post-lesson surveys were considered together in an evaluation of how knowledge of science was understood and taught in a Women's Studies course over a longitudinal study of three semesters. Results:We found evidence of discipline-based challenges to interdisciplinarity and disciplinary boundary crossing among collaborators. Three themes emerged from our collaboration: challenges posed by disciplinary differences, creation of a space for interdisciplinary work, and evidence of boundary crossing. Student participants exhibited more prior knowledge of Women's Studies content than nature of science but showed learning in the areas of scientific literacy and the understanding of issues related to women in science careers. Student understanding of science content was enhanced by the participation of a woman scientist in the learning module. Conclusion:This case study illustrates how creating an inclusive space for interdisciplinary collaboration led to successful curriculum transformation and academic boundary crossing by faculty participants. Success is evident in the legacy of interdisciplinarity in the curriculum and learning gains by students. Use of a feminist science studies framework was successful at helping students learn about the influence of values on science and the tentative nature of scientific conclusions. It was less successful in teaching the distinction between science and other ways of knowing and the conception that science is an evidence-based approach to understanding the natural world. This study highlights the importance of interdisciplinary teams of faculty members collaborating to help students learn about science by modeling that there are multiple ways of knowing.
A multidimensional approach to examine student interdisciplinary learning in science and engineering in higher education

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Spelt, Elisabeth Jacoba Hendrika; Luning, Pieternelleke Arianne; van Boekel, Martinus A. J. S.; Mulder, Martin

2017-11-01

Preparing science and engineering students to work in interdisciplinary teams necessitates research on teaching and learning of interdisciplinary thinking. A multidimensional approach was taken to examine student interdisciplinary learning in a master course on food quality management. The collected 615 student experiences were analysed for the cognitive, emotional, and social learning dimensions using the learning theory of Illeris. Of these 615 experiences, the analysis showed that students reported 214, 194, and 207 times on, respectively, the emotional, the cognitive, and the social dimension. Per learning dimension, key learning experiences featuring interdisciplinary learning were identified such as 'frustrations in selecting and matching disciplinary knowledge to complex problems' (emotional), 'understanding how to apply theoretical models or concepts to real-world situations' (cognitive), and 'socially engaging with peers to recognise similarities in perceptions and experiences' (social). Furthermore, the results showed that students appreciated the cognitive dimension relatively more than the emotional and social dimensions.
Forging Alliances in Interdisciplinary Rehabilitation Research (FAIRR): A Logic Model.

PubMed

Gill, Simone V; Khetani, Mary A; Yinusa-Nyahkoon, Leanne; McManus, Beth; Gardiner, Paula M; Tickle-Degnen, Linda

2017-07-01

In a patient-centered care era, rehabilitation can benefit from researcher-clinician collaboration to effectively and efficiently produce the interdisciplinary science that is needed to improve patient-centered outcomes. The authors propose the use of the Forging Alliances in Interdisciplinary Rehabilitation Research (FAIRR) logic model to provide guidance to rehabilitation scientists and clinicians who are committed to growing their involvement in interdisciplinary rehabilitation research. We describe the importance and key characteristics of the FAIRR model for conducting interdisciplinary rehabilitation research.
Disciplinary Foundations for Solving Interdisciplinary Scientific Problems

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Zhang, Dongmei; Shen, Ji

2015-01-01

Problem-solving has been one of the major strands in science education research. But much of the problem-solving research has been conducted on discipline-based contexts; little research has been done on how students, especially individuals, solve interdisciplinary problems. To understand how individuals reason about interdisciplinary problems, we…
Teaching Photography: An Interdisciplinary Theme for Science, Technology, and Art.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stamovlasis, Dimitrios

This paper addresses contemporary concerns with the disintegration of meaning and fragmentation of knowledge. It appeals to interdisciplinary curricula, where an effort is made to reveal the interactive relationships among different fields of knowledge. The paper proposes Photography as an interdisciplinary theme, which involves Chemistry,…
Scientific Aspects of Leonardo da Vinci's Drawings: An Interdisciplinary Model.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Struthers, Sally A.

While interdisciplinary courses can help demonstrate the relevance of learning to students and reinforce education from different fields, they can be difficult to implement and are often not cost effective. An interdisciplinary art history course at Ohio's Sinclair Community College incorporates science into the art history curriculum, making use…
How Multidisciplinary Are the Multidisciplinary Journals Science and Nature?

PubMed Central

Solomon, Gregg E. A.; Carley, Stephen; Porter, Alan L.

2016-01-01

Interest in cross-disciplinary research knowledge interchange runs high. Review processes at funding agencies, such as the U.S. National Science Foundation, consider plans to disseminate research across disciplinary bounds. Publication in the leading multidisciplinary journals, Nature and Science, may signify the epitome of successful interdisciplinary integration of research knowledge and cross-disciplinary dissemination of findings. But how interdisciplinary are they? The journals are multidisciplinary, but do the individual articles themselves draw upon multiple fields of knowledge and does their influence span disciplines? This research compares articles in three fields (Cell Biology, Physical Chemistry, and Cognitive Science) published in a leading disciplinary journal in each field to those published in Nature and Science. We find comparable degrees of interdisciplinary integration and only modest differences in cross-disciplinary diffusion. That said, though the rate of out-of-field diffusion might be comparable, the sheer reach of Nature and Science, indicated by their potent Journal Impact Factors, means that the diffusion of knowledge therein can far exceed that of leading disciplinary journals in some fields (such as Physical Chemistry and Cognitive Science in our samples). PMID:27043924
How Multidisciplinary Are the Multidisciplinary Journals Science and Nature?

PubMed

Solomon, Gregg E A; Carley, Stephen; Porter, Alan L

2016-01-01

Interest in cross-disciplinary research knowledge interchange runs high. Review processes at funding agencies, such as the U.S. National Science Foundation, consider plans to disseminate research across disciplinary bounds. Publication in the leading multidisciplinary journals, Nature and Science, may signify the epitome of successful interdisciplinary integration of research knowledge and cross-disciplinary dissemination of findings. But how interdisciplinary are they? The journals are multidisciplinary, but do the individual articles themselves draw upon multiple fields of knowledge and does their influence span disciplines? This research compares articles in three fields (Cell Biology, Physical Chemistry, and Cognitive Science) published in a leading disciplinary journal in each field to those published in Nature and Science. We find comparable degrees of interdisciplinary integration and only modest differences in cross-disciplinary diffusion. That said, though the rate of out-of-field diffusion might be comparable, the sheer reach of Nature and Science, indicated by their potent Journal Impact Factors, means that the diffusion of knowledge therein can far exceed that of leading disciplinary journals in some fields (such as Physical Chemistry and Cognitive Science in our samples).
Interdisciplinary Explorations: Promoting Critical Thinking via Problem-Based Learning in an Advanced Biochemistry Class

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cowden, Chapel D.; Santiago, Manuel F.

2016-01-01

Interdisciplinary approaches to research in the sciences have become increasingly important in solving a wide range of pressing problems at both global and local levels. It is imperative then that science majors in higher education understand the need for exploring information from a wide array of disciplines. With this in mind, interdisciplinary…
Accelerated Integrated Science Sequence (AISS): An Introductory Biology, Chemistry, and Physics Course

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Purvis-Roberts, Kathleen L.; Edwalds-Gilbert, Gretchen; Landsberg, Adam S.; Copp, Newton; Ulsh, Lisa; Drew, David E.

2009-01-01

A new interdisciplinary, introductory science course was offered for the first time during the 2007-2008 school year. The purpose of the course is to introduce students to the idea of working at the intersections of biology, chemistry, and physics and to recognize interconnections between the disciplines. Interdisciplinary laboratories are a key…
Who Stole the Doughnuts? An Interdisciplinary Forensics Unit

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Boles, Stephanie

2011-01-01

There was a doughnut thief loose and the students were determined to put their science skills to use to track down the culprit. They would use forensic science to eliminate suspects and identify the thief who stole the doughnuts. School staff take on the role of the likely suspects. It was their goal to develop an interdisciplinary unit that…
The Emergence and Institutional Co-Determination of Sustainability as a Teaching Topic in Interdisciplinary Science Teacher Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rasmussen, Klaus

2017-01-01

This paper takes an institutional perspective on the topic of sustainability in order to analyse how this "idea" enters science teacher education through an interdisciplinary approach. It shows how the development and implementation of a course for Danish pre-service teachers was conditioned and constrained by a complex web of…
Bridging the Gap: A Research-Based Approach for Teaching Interdisciplinary Science to Undergraduate Freshman Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sales, Jessica; Comeau, Dawn; Liddle, Kathleen; Khanna, Nikki; Perrone, Lisa; Palmer, Katrina; Lynn, David

2006-01-01

A new program, On Recent Discoveries by Emory Researchers (ORDER), has been developed as a bridge across the ever-widening gap between graduate and undergraduate education in the sciences. This bridge is created by merging the needs of graduate/postdoctoral students to educate more interdisciplinary scholars about their research discoveries with…
Optimising Inter-Disciplinary Problem-Based Learning in Postgraduate Environmental and Science Education: Recommendations from a Case Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Redshaw, Clare H; Frampton, Ian

2014-01-01

As the value of multi-disciplinary working in the business and research worlds is becoming more recognised, the number of inter-disciplinary postgraduate environmental and health sciences courses is also increasing. Equally, the popularity of problem-based learning (PBL) is expected to grow and influence instructional approaches in many…

Piquing Student Interest with Pharmacology: An Interdisciplinary Program Helps High School Students Learn Biology and Chemistry Principles

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Halpin, Myra J.; Hoeffler, Leanne; Schwartz-Bloom, Rochelle D.

2005-01-01

To help students learn science concepts, Pharmacology Education Partnership (PEP)--a science education program that incorporates relevant topics related to drugs and drug abuse into standard biology and chemistry curricula was developed. The interdisciplinary PEP curriculum provides six modules to teach biology and chemistry principles within the…
A Program to Prepare Graduate Students for Careers in Climate Adaptation Science

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Huntly, N.; Belmont, P.; Flint, C.; Gordillo, L.; Howe, P. D.; Lutz, J. A.; Null, S. E.; Reed, S.; Rosenberg, D. E.; Wang, S. Y.

2017-12-01

We describe our experiences creating a graduate program that addresses the need for a next generation of scientists who can produce, communicate, and help implement actionable science. The Climate Adaptation Science (CAS) graduate program, funded by the National Science Foundation Research Traineeship (NRT) program, prepares graduate students for careers at the interfaces of science with policy and management in the field of climate adaptation, which is a major 21st-century challenge for science and society. The program is interdisciplinary, with students and faculty from natural, social, and physical sciences, engineering, and mathematics, and is based around interdisciplinary team research in collaboration with partners from outside of academia who have climate adaptation science needs. The program embeds students in a cycle of creating and implementing actionable science through a two-part internship, with partners from government, non-governmental organizations, and industry, that brackets and informs a year of interdisciplinary team research. The program is communication-rich, with events that foster information exchange and understanding across disciplines and workplaces. We describe the CAS program, our experiences in developing it, the research and internship experiences of students in the program, and initial metrics and feedback on the effectiveness of the program.
Promise and Capability of NASA's Earth Observing System to Monitor Human-Induced Climate Variations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

King, M. D.

2003-01-01

The Earth Observing System (EOS) is a space-based observing system comprised of a series of satellite sensors by which scientists can monitor the Earth, a Data and Information System (EOSDIS) enabling researchers worldwide to access the satellite data, and an interdisciplinary science research program to interpret the satellite data. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS), developed as part of the Earth Observing System (EOS) and launched on Terra in December 1999 and Aqua in May 2002, is designed to meet the scientific needs for satellite remote sensing of clouds, aerosols, water vapor, and land and ocean surface properties. This sensor and multi-platform observing system is especially well suited to observing detailed interdisciplinary components of the Earth s surface and atmosphere in and around urban environments, including aerosol optical properties, cloud optical and microphysical properties of both liquid water and ice clouds, land surface reflectance, fire occurrence, and many other properties that influence the urban environment and are influenced by them. In this presentation I will summarize the current capabilities of MODIS and other EOS sensors currently in orbit to study human-induced climate variations.
Integrating social science and design inquiry through interdisciplinary design charrettes: an approach to participatory community problem solving.

PubMed

Sutton, Sharon E; Kemp, Susan P

2006-09-01

Interdisciplinary collaborations that aim to facilitate meaningful community outcomes require both the right mix of disciplinary knowledge and effective community participation, which together can deepen collective knowledge and the capacity to take action. This article explores three interdisciplinary design charrettes, intensive participatory workshops that addressed specific community problems and provided a context for integrating design and social science inquiry with local community knowledge. Evaluation data from the charrettes shed light on how students from the design and social science disciplines experienced the charrettes, and on their interactions with community members. Key advantages to this interdisciplinary, community-based collaboration included expanded knowledge derived from the use of multiple modes of inquiry, particularly the resulting visualization tools that helped community members understand local issues and envision novel solutions. Key drawbacks included difficulties in balancing the two disciplines, the tendency for social scientists to feel out of place on designers' turf, and the increased disciplinary and interpersonal conflicts arising from a more diverse pool of participants.
Approaches to preparing young scholars for careers in interdisciplinary team science.

PubMed

Begg, Melissa D; Crumley, Gene; Fair, Alecia M; Martina, Camille A; McCormack, Wayne T; Merchant, Carol; Patino-Sutton, Cecilia M; Umans, Jason G

2014-01-01

To succeed as a biomedical researcher, the ability to flourish in interdisciplinary teams of scientists is becoming ever more important. Institutions supported by the Clinical and Translational Science Awards (CTSAs) from the National Institutes of Health have a specific mandate to educate the next generation of clinical and translational researchers. While they strive to advance integrated and interdisciplinary approaches to education and career development in clinical and translational science, general approaches and evaluation strategies may differ, as there is no single, universally accepted or standardized approach. It is important, therefore, to learn about the different approaches used to determine what is effective. We implemented a Web-based survey distributed to education leaders at the 60 funded CTSA institutions; 95% responded to the survey, which included questions on the importance of preparation for interdisciplinary team science careers, methods used to provide such training, and perceived effectiveness of these training programs. The vast majority (86%) of education leaders reported that such training is important, and about half (52%) of the institutions offer such training. Methods of training most often take the form of courses and seminars, both credit bearing and noncredit. These efforts are, by and large, perceived as effective by the training program leaders, although long-term follow-up of trainees would be required to fully evaluate ultimate effectiveness. Results from the survey suggest that CTSA education directors believe that specific training in interdisciplinary team science for young investigators is very important, but few methodologies are universally practiced in CTSA institutions to provide training or to assess performance. Four specific recommendations are suggested to provide measurable strategic goals for education in team science in the context of clinical and translational research.
Biomedical Science, Unit II: Nutrition in Health and Medicine. Digestion of Foods; Organic Chemistry of Nutrients; Energy and Cell Respiration; The Optimal Diet; Foodborne Diseases; Food Technology; Dental Science and Nutrition. Student Text. Revised Version, 1975.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Biomedical Interdisciplinary Curriculum Project, Berkeley, CA.

This student text presents instructional materials for a unit of science within the Biomedical Interdisciplinary Curriculum Project (BICP), a two-year interdisciplinary precollege curriculum aimed at preparing high school students for entry into college and vocational programs leading to a career in the health field. Lessons concentrate on…
Diversity of Approaches to Structuring University-Based Earth System Science Education

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Aron, J.; Ruzek, M.; Johnson, D. R.

2004-12-01

Over the past quarter century, the "Earth system science" paradigm has emerged among the interdisciplinary science community, emphasizing interactions among components hitherto considered within separate disciplines: atmosphere (air); hydrosphere (water); biosphere (life); lithosphere (land); anthroposphere (human dimension); and exosphere (solar system and beyond). How should the next generation of Earth system scientists learn to contribute to this interdisciplinary endeavor? There is no one simple answer. The Earth System Science Education program, funded by NASA, has addressed this question by supporting faculty at U.S. universities who develop new courses, curricula and degree programs in their institutional contexts. This report demonstrates the diversity of approaches to structuring university-based Earth system science education, focusing on the 18 current grantees of the Earth System Science Education Program for the 21st Century (ESSE21). One of the most fundamental characteristics is the departmental structure for teaching Earth system science. The "home" departments of the Earth system science faculty range from Earth sciences and physics to agronomy and social work. A brand-new institution created an interdisciplinary Institute for Earth Systems Science and Policy without traditional "parent" departments. Some institutions create new degree programs as majors or as minors while others work within existing degree programs to add or revise courses. A university may also offer multiple strands, such as a degree in the Science of the Earth System and a degree in the Human Dimensions of the Earth System. Defining a career path is extremely important to students considering Earth system science programs and a major institutional challenge for all programs in Earth system science education. How will graduate programs assess prospective students? How will universities and government agencies assess prospective faculty and scientists? How will government agencies allocate funds to interdisciplinary Earth system science and technology? Finally, how should the Earth system science education community evolve?
BURECS: An Interdisciplinary Undergraduate Climate Science Program

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dennis, D. P.; Marchant, D. R.; Christ, A. J.; Ehrenfeucht, S.

2017-12-01

The current structure of many undergraduate programs, particularly those at large research universities, requires students to engage with a major or academic emphasis early in their university careers. This oftentimes curbs exploration outside the major and can inhibit interdisciplinary collaboration. The Boston University Research Education and Communication of Science (BURECS) program seeks to bridge this institutional divide by fostering interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary collaboration on climate change-related issues by students from across Boston University (B.U.). Every year, approximately fifteen first-year students from B.U.'s College of Arts and Sciences, College of Communication, and School of Education are selected to join BURECS, which includes a climate science seminar, a hands-on lab course, a supported summer internship with Boston-area researchers, and the opportunity to participate in Antarctic field work during subsequent B.U. Antarctic Research Group expeditions. Currently in its third year, BURECS is funded through the Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) Professors Program.
Assessment of Translational and Interdisciplinary Clinical Research at an Oklahoma Health Sciences Center

PubMed Central

Dao, Hanh Dung; Kota, Pravina; James, Judith A.; Stoner, Julie A.; Akins, Darrin R.

2015-01-01

Purpose In response to National Institutes of Health initiatives to improve translation of basic science discoveries we surveyed faculty to assess patterns of and barriers to translational research in Oklahoma. Methods An online survey was administered to University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, College of Medicine faculty, which included demographic and research questions. Results Responses were received from 126 faculty members (24%). Two-thirds spent ≥20% time on research; among these, 90% conduct clinical and translational research. Identifying funding; recruiting research staff and participants; preparing reports and agreements; and protecting research time were commonly perceived as at least moderate barriers to conducting research. While respondents largely collaborated within their discipline, clinical investigators were more likely than basic science investigators to engage in interdisciplinary research. Conclusion While engagement in translational research is common, specific barriers impact the research process. This could be improved through an expanded interdisciplinary collaboration and research support structure. PMID:26242016
Building Transferable Knowledge and Skills through an Interdisciplinary Polar Science Graduate Program

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Culler, L. E.; Virginia, R. A.; Albert, M. R.; Ayres, M.

2015-12-01

Modern graduate education must extend beyond disciplinary content to prepare students for diverse careers in science. At Dartmouth, a graduate program in Polar Environmental Change uses interdisciplinary study of the polar regions as a core from which students develop skills and knowledge for tackling complex environmental issues that require cooperation across scientific disciplines and with educators, policy makers, and stakeholders. Two major NSF-funded initiatives have supported professional development for graduate students in this program, including an IGERT (Integrative Graduate Education and Research Traineeship) and leadership of JSEP's (Joint Science Education Project) Arctic Science Education Week in Greenland. We teach courses that emphasize the links between science and the human dimensions of environmental change; host training sessions in science communication; invite guest speakers who work in policy, academia, journalism, government research, etc.; lead an international field-based training that includes policy-focused meetings and a large outreach component; provide multiple opportunities for outreach and collaboration with local schools; and build outreach and education into graduate research programs where students instruct and mentor high school students. Students from diverse scientific disciplines (Ecology, Earth Science, and Engineering) participate in all of the above, which significantly strengthens their interdisciplinary view of polar science and ability to communicate across disciplines. In addition, graduate students have developed awareness, confidence, and the skills to pursue and obtain diverse careers. This is reflected in the fact that recent graduates have acquired permanent and post-doctoral positions in academic and government research, full-time teaching, and also in post-docs focused on outreach and science policy. Dartmouth's interdisciplinary approach to graduate education is producing tomorrow's leaders in science.
An Evaluation of Three Interdisciplinary Social Science Events outside of the College Classroom

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Knapp, Sarah; Merges, Renee

2017-01-01

This article describes three interdisciplinary events held outside of the classroom to examine social psychological concepts in the criminal justice system, with undergraduate students enrolled in criminal justice and psychology courses. These events can most accurately be described as using a synthetic interdisciplinary approach, in which the…
Technology, Theory, and Practice in Interdisciplinary STEM Programs: Connecting STEM and Non-STEM Approaches

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lansiquot, Reneta D., Ed.

2016-01-01

This book highlights models for promoting interdisciplinary thinking and an appreciation for interdisciplinary understanding among students in STEM-related fields. Students majoring in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics often perceive that courses in their major are not related to the general education liberal arts courses required…
The Contribution of Systems Analysis to Training Students in Cognitive Interdisciplinary Skills in Environmental Science Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fortuin, K. P. J.; van Koppen, C. S. A.; Kroeze, C.

2013-01-01

Professionals in the environmental domain require cognitive interdisciplinary skills to be able to develop sustainable solutions to environmental problems. We demonstrate that education in environmental systems analysis allows for the development of these skills. We identify three components of cognitive interdisciplinary skills: (1) the ability…
The "Death" of Disciplines: Development of a Team-Taught Course to Provide an Interdisciplinary Perspective for First-Year Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Krometis, Leigh-Anne H.; Clark, Elena P.; Gonzalez, Vincent; Leslie, Michelle E.

2011-01-01

Although interdisciplinary efforts in teaching and research are promoted as a possible antidote to increasing disciplinary separatism in colleges and universities, evaluations of interdisciplinary efforts in the classroom, particularly those spanning the traditional science-humanities divide, are not frequently documented. This article describes…
Examination of Postgraduate Theses in Sciences within the Interdisciplinary Context

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Karakus, Memet; Yalçin, Onur

2017-01-01

Nowadays, the rapid spread of the interdisciplinary approach contributes to the development of disciplines and scientific developments in many ways. Therefore, how the interdisciplinary approach is addressed in the studies carried out is important in terms of guiding other studies. For this purpose, an attempt to determine how 155 doctorate theses…
Issues in Integrative Studies. An Occasional Publication of the Association for Integrative Studies. Publications for 1982, 1983, 1984/85.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Miller, Raymond C., Ed.

These three occasional publications contain the following articles: (1) Varieties of Interdisciplinary Approaches in the Social Sciences (Raymond C. Miller); (2) Five Arguments against Interdisciplinary Studies (Thomas L. Benson); (3) What Are Transdisciplinary Principles? (Robert W. Winquist); (4) Can Progress toward Interdisciplinary Education…
A Case-Based Scenario with Interdisciplinary Guided-Inquiry in Chemistry and Biology: Experiences of First Year Forensic Science Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cresswell, Sarah L.; Loughlin, Wendy A.

2017-01-01

In this paper, insight into forensic science students' experiences of a case-based scenario with an interdisciplinary guided-inquiry experience in chemistry and biology is presented. Evaluation of student experiences and interest showed that the students were engaged with all aspects of the case-based scenario, including the curriculum theory…
Air Pollution Awareness in the Scope of the Community Service Practices Course: An Interdisciplinary Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Aydin-Güç, Funda; Aygün, Müge; Ceylan, Derya; Çavus-Güngören, Seda; Durukan, Ümmü Gülsüm; Hacioglu, Yasemin; Yekeler, Ayse Dilek

2018-01-01

The aim of this study is to determine the effect of the interdisciplinary (the disciplines of Turkish, Social Science, Natural Sciences, Mathematics and Public Administration) activities performed in the scope of the Community Service Practices Course on the air pollution awareness (APW). This study has been performed as a multiple case study.…
Impact of Interdisciplinary Undergraduate Research in Mathematics and Biology on the Development of a New Course Integrating Five STEM Disciplines

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Caudill, Lester; Hill, April; Hoke, Kathy; Lipan, Ovidiu

2010-01-01

Funded by innovative programs at the National Science Foundation and the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of Richmond faculty in biology, chemistry, mathematics, physics, and computer science teamed up to offer first- and second-year students the opportunity to contribute to vibrant, interdisciplinary research projects. The result was…
Connecting art and science: An interdisciplinary strategy and its impact on the affective domain of community college human anatomy students

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Petti, Kevin

Educational objectives are often described within the framework of a three-domain taxonomy: cognitive, affective and psychomotor. While most of the research on educational objectives has focused on the cognitive domain, the research that has been conducted on the affective domain, which speaks to emotions, attitudes, and values, has identified a number of positive outcomes. One approach to enhancing the affective domain is that of interdisciplinary education. Science education research in the realm of interdisciplinary education and affective outcomes is limited; especially research conducted on community college students of human anatomy. This project investigated the relationship between an interdisciplinary teaching strategy and the affective domain in science education by utilizing an interdisciplinary lecture in a human anatomy class. Subjects were anatomy students in a California community college who listened to a one-hour lecture describing the cultural, historical and scientific significance of selected pieces of art depicting human dissection in European medieval and Renaissance universities. The focus was on how these renderings represent the state of anatomy education during their respective eras. After listening to the lecture, subjects were administered a 35-question survey that was composed of 14 demographic questions and 21 Likert-style statements that asked respondents to rate the extent to which the intervention influenced their affective domain. Descriptive statistics were then used to determine which component of the affective domain was most influenced, and multiple regression analysis was used to examine the extent to which individual differences along the affective continuum were explained by select demographic measures such as gender, race/ethnicity, education level, and previous exposure to science courses. Results indicate that the interdisciplinary intervention had a positive impact on every component of the affective domain hierarchy, and gender and Latino ethnicity seem to be the best predictors of affective outcomes. Since the results of this research suggest that student thinking can be modified beyond cognitive content, science educators now have access to an interdisciplinary approach to affective outcomes that is both grounded in the literature and empirically tested. Future students may now be more likely to be exposed to a teaching methodology that is quite possibly deeper and richer.

Into the Curriculum. Interdisciplinary: Celebrating Our Animal Friends: An Across-the-Curriculum Unit for Middle Level Students [and] Music: Program Notes [and] Reading-Language Arts: Letters: Written, Licked, and Stamped [and] Science: Plants in Families [and] Science: Physics and Holiday Toys (Gravity) [and] Social Studies: Learning about Geography through Children's Literature.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gillen, Rose; And Others

1995-01-01

Presents six curriculum guides for elementary and secondary education. Subjects include interdisciplinary instruction, music, reading/language arts, science, and social studies. Each guide provides library media skills objectives, curriculum objectives, grade levels, resources, instructional roles, activity and procedures for completion, a…
Promoting Diversity Through Polar Interdisciplinary Coordinated Education (Polar ICE)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

McDonnell, J. D.; Hotaling, L. A.; Garza, C.; Van Dyk, P. B.; Hunter-thomson, K. I.; Middendorf, J.; Daniel, A.; Matsumoto, G. I.; Schofield, O.

2017-12-01

Polar Interdisciplinary Coordinated Education (ICE) is an education and outreach program designed to provide public access to the Antarctic and Arctic regions through polar data and interactions with the scientists. The program provides multi-faceted science communication training for early career scientists that consist of a face-to face workshop and opportunities to apply these skills. The key components of the scientist training workshop include cultural competency training, deconstructing/decoding science for non-expert audiences, the art of telling science stories, and networking with members of the education and outreach community and reflecting on communication skills. Scientists partner with educators to provide professional development for K-12 educators and support for student research symposia. Polar ICE has initiated a Polar Literacy initiative that provides both a grounding in big ideas in polar science and science communication training designed to underscore the importance of the Polar Regions to the public while promoting interdisciplinary collaborations between scientists and educators. Our ultimate objective is to promote STEM identity through professional development of scientists and educators while developing career awareness of STEM pathways in Polar science.
New Frontiers in Analyzing Dynamic Group Interactions: Bridging Social and Computer Science

PubMed Central

Lehmann-Willenbrock, Nale; Hung, Hayley; Keyton, Joann

2017-01-01

This special issue on advancing interdisciplinary collaboration between computer scientists and social scientists documents the joint results of the international Lorentz workshop, “Interdisciplinary Insights into Group and Team Dynamics,” which took place in Leiden, The Netherlands, July 2016. An equal number of scholars from social and computer science participated in the workshop and contributed to the papers included in this special issue. In this introduction, we first identify interaction dynamics as the core of group and team models and review how scholars in social and computer science have typically approached behavioral interactions in groups and teams. Next, we identify key challenges for interdisciplinary collaboration between social and computer scientists, and we provide an overview of the different articles in this special issue aimed at addressing these challenges. PMID:29249891
New Frontiers in Analyzing Dynamic Group Interactions: Bridging Social and Computer Science.

PubMed

Lehmann-Willenbrock, Nale; Hung, Hayley; Keyton, Joann

2017-10-01

This special issue on advancing interdisciplinary collaboration between computer scientists and social scientists documents the joint results of the international Lorentz workshop, "Interdisciplinary Insights into Group and Team Dynamics," which took place in Leiden, The Netherlands, July 2016. An equal number of scholars from social and computer science participated in the workshop and contributed to the papers included in this special issue. In this introduction, we first identify interaction dynamics as the core of group and team models and review how scholars in social and computer science have typically approached behavioral interactions in groups and teams. Next, we identify key challenges for interdisciplinary collaboration between social and computer scientists, and we provide an overview of the different articles in this special issue aimed at addressing these challenges.
NASA'S Solar System Exploration Research Virtual Institute: An international approach toward bringing science and human exploration together for mutual benefit

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schmidt, Gregory

2016-07-01

The NASA Solar System Exploration Research Virtual Institute (SSERVI) is a virtual institute focused on research at the intersection of science and explora-tion, training the next generation of lunar scientists, and community development. The institute is a hub for opportunities that engage the larger scientific and exploration communities in order to form new interdis-ciplinary, research-focused collaborations. Its relative-ly large domestic teams work together along with in-ternational partners in both traditional and virtual set-tings to bring disparate approaches together for mutual benefit. This talk will describe the research efforts of the nine domestic teams that constitute the U.S. com-plement of the Institute and how it is engaging the in-ternational science and exploration communities through workshops, conferences, online seminars and classes, student exchange programs and internships. The Institute is centered on the scientific aspects of exploration as they pertain to the Moon, Near Earth Asteroids (NEAs) and the moons of Mars. It focuses on interdisciplinary, exploration-related science cen-tered around all airless bodies targeted as potential human destinations. Areas of study reported here will represent the broad spectrum of lunar, NEA, and Mar-tian moon sciences encompassing investigations of the surface, interior, exosphere, and near-space environ-ments as well as science uniquely enabled from these bodies. The technical focus ranges from investigations of plasma physics, geology/geochemistry, technology integration, solar system origins/evolution, regolith geotechnical properties, analogues, volatiles, ISRU and exploration potential of the target bodies. SSERVI enhances the widening knowledgebase of planetary research by acting as a bridge between several differ-ent groups and bringing together researchers from the scientific and exploration communities, multiple disci-plines across the full range of planetary sciences, and domestic and international communities and partner-ships.
Beyond the edge: Linking agricultural landscapes, stream networks, and best management practices

USGS Publications Warehouse

Kreiling, Rebecca M.; Thoms, Martin C.; Richardson, William B.

2018-01-01

Despite much research and investment into understanding and managing nutrients across agricultural landscapes, nutrient runoff to freshwater ecosystems is still a major concern. We argue there is currently a disconnect between the management of watershed surfaces (agricultural landscape) and river networks (riverine landscape). These landscapes are commonly managed separately, but there is limited cohesiveness between agricultural landscape-focused research and river science, despite similar end goals. Interdisciplinary research into stream networks that drain agricultural landscapes is expanding but is fraught with problems. Conceptual frameworks are useful tools to order phenomena, reveal patterns and processes, and in interdisciplinary river science, enable the joining of multiple areas of understanding into a single conceptual–empirical structure. We present a framework for the interdisciplinary study and management of agricultural and riverine landscapes. The framework includes components of an ecosystems approach to the study of catchment–stream networks, resilience thinking, and strategic adaptive management. Application of the framework is illustrated through a study of the Fox Basin in Wisconsin, USA. To fully realize the goal of nutrient reduction in the basin, we suggest that greater emphasis is needed on where best management practices (BMPs) are used within the spatial context of the combined watershed–stream network system, including BMPs within the river channel. Targeted placement of BMPs throughout the riverine landscape would increase the overall buffering capacity of the system to nutrient runoff and thus its resilience to current and future disturbances.
The Impact of an Interdisciplinary Space Program on Computer Science Student Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Straub, Jeremy; Marsh, Ronald; Whalen, David

2015-01-01

Project-based learning and interdisciplinary projects present an opportunity for students to learn both technical skills and other skills which are relevant to their workplace success. This paper presents an assessment of the educational impact of the OpenOrbiter program, a student-run, interdisciplinary CubeSat (a type of small satellite with…
Capstone Interdisciplinary Team Project: A Requirement for the MS in Sustainability Degree

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jiji, Latif M.; Schonfeld, Irvin Sam; Smith, George A.

2015-01-01

Purpose: This paper aims to describe experience gained with a required six-credit year-long course, the Capstone Interdisciplinary Team Project, a key component of the Master of Science (MS) in Sustainability degree at the City College of New York. A common feature of sustainability problems is their interdisciplinary nature. Solutions to…
Becoming an Interdisciplinary Scientist: An Analysis of Students' Experiences in Three Computer Science Doctoral Programmes

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Calatrava Moreno, María del Carmen; Danowitz, Mary Ann

2016-01-01

The aim of this study was to identify how and why doctoral students do interdisciplinary research. A mixed-methods approach utilising bibliometric analysis of the publications of 195 students identified those who had published interdisciplinary research. This objective measurement of the interdisciplinarity, applying the Rao-Stirling index to Web…
EDITORIAL: Molecular Imaging Technology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Asai, Keisuke; Okamoto, Koji

2006-06-01

'Molecular Imaging Technology' focuses on image-based techniques using nanoscale molecules as sensor probes to measure spatial variations of various species (molecular oxygen, singlet oxygen, carbon dioxide, nitric monoxide, etc) and physical properties (pressure, temperature, skin friction, velocity, mechanical stress, etc). This special feature, starting on page 1237, contains selected papers from The International Workshop on Molecular Imaging for Interdisciplinary Research, sponsored by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) in Japan, which was held at the Sendai Mediatheque, Sendai, Japan, on 8 9 November 2004. The workshop was held as a sequel to the MOSAIC International Workshop that was held in Tokyo in 2003, to summarize the outcome of the 'MOSAIC Project', a five-year interdisciplinary project supported by Techno-Infrastructure Program, the Special Coordination Fund for Promotion of Science Technology to develop molecular sensor technology for aero-thermodynamic research. The workshop focused on molecular imaging technology and its applications to interdisciplinary research areas. More than 110 people attended this workshop from various research fields such as aerospace engineering, automotive engineering, radiotechnology, fluid dynamics, bio-science/engineering and medical engineering. The purpose of this workshop is to stimulate intermixing of these interdisciplinary fields for further development of molecular sensor and imaging technology. It is our pleasure to publish the seven papers selected from our workshop as a special feature in Measurement and Science Technology. We will be happy if this issue inspires people to explore the future direction of molecular imaging technology for interdisciplinary research.
Solid State Division progress report for period ending March 31, 1997

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Green, P.H.; Hinton, L.W.

1997-12-01

This report covers research progress in the Solid State Division from April 1, 1995, through March 31, 1997. During this period, the division conducted a broad, interdisciplinary materials research program in support of Department of Energy science and technology missions. The report includes brief summaries of research activities in condensed matter theory, neutron scattering, synthesis and characterization of materials, ion beam and laser processing, and the structure of solids and surfaces. An addendum includes listings of division publications and professional activities.
Implementing a Science-Based Interdisciplinary Curriculum in the Second Grade: A Community of Practice in Action

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Park Rogers, Meredith

2011-01-01

The purpose of this study was to explore the role that a collaborative teaching approach, referred to as a community of practice (CoP), had on a team of four second grade teachers' implementation of a science-based interdisciplinary curriculum. Data was collected in the form of extensive observation notes gathered over 10-weeks of twice weekly…
Evansville: A City on the Ohio River. An Interdisciplinary Unit for Grade 3: Language Arts, Mathematics, Science, Social Studies.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Evansville-Vanderburgh School Corp., IN.

This grade 3 interdisciplinary resource unit uses Evansville, Indiana and the Ohio River as its focus for social studies, language arts, mathematics, and science lessons. Text, pictures, and maps are provided to teach social studies lessons in history, geography, and map skills, and the student exercises include tests on vocabulary words and map…
A scale-based approach to interdisciplinary research and expertise in sports.

PubMed

Ibáñez-Gijón, Jorge; Buekers, Martinus; Morice, Antoine; Rao, Guillaume; Mascret, Nicolas; Laurin, Jérome; Montagne, Gilles

2017-02-01

After more than 20 years since the introduction of ecological and dynamical approaches in sports research, their promising opportunity for interdisciplinary research has not been fulfilled yet. The complexity of the research process and the theoretical and empirical difficulties associated with an integrated ecological-dynamical approach have been the major factors hindering the generalisation of interdisciplinary projects in sports sciences. To facilitate this generalisation, we integrate the major concepts from the ecological and dynamical approaches to study behaviour as a multi-scale process. Our integration gravitates around the distinction between functional (ecological) and execution (organic) scales, and their reciprocal intra- and inter-scale constraints. We propose an (epistemological) scale-based definition of constraints that accounts for the concept of synergies as emergent coordinative structures. To illustrate how we can operationalise the notion of multi-scale synergies we use an interdisciplinary model of locomotor pointing. To conclude, we show the value of this approach for interdisciplinary research in sport sciences, as we discuss two examples of task-specific dimensionality reduction techniques in the context of an ongoing project that aims to unveil the determinants of expertise in basketball free throw shooting. These techniques provide relevant empirical evidence to help bootstrap the challenging modelling efforts required in sport sciences.
Evolution of a Collaborative Model between Nursing and Computer Science Faculty and a Community Service Organization to Develop an Information System

PubMed Central

Carson, Anne; Troy, Douglas

2007-01-01

Nursing and computer science students and faculty worked with the American Red Cross to investigate the potential for information technology to provide Red Cross disaster services nurses with improved access to accurate community resources in times of disaster. Funded by a national three-year grant, this interdisciplinary partnership led to field testing of an information system to support local community disaster preparedness at seven Red Cross chapters across the United States. The field test results demonstrate the benefits of the technology and the value of interdisciplinary research. The work also created a sustainable learning and research model for the future. This paper describes the collaborative model employed in this interdisciplinary research and exemplifies the benefits to faculty and students of well-timed interdisciplinary and community collaboration. PMID:18600129
Interdisciplinary collaboration in action: tracking the signal, tracing the noise

PubMed Central

Callard, Felicity; Fitzgerald, Des; Woods, Angela

2016-01-01

Interdisciplinarity is often framed as an unquestioned good within and beyond the academy, one to be encouraged by funders and research institutions alike. And yet there is little research on how interdisciplinary projects actually work—and do not work—in practice, particularly within and across the social sciences and humanities. This article centres on “Hubbub”, the first interdisciplinary 2-year research residency of The Hub at Wellcome Collection, which is investigating rest and its opposites in neuroscience, mental health, the arts and the everyday. The article describes how Hubbub is tracing, capturing and reflecting on practices of interdisciplinarity across its large, dispersed team of collaborators, who work across the social sciences, humanities, arts, mind and brain sciences, and public engagement. We first describe the distinctiveness of Hubbub (a project designed for a particular space, and one in which the arts are not positioned as simply illustrating or disseminating the research of the scientists), and then outline three techniques Hubbub has developed to map interdisciplinary collaboration in the making: (1) ethnographic analysis; (2) “In the Diary Room”, an aesthetics of collaboration designed to harness and capture affective dynamics within a large, complex project; and (3) the Hubbub Collaboration Questionnaire, which yields quantitative and qualitative data, as well as a social network analysis of collaborators. We conclude by considering some themes that other inter-disciplinary projects might draw on for their own logics of tracking and tracing. This article forms part of an ongoing thematic collection dedicated to interdisciplinary research. PMID:27516896
Interdisciplinary Collaboration between Natural and Social Sciences – Status and Trends Exemplified in Groundwater Research

PubMed Central

Seidl, Roman

2017-01-01

Interdisciplinary collaboration, particularly between natural and social sciences, is perceived as crucial to solving the significant challenges facing humanity. However, despite the need for such collaboration being expressed more frequently and intensely, it remains unclear to what degree such collaboration actually takes place, what trends and developments there are and which actors are involved. Previous studies, often based on bibliometric analysis of large bodies of literature, partly observed an increase in interdisciplinary collaboration in general, but in particular, the collaboration among distant fields was less explored. Other more qualitative studies found that interdisciplinary collaboration, particularly between natural and social scientists was not well developed, and obstacles abounded. To shed some light on the actual status and developments of this collaboration, we performed an analysis based on a sample of articles on groundwater research. We first identified journals and articles therein that potentially combined natural and social science aspects of groundwater research. Next, we analysed the disciplinary composition of their authors’ teams, cited references, titles and keywords, making use of our detailed personal expertise in groundwater research and its interdisciplinary aspects. We combined several indicators developed from this analysis into a final classification of the degree of multidisciplinarity of each article. Covering the period between 1990 and 2014, we found that the overall percentage of multidisciplinary articles was in the low single-digit range, with only slight increases over the past decades. The interdisciplinarity of individuals plays a major role compared to interdisciplinarity involving two or more researchers. If collaboration with natural sciences takes place, social science is represented most often by economists. As a side result, we found that journals publishing multidisciplinary research had lower impact factors on average, and multidisciplinary papers were cited much less than mono-disciplinary ones. PMID:28129352
Building Interdisciplinary Research and Communication Skills in the Agricultural and Climate Sciences

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Johnson-Maynard, J.; Borrelli, K.; Wolf, K.; Bernacchi, L.; Eigenbrode, S.; Daley Laursen, D.

2015-12-01

Preparing scientists and educators to create and promote practical science-based agricultural approaches to climate change adaptation and mitigation is a main focus of the Regional Approaches to Climate Change (REACCH) project. Social, political and environmental complexities and interactions require that future scientists work across disciplines rather than having isolated knowledge of one specific subject area. Additionally, it is important for graduate students earning M.S. or Ph.D. degrees in agriculture and climate sciences to be able to communicate scientific findings effectively to non-scientific audiences. Unfortunately, university graduate curricula rarely adequately prepare students with these important skills. REACCH recognizes the need for graduate students to have thorough exposure to other disciplines and to be able to communicate information for outreach and education purposes. These priorities have been incorporated into graduate training within the REACCH project. The interdisciplinary nature of the project and its sophisticated digital infrastructure provide graduate students multiple opportunities to gain these experiences. The project includes over 30 graduate students from 20 different disciplines and research foci including agronomy, biogeochemistry, soil quality, conservation tillage, hydrology, pest and beneficial organisms, economics, modeling, remote sensing, science education and climate science. Professional develop workshops were developed and held during annual project meetings to enhance student training. The "Toolbox" survey (http://www.cals.uidaho.edu/toolbox/) was used to achieve effective interdisciplinary communication. Interdisciplinary extension and education projects were required to allow students to gain experience with collaboration and working with stakeholder groups. Results of student surveys and rubrics developed to gauge success in interdisciplinary research and communication may provide a helpful starting point for future projects involving graduate student training.
Interdisciplinary Collaboration between Natural and Social Sciences - Status and Trends Exemplified in Groundwater Research.

PubMed

Barthel, Roland; Seidl, Roman

2017-01-01

Interdisciplinary collaboration, particularly between natural and social sciences, is perceived as crucial to solving the significant challenges facing humanity. However, despite the need for such collaboration being expressed more frequently and intensely, it remains unclear to what degree such collaboration actually takes place, what trends and developments there are and which actors are involved. Previous studies, often based on bibliometric analysis of large bodies of literature, partly observed an increase in interdisciplinary collaboration in general, but in particular, the collaboration among distant fields was less explored. Other more qualitative studies found that interdisciplinary collaboration, particularly between natural and social scientists was not well developed, and obstacles abounded. To shed some light on the actual status and developments of this collaboration, we performed an analysis based on a sample of articles on groundwater research. We first identified journals and articles therein that potentially combined natural and social science aspects of groundwater research. Next, we analysed the disciplinary composition of their authors' teams, cited references, titles and keywords, making use of our detailed personal expertise in groundwater research and its interdisciplinary aspects. We combined several indicators developed from this analysis into a final classification of the degree of multidisciplinarity of each article. Covering the period between 1990 and 2014, we found that the overall percentage of multidisciplinary articles was in the low single-digit range, with only slight increases over the past decades. The interdisciplinarity of individuals plays a major role compared to interdisciplinarity involving two or more researchers. If collaboration with natural sciences takes place, social science is represented most often by economists. As a side result, we found that journals publishing multidisciplinary research had lower impact factors on average, and multidisciplinary papers were cited much less than mono-disciplinary ones.
Coordinated field study for CaPE: Analysis of energy and water budgets

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Goodman, Steven J.; Duchon, Claude; Kanemasu, Edward T.; Smith, Eric A.; Crosson, William; Laymon, Chip; Luvall, Jeff

1993-01-01

The objectives of this hydrologic cycle study are to understand and model (1) surface energy and land-atmosphere water transfer processes, and (2) interactions between convective storms and surface energy fluxes. A surface energy budget measurement campaign was carried out by an interdisciplinary science team during the period July 8 - August 19, 1991 as part of the Convection and Precipitation/Electrification Experiment (CaPE) in the vicinity of Cape Canaveral, FL. Among the research themes associated with CaPE is the remote estimation of rainfall. Thus, in addition to surface radiation and energy budget measurements, surface mesonet, special radiosonde, precipitation, high-resolution satellite (SPOT) data, geosynchronous (GOES) and polar orbiting (DMSP SSM/I, OLS; NOAA AVHRR) satellite data, and high altitude airplane data (AMPR, MAMS, HIS) were collected. Initial quality control of the seven surface flux station data sets has begun. Ancillary data sets are being collected and assembled for analysis. Browsing of GOES and radar data has begun to classify days as disturbed/undisturbed to identify the larger scale forcing of the pre-convective environment, convection storms and precipitation. The science analysis plan has been finalized and tasks assigned to various investigators.

Predictors of food decision making: A systematic interdisciplinary mapping (SIM) review.

PubMed

Symmank, Claudia; Mai, Robert; Hoffmann, Stefan; Stok, F Marijn; Renner, Britta; Lien, Nanna; Rohm, Harald

2017-03-01

The number of publications on consumer food decision making and its predictors and correlates has been steadily increasing over the last three decades. Given that different scientific disciplines illuminate this topic from different perspectives, it is necessary to develop an interdisciplinary overview. The aim of this study is to conduct a systematic interdisciplinary mapping (SIM) review by using rapid review techniques to explore the state-of-the-art, and to identify hot topics and research gaps in this field. This interdisciplinary review includes 1,820 publications in 485 different journals and other types of publications from more than ten disciplines (including nutritional science, medicine/health science, psychology, food science and technology, business research, etc.) across a period of 60 years. The identified predictors of food decision making were categorized in line with the recently proposed DONE (Determinants Of Nutrition and Eating behavior) framework. After applying qualitative and quantitative analyses, this study reveals that most of the research emphasizes biological, psychological, and product-related predictors, whereas policy-related influences on food choice are scarcely considered. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
How to Use the Science of Snow to Engage Middle School Students in an Interdisciplinary Experience

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lange, Catherine; Huff, Kenneth L.; Silverman, Scott; Wallace, Karen

2012-01-01

In this interdisciplinary and field-based activity, grade 5 to 9 students engage in a comprehensive scientific study of snow. Through a series of in-class and out-of-class structured interdisciplinary and team-teaching lesson progressions, students will collect data to be able to analyze and apply knowledge about weather, the physical properties…
Development of an Interdisciplinary Experimental Series for the Laboratory Courses of Cell and Molecular Biology and Advance Inorganic Chemistry

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Smith, Montserrat Rabago; McAllister, Robert; Newkirk, Kiera; Basing, Alexander; Wang, Lihua

2012-01-01

An interdisciplinary approach to education has become more important in the development of science and technology, which requires universities to have graduates with broad knowledge and skills and to apply these skills in solving real-world problems. An interdisciplinary experimental series has been developed for the laboratories in cell and…
Using an Interdisciplinary Approach to Enhance Climate Literacy for K-12 Teachers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hanselman, J. A.; Oches, E. A.; Sliko, J.; Wright, L.

2014-12-01

The Next Generation Science Standards (2014) will begin to change how K-12 teachers teach science. Using a scaffolding approach, the standards focus on a depth of knowledge across multiple content areas. This philosophy should encourage inquiry-based teaching methods, provided the teacher has both the knowledge and the confidence to teach the content. Although confidence to teach science is high among secondary science (biology, general science, chemistry) teachers, depth of knowledge may be lacking in certain areas, including climate science. To address this issue, a graduate course in climate science (Massachusetts Colleges Online Course of Distinction award winner) was developed to include inquiry-based instruction, connections to current research, and interdisciplinary approaches to teaching science. With the support of the InTeGrate program (SERC) at Carleton College, a module was developed to utilize cli-fi (climate science present in fictional literature) and related climate data. Graduate students gain an appreciation of scientific communication and an understanding of climate data and its connection to societal issues. In addition, the graduate students also gain the ability to connect interdisciplinary concepts for a deeper understanding of climate science and have the opportunity. By the end of the course, the graduate students use the content learned and the examples of pedagogical tools to develop their own activities in his or her classroom.
The emergence of cognitive hearing science.

PubMed

Arlinger, Stig; Lunner, Thomas; Lyxell, Björn; Pichora-Fuller, M Kathleen

2009-10-01

Cognitive Hearing Science or Auditory Cognitive Science is an emerging field of interdisciplinary research concerning the interactions between hearing and cognition. It follows a trend over the last half century for interdisciplinary fields to develop, beginning with Neuroscience, then Cognitive Science, then Cognitive Neuroscience, and then Cognitive Vision Science. A common theme is that an interdisciplinary approach is necessary to understand complex human behaviors, to develop technologies incorporating knowledge of these behaviors, and to find solutions for individuals with impairments that undermine typical behaviors. Accordingly, researchers in traditional academic disciplines, such as Psychology, Physiology, Linguistics, Philosophy, Anthropology, and Sociology benefit from collaborations with each other, and with researchers in Computer Science and Engineering working on the design of technologies, and with health professionals working with individuals who have impairments. The factors that triggered the emergence of Cognitive Hearing Science include the maturation of the component disciplines of Hearing Science and Cognitive Science, new opportunities to use complex digital signal-processing to design technologies suited to performance in challenging everyday environments, and increasing social imperatives to help people whose communication problems span hearing and cognition. Cognitive Hearing Science is illustrated in research on three general topics: (1) language processing in challenging listening conditions; (2) use of auditory communication technologies or the visual modality to boost performance; (3) changes in performance with development, aging, and rehabilitative training. Future directions for modeling and the translation of research into practice are suggested.
Our school's Earth and Space Sciences Club: 12 years promoting interdisciplinary explorations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Margarida Maria, Ana; Pereira, Hélder

2017-04-01

During the past 12 years, we have been engaging secondary level science students (15 to 18 years old) in the extracurricular activities of our school's Earth and Space Sciences Club, providing them with some of the skills needed to excel in science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics (STEAM). Our approach includes the use of authentic scientific data, project based learning, and inquiry-centred activities that go beyond the models and theories present in secondary level textbooks. Moreover, the activities and projects carried out, being eminently practical, also function as an extension of the curriculum and frequently enable the demonstration of the applicability of several concepts taught in the classroom in real life situations. The tasks carried out during these activities and research projects often require the combination of two or more subjects, promoting an interdisciplinary approach to learning. Outside of the traditional classroom settings, through interdisciplinary explorations, students also gain hands-on experience doing real science. Thereby, during this time, we have been able to promote meaningful and lasting experiences and spark students' interest in a wide diversity of topics.
Adapting postdoctoral training to interdisciplinary science in the 21st century: the Cancer Prevention Fellowship Program at the National Cancer Institute.

PubMed

Chang, Shine; Hursting, Stephen D; Perkins, Susan N; Dores, Graça M; Weed, Douglas L

2005-03-01

Preparing junior scientists for careers in the health sciences has become an immense challenge for many reasons, including the emerging demand for multidisciplinary approaches to solving problems in the health sciences. For those choosing careers in hybrid and interdisciplinary fields, the "traditional" postdoctoral training model may not perform well, particularly in light of other problems that plague postdoctoral success. New approaches are required. Using the interdisciplinary field of cancer prevention as an example, the authors describe the Cancer Prevention Fellowship Program (CPFP) of the National Cancer Institute, a three-year postdoctoral program of which the goal is to provide its fellows with a strong foundation in cancer prevention through education, mentored research, and structured professional development training activities that emphasize multidisciplinary approaches and leadership skills. Over time, the CPFP has incorporated the best aspects of the traditional postdoctoral training model with newer training approaches in an effort to overcome existing problems in postdoctoral training and to address the additional complexities inherent in training those who seek careers in interdisciplinary science. Many aspects of the CPFP, including an efficient infrastructure, a dedicated staff, a capacity to provide educational activities, and the provision of rich research opportunities, may translate well to other postdoctoral programs that face similar issues.
An approach to teaching general chemistry II that highlights the interdisciplinary nature of science.

PubMed

Sumter, Takita Felder; Owens, Patrick M

2011-01-01

The need for a revised curriculum within the life sciences has been well-established. One strategy to improve student preparation in the life sciences is to redesign introductory courses like biology, chemistry, and physics so that they better reflect their disciplinary interdependence. We describe a medically relevant, context-based approach to teaching second semester general chemistry that demonstrates the interdisciplinary nature of biology and chemistry. Our innovative method provides a model in which disciplinary barriers are diminished early in the undergraduate science curriculum. The course is divided into three principle educational modules: 1) Fundamentals of General Chemistry, 2) Medical Approaches to Inflammation, and 3) Neuroscience as a connector of chemistry, biology, and psychology. We accurately anticipated that this modified approach to teaching general chemistry would enhance student interest in chemistry and bridge the perceived gaps between biology and chemistry. The course serves as a template for context-based, interdisciplinary teaching that lays the foundation needed to train 21st century scientists. Copyright © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
An Approach to Teaching General Chemistry II that Highlights the Interdisciplinary Nature of Science*,†

PubMed Central

Sumter, Takita Felder; Owens, Patrick M.

2012-01-01

The need for a revised curriculum within the life sciences has been well-established. One strategy to improve student preparation in the life sciences is to redesign introductory courses like biology, chemistry, and physics so that they better reflect their disciplinary interdependence. We describe a medically relevant, context-based approach to teaching second semester general chemistry that demonstrates the interdisciplinary nature of biology and chemistry. Our innovative method provides a model in which disciplinary barriers are diminished early in the undergraduate science curriculum. The course is divided into three principle educational modules: 1) Fundamentals of General Chemistry, 2) Medical Approaches to Inflammation, and 3) Neuroscience as a connector of chemistry, biology, and psychology. We accurately anticipated that this modified approach to teaching general chemistry would enhance student interest in chemistry and bridge the perceived gaps between biology and chemistry. The course serves as a template for context-based, interdisciplinary teaching that lays the foundation needed to train 21st century scientists. PMID:21445902
NEXUS/Physics: An interdisciplinary repurposing of physics for biologists

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Redish, E. F.; Bauer, C.; Carleton, K. L.; Cooke, T. J.; Cooper, M.; Crouch, C. H.; Dreyfus, B. W.; Geller, B. D.; Giannini, J.; Gouvea, J. S.; Klymkowsky, M. W.; Losert, W.; Moore, K.; Presson, J.; Sawtelle, V.; Thompson, K. V.; Turpen, C.; Zia, R. K. P.

2014-05-01

In response to increasing calls for the reform of the undergraduate science curriculum for life science majors and pre-medical students (Bio2010, Scientific Foundations for Future Physicians, Vision & Change), an interdisciplinary team has created NEXUS/Physics: a repurposing of an introductory physics curriculum for the life sciences. The curriculum interacts strongly and supportively with introductory biology and chemistry courses taken by life-science students, with the goal of helping students build general, multi-discipline scientific competencies. NEXUS/Physics stresses interdisciplinary examples and the content differs markedly from traditional introductory physics to facilitate this: it extends the discussion of energy to include interatomic potentials and chemical reactions, the discussion of thermodynamics to include enthalpy and Gibbs free energy and includes a serious discussion of random vs coherent motion including diffusion. The development of instructional materials is coordinated with careful education research. Both the new content and the results of the research are described in a series of papers for which this paper serves as an overview and context.
An Interdisciplinary Module on Regulating Carbon Emissions to Mitigate Climate Change

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Penny, S.; Sethi, G.; Smyth, R.; Leibensperger, E. M.; Gervich, C.; Batur, P.

2016-12-01

The dynamics of the unfolding carbon regulatory process presents a unique and timely opportunity to teach students about the grand challenge brought by climate change and the importance of systems thinking and interdisciplinary problem solving. In this poster, we summarize our recently developed 4-week activity-based class module "Regulating Carbon Emissions to Mitigate Climate Change," which we have developed as part of the InTeGrate ("Interdisciplinary Teaching about Earth for a Sustainable Future") program. These materials are suitable for introductory non-majors, environmental sciences majors, and political science majors, and we have formally piloted in each of these settings. This module is truly interdisciplinary and spans topics such as the Supreme Court ruling in Massachusetts v. EPA, costs and benefits of carbon abatement, and climate sensitivity. We discuss the unique challenges (and rewards!) that we experienced teaching materials entirely outside one's expertise.
Introduction of interdisciplinary teaching: two case studies : commentary on "teaching science, technology, and society to engineering students: a sixteen year journey".

PubMed

Spitzer, Hartwig

2013-12-01

Interdisciplinary courses on science, engineering and society have been successfully established in two cases, at Bilkent University, Ankara, Turkey, and at the University of Hamburg, Germany. In both cases there were institutional and perceptual barriers that had to be overcome in the primarily disciplinary departments. The ingredients of success included a clear vision of interdisciplinary themes and didactics, and the exploitation of institutional opportunities. Haldun M. Ozaktas in Ankara used the dynamics of an accreditation process to establish courses on engineering and society. At the University of Hamburg the introduction of optional courses into all curricula allowed for the establishment of a seminar series on physics and society, as well as on peace education and peace building. Both of these approaches have a weakness in common: the courses can disappear once their initiators have left, unless the interdisciplinary themes are integrated into compulsory core curricula.
Interdisciplinarity and systems science to improve population health: a view from the NIH Office of Behavioral and Social Sciences Research.

PubMed

Mabry, Patricia L; Olster, Deborah H; Morgan, Glen D; Abrams, David B

2008-08-01

Fueled by the rapid pace of discovery, humankind's ability to understand the ultimate causes of preventable common disease burdens and to identify solutions is now reaching a revolutionary tipping point. Achieving optimal health and well-being for all members of society lies as much in the understanding of the factors identified by the behavioral, social, and public health sciences as by the biological ones. Accumulating advances in mathematical modeling, informatics, imaging, sensor technology, and communication tools have stimulated several converging trends in science: an emerging understanding of epigenomic regulation; dramatic successes in achieving population health-behavior changes; and improved scientific rigor in behavioral, social, and economic sciences. Fostering stronger interdisciplinary partnerships to bring together the behavioral-social-ecologic models of multilevel "causes of the causes" and the molecular, cellular, and, ultimately, physiological bases of health and disease will facilitate breakthroughs to improve the public's health. The strategic vision of the Office of Behavioral and Social Sciences Research (OBSSR) at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) is rooted in a collaborative approach to addressing the complex and multidimensional issues that challenge the public's health. This paper describes OBSSR's four key programmatic directions (next-generation basic science, interdisciplinary research, systems science, and a problem-based focus for population impact) to illustrate how interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary perspectives can foster the vertical integration of research among biological, behavioral, social, and population levels of analysis over the lifespan and across generations. Interdisciplinary and multilevel approaches are critical both to the OBSSR's mission of integrating behavioral and social sciences more fully into the NIH scientific enterprise and to the overall NIH mission of utilizing science in the pursuit of fundamental knowledge about the nature and behavior of living systems and the application of that knowledge to extend healthy life and reduce the burdens of illness and disability.
Integrating medical and environmental sociology with environmental health: crossing boundaries and building connections through advocacy.

PubMed

Brown, Phil

2013-06-01

This article reviews the personal and professional processes of developing an interdisciplinary approach to understanding the complex issues of environmental health in their community, political-economic, social science, and scientific contexts. This interdisciplinary approach includes a synthesis of research, policy work, and advocacy. To examine multiple forms of interdisciplinarity, I examine pathways of integrating medical and environmental sociology via three challenges to the boundaries of traditional research: (1) crossing the boundaries of medical and environmental sociology, (2) linking social science and environmental health science, and (3) crossing the boundary of research and advocacy. These boundary crossings are discussed in light of conceptual and theoretical developments of popular epidemiology, contested illnesses, and health social movements. This interdisciplinary work offers a more comprehensive sociological lens for understanding complex problems and a practical ability to join with scientists, activists, and officials to meet public health needs for amelioration and prevention of environmental health threats.
Interdisciplinary education approach to the human science

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Szu, Harold; Zheng, Yufeng; Zhang, Nian

2012-06-01

We introduced human sciences as components, and integrated them together as an interdisciplinary endeavor over decades. This year, we built a website to maintain systematically the educational research service. We captured the human sciences in various components in the SPIE proceedings over the last decades, which included: (i) ears & eyes like adaptive wavelets, (ii) brain-like unsupervised learning independent component analysis (ICA); (iii) compressive sampling spatiotemporal sparse information processing, (iv) nanoengineering approach to sensing components, (v) systems biology measurements, and (vi) biomedical wellness applications. In order to serve the interdisciplinary community better, our system approach is based on that the former recipients invited the next recipients to deliver their review talks and panel discussions. Since only the former recipients of each component can lead the nomination committees and make the final selections, we also create a leadership award which may be nominated by any conference attendance, to be approved by the conference organization committee.
Demand for interdisciplinary laboratories for physiology research by undergraduate students in biosciences and biomedical engineering.

PubMed

Clase, Kari L; Hein, Patrick W; Pelaez, Nancy J

2008-12-01

Physiology as a discipline is uniquely positioned to engage undergraduate students in interdisciplinary research in response to the 2006-2011 National Science Foundation Strategic Plan call for innovative transformational research, which emphasizes multidisciplinary projects. To prepare undergraduates for careers that cross disciplinary boundaries, students need to practice interdisciplinary communication in academic programs that connect students in diverse disciplines. This report surveys policy documents relevant to this emphasis on interdisciplinary training and suggests a changing role for physiology courses in bioscience and engineering programs. A role for a physiology course is increasingly recommended for engineering programs, but the study of physiology from an engineering perspective might differ from the study of physiology as a basic science. Indeed, physiology laboratory courses provide an arena where biomedical engineering and bioscience students can apply knowledge from both fields while cooperating in multidisciplinary teams under specified technical constraints. Because different problem-solving approaches are used by students of engineering and bioscience, instructional innovations are needed to break down stereotypes between the disciplines and create an educational environment where interdisciplinary teamwork is used to bridge differences.
HESS Opinions "Integration of groundwater and surface water research: an interdisciplinary problem?"

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Barthel, R.

2014-07-01

Today there is a great consensus that water resource research needs to become more holistic, integrating perspectives of a large variety of disciplines. Groundwater and surface water (hereafter: GW and SW) are typically identified as different compartments of the hydrological cycle and were traditionally often studied and managed separately. However, despite this separation, these respective fields of study are usually not considered to be different disciplines. They are often seen as different specializations of hydrology with a different focus yet similar theory, concepts, and methodology. The present article discusses how this notion may form a substantial obstacle in the further integration of GW and SW research and management. The article focuses on the regional scale (areas of approximately 103 to 106 km2), which is identified as the scale where integration is most greatly needed, but ironically where the least amount of fully integrated research seems to be undertaken. The state of research on integrating GW and SW research is briefly reviewed and the most essential differences between GW hydrology (or hydrogeology, geohydrology) and SW hydrology are presented. Groundwater recharge and baseflow are used as examples to illustrate different perspectives on similar phenomena that can cause severe misunderstandings and errors in the conceptualization of integration schemes. The fact that integration of GW and SW research on the regional scale necessarily must move beyond the hydrological aspects, by collaborating with the social sciences and increasing the interaction between science and society in general, is also discussed. The typical elements of an ideal interdisciplinary workflow are presented and their relevance with respect to the integration of GW and SW is discussed. The overall conclusions are that GW hydrology and SW hydrogeology study rather different objects of interest, using different types of observation, working on different problem settings. They have thus developed a different theory, methodology and terminology. However, there seems to be a widespread lack of awareness of these differences, which hinders the detection of the existing interdisciplinary aspects of GW and SW integration and consequently the development of a truly unifying interdisciplinary theory and methodology. Thus, despite having the ultimate goal of creating a more holistic approach, we may have to start integration by analyzing potential disciplinary differences. Improved understanding among hydrologists of what interdisciplinary means and how it works is needed. Hydrologists, despite frequently being involved in multidisciplinary projects, are not sufficiently involved in developing interdisciplinary strategies and do usually not regard the process of integration as such as a research topic of its own. There seems to be a general reluctance to apply a (truly) interdisciplinary methodology because this is tedious and few immediate incentives are experienced. The objective of the present opinion paper is to stimulate a discussion rather than to provide recipes on how to integrate GW and SW research or to explain how specific problems of GW-SW interaction should be solved on a technical level. For that purpose it presents complicated topics in a rather simplified, bold way, ignoring to some degree subtleties and potentially controversial issues.
Integrated interdisciplinary training in the radiological sciences.

PubMed

Brenner, D J; Vazquez, M; Buonanno, M; Amundson, S A; Bigelow, A W; Garty, G; Harken, A D; Hei, T K; Marino, S A; Ponnaiya, B; Randers-Pehrson, G; Xu, Y

2014-02-01

The radiation sciences are increasingly interdisciplinary, both from the research and the clinical perspectives. Beyond clinical and research issues, there are very real issues of communication between scientists from different disciplines. It follows that there is an increasing need for interdisciplinary training courses in the radiological sciences. Training courses are common in biomedical academic and clinical environments, but are typically targeted to scientists in specific technical fields. In the era of multidisciplinary biomedical science, there is a need for highly integrated multidisciplinary training courses that are designed for, and are useful to, scientists who are from a mix of very different academic fields and backgrounds. We briefly describe our experiences running such an integrated training course for researchers in the field of biomedical radiation microbeams, and draw some conclusions about how such interdisciplinary training courses can best function. These conclusions should be applicable to many other areas of the radiological sciences. In summary, we found that it is highly beneficial to keep the scientists from the different disciplines together. In practice, this means not segregating the training course into sections specifically for biologists and sections specifically for physicists and engineers, but rather keeping the students together to attend the same lectures and hands-on studies throughout the course. This structure added value to the learning experience not only in terms of the cross fertilization of information and ideas between scientists from the different disciplines, but also in terms of reinforcing some basic concepts for scientists in their own discipline.
Mapping the audit traces of interdisciplinary collaboration: bridging and blending between choreography and cognitive science.

PubMed

Barnard, Philip; deLahunta, Scott

2017-01-01

Two long-term sci-art research projects are described and positioned in the broader conceptual landscape of interdisciplinary collaboration. Both projects were aimed at understanding and augmenting choreographic decision-making and both were grounded in research conducted within a leading contemporary dance company. In each case, the work drew upon methods and theory from the cognitive sciences, and both had a direct impact on the way in which the company made new work. In the synthesis presented here the concept of an audit trace is introduced. Audit traces identify how specific classes of knowledge are used and transformed not only within the arts or sciences but also when arts practice is informed by science or when arts practice informs science.
Biomimetics in thin film design: Niche-like wrinkles designed for i-cell progenitor cell differentiation.

PubMed

Major, Roman; Lackner, Juergen M; Sanak, Marek; Major, Boguslaw

2017-11-01

The future and development of science are in interdisciplinary areas, such as biomedical engineering. Self-assembled structures, similar to stem cell niches, inhibit rapid cellular division processes and enable the capture of stem cells from blood flow. By modifying the surface topography and stiffness properties, progenitor cells were differentiated towards the formation of endothelial cell monolayers to effectively inhibit the coagulation cascade. Wrinkled material layers in the form of thin polymeric coatings were prepared. An optimized surface topography led to proper cell differentiation and influenced the appropriate formation of endothelial cell monolayers. Blood activation was decelerated by the formed endothelium. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Bio-Inspired Self-Cleaning Surfaces

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Kesong; Jiang, Lei

2012-08-01

Self-cleaning surfaces have drawn a lot of interest for both fundamental research and practical applications. This review focuses on the recent progress in mechanism, preparation, and application of self-cleaning surfaces. To date, self-cleaning has been demonstrated by the following four conceptual approaches: (a) TiO2-based superhydrophilic self-cleaning, (b) lotus effect self-cleaning (superhydrophobicity with a small sliding angle), (c) gecko setae-inspired self-cleaning, and (d) underwater organisms-inspired antifouling self-cleaning. Although a number of self-cleaning products have been commercialized, the remaining challenges and future outlook of self-cleaning surfaces are also briefly addressed. Through evolution, nature, which has long been a source of inspiration for scientists and engineers, has arrived at what is optimal. We hope this review will stimulate interdisciplinary collaboration among material science, chemistry, biology, physics, nanoscience, engineering, etc., which is essential for the rational design and reproducible construction of bio-inspired multifunctional self-cleaning surfaces in practical applications.
Impact of Interdisciplinary Undergraduate Research in Mathematics and Biology on the Development of a New Course Integrating Five STEM Disciplines

PubMed Central

Caudill, Lester; Hill, April; Lipan, Ovidiu

2010-01-01

Funded by innovative programs at the National Science Foundation and the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of Richmond faculty in biology, chemistry, mathematics, physics, and computer science teamed up to offer first- and second-year students the opportunity to contribute to vibrant, interdisciplinary research projects. The result was not only good science but also good science that motivated and informed course development. Here, we describe four recent undergraduate research projects involving students and faculty in biology, physics, mathematics, and computer science and how each contributed in significant ways to the conception and implementation of our new Integrated Quantitative Science course, a course for first-year students that integrates the material in the first course of the major in each of biology, chemistry, mathematics, computer science, and physics. PMID:20810953
Impact of Interdisciplinary Undergraduate Research in mathematics and biology on the development of a new course integrating five STEM disciplines.

PubMed

Caudill, Lester; Hill, April; Hoke, Kathy; Lipan, Ovidiu

2010-01-01

Funded by innovative programs at the National Science Foundation and the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of Richmond faculty in biology, chemistry, mathematics, physics, and computer science teamed up to offer first- and second-year students the opportunity to contribute to vibrant, interdisciplinary research projects. The result was not only good science but also good science that motivated and informed course development. Here, we describe four recent undergraduate research projects involving students and faculty in biology, physics, mathematics, and computer science and how each contributed in significant ways to the conception and implementation of our new Integrated Quantitative Science course, a course for first-year students that integrates the material in the first course of the major in each of biology, chemistry, mathematics, computer science, and physics.
Cross-disciplinary links in environmental systems science: Current state and claimed needs identified in a meta-review of process models.

PubMed

Ayllón, Daniel; Grimm, Volker; Attinger, Sabine; Hauhs, Michael; Simmer, Clemens; Vereecken, Harry; Lischeid, Gunnar

2018-05-01

Terrestrial environmental systems are characterised by numerous feedback links between their different compartments. However, scientific research is organized into disciplines that focus on processes within the respective compartments rather than on interdisciplinary links. Major feedback mechanisms between compartments might therefore have been systematically overlooked so far. Without identifying these gaps, initiatives on future comprehensive environmental monitoring schemes and experimental platforms might fail. We performed a comprehensive overview of feedbacks between compartments currently represented in environmental sciences and explores to what degree missing links have already been acknowledged in the literature. We focused on process models as they can be regarded as repositories of scientific knowledge that compile findings of numerous single studies. In total, 118 simulation models from 23 model types were analysed. Missing processes linking different environmental compartments were identified based on a meta-review of 346 published reviews, model intercomparison studies, and model descriptions. Eight disciplines of environmental sciences were considered and 396 linking processes were identified and ascribed to the physical, chemical or biological domain. There were significant differences between model types and scientific disciplines regarding implemented interdisciplinary links. The most wide-spread interdisciplinary links were between physical processes in meteorology, hydrology and soil science that drive or set the boundary conditions for other processes (e.g., ecological processes). In contrast, most chemical and biological processes were restricted to links within the same compartment. Integration of multiple environmental compartments and interdisciplinary knowledge was scarce in most model types. There was a strong bias of suggested future research foci and model extensions towards reinforcing existing interdisciplinary knowledge rather than to open up new interdisciplinary pathways. No clear pattern across disciplines exists with respect to suggested future research efforts. There is no evidence that environmental research would clearly converge towards more integrated approaches or towards an overarching environmental systems theory. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Interdisciplinarity and Systems Science to Improve Population Health

PubMed Central

Mabry, Patricia L.; Olster, Deborah H.; Morgan, Glen D.; Abrams, David B.

2008-01-01

Fueled by the rapid pace of discovery, humankind's ability to understand the ultimate causes of preventable common disease burdens and to identify solutions is now reaching a revolutionary tipping point. Achieving optimal health and well-being for all members of society lies as much in the understanding of the factors identified by the behavioral, social, and public health sciences as by the biological ones. Accumulating advances in mathematical modeling, informatics, imaging, sensor technology, and communication tools have stimulated several converging trends in science: an emerging understanding of epigenomic regulation; dramatic successes in achieving population health-behavior changes; and improved scientific rigor in behavioral, social, and economic sciences. Fostering stronger interdisciplinary partnerships to bring together the behavioral–social–ecologic models of multilevel “causes of the causes” and the molecular, cellular, and, ultimately, physiological bases of health and disease will facilitate breakthroughs to improve the public's health. The strategic vision of the Office of Behavioral and Social Sciences Research (OBSSR) at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) is rooted in a collaborative approach to addressing the complex and multidimensional issues that challenge the public's health. This paper describes OBSSR's four key programmatic directions (next-generation basic science, interdisciplinary research, systems science, and a problem-based focus for population impact) to illustrate how interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary perspectives can foster the vertical integration of research among biological, behavioral, social, and population levels of analysis over the lifespan and across generations. Interdisciplinary and multilevel approaches are critical both to the OBSSR's mission of integrating behavioral and social sciences more fully into the NIH scientific enterprise and to the overall NIH mission of utilizing science in the pursuit of fundamental knowledge about the nature and behavior of living systems and the application of that knowledge to extend healthy life and reduce the burdens of illness and disability. PMID:18619402
The Implementation of an Interdisciplinary Co-planning Team Model Among Mathematics and Science Teachers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Brown, Michelle Cetner

In recent years, Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) education has become a significant focus of numerous theoretical and commentary articles as researchers have advocated for active and conceptually integrated learning in classrooms. Drawing connections between previously isolated subjects, especially mathematics and science, has been shown to increase student engagement, performance, and critical thinking skills. However, obstacles exist to the widespread implementation of integrated curricula in schools, such as teacher knowledge and school structure and culture. The Interdisciplinary Co-planning Team (ICT) model, in which teachers of different subjects come together regularly to discuss connections between content and to plan larger interdisciplinary activities and smaller examples and discussion points, offers a method for teachers to create sustainable interdisciplinary experiences for students within the bounds of the current school structure. The ICT model is designed to be an iterative, flexible model, providing teachers with both a regular time to come together as "experts" and "teach" each other important concepts from their separate disciplines, and then to bring their shared knowledge and language back to their own classrooms to implement with their students in ways that fit their individual classes. In this multiple-case study, which aims to describe the nature of the co-planning process, the nature of plans, and changes in teacher beliefs as a result of co-planning, three pairs of secondary mathematics and science teachers participated in a 10-week intervention with the ICT model. Each pair constituted one case. Data included observations, interviews, and artifact collection. All interviews, whole-group sessions, and co-planning sessions were transcribed and coded using both theory-based and data-based codes. Finally, a cross-case comparison was used to present similarities and differences across cases. Findings suggest that the ICT model can be implemented with pairs of mathematics and science teachers to create a sustainable way to share experience and expertise, and to create powerful interdisciplinary experiences for their students. In addition, there is evidence that participation with the ICT model positively influences teacher beliefs about the nature of mathematics and science, about teaching and learning, and about interdisciplinary connections. These findings seem to hold across grades, school type, and personal experience. Future implementation of the ICT model on a larger scale is recommended to continue to observe the effects on teachers and students.
Using an interdisciplinary MOOC to teach climate science and science communication to a global classroom

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cook, J.

2016-12-01

MOOCs (Massive Open Online Courses) are a powerful tool, making educational content available to a large and diverse audience. The MOOC "Making Sense of Climate Science Denial" applied science communication principles derived from cognitive psychology and misconception-based learning in the design of video lectures covering many aspects of climate change. As well as teaching fundamental climate science, the course also presented psychological research into climate science denial, teaching students the most effective techniques for responding to misinformation. A number of enrolled students were secondary and tertiary educators, who adopted the course content in their own classes as well as adapted their teaching techniques based on the science communication principles presented in the lectures. I will outline how we integrated cognitive psychology, educational research and climate science in an interdisciplinary online course that has had over 25,000 enrolments from over 160 countries.
What we're trying to solve: the back and forth of engaged interdisciplinary inquiry.

PubMed

Kane, Anne T; Perry, Donna J

2016-12-01

Interdisciplinary research assumes that teams of highly specialized scientists develop new knowledge by bridging their respective horizons. Nurse educators preparing nursing doctoral students to conduct interdisciplinary research need insight into how members of interdisciplinary research teams experience knowledge horizons in these complex contexts. Based on the work of the philosopher Bernard Lonergan, this pilot study uses Transcendental Method for Research with Human Subjects to explore interdisciplinary researchers' experiences with and attitudes toward interdisciplinary research. Results reveal the overarching conceptual category of "engaged interdisciplinary inquiry" which includes six themes: (i) valuing interdisciplinary engagement; (ii) direct engagement; (iii) interior engagement; (iv) disengagement; (v) facilitated engagement and (vi) engaged researcher development. Results also suggest engagement depends on vigorous "back and forth", or dialogue, with self and others, and demonstrate the study method is fruitful for cognitive inquiry. This pilot supports expanded study to inform preparation for and conduct of interdisciplinary research involving nurses and raises important questions about how the trend toward interdisciplinary research affects nursing science. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.
Software for pest-management science: computer models and databases from the United States Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service.

PubMed

Wauchope, R Don; Ahuja, Lajpat R; Arnold, Jeffrey G; Bingner, Ron; Lowrance, Richard; van Genuchten, Martinus T; Adams, Larry D

2003-01-01

We present an overview of USDA Agricultural Research Service (ARS) computer models and databases related to pest-management science, emphasizing current developments in environmental risk assessment and management simulation models. The ARS has a unique national interdisciplinary team of researchers in surface and sub-surface hydrology, soil and plant science, systems analysis and pesticide science, who have networked to develop empirical and mechanistic computer models describing the behavior of pests, pest responses to controls and the environmental impact of pest-control methods. Historically, much of this work has been in support of production agriculture and in support of the conservation programs of our 'action agency' sister, the Natural Resources Conservation Service (formerly the Soil Conservation Service). Because we are a public agency, our software/database products are generally offered without cost, unless they are developed in cooperation with a private-sector cooperator. Because ARS is a basic and applied research organization, with development of new science as our highest priority, these products tend to be offered on an 'as-is' basis with limited user support except for cooperating R&D relationship with other scientists. However, rapid changes in the technology for information analysis and communication continually challenge our way of doing business.
Promoting interdisciplinary education - the Vienna Doctoral Programme on Water Resource Systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Blöschl, G.; Carr, G.; Bucher, C.; Farnleitner, A. H.; Rechberger, H.; Wagner, W.; Zessner, M.

2011-11-01

The Vienna Doctoral Programme on Water Resource Systems (DK-WRS) is a programme that aims to educate students in interdisciplinary water science through cutting edge research at an international level. It is funded by the Austrian Science Fund and designed to run over a period of 12 yr during which 80 doctoral students are anticipated to graduate. This paper reports on our experiences of setting up and implementing the Programme. We identify three challenges: integrating the disciplines, maintaining depth in an interdisciplinary programme, and teaching subjects remote to each student's core expertise. To address these challenges we adopted a number of approaches. We use three levels of instruments to foster integration across the disciplines: joint groups (e.g. a joint study programme), joint science questions (e.g. developed in annual symposia), and joint study sites. To maintain depth we apply a system of quality control including regular feedback sessions, theses by journal publications and international study exchange. For simultaneously teaching students from civil and environmental engineering, biology, geology, chemistry, mathematics we use visually explicit teaching, learning by doing, extra mentoring and by cross relating associated subjects. Our initial assessment of the Programme shows some very positive outcomes. Joint science questions formed between students from various disciplines indicate integration is being achieved. The number of successful publications in top journals suggests that depth is maintained. Positive feedback from the students on the variety and clarity of the courses indicates the teaching strategy is working well. Our experiences have shown that implementing and running an interdisciplinary doctoral programme has its challenges and is demanding in terms of time and human resources but seeing interactions progress and watching people grow and develop their way of thinking in an interdisciplinary environment is a valuable reward.
Promoting interdisciplinary education - the Vienna Doctoral Programme on Water Resource Systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Blöschl, G.; Carr, G.; Bucher, C.; Farnleitner, A. H.; Rechberger, H.; Wagner, W.; Zessner, M.

2012-02-01

The Vienna Doctoral Programme on Water Resource Systems (DK-WRS) is a programme that aims to educate students in interdisciplinary water science through cutting edge research at an international level. It is funded by the Austrian Science Fund and designed to run over a period of 12 yr during which 80 doctoral students are anticipated to graduate. This paper reports on our experiences of setting up and implementing the Programme. We identify three challenges: integrating the disciplines, maintaining depth in an interdisciplinary programme, and teaching subjects remote to each student's core expertise. To address these challenges we adopt a number of approaches. We use three levels of instruments to foster integration across the disciplines: joint groups (e.g. a joint study programme), joint science questions (e.g. developed in annual symposia), and joint study sites. To maintain depth we apply a system of quality control including regular feedback sessions, theses by journal publications and international study exchange. For simultaneously teaching students from civil and environmental engineering, biology, geology, chemistry, mathematics we use visually explicit teaching, learning by doing, extra mentoring and by cross relating associated subjects. Our initial assessment of the Programme shows some very positive outcomes. Joint science questions formed between students from various disciplines indicate integration is being achieved. The number of successful publications in top journals suggests that depth is maintained. Positive feedback from the students on the variety and clarity of the courses indicates the teaching strategy is working well. Our experiences have shown that implementing and running an interdisciplinary doctoral programme has its challenges and is demanding in terms of time and human resources but seeing interactions progress and watching people grow and develop their way of thinking in an interdisciplinary environment is a valuable reward.
A Problem with STEM

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Marder, Michael

2013-01-01

Striking differences between physics and biology have important implications for interdisciplinary science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education. The author is a physicist with interdisciplinary connections. The research group in which he works, the Center for Nonlinear Dynamics at the University of Texas at Austin, is…
Strategies for effective collaborative manuscript development in interdisciplinary science teams

USGS Publications Warehouse

Oliver, Samantha K.; Fergus, C. Emi; Skaff, Nicholas K.; Wagner, Tyler; Tan, Pang-Ning; Cheruvelil, Kendra Spence; Soranno, Patricia A.

2018-01-01

Science is increasingly being conducted in large, interdisciplinary teams. As team size increases, challenges can arise during manuscript development, where achieving one team goal (e.g., inclusivity) may be in direct conflict with other goals (e.g., efficiency). Here, we present strategies for effective collaborative manuscript development that draw from our experiences in an interdisciplinary science team writing collaborative manuscripts for six years. These strategies are rooted in six guiding principles that were important to our team: to create a transparent, inclusive, and accountable research team that promotes and protects team members who have less power to influence decision‐making while fostering creativity and productivity. To help alleviate the conflicts that can arise in collaborative manuscript development, we present the following strategies: understand your team composition, create an authorship policy and discuss authorship early and often, openly announce manuscript ideas, identify and communicate the type of manuscript and lead author management style, and document and describe authorship contributions. These strategies can help reduce the probability of group conflict, uphold individual and team values, achieve fair authorship practices, and increase science productivity.
Space Weathering Impact on Solar System Surfaces and Planetary Mission Science

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cooper, John F.

2011-01-01

We often look "through a glass, darkly" at solar system bodies with tenuous atmospheres and direct surface exposure to the local space environment. Space weathering exposure acts via universal space-surface interaction processes to produce a thin patina of outer material covering, potentially obscuring endogenic surface materials of greatest interest for understanding origins and interior evolution. Examples of obscuring exogenic layers are radiation crusts on cometary nuclei and iogenic components of sulfate hydrate deposits on the trailing hemisphere of Europa. Weathering processes include plasma ion implantation into surfaces, sputtering by charged particles and solar ultraviolet photons, photolytic chemistry driven by UV irradiation, and radiolytic chemistry evolving from products of charged particle irradiation. Regolith structure from impacts, and underlying deeper structures from internal evolution, affects efficacy of certain surface interactions, e.g. sputtering as affected by porosity and surface irradiation dosage as partly attenuated by local topographic shielding. These processes should be regarded for mission science planning as potentially enabling, e.g. since direct surface sputtering, and resultant surface-bound exospheres, can provide in-situ samples of surface composition to ion and neutral mass spectrometers on orbital spacecraft. Sample return for highest sensitivity compOSitional and structural analyses at Earth will usually be precluded by limited range of surface sampling, long times for return, and high cost. Targeted advancements in instrument technology would be more cost efficient for local remote and in-situ sample analysis. More realistic laboratory simulations, e.g. for bulk samples, are needed to interpret mission science observations of weathered surfaces. Space environment effects on mission spacecraft and science operations must also be specified and mitigated from the hourly to monthly changes in space weather and from longer term (e.g., solar cycle) evolution of space climate. Capable instrumentation on planetary missions can and should be planned to contribute to knowledge of interplanetary space environments. Evolving data system technologies such as virtual observatories should be explored for more interdisciplinary application to the science of planetary surface, atmospheric, magnetospheric, and interplanetary interactions.
Collaboration, interdisciplinarity, and the epistemology of contemporary science.

PubMed

Andersen, Hanne

2016-04-01

Over the last decades, science has grown increasingly collaborative and interdisciplinary and has come to depart in important ways from the classical analyses of the development of science that were developed by historically inclined philosophers of science half a century ago. In this paper, I shall provide a new account of the structure and development of contemporary science based on analyses of, first, cognitive resources and their relations to domains, and second of the distribution of cognitive resources among collaborators and the epistemic dependence that this distribution implies. On this background I shall describe different ideal types of research activities and analyze how they differ. Finally, analyzing values that drive science towards different kinds of research activities, I shall sketch the main mechanisms underlying the perceived tension between disciplines and interdisciplinarity and argue for a redefinition of accountability and quality control for interdisciplinary and collaborative science. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Interdisciplinary research in climate and energy sciences

DOE PAGES

Xu, Xiaofeng; Goswami, Santonu; Gulledge, Jay; ...

2015-09-12

Due to the complex nature of climate change, interdisciplinary research approaches involving knowledge and skills from a broad range of disciplines have been adopted for studying changes in the climate system as well as strategies for mitigating climate change (i.e., greenhouse gas emissions reductions) and adapting to its impacts on society and natural systems. Harnessing of renewable energy sources to replace fossil fuels is widely regarded as a long-term mitigation strategy that requires the synthesis of knowledge from engineering, technology, and natural and social sciences. In this study, we examine how the adoption of interdisciplinary approaches has evolved over timemore » and in different geographic regions. We conducted a comprehensive literature survey using an evaluation matrix of keywords, in combination with a word cloud analysis, to evaluate the spatiotemporal dynamics of scholarly discourse about interdisciplinary approaches to climate change and renewable energy research and development (R&D). Publications that discuss interdisciplinary approaches to climate change and renewable energy have substantially increased over the last 60 years; it appears, however, that the nature, timing, and focus of these publications vary across countries and through time. Over the most recent three decades, the country-level contribution to interdisciplinary research for climate change has become more evenly distributed, but this was not true for renewable energy research, which remained dominated by the United Sates and a few other major economies. The research topics have also evolved: Water resource management was emphasized from 1990s to 2000s, policy and adaptation were emphasized from the 2000s to 2010 – 2013, while vulnerability became prominent during the most recent years (2010 – 2013). Lastly, our analysis indicates that the rate of growth of interdisciplinary research for renewable energy lags behind that for climate change, possibly because knowledge emanating from climate change science has motivated the subsequent upswing in renewable energy R&D.« less
Aspen Global Change Institute: 25 Years of Interdisciplinary Global Change Science

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Meehl, Gerald A.; Moss, Richard

Global environmental changes such as climate change result from the interaction of human and natural systems. Research to understand these changes and options for addressing them requires the physical, environmental, and social sciences, as well as engineering and other applied fields. In this essay, we describe how the Aspen Global Change Institute (AGCI) has provided leadership in global change science over the past 25 years—in particular how it has contributed to the integration of the natural and social sciences needed to research the drivers of change, Earth system response, natural and human system impacts, and options for risk management. Wemore » illustrate the ways the history of AGCI has been intertwined with the evolution of global change science as it has become an increasingly interdisciplinary endeavor.« less
Mapping the audit traces of interdisciplinary collaboration: bridging and blending between choreography and cognitive science

PubMed Central

Barnard, Philip; deLahunta, Scott

2017-01-01

ABSTRACT Two long-term sci–art research projects are described and positioned in the broader conceptual landscape of interdisciplinary collaboration. Both projects were aimed at understanding and augmenting choreographic decision-making and both were grounded in research conducted within a leading contemporary dance company. In each case, the work drew upon methods and theory from the cognitive sciences, and both had a direct impact on the way in which the company made new work. In the synthesis presented here the concept of an audit trace is introduced. Audit traces identify how specific classes of knowledge are used and transformed not only within the arts or sciences but also when arts practice is informed by science or when arts practice informs science. PMID:29308084
BioMaPS: A Roadmap for Success

PubMed Central

Fister, K. Renee

2010-01-01

The manuscript outlines the impact that our National Science Foundation Interdisciplinary Training for Undergraduates in Biological and Mathematical Sciences program, BioMaPS, has had on the students and faculty at Murray State University. This interdisciplinary program teams mathematics and biology undergraduate students with mathematics and biology faculty and has produced research insights and curriculum developments at the intersection of these two disciplines. The goals, structure, achievements, and curriculum initiatives are described in relation to the effects they have had to enhance the study of biomathematics. PMID:20810948
Building interdisciplinary research models: a didactic course to prepare interdisciplinary scholars and faculty.

PubMed

Larson, Elaine L; Landers, Timothy F; Begg, Melissa D

2011-02-01

Many academicians assume that anyone can engage in interdisciplinary research, but it is clear that successful interdisciplinary efforts require mastery of specific competencies that can be learned and improved. This paper describes the development and implementation of a course designed for Master's, pre- and postdoctoral students and research faculty on models of interdisciplinary research skills, based on a set of core competencies. Major challenges included working through institutional structures that made it difficult to offer cross-school courses, and interpersonal challenges among a diverse group of students from a number of disciplines. Although universities may be poised for interdisciplinary research, strategies for faculty preparation and support are lacking. Institutions embracing the concept of team and interdisciplinary science must focus not only on the structural barriers and facilitators, but also on direct support to faculty. The didactic course described in this paper is one approach to enhance interdisciplinary research skills of scholars-in-training and faculty, and we recommend that similar efforts be widely implemented. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Interdisciplinary Relationships in Technical Education: The CORD Perspective.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hull, Daniel M.

1990-01-01

The director of the Center for Occupational Research and Development (CORD) suggests areas in a technical curriculum that could be improved using an interdisciplinary approach: (1) systems; (2) the electromechanical core; (3) the mathematics/science base; (4) computers; and (5) interpersonal/communication skills. (Author)
Teachers in an Interdisciplinary Learning Community: Engaging, Integrating, and Strengthening K-12 Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hardré, Patricia L.; Ling, Chen; Shehab, Randa L.; Nanny, Mark A.; Nollert, Matthias U.; Refai, Hazem; Ramseyer, Christopher; Herron, Jason; Wollega, Ebisa D.

2013-01-01

This study examines the inputs (processes and strategies) and outputs (perceptions, skill development, classroom transfer, disciplinary integration, social networking, and community development) of a yearlong, interdisciplinary teacher learning and development experience. Eleven secondary math and science teachers partnered with an…
Interdisciplinary Team Teaching versus Departmentalization in Middle Schools.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Alspaugh, John W.; Harting, Roger D.

1998-01-01

Studied the effects of interdisciplinary teaming versus departmentalization on student achievement in middle schools. Found no significant differences for reading, math, science, and social studies achievement. Results suggest that team teaching merits further investigation as a potential strategy for mediating the student achievement loss…
An Interdisciplinary Immersion Program in Foreign Languages.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lee, Vera

The development and coordination of interdisciplinary immersion programs in French and Spanish at Boston College are chronicled, and some issues of federal grant support are discussed. The programs, currently involving the history, theology, philosophy, fine arts, management, and sociology departments and soon including political science, consist…
Graduate Education to Facilitate Interdisciplinary Research Collaboration: Identifying Individual Competencies and Developmental Activities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Holt, Valerie Ciocca

2013-01-01

Interdisciplinary research collaborations (IDRC) are considered essential for addressing the most complex global community problems concerning science, health, education, energy, the environment, and society. In spite of technological advances, supportive funding, and even researcher proclivity to collaborate, these complex interdisciplinary…
Interdisciplinary Analysis and Global Policy Studies.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Meeks, Philip

This paper examines ways in which interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary analysis of global policy studies can increase understanding of complex global problems. Until recently, social science has been the discipline most often turned to for techniques and methodology to analyze social problems and behaviors. However, because social science…
Crossing Borders: An Online Interdisciplinary Course in Health Informatics for Students From Two Countries.

PubMed

Fossum, Mariann; Fruhling, Ann; Moe, Carl Erik; Thompson, Cheryl Bagley

2017-04-01

A cross-countries and interprofessional novel approach for delivering an international interdisciplinary graduate health informatics course online is presented. Included in this discussion are the challenges, lessons learned, and pedagogical recommendations from the experiences of teaching the course. Four professors from three different fields and from three universities collaborated in offering an international health informatics course for an interdisciplinary group of 18 US and seven Norwegian students. Highly motivated students and professors, an online technology infrastructure that supported asynchronously communication and course delivery, the ability to adapt the curriculum to meet the pedagogy requirements at all universities, and the support of higher administration for international collaboration were enablers for success. This project demonstrated the feasibility and advantages of an interdisciplinary, interprofessional, and cross-countries approach in teaching health informatics online. Students were able to establish relationships and conduct professional conversations across disciplines and international boundaries using content management software. This graduate course can be used as a part of informatics, computer science, and/or health science programs.
Incorporating collaboratory concepts into informatics in support of translational interdisciplinary biomedical research

PubMed Central

Lee, E. Sally; McDonald, David W.; Anderson, Nicholas; Tarczy-Hornoch, Peter

2008-01-01

Due to its complex nature, modern biomedical research has become increasingly interdisciplinary and collaborative in nature. Although a necessity, interdisciplinary biomedical collaboration is difficult. There is, however, a growing body of literature on the study and fostering of collaboration in fields such as computer supported cooperative work (CSCW) and information science (IS). These studies of collaboration provide insight into how to potentially alleviate the difficulties of interdisciplinary collaborative research. We, therefore, undertook a cross cutting study of science and engineering collaboratories to identify emergent themes. We review many relevant collaboratory concepts: (a) general collaboratory concepts across many domains: communication, common workspace and coordination, and data sharing and management, (b) specific collaboratory concepts of particular biomedical relevance: data integration and analysis, security structure, metadata and data provenance, and interoperability and data standards, (c) environmental factors that support collaboratories: administrative and management structure, technical support, and available funding as critical environmental factors, and (d) future considerations for biomedical collaboration: appropriate training and long-term planning. In our opinion, the collaboratory concepts we discuss can guide planning and design of future collaborative infrastructure by biomedical informatics researchers to alleviate some of the difficulties of interdisciplinary biomedical collaboration. PMID:18706852
The science of animal behavior and welfare: challenges, opportunities and global perspective

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Animal welfare science is a relatively new scientific discipline. Originally heavily focused on animal behavior, it has emerged into a truly multi- and inter-disciplinary science, encompassing such sciences as behavior, physiology, pathology, immunology, endocrinology and neuroscience, and influence...
Science at the interstices: an evolution in the academy.

PubMed

Balser, Jeffrey R; Baruchin, Andrea

2008-09-01

Biomedical science is at an evolutionary turning point. Many of the rate-limiting steps to realizing the next generation of personalized, highly targeted diagnostics and therapeutics rest at the interstices between biomedical science and the classic, university-based disciplines, such as physics, mathematics, computational science, engineering, social sciences, business, and law. Institutes, centers, or other entities created to foster interdisciplinary science are rapidly forming to tackle these formidable challenges, but they are plagued with substantive barriers, born of traditions, processes, and culture, which impede scientific progress and endanger success. Without a more seamless interdisciplinary framework, academic health centers will struggle to move transformative advances in technology into the foundation of biomedical science, and the equally challenging advancement of models that effectively integrate new molecular diagnostics and therapies into the business and social fabric of our population will be similarly hampered. At the same time, excess attention on rankings tied to competition for National Institutes of Health and other federal funds adversely encourages academic medical centers (AMCs) and universities to hoard, rather than share, resources effectively and efficiently. To fully realize their discovery potential, AMCs must consider a substantive realignment relative to one another, as well as with their associated universities, as the academy looks toward innovative approaches to provide a more supportive foundation for the emergent biomedical research enterprise. The authors discuss potential models that could serve to lower barriers to interdisciplinary science, promoting a new synergy between AMCs and their parent universities.
Honorary Authorship Practices in Environmental Science Teams: Structural and Cultural Factors and Solutions.

PubMed

Elliott, Kevin C; Settles, Isis H; Montgomery, Georgina M; Brassel, Sheila T; Cheruvelil, Kendra Spence; Soranno, Patricia A

2017-01-01

Overinclusive authorship practices such as honorary or guest authorship have been widely reported, and they appear to be exacerbated by the rise of large interdisciplinary collaborations that make authorship decisions particularly complex. Although many studies have reported on the frequency of honorary authorship and potential solutions to it, few have probed how the underlying dynamics of large interdisciplinary teams contribute to the problem. This article reports on a qualitative study of the authorship standards and practices of six National Science Foundation-funded interdisciplinary environmental science teams. Using interviews of the lead principal investigator and an early-career member on each team, our study explores the nature of honorary authorship practices as well as some of the motivating factors that may contribute to these practices. These factors include both structural elements (policies and procedures) and cultural elements (values and norms) that cross organizational boundaries. Therefore, we provide recommendations that address the intersection of these factors and that can be applied at multiple organizational levels.
The Challenges of Interdisciplinary Epistemology in Neuroaesthetics

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Croft, James

2011-01-01

Neuroaesthetics is a burgeoning new interdisciplinary research space in which cognitive science, psychology, neuroscience, and philosophy intersect in order to better inform our understanding of aesthetic experience. The purpose of this study is to analyze high-profile work in neuroaesthetics in the light of recent research into interdisciplinary…
Motivating First-Year University Students by Interdisciplinary Study Projects

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Koch, Franziska D.; Dirsch-Weigand, Andrea; Awolin, Malte; Pinkelman, Rebecca J.; Hampe, Manfred J.

2017-01-01

In order to increase student commitment from the beginning of students' university careers, the Technische Universität Darmstadt has introduced interdisciplinary study projects involving first-year students from the engineering, natural, social and history, economics and/or human sciences departments. The didactic concept includes sophisticated…
Victorian Era: An Interdisciplinary Unit.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gildart, Donna Mae; And Others

Seventh grade students studied the Victorian period using a 4-6 week interdisciplinary unit that integrated language arts, mathematics, art, science, social studies, music, home economics, parents, and business into the program. The main goals were to help students understand the importance of all curriculum subjects; comprehend how subjects are…
Study of Local Radon Occurrence as an Interdisciplinary Undergraduate Research Project.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Purdom, William Berlin; And Others

1990-01-01

Described is an undergraduate interdisciplinary project encompassing physics, computer science, and geology and involving a number of students from several academic departments. The project used the topic of the occurrence of in-home radon. Student projects, radon sampling, and results are discussed. (CW)
Assessing Students' Disciplinary and Interdisciplinary Understanding of Global Carbon Cycling

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

You, Hye Sun; Marshall, Jill A.; Delgado, Cesar

2018-01-01

Global carbon cycling describes the movement of carbon through atmosphere, biosphere, geosphere, and hydrosphere; it lies at the heart of climate change and sustainability. To understand the global carbon cycle, students will require "interdisciplinary knowledge." While standards documents in science education have long promoted…
Image/Time Series Mining Algorithms: Applications to Developmental Biology, Document Processing and Data Streams

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tataw, Oben Moses

2013-01-01

Interdisciplinary research in computer science requires the development of computational techniques for practical application in different domains. This usually requires careful integration of different areas of technical expertise. This dissertation presents image and time series analysis algorithms, with practical interdisciplinary applications…
Opportunities and Challenges for Interdisciplinary Research and Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lin, Henry

2008-01-01

Interdisciplinary research and education (IDRE) holds center stage in current academic discussions. Despite the widespread agreement on the promises of IDRE, barriers for effective IDRE implementation remain significant. This study explored the opportunities and challenges of IDRE in integrated soil and water sciences at the Pennsylvania State…
The AI Interdisciplinary Context: Single or Multiple Research Bases?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Khawam, Yves J.

1992-01-01

This study used citation analysis to determine whether the disciplines contributing to the journal literature of artificial intelligence (AI)--philosophy, psychology, linguistics, computer science, and engineering--share a common AI research base. The idea that AI consists of a completely interdisciplinary endeavor was refuted. (MES)
Harvesting the Ocean: 2. The Harvest.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Caton, Albert, Ed.; And Others

This booklet contains the second in a series of three interdisciplinary units which focus specifically on the Pacific Ocean and its surrounding countries. The unit, intended primarily for lower to middle secondary level, consists of readings and interdisciplinary activities (science, art, social studies, English, and home economics) presented in…

Insights on How NASA's Earth Observing System (EOS) Monitors Our World Environment

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

King, Michael D.

2000-01-01

The Earth Observing System (EOS) is a space-based observing system comprised of a series of satellite sensors by which scientists can monitor the Earth, a Data and Information System (EOSDIS) enabling researchers worldwide to access the satellite data, and an interdisciplinary science research program to interpret the satellite data. During this year, four EOS science missions were launched, representing observations of (1) total solar irradiance, (2) Earth radiation budget, (3) land cover and land use change, (4) ocean processes (vector wind, sea surface temperature, and ocean color), (5) atmospheric processes (aerosol and cloud properties, water vapor, and temperature and moisture profiles), and (6) tropospheric chemistry. In succeeding years many more satellites will be launched that will contribute immeasurably to our understanding of the Earth's environment. In this presentation I will describe how scientists are using EOS data to examine land use and natural hazards, environmental air quality, including dust storms over the world's deserts, cloud and radiation properties, sea surface temperature, and winds over the ocean.
FAST, Foundational Approaches in Science Teaching. Instructional Guide. Second Edition.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Young, Donald B.; Pottenger, Francis M., III

The Foundational Approaches in Science Teaching (FAST) project, which began under the sponsorship of the Hawaii Science Curriculum Council, contains a series of interdisciplinary science courses that emphasize the foundational concepts and methods of the physical, biological, and earth sciences. By directly involving students in investigating…
Earthquake!: An Event-Based Science Module. Teacher's Guide. Earth Science Module.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wright, Russell G.

This book is designed for middle school earth science teachers to help their students learn about earthquakes and scientific literacy through event-based science. Unlike traditional curricula, the event- based earth science module is a student-centered, interdisciplinary, inquiry-oriented program that emphasizes cooperative learning, teamwork,…
Oil Spill!: An Event-Based Science Module. Teacher's Guide. Oceanography Module.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wright, Russell G.

This book is designed for middle school earth science or general science teachers to help their students learn scientific literacy through event-based science. Unlike traditional curricula, the event- based earth science module is a student-centered, interdisciplinary, inquiry-oriented program that emphasizes cooperative learning, teamwork,…
Teaching Earth Sciences as an interdisciplinary subject: Novel module design involving research literature

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tong, Vincent C. H.

2010-05-01

The study of Earth Sciences requires an interdisciplinary approach as it involves understanding scientific knowledge originating from a wide spectrum of research areas. Not only does it include subjects ranging from, for instance, hydrogeology to deep crustal seismology and from climate science to oceanography, but it also has many direct applications in closely related disciplines such as environmental engineering and natural resources management. While research crossing traditional disciplinary boundaries in geosciences is becoming increasingly common, there is only limited integration of interdisciplinary research in the teaching of the subject. Given that the transition from undergraduate education based on subject modules to postgraduate interdisciplinary research is never easy, such integration is a highly desirable pedagogical approach at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels. My presentation is based on a recent teaching project involving novel design of an undergraduate course. The course is implemented in order to address the synergy between research and teaching (Tong, 2009). This project has been shown to be effective and successful in teaching geosciences undergraduates at the University of London. The module consists of studying core geophysical principles and linking them directly to a selection of recently published research papers in a wide range of interdisciplinary applications. Research reviewing and reporting techniques are systematically developed, practised and fully integrated into teaching of the core scientific theories. A fully-aligned assignment with a feedback website invites the students to reflect on the scientific knowledge and the study skills related to research literature they have acquired in the course. This teaching project has been recognized by a teaching award (http://www.clpd.bbk.ac.uk/staff/BETA). In this presentation, I will discuss how undergraduate teaching with a focus on research literature in Earth Sciences can be addressed through careful module design with aligned assessments and feedback. By providing an overview of the teaching project, I will highlight the importance of introducing interdisciplinary research at undergraduate levels (Tong, Nature, 2010). Main project outcomes with student feedback will also be assessed and explored for better teaching practices. References: Tong, C. H., Let interdisciplinary research begin in undergraduate years, Nature, v. 463, p. 157, 2010. Tong, C. H., Approaching research literature: Module design with Electronic feedback package on written assignment (Project report), 2009. (http://www.clpd.bbk.ac.uk/staff/BETA/vtong)
NASA Earth Science Update with Information Science Technology

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Halem, Milton

2000-01-01

This viewgraph presentation gives an overview of NASA earth science updates with information science technology. Details are given on NASA/Earth Science Enterprise (ESE)/Goddard Space Flight Center strategic plans, ESE missions and flight programs, roles of information science, ESE goals related to the Minority University-Space Interdisciplinary Network, and future plans.
Double-edged sword of interdisciplinary knowledge flow from hard sciences to humanities and social sciences: Evidence from China

PubMed Central

Liu, Meijun; Shi, Dongbo

2017-01-01

Humanities and Social Sciences (HSS) increasingly absorb knowledge from Hard Sciences, i.e., Science, Technology, Agriculture and Medicine (STAM), as testified by a growing number of citations. However, whether citing more Hard Sciences brings more citations to HSS remains to be investigated. Based on China’s HSS articles indexed by the Web of Science during 1998–2014, this paper estimated two-way fixed effects negative binomial models, with journal effects and year effects. Findings include: (1) An inverse U-shaped curve was observed between the percentage of STAM references to the HSS articles and the number of citations they received; (2) STAM contributed increasing knowledge to China’s HSS, while Science and Technology knowledge contributed more citations to HSS articles. It is recommended that research policy should be adjusted to encourage HSS researchers to adequately integrate STAM knowledge when conducting interdisciplinary research, as over-cited STAM knowledge may jeopardize the readability of HSS articles. PMID:28934277
Double-edged sword of interdisciplinary knowledge flow from hard sciences to humanities and social sciences: Evidence from China.

PubMed

Liu, Meijun; Shi, Dongbo; Li, Jiang

2017-01-01

Humanities and Social Sciences (HSS) increasingly absorb knowledge from Hard Sciences, i.e., Science, Technology, Agriculture and Medicine (STAM), as testified by a growing number of citations. However, whether citing more Hard Sciences brings more citations to HSS remains to be investigated. Based on China's HSS articles indexed by the Web of Science during 1998-2014, this paper estimated two-way fixed effects negative binomial models, with journal effects and year effects. Findings include: (1) An inverse U-shaped curve was observed between the percentage of STAM references to the HSS articles and the number of citations they received; (2) STAM contributed increasing knowledge to China's HSS, while Science and Technology knowledge contributed more citations to HSS articles. It is recommended that research policy should be adjusted to encourage HSS researchers to adequately integrate STAM knowledge when conducting interdisciplinary research, as over-cited STAM knowledge may jeopardize the readability of HSS articles.
Beyond Nature of Science: The Case for Reconceptualising "Science" for Science Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Erduran, Sibel

2014-01-01

In this paper, I argue that contemporary accounts of nature of science (NoS) are limited in their depiction of "science" and that new perspectives are needed to broaden their characterisation and appeal for science education. In particular, I refer to the role of interdisciplinary characterisations of science in informing the theory and…
An Interdisciplinary Study in Initial Teacher Training

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Larraz Rada, Virginia; Yáñez de Aldecoa, Cristina; Gisbert Cervera, Mercè; Espuny Vidal, Cinta

2014-01-01

This experiment of innovative university education shows the interdisciplinary work carried out in the studies of the Bachelor of Science in Education at the University of Andorra. The study was developed within two subjects: Communication Technology (TAC) and Cultural Heritage Education in Andorra. The main objective of this experiment is to…
Interdisciplinary Team Teaching: An Effective Method to Transform Student Attitudes

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Little, Amanda; Hoel, Anne

2011-01-01

In order to maximize student development in an interdisciplinary context, we implemented and evaluated a business-biology team teaching approach. The class project involved teams of environmental science and business students analyzing an industry stakeholder interested in participating in the development of a community composting network. We…
A Search for Identity: Exploring Core Competencies for Interdisciplinary Environmental Programs

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Vincent, Shirley Gayle

2010-01-01

Scope and method of study: The study is national in scope, exploratory, and utilized a combination of qualitative and quantitative social science methods. Findings and conclusions: Interdisciplinary environmental (IE) programs in higher education in the United States are both diverse and dynamic in their curriculum designs. Though these…
The Law School as a Base for Interdisciplinary Studies in a University

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Willrich, Mason

1974-01-01

Discusses the objectives of the Center for the Study of Science, Technology and Public Policy at the School of Law of the University of Virginia, summarizes the center's activities, and draws conclusions concerning the future role of a problem-oriented, interdisciplinary study in legal education. (Author/PG)
Improving Postsecondary STEM Education: Strategies for Successful Interdisciplinary Collaborations and Brokering Engagement with Education Research and Theory

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bouwma-Gearhart, Jana; Perry, Kristen H.; Presley, Jennifer B.

2014-01-01

This article describes factors that influence the success of collaborations involving science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) and Education faculty at research-focused universities who work toward postsecondary STEM education improvement. We provide insight into how interdisciplinary faculty may successfully collaborate given…
An Interdisciplinary Course Involving Science and the Humanities. Final Report.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Love, Robert W.; Olson, Frederick S.

The project described in this report focused on the development of an interdisciplinary course incorporating physics and literature at Shoreline Community College. Part 1 provides an overview of the project and summarizes major questions and problems confronted in the process of curriculum development, including the relationship between science…
Who's Afraid of the Polygraph? An Inter-Disciplinary Unit

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Klieger, Aviva; Bar-Noy, Tuvia

2008-01-01

The polygraph (lie detector) may be an ideal vehicle for converting aspects of a physiology course into an interdisciplinary course, enabling discussion of interrelationships between science, technology and society (STS) and social dilemmas arising from technological developments. The authors present a way of incorporating the polygraph into a…
Demand for Interdisciplinary Laboratories for Physiology Research by Undergraduate Students in Biosciences and Biomedical Engineering

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Clase, Kari L.; Hein, Patrick W.; Pelaez, Nancy J.

2008-01-01

Physiology as a discipline is uniquely positioned to engage undergraduate students in interdisciplinary research in response to the 2006-2011 National Science Foundation Strategic Plan call for innovative transformational research, which emphasizes multidisciplinary projects. To prepare undergraduates for careers that cross disciplinary…
Get to Know Your Neighborhood Pest: An Interdisciplinary Project for Middle School Students.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Zipko, Stephen J.

1982-01-01

Describes an interdisciplinary, month-long minicourse project focusing on the gypsy moth. The project provided students with opportunities to develop analytical and problem-solving skills while studying content from entomology, botany, chemistry, toxicology, ecology, math, art, law, political science, history, English, consumer studies, and…
Harvesting the Ocean: 3. Using the Sea Wisely.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Caton, Albert, Ed.; And Others

This booklet contains the third in a series of three interdisciplinary units which focus specifically on the Pacific Ocean and its surrounding countries. The unit, intended primarily for upper secondary students, consists of readings and interdisciplinary activities (science, art, social studies, English, and home economics) presented in four…
An Interdisciplinary Field Robotics Program for Undergraduate Computer Science and Engineering Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kitts, Christopher; Quinn, Neil

2004-01-01

Santa Clara University's Robotic Systems Laboratory conducts an aggressive robotic development and operations program in which interdisciplinary teams of undergraduate students build and deploy a wide range of robotic systems, ranging from underwater vehicles to spacecraft. These year-long projects expose students to the breadth of and…

The Intelligent Career Framework as a Basis for Interdisciplinary Inquiry

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Parker, Polly; Khapova, Svetlana N.; Arthur, Michael B.

2009-01-01

This paper examines how separate behavioral science disciplines can be brought together to more fully understand the dynamics of contemporary careers. We adopt one interdisciplinary framework--that of the "intelligent career"--and use it to examine how separate disciplinary approaches relate to one another. The intelligent career framework…
Interdisciplinary Graduate Studies in Brazil: Lessons from Sustainability and Environmental Sciences

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bursztyn, Marcel; Maury, María Beatriz; Litre, Gabriela

2016-01-01

This article analyzes the process of institutionalizing interdisciplinary graduate programs in Brazil, which has over more than four decades of experience implementing masters and doctoral problem-oriented programs designed to operate outside the disciplinary structure of universities. Brazil has a high degree of centrality and government…
Facilitating Interdisciplinary Learning: Lessons from Project Kaleidoscope

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kezar, Adrianna; Elrod, Susan

2012-01-01

Many major funding organizations, policymakers, government agencies, and other higher education stakeholders want higher education to encourage interdisciplinary learning so that students graduate with the requisite skills to take on complex jobs in science, policy, business, and industry. Calls for this kind of change have been most urgent within…
Collaborative Approach in Software Engineering Education: An Interdisciplinary Case

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Vicente, Aileen Joan; Tan, Tiffany Adelaine; Yu, Alvin Ray

2018-01-01

Aim/Purpose: This study was aimed at enhancing students' learning of software engineering methods. A collaboration between the Computer Science, Business Management, and Product Design programs was formed to work on actual projects with real clients. This interdisciplinary form of collaboration simulates the realities of a diverse Software…
Higher Education Beyond Faculties: Interdisciplinary Education in Care and Technology.

PubMed

Sponselee, Anne-Mie A G; Van Hoof, Joost

2017-01-01

A Centre of Healthcare and Technology of a Dutch University of Applied Sciences, is presented - and illustrated by project examples - to show how the transitions in the sectors of health care and technology can result in interdisciplinary education in care and technology by means of higher education beyond faculties.
Some Properties of Poly(Methyl Methacrylate) Studied by Radiation Degradation: An Interdisciplinary Student Experiment.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hill, D. J. T.; O'Donnell, J. H.

1981-01-01

Describes an interdisciplinary student experiment based upon the radiation effects on polymers, integrating some of the fundamentals of radiation chemistry, polymer chemistry, and material science. Also demonstrates how the information gained in the experiment has direct commercial application in product manufacture or processing. (CS)
Tempered Radicals: Faculty Leadership in Interdisciplinary Curricular Change Authors

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Goldfien, Andrea C.; Badway, Norena Norton

2015-01-01

Scientists, researchers, and educators have promoted the improvement of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education by incorporating an interdisciplinary approach to the study of STEM; but current research offers little guidance about how this change can occur. This study expands on a new body of research examining faculty…
The Contemporary Issues Module: Its Use in the Science Methods Class

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kuhn, David J.

1973-01-01

Author conducts preservice education for science teachers by engaging students in modules stressing contemporary issues. Basic features of the modules include providing individualized instruction and stressing the interdisciplinary aspects of pure applied and social sciences. (PS)
Science Facilities Design Guidelines.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Maryland State Dept. of Education, Baltimore.

These guidelines, presented in five chapters, propose a framework to support the planning, designing, constructing, and renovating of school science facilities. Some program issues to be considered in the articulation of a science program include environmental concerns, interdisciplinary approaches, space flexibility, and electronic…
Multidisciplinary approaches to climate change questions

USGS Publications Warehouse

Middleton, Beth A.; LePage, Ben A.

2011-01-01

Multidisciplinary approaches are required to address the complex environmental problems of our time. Solutions to climate change problems are good examples of situations requiring complex syntheses of ideas from a vast set of disciplines including science, engineering, social science, and the humanities. Unfortunately, most ecologists have narrow training, and are not equipped to bring their environmental skills to the table with interdisciplinary teams to help solve multidisciplinary problems. To address this problem, new graduate training programs and workshops sponsored by various organizations are providing opportunities for scientists and others to learn to work together in multidisciplinary teams. Two examples of training in multidisciplinary thinking include those organized by the Santa Fe Institute and Dahlem Workshops. In addition, many interdisciplinary programs have had successes in providing insight into climate change problems including the International Panel on Climate Change, the Joint North American Carbon Program, the National Academy of Science Research Grand Challenges Initiatives, and the National Academy of Science. These programs and initiatives have had some notable success in outlining some of the problems and solutions to climate change. Scientists who can offer their specialized expertise to interdisciplinary teams will be more successful in helping to solve the complex problems related to climate change.
Embedding Multiple Literacies into STEM Curricula

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Soules, Aline; Nielsen, Sarah; LeDuc, Danika; Inouye, Caron; Singley, Jason; Wildy, Erica; Seitz, Jeff

2014-01-01

In fall 2012, an interdisciplinary team of science, English, and library faculty embedded reading, writing, and information literacy strategies in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) curricula as a first step in improving student learning and retention in science courses and aligning them with the Next Generation Science and…
Earthquake!: An Event-Based Science Module. Student Edition. Earth Science Module.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wright, Russell G.

This book is designed for middle school students to learn scientific literacy through event-based science. Unlike traditional curricula, the event-based earth science module is a student-centered, interdisciplinary, inquiry-oriented program that emphasizes cooperative learning, teamwork, independent research, hands-on investigations, and…
Communicating remote sensing concepts in an interdisciplinary environment

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Chung, R.

1981-01-01

Although remote sensing is currently multidisciplinary in its applications, many of its terms come from the engineering sciences, particularly from the field of pattern recognition. Scholars from fields such as the social sciences, botany, and biology, may experience initial difficulty with remote sensing terminology, even though parallel concepts exist in their own fields. Some parallel concepts and terminologies from nonengineering fields, which might enhance the understanding of remote sensing concepts in an interdisciplinary situation are identified. Feedbacks which this analogue strategy might have on remote sensing itself are explored.
Earth observing system: 1989 reference handbook

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1989-01-01

NASA is studying a coordinated effort called the Mission to Planet Earth to understand global change. The goals are to understand the Earth as a system, and to determine those processes that contribute to the environmental balance, as well as those that may result in changes. The Earth Observing System (Eos) is the centerpiece of the program. Eos will create an integrated scientific observing system that will enable multidisciplinary study of the Earth including the atmosphere, oceans, land surface, polar regions, and solid Earth. Science goals, the Eos data and information system, experiments, measuring instruments, and interdisciplinary investigations are described.
Interdisciplinary science for future governance and management of forests.

PubMed

Nordin, Annika; Sandström, Camilla

2016-02-01

The sustainable use of forests constitutes one of the great challenges for the future due to forests' large spatial coverage, long-term planning horizons and inclusion of many ecosystem services. The mission of the Future Forests programme is to provide a scientifically robust knowledge base for sustainable governance and management of forests preparing for a future characterized by globalization and climate change. In this introduction to the Special Issue, we describe the interdisciplinary science approach developed in close collaboration with actors in the Future Forests programme, and discuss the potential impacts of this science on society. In addition, we introduce the 13 scientific articles and present results produced by the programme.
Blight! An Event-Based Science Module. Teacher's Guide. Plants and Plant Diseases Module.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wright, Russell G.

This book is designed for middle school life science or physical science teachers to help their students learn scientific literacy through event-based science. Unlike traditional curricula, the event- based earth science module is a student-centered, interdisciplinary, inquiry-oriented program that emphasizes cooperative learning, teamwork,…
Fire!: An Event-Based Science Module. Teacher's Guide. Chemistry and Fire Ecology Module.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wright, Russell G.

This book is designed for middle school earth science or physical science teachers to help their students learn scientific literacy through event-based science. Unlike traditional curricula, the event- based earth science module is a student-centered, interdisciplinary, inquiry-oriented program that emphasizes cooperative learning, teamwork,…
Promoting Science Literacy through an Interdisciplinary Approach

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ross, Karen; Hooten, Mary Ann; Cohen, Glenn

2013-01-01

Recognition of the value of a scientifically literate citizenry has driven American science education reform since the 1950s. We have seen some improvement in the comprehension of science facts in the past 10-20 years, but far less improvement in Americans' understanding of the nature of science. College science courses are ideal venues for…
The Rise and Demise of the International Council for Science Policy Studies (ICSPS) as a Cold War Bridging Organization

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Elzinga, Aant

2012-01-01

When the journal "Minerva" was founded in 1962, science and higher educational issues were high on the agenda, lending impetus to the interdisciplinary field of "Science Studies" "qua" "Science Policy Studies." As government expenditures for promoting various branches of science increased dramatically on…
Science-Technology-Society or Technology-Society-Science? Insights from an Ancient Technology

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lee, Yeung Chung

2010-01-01

Current approaches to science-technology-society (STS) education focus primarily on the controversial socio-scientific issues that arise from the application of science in modern technology. This paper argues for an interdisciplinary approach to STS education that embraces science, technology, history, and social and cultural studies. By employing…

Managing Sustainable Data Infrastructures: The Gestalt of EOSDIS

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Behnke, J.; Lindsay, F. E.; Lowe, D. R.; Mitchell, A. E.; Lynnes, C.

2016-12-01

NASA's Earth Observing System Data and Information System (EOSDIS) has been a central component of the NASA Earth observation program since the 1990's. The data collected by NASA's remote sensing instruments represent a significant public investment in research. EOSDIS provides free and open access to this data to a worldwide public research community. From the very beginning, EOSDIS was conceived as a system built on partnerships between NASA Centers, US agencies and academia. EOSDIS manages a wide range of Earth science discipline data that include cryosphere, land cover change, polar processes, field campaigns, ocean surface, digital elevation, atmosphere dynamics and composition, and inter-disciplinary research, among many others. Over the years, EOSDIS has evolved to support increasingly complex and diverse NASA Earth Science data collections. EOSDIS epitomizes a System of Systems, whose many varied and distributed parts are integrated into a single, highly functional organized science data system. A distributed architecture was adopted to ensure discipline-specific support for the science data, while also leveraging standards and establishing policies and tools to enable interdisciplinary research, and analysis across multiple scientific instruments. The EOSDIS is composed of system elements such as geographically distributed archive centers used to manage the stewardship of data. The infrastructure consists of underlying capabilities/connections that enable the primary system elements to function together. For example, one key infrastructure component is the common metadata repository, which enables discovery of all data within the EOSDIS system. . EOSDIS employs processes and standards to ensure partners can work together effectively, and provide coherent services to users. While the separation into domain-specific science archives helps to manage the wide variety of missions and datasets, the common services and practices serve to knit the overall system together into a coherent whole, with sharing of data, metadata, information and software making EOSDIS more than the simple sum of its parts. This paper will describe those parts and how the whole system works together to deliver Earth science data to millions of users.
NASA's Solar System Exploration Research Virtual Institute: Science and Technology for Lunar Exploration

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Schmidt, Greg; Bailey, Brad; Gibbs, Kristina

2015-01-01

The NASA Solar System Exploration Research Virtual Institute (SSERVI) is a virtual institute focused on research at the intersection of science and exploration, training the next generation of lunar scientists, and development and support of the international community. As part of its mission, SSERVI acts as a hub for opportunities that engage the larger scientific and exploration communities in order to form new interdisciplinary, research-focused collaborations. The nine domestic SSERVI teams that comprise the U.S. complement of the Institute engage with the international science and exploration communities through workshops, conferences, online seminars and classes, student exchange programs and internships. SSERVI represents a close collaboration between science, technology and exploration enabling a deeper, integrated understanding of the Moon and other airless bodies as human exploration moves beyond low Earth orbit. SSERVI centers on the scientific aspects of exploration as they pertain to the Moon, Near Earth Asteroids (NEAs) and the moons of Mars, with additional aspects of related technology development, including a major focus on human exploration-enabling efforts such as resolving Strategic Knowledge Gaps (SKGs). The Institute focuses on interdisciplinary, exploration-related science focused on airless bodies targeted as potential human destinations. Areas of study represent the broad spectrum of lunar, NEA, and Martian moon sciences encompassing investigations of the surface, interior, exosphere, and near-space environments as well as science uniquely enabled from these bodies. This research profile integrates investigations of plasma physics, geology/geochemistry, technology integration, solar system origins/evolution, regolith geotechnical properties, analogues, volatiles, ISRU and exploration potential of the target bodies. New opportunities for both domestic and international partnerships are continually generated through these research and community development efforts, and SSERVI can further serve as a model for joint international scientific efforts through its creation of bridges across disciplines and between countries. Since the inception of the NASA Lunar Science Institute (SSERVIs predecessor), it has and will continue to contribute in many ways toward the advancement of lunar science and the eventual human exploration of the Moon.
Research opportunities in interdisciplinary ground-water science in the U.S. Geological Survey

USGS Publications Warehouse

Sanford, W.E.; Caine, Jonathan S.; Wilcox, D.A.; McWreath, H.C.; Nicholas, J.R.

2006-01-01

This report is written for the scientifically literate reader but is not limited to those who are involved in ground-water science. The report is intended to encourage U.S. Geological Survey scientists to develop a sense of excitement about ground-water science in the agency, to inform scientists about existing and potential ground-water science opportunities, and to engage scientists and managers in interdisciplinary discussions and collaboration. The report is intended for use by U.S. Geological Survey and Department of the Interior management to formulate long-term ground-water science programs and to continue sustained support of ground-water monitoring and research, some of which may not have an immediate impact. Finally, the report can be used to communicate the U.S. Geological Survey's vision of ground-water science to Congress, partners, other agencies, and the research community at large with the goals of enhancing collaborative opportunities, sharing information, and maintaining dialogue regarding the directions of U.S. Geological Survey ground-water science.
Integrating Hydrology and Historical Geography in an Interdisciplinary Environmental Masters Program in Northern Ontario, Canada

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Greer, Kirsten; James, April

2016-04-01

Research in hydrology and other sciences are increasingly calling for new collaborations that "…simultaneously explore the biogeophysical, social and economic forces that shape an increasingly human-dominated global hydrologic system…" (Vorosmarty et al. 2015, p.104). With many environmental programs designed to help students tackle environmental problems, these initiatives are not without fundamental challenges (for example, they are often developed around a single epistemology of positivism). Many environmental graduate programs provide narrow interdisciplinary training (within the sciences, or bridging to the social sciences) but do not necessarily engage with the humanities. Geography however, has a long tradition and history of bridging the geophysical, social sciences, and humanities. In this paper, we reflect on new programming in an Interdisciplinary Master's program in Northern Ontario, Canada, inspired by the rich tradition of geography. As Canada Research Chairs trained in different geographical traditions (historical geography and hydrology), we aim to bring together approaches in the humanities and geophysical sciences to understand hydrological and environmental change over time. We are teaching in a small, predominantly undergraduate University located in Northern Ontario, Canada, a region shaped significantly by colonial histories and resource development. The Masters of Environmental Studies/Masters of Environmental Sciences (MES/MESc) program was conceived from a decade of interdisciplinary dialogue across three undergraduate departments (Geography, Biology and Chemistry, History) to promote an understanding of both humanistic and scientific approaches to environmental issues. In the fall of 2015, as part of our 2015-2020 Canada Research Chair mandates, we introduced new initiatives to further address the integration of humanities and sciences to our graduate program. We believe the new generation of environmental scientists and practioners should be equipped to deal with the complex histories of colonialism, resource development, and scientific practices in addition to the skills necessary to conduct rigorous scientific environmental research. The following paper discusses some of our initiatives, including (1) a cross-disciplinary 'Workship', which assembled students, faculty and community members on a cruise of the 800 km2 Lake Nipissing to explore imaginative geographies of the lake; (2) a co-taught core course (Perspectives on the Environment) which included a theme specifically on the hydrosocial cycle (Linton and Budds 2014); and (3) student-group projects focused on developing interdisciplinary research proposals. Early reflections on this new programing is illustrating how existing literature in geography is adding ability to help bridge the sciences-humanities divides in our environmental graduate program.
NASA SSERVI Contributions to Lunar Science and Exploration

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Pendleton, Yvonne J.

2015-01-01

NASA's Solar System Exploration Research Virtual Institute (SSERVI) represents a close collaboration between science, technology and exploration that will enable deeper understanding of the Moon and other airless bodies as we move further out of low-Earth orbit. The new Solar System Exploration Research Virtual Institute (SSERVI) will focus on the scientific aspects of exploration as they pertain to the Moon, Near Earth Asteroids (NEAs) and the moons of Mars. The Institute focuses on interdisciplinary, exploration-related science centered around all airless bodies targeted as potential human destinations. Areas of study reported here will represent the broad spectrum of lunar, NEA, and Martian moon sciences encompassing investigations of the surface, interior, exosphere, and near-space environments as well as science uniquely enabled from these bodies. We will provide a detailed look at research being conducted by each of the 9 domestic US teams as well as our 7 international partners. The research profile of the Institute integrates investigations of plasma physics, geology/geochemistry, technology integration, solar system origins/evolution, regolith geotechnical properties, analogues, volatiles, ISRU and exploration potential of the target bodies.
Interdisciplinary research training in substance abuse and addictions.

PubMed

Thompson, Elaine Adams

2013-01-01

Considerable evidence shows that the management of complex problems of and related to substance abuse and addictions require comprehensive approaches based on solid research. Nonetheless, timely and widespread dissemination of research findings remains uncommon, hindering nursing practice, impeding the health of individuals and families, and imposing untoward costs for society. Shifts in science paradigms underscore the need for efficient and effective interdisciplinary research teams to carry out innovative research within a translational science framework. This means that early career investigators will need the knowledge and skills to conduct research as part of an interdisciplinary team and to contribute systematically to translational research in the area of substance abuse and addictions. This brief report describes a nursing research training program sponsored by the National Institute on Drug Abuse that evolved into an interdisciplinary program administrated within a school of nursing. Factors conducive to program development are described, along with the structure and elements of the program and examples of the scholars' projects and accomplishments. The common benefits of interdisciplinary research training for both predoctoral and postdoctoral research scholars include consistent exposure to new and alternative scientific models and methodological approaches as well as endurance of cross-discipline network connections. Benefits and challenges of this program carry implications for the design of future nursing research training programs in the field of substance abuse and addictions.
Tornado! An Event-Based Science Module. Teacher's Guide. Meteorology Module.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wright, Russell G.

This book is designed for middle school earth science teachers to help their students learn about problems with tornadoes and scientific literacy through event-based science. Unlike traditional curricula, the event-based earth science module is a student-centered, interdisciplinary, inquiry-oriented program that emphasizes cooperative learning,…
Volcano!: An Event-Based Science Module. Teacher's Guide. Geology Module.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wright, Russell G.

This book is designed for middle school earth science teachers to help their students learn scientific literacy through event-based science. Unlike traditional curricula, the event-based earth science module is a student-centered, interdisciplinary, inquiry-oriented program that emphasizes cooperative learning, teamwork, independent research,…
"New Science" and Societal Issues

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gardner, Grant; Jones, M. Gail; Falvo, Mike

2009-01-01

As a "new science," nanotechnology has brought many nanoscale-based applications to the forefront of society. This article describes one such application--a nanosensor that can precisely detect a variety of chemical stimuli in the environment--and presents the science behind it as an interdisciplinary science topic. This article also provides…
Identification and Formulation of Polymers: A Challenging Interdisciplinary Undergraduate Chemistry Lab Assignment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Guedens, Wanda J.; Reynders, Monique

2017-01-01

Prior to the recycling process, raising awareness of plastic waste impact, e.g., polluting oceans worldwide, is undoubtedly a first attempt to tackle this pandemic environmental issue. With this in mind, the presented practical session is an effort to entice an interdisciplinary audience of science undergraduates toward a sustainable future. The…
Meteorology Meets Engineering: An Interdisciplinary STEM Module for Middle and Early Secondary School Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Barrett, Bradford S.; Moran, Angela L.; Woods, John E.

2014-01-01

Background: Given the continued need to educate the public on both the meteorological and engineering hazards posed by the severe winds of a tornado, an interdisciplinary science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) module designed by the faculty from the Oceanography and Mechanical Engineering Departments at the United States Naval…
Bringing Environmental Sustainability to Undergraduate Engineering Education: Experiences in an Inter-Disciplinary Course

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Aurandt, Jennifer; Borchers, Andrew Scott; Lynch-Caris, Terri; El-Sayed, Jacqueline; Hoff, Craig

2012-01-01

This paper chronicles the development of an interdisciplinary course in environmentally conscious design at Kettering University, a technologically focused Midwestern university. Funded by the National Science Foundation, a team of six faculty members at Kettering University adapted work done by Ford Motor Company to educate undergraduate STEM…
Interdisciplinary Project Experiences: Collaboration between Majors and Non-Majors

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Smarkusky, Debra L.; Toman, Sharon A.

2014-01-01

Students in computer science and information technology should be engaged in solving real-world problems received from government and industry as well as those that expose them to various areas of application. In this paper, we discuss interdisciplinary project experiences between majors and non-majors that offered a creative and innovative…
Interdisciplinary research: maintaining the constructive impulse in a culture of criticism

Treesearch

S.T.A. Pickett; William R. Burch; J. Morgan. Grove

1999-01-01

We approach the benefits and burdens of interdisciplinary research (IDR) from the perspective that science involves both constructive and critical approaches. The constructive aspect generates concepts, theories, and data to understand the observable world, while criticism tests the internal consistency of understanding and its fit to the observable world (Pickett and...
Building Our Children's Future: An Interdisciplinary Curriculum for Grades K-12.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mumma, Tracy; Gant, Shaun; Stone, Laura Armstrong; Harnish, Chris; Fowle, Abigail

This interdisciplinary curriculum provides students with the opportunity to learn about the connection between natural resources and buildings while practicing skills in language arts, math, science, social studies, and visual arts. The learning activities are divided by topic into 15 Building Blocks (units). These units cover such topics as…
Teaching the Broad, Interdisciplinary Impact of Evolution

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Benson, David; Atlas, Pierre; Haberski, Raymond; Higgs, Jamie; Kiley, Patrick; Maxwell, Michael, Jr.; Mirola, William; Norton, Jamey

2009-01-01

As perhaps the most encompassing idea in biology, evolution has impacted not only science, but other academic disciplines as well. The broad, interdisciplinary impact of evolution was the theme of a course taught at Marian College, Indianapolis, Indiana in 2002, 2004, and 2006. Using a strategy that could be readily adopted at other institutions,…
Consumer's Choice: An Interdisciplinary Approach to Consumer Education. Developed for Grades K-4.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Allegheny Intermediate Unit, Pittsburgh, PA.

This manual suggests teaching strategies for integrating consumer education into art, language arts, mathematics, science/health, and social studies in grades K-4. The guide lists consumer education competencies, interdisciplinary structures for consumer education, and provides a chart which relates competencies to page numbers in the guide.…
Amazing Muses of Science: An Interdisciplinary Project Creates Awareness of Female Scientists

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Carson, Beverly

2016-01-01

This article describes an interdisciplinary project that created awareness of female scientists in a public Montessori classroom. Every spring, the author's sixth-grade students write an educational play in which the entire class participates. Following an underwhelming response to asking students who are their favorite female scientists, the…
Developing and Implementing an Interdisciplinary Origins Course at a State University

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Miller, Keith; Totten, Iris

2009-01-01

A truly interdisciplinary course was successfully developed and taught that presented an overview of the historical sciences with an emphasis on the nature of scientific inquiry and its relationship to other ways of knowing. The course included contributions from faculty in physics, biology, geology, philosophy, and English. (Contains 2 figures.)
Light, Brain, and Action: An Introductory, Interdisciplinary Course on Optogenetics for Undergraduate Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kouh, Minjoon; Merz, River

2013-01-01

We piloted a semester-long, interdisciplinary, introductory science course using recently developed optogenetic technique as a main context. In neuroscience application, this technique introduces the gene of light-sensitive membrane protein into a targeted class of neurons, whose activity then can be modulated with a laser of specific wavelength.…

Ethics of Tax Law Compliance: An Interdisciplinary Perspective

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cummings, Richard G.; Longo, Peter J.; Rioux, Jean W.

2012-01-01

The first semester Tax I student seems to be interested in the ethical issue of why citizens should report their income and only take legitimate tax deductions when it is unlikely that anyone will ever know. This paper addresses this issue from an interdisciplinary approach of accounting, philosophy, and political science. The accounting…
Interdisciplinary New University: A New Model for Faculties of Arts and Sciences in Turkey

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Simsek, Hasan; Hacifazlioglu, Ozge

2012-01-01

The concept of new university reduces the depth of disciplinary understanding at the undergraduate level. Instead, interdisciplinary understanding has been put forward, where room is provided for the broader development of student. Receiving training from multiple perspectives will provide students with the skills necessary in an era of present…
Integrating Medical and Environmental Sociology with Environmental Health: Crossing Boundaries and Building Connections through Advocacy

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Brown, Phil

2013-01-01

This article reviews the personal and professional processes of developing an interdisciplinary approach to understanding the complex issues of environmental health in their community, political-economic, social science, and scientific contexts. This interdisciplinary approach includes a synthesis of research, policy work, and advocacy. To examine…
BioMusic in the Classroom: Interdisciplinary Elementary Science and Music Curriculum Development

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Carrier, Sarah; Wiebe, Eric N.; Gray, Patricia; Teachout, David

2011-01-01

Policymakers and industry leaders are calling for a 21st century education that is more interdisciplinary in nature, including the ability to solve problems and think creatively. Traditional teaching practices that present subjects as separate and distinct disciplines do not encourage students to make connections between subjects in school and in…
Sixth Grade Interdisciplinary Packet: Science-Social Studies.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Madison Public Schools, WI.

This curriculum guide for sixth graders focuses upon "Who is Man?", "Who am I?" and "Man Needs Man" in an interdisciplinary sequence that combines scientific and social studies ideas and theories. It is hoped that this approach will help the pupil shape positive change within himself and his society. Emphasis is upon pupils gaining both conceptual…
The Unique Role of the Child Developmentalist in an Interdisciplinary Team.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cook, Nancy

This paper deals with the role of the child developmentalist in improving interdisciplinary assessment and treatment of children with behavioral and learning problems. A specific task of Developmental Services of the Texas Research Institute of Mental Sciences was to optimize the utilization of professional staff in a development assessment…
Communicating about Sexuality: An Interdisciplinary Undergraduate Honors Seminar.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rozema, Hazel J.

A course in the honors program (a sophomore level social science seminar) at Millikin University offers an interdisciplinary approach to communication and sexuality, functions as a course in the Gender Studies Minor curriculum, and provides a needed source of sex education for the campus. The purpose of the course is to facilitate communication…
Developmental Methodology as a Context for Interdisciplinary Dialogue in Developmental Science

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Card, Noel A.

2014-01-01

In this comment, I first highlight the contributions of Robinson-Cimpian, Lubienski, Ganley, and Copur-Gencturk (2014) in particular and a more interdisciplinary approach in general for the subdiscipline of developmental psychology. Second, I identify some historic methodological foci of psychology and encourage Robinson-Cimpian et al. to consider…
Meteorology--An Interdisciplinary Base for Science Learning.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Howell, David C.

1980-01-01

Described is a freshman science program at Deerfield Academy (Deerfield, Mass.) in meteorology, designed as the first part of a three-year unified science sequence. Merits of the course, in which particular emphasis is placed on observation skills and making predictions, are enumerated. (CS)
Making Science Come Alive.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Whitford, Dennis J.; Eisman, Greg A.

1997-01-01

The U.S. Naval Academy oceanography major is bucking the nationwide trend toward declining enrollments in science majors study tracks. Nontraditional approaches used include interdisciplinary and applied science, significant instructor experience in applying the major outside academia, hands-on laboratories in all classes, and an oceanography…
Perspectives on Transportation. Teacher's Guide. Preparing for Tomorrow's World.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Iozzi, Louis A.; And Others

"Perspectives on Transportation" is one of the "Preparing for Tomorrow's World" (PTW) program modules. PTW is an interdisciplinary, future-oriented program which incorporates information from the sciences and social sciences and addresses societal concerns which interface science/technology/society. The program promotes…
The Human Sciences Program and the Future.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Carter, Jack L.

1982-01-01

Discusses the interdisciplinary/multidisciplinary nature of the BSCS Human Sciences Program and problems associated with the development, dissemination, and use of such curricula. Poses a series of questions related to these problems and discusses influences of single-issues pressure groups on science teaching. (JN)
Undergraduate Research in Quantum Information Science

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lyons, David W.

2017-01-01

Quantum Information Science (QIS) is an interdisciplinary field involving mathematics, computer science, and physics. Appealing aspects include an abundance of accessible open problems, active interest and support from government and industry, and an energetic, open, and collaborative international research culture. We describe our student-faculty…
Dilemmas in Bioethics. Teacher's Guide. Preparing for Tomorrow's World.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Iozzi, Louis A.

"Preparing for Tomorrow's World" is an interdisciplinary, future-oriented program which incorporates information from the sciences and social sciences and addresses societal concerns which interface science/technology/society. The program promotes responsible citizenry with increased abilities in critical thinking, problem-solving,…
University of Idaho Water of the West Initiative: Development of a sustainable, interdisciplinary water resources program

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Boll, J.; Cosens, B.; Fiedler, F.; Link, T.; Wilson, P.; Harris, C.; Tuller, M.; Johnson, G.; Kennedy, B.

2006-12-01

Recently, an interdisciplinary group of faculty from the University of Idaho was awarded a major internal grant for their project "Water of the West (WoW)" to launch an interdisciplinary Water Resources Graduate Education Program. This Water Resources program will facilitate research and education to influence both the scientific understanding of the resource and how it is managed, and advance the decision-making processes that are the means to address competing societal values. By educating students to integrate environmental sciences, socio-economic, and political issues, the WoW project advances the University's land grant mission to promote economic and social development in the state of Idaho. This will be accomplished through novel experiential interdisciplinary education activities; creation of interdisciplinary research efforts among water resources faculty; and focusing on urgent regional problems with an approach that will involve and provide information to local communities. The Water Resources Program will integrate physical and biological sciences, social science, law, policy and engineering to address problems associated with stewardship of our scarce water resources. As part of the WoW project, faculty will: (1) develop an integrative problem-solving framework; (2) develop activities to broaden WR education; (3) collaborate with the College of Law to offer a concurrent J.D. degree, (4) develop a virtual system of watersheds for teaching and research, and (5) attract graduate students for team-based education. The new program involves 50 faculty from six colleges and thirteen departments across the university. This university-wide initiative is strengthened by collaboration with the Idaho Water Resources Research Institute, and participation from off-campus Centers in Idaho Falls, Boise, Twin Falls, and Coeur d'Alene. We hope this presentation will attract university faculty, water resources professionals, and others for stimulating discussions on interdisciplinary approaches in water resources education.
A decade of Earth science

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

2018-01-01

Great Earth science has been published over the ten years since the launch of Nature Geoscience. The field has also become more interdisciplinary and accountable, as well as more central to society and sustainability.
Interactions of Economics of Science and Science Education: Investigating the Implications for Science Teaching and Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Erduran, Sibel; Mugaloglu, Ebru Z.

2013-01-01

In recent years, there has been upsurge of interest in the applications of interdisciplinary perspectives on science in science education. Within this framework, the implications of the so-called "economics of science" is virtually an uncharted territory. In this paper, we trace a set of arguments that provide a dialectic engagement with…
Using narratives to motivate climate science

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stiller-Reeve, Mathew; Bremer, Scott; Blanchard, Anne

2015-04-01

This paper presents the lessons learnt by the climate scientists within an interdisciplinary research project called 'TRACKS': Transforming climate knowledge with and for society. The project uses the climate narratives of local people in northeast Bangladesh as a basis for mobilizing high quality climate knowledge for adaptation. To ensure this high quality climate information, the project demands an interdisciplinary approach. This project is therefore a broad, but tight collaboration between climate science and perspectives from social science and the humanities. For the climate scientists involved, the aim was to do research that would provide local people with climate information that would hopefully aid adaptation. The climate research design had to consider the perceptions of the local people in northeast Bangladesh, and what aspects of the local climate that they thought were important. For the climate scientists to gain an appropriate understanding, they were fully integrated into the whole narrative research process. The different disciplines cooperate fully in all aspects of the TRACKS project. The climate scientists were involved in planning the narrative interview survey about weather and how it impacts the lives of local people in northeast Bangladesh. The climate scientists participated in a workshop with social science colleagues from Bangladesh and Norway, to design the research questions, the interview framework, and the data management plan. The climate scientists then travelled to Bangladesh with social scientist colleagues to observe and discuss ten pilot interviews with local people, and to take part in two 'stakeholder-mapping' workshops. On the basis of these interviews and workshops, the climate scientists arranged an interdisciplinary workshop where all the project's researchers designed the climate science research questions together. The climate research questions have therefore been built around a first-hand interdisciplinary experience of the situation in northeast Bangladesh. At no point did we decide on the pertinent climatic issues independently of the local people. The success of this interdisciplinary approach so far has depended on time, patience, and humility. In this presentation, we present the narrative approach we have initiated in TRACKS. We will look at some of local climate narratives from the full-scale survey, as well as the challenges and the research questions that resulted from the process. We will also discuss future perspectives of how we re-integrate the new climate science into the dialogue with the local people.
Creating the brain and interacting with the brain: an integrated approach to understanding the brain.

PubMed

Morimoto, Jun; Kawato, Mitsuo

2015-03-06

In the past two decades, brain science and robotics have made gigantic advances in their own fields, and their interactions have generated several interdisciplinary research fields. First, in the 'understanding the brain by creating the brain' approach, computational neuroscience models have been applied to many robotics problems. Second, such brain-motivated fields as cognitive robotics and developmental robotics have emerged as interdisciplinary areas among robotics, neuroscience and cognitive science with special emphasis on humanoid robots. Third, in brain-machine interface research, a brain and a robot are mutually connected within a closed loop. In this paper, we review the theoretical backgrounds of these three interdisciplinary fields and their recent progress. Then, we introduce recent efforts to reintegrate these research fields into a coherent perspective and propose a new direction that integrates brain science and robotics where the decoding of information from the brain, robot control based on the decoded information and multimodal feedback to the brain from the robot are carried out in real time and in a closed loop. © 2015 The Author(s) Published by the Royal Society. All rights reserved.
Creating the brain and interacting with the brain: an integrated approach to understanding the brain

PubMed Central

Morimoto, Jun; Kawato, Mitsuo

2015-01-01

In the past two decades, brain science and robotics have made gigantic advances in their own fields, and their interactions have generated several interdisciplinary research fields. First, in the ‘understanding the brain by creating the brain’ approach, computational neuroscience models have been applied to many robotics problems. Second, such brain-motivated fields as cognitive robotics and developmental robotics have emerged as interdisciplinary areas among robotics, neuroscience and cognitive science with special emphasis on humanoid robots. Third, in brain–machine interface research, a brain and a robot are mutually connected within a closed loop. In this paper, we review the theoretical backgrounds of these three interdisciplinary fields and their recent progress. Then, we introduce recent efforts to reintegrate these research fields into a coherent perspective and propose a new direction that integrates brain science and robotics where the decoding of information from the brain, robot control based on the decoded information and multimodal feedback to the brain from the robot are carried out in real time and in a closed loop. PMID:25589568

On the Evolution of Library and Information Science Doctoral Dissertation Topics in North America (1960-2013)

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Shu, Fei; Larivière, Vincent; Mongeon, Philippe; Julien, Charles-Antoine; Piper, Andrew

2016-01-01

Since the 1960s, many scholars have questioned the relationship between library science and information science. This paper investigates LIS doctoral dissertations in terms of their topics and interdisciplinarity in the period 1960-2013. Results show that LIS is an interdisciplinary field in which library science and information science are…
Behavioral Sciences in Secondary Schools: An Inquiry-Oriented Interdisciplinary Approach to the Human Behavioral Sciences in Social Studies. Professional Education Series.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Anderson, Randall C.

Trends in secondary-level behavioral science curriculum development, informational background, and strategies for teaching behavioral science concepts are provided in this book. Chapters one through three define the behavioral sciences and examine their changing role and status in social studies education. Chapters four through six develop…
Measuring surface flow velocity with smartphones: potential for citizen observatories

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Weijs, Steven V.; Chen, Zichong; Brauchli, Tristan; Huwald, Hendrik

2014-05-01

Stream flow velocity is an important variable for discharge estimation and research on sediment dynamics. Given the influence of the latter on rating curves (stage-discharge relations), and the relative scarcity of direct streamflow measurements, surface velocity measurements can offer important information for, e.g., flood warning, hydropower, and hydrological science and engineering in general. With the growing amount of sensing and computing power in the hands of more outdoorsy individuals, and the advances in image processing techniques, there is now a tremendous potential to obtain hydrologically relevant data from motivated citizens. This is the main focus of the interdisciplinary "WeSenseIt" project, a citizen observatory of water. In this subproject, we investigate the feasibility of stream flow surface velocity measurements from movie clips taken by (smartphone-) cameras. First results from movie-clip derived velocity information will be shown and compared to reference measurements.
Watershed Landscape Ecology: Interdisciplinary and Field-based Learning in the Northeast Creek Watershed, Mount Desert Island, Maine

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hall, S. R.; Anderson, J.; Rajakaruna, N.; Cass, D.

2014-12-01

At the College of the Atlantic, Bar Harbor, Maine, undergraduate students have the opportunity to design their own curriculum within a major of "Human Ecology." To enable students to have early research experiences, we developed a field-based interdisciplinary program for students to learn and practice field methods in a variety of disciplines, Earth Science, Botany, Chemistry, and Wildlife Biology at three specific field sites within a single watershed on Mt. Desert Island. As the Northeast Creek watershed was the site of previous water quality studies, this program of courses enabled continued monitoring of portions of the watershed. The program includes 4 new courses: Critical Zone 1, Critical Zone 2, Wildlife Biology, and Botany. In Critical Zone 1 students are introduced to general topics in Earth Science and learn to use ArcGIS to make basic maps. In Critical Zone 2, Wildlife Biology, and Botany, students are in the field every week using classic field tools and methods. All three of these courses use the same three general field areas: two with working farms at the middle and lower portion of the watershed and one uninhabited forested property in the higher relief headwaters of the watershed. Students collect daily surface water chemistry data at five stream sites within the watershed, complete basic geologic bedrock and geomorphic mapping, conduct wildlife surveys, botanical surveys, and monitor weather patterns at each of the main sites. Beyond the class data collected and synthesized, students also complete group independent study projects at focused field sites, some of which have turned into much larger research projects. This program is an opportunity for students and faculty with varied interests and expertise to work together to study a specific field locality over multiple years. We see this model as enhancing a number of positive education components: field-based learning, teamwork, problem solving, interdisciplinary discussion, multiple faculty interaction, student mentoring, and original research. In the future we see the possibility of welcoming even more interdisciplinary work including rigorous studies spanning the arts and humanities.
Interdisciplinary Science Courses for College General Education Requirements: Perspectives of Faculty at a State University.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dass, Pradeep Maxwell

Science educators have been advocating a broader role for science education--that of helping all students see the relevance of science to their own lives. Yet the only experience with post-secondary science that non-science majors get is through a couple of science courses which are part of the general education requirements (GERs) for a liberal…
Building a Dashboard for Natural Event Monitoring: NASA's Global Imagery Browse Services + Earth Observatory Natural Event Tracker + Worldview

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ward, K.; Boller, R. A.

2016-12-01

The quantity of remotely-sensed Earth science data is vast and encompasses such breadth of topic that it is impossible for any one person, or even a team, to grasp the meaning of those data as a whole. In order to derive meaning from data, it is important that we explore context-specific approaches to its investigation. Collating and curating data for specific, interdisciplinary audiences is one such approach. Scientific disciplines have their own ways of grouping data sets for interdisciplinary analysis, bringing a specific context to the examination of data. The studies of sea level rise (involving sea surface temperature + sea ice and glaciers + wind, for example) and vegetation productivity (precipitation + land cover + surface temperature + groundwater) are just a couple of ways that data are grouped in an effort to bring focus and understanding to a specific topic. Natural events (hurricanes, fires, dust and haze, etc.) is another context where data from disparate disciplines and sensors can be brought together to tell a single story from multiple perspectives. In this presentation we will show how we have taken a broad selection of science data made available as imagery through NASA's Global Imagery Browse Services (GIBS) and then mapped those data sets to types of natural events in order to create virtual collections of imagery. We will then demonstrate how we combine those virtual collections with curated natural event metadata from the Earth Observatory Natural Event Tracker (EONET) using the browser-based Worldview map client to provide a dashboard that can be used by many different audiences as a portal to monitor and understand these natural events.
Integrated Concentration in Science (iCons): Undergraduate Education Through Interdisciplinary, Team-Based, Real-World Problem Solving

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tuominen, Mark

2013-03-01

Attitude, Skills, Knowledge (ASK) - In this order, these are fundamental characteristics of scientific innovators. Through first-hand practice in using science to unpack and solve complex real-world problems, students can become self-motivated scientific leaders. This presentation describes the pedagogy of a recently developed interdisciplinary undergraduate science education program at the University of Massachusetts Amherst focused on addressing global challenges with scientific solutions. Integrated Concentration in Science (iCons) is an overarching concentration program that supplements the curricula provided within each student's chosen major. iCons is a platform for students to perform student-led research in interdisciplinary collaborative teams. With a schedule of one course per year over four years, the cohort of students move through case studies, analysis of real-world problems, development of potential solutions, integrative communication, laboratory practice, and capstone research projects. In this presentation, a track emphasizing renewable energy science is used to illustrate the iCons pedagogical methods. This includes discussion of a third-year laboratory course in renewable energy that is educationally scaffolded: beginning with a boot camp in laboratory techniques and culminating with student-designed research projects. Among other objectives, this course emphasizes the practice of using reflection and redesign, as a means of generating better solutions and embedding learning for the long term. This work is supported in part by NSF grant DUE-1140805.
Technology and Changing Lifestyles. Teacher's Guide. Preparing for Tomorrow's World.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Iozzi, Louis A.

"Technology and Changing Lifestyles" is one of the "Preparing for Tomorrow's World" (PTW) program modules. PTW is an interdisciplinary, future-oriented program incorporating information from the sciences and social sciences and addressing societal concerns which interface science/technology/society. The program promotes…
Future Scenarios in Communications. Teacher's Guide. Preparing for Tomorrow's World.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Iozzi, Louis A.; And Others

"Future Scenarios in Communications" is one of the "Preparing for Tomorrow's World" (PTW) program modules. PTW is an interdisciplinary, future-oriented program incorporating information from the sciences and social sciences and addressing societal concerns which interface science/technology/society. The program promotes…
People and Environmental Changes. Teacher's Guide. Preparing for Tomorrow's World.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Iozzi, Louis A.

"People and Environmental Changes" is one of the "Preparing for Tomorrow's World" (PTW) program modules. PTW is an interdisciplinary, future-oriented program which incorporates information from the sciences and social sciences and addresses societal concerns which interface science/technology/society. The program promotes…
Practising Conservation Biology in a Virtual Rainforest World

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Schedlbauer, Jessica L.; Nadolny, Larysa; Woolfrey, Joan

2016-01-01

The interdisciplinary science of conservation biology provides undergraduate biology students with the opportunity to connect the biological sciences with disciplines including economics, social science and philosophy to address challenging conservation issues. Because of its complexity, students do not often have the opportunity to practise…
77 FR 53888 - Statement of Organization, Functions, and Delegations of Authority

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-09-04

... title and functional statements for the Program Services Branch (CGCB), and Applied Science Evaluation... Branches during exercises or upon a federal deployment of DSNS assets. Applied Science and Evaluation..., translates, and leverages interdisciplinary preparedness science; (4) fosters innovation and efficiency in...
Programming Digital Stories and How-to Animations

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hansen, Alexandria Killian; Iveland, Ashley; Harlow, Danielle Boyd; Dwyer, Hilary; Franklin, Diana

2015-01-01

As science teachers continue preparing for implementation of the "Next Generation Science Standards," one recommendation is to use computer programming as a promising context to efficiently integrate science and engineering. In this article, a interdisciplinary team of educational researchers and computer scientists describe how to use…
Enhancing interdisciplinary, mathematics, and physical science in an undergraduate life science program through physical chemistry.

PubMed

Pursell, David P

2009-01-01

BIO2010 advocates enhancing the interdisciplinary, mathematics, and physical science components of the undergraduate biology curriculum. The Department of Chemistry and Life Science at West Point responded by developing a required physical chemistry course tailored to the interests of life science majors. To overcome student resistance to physical chemistry, students were enabled as long-term stakeholders who would shape the syllabus by selecting life science topics of interest to them. The initial 2 yr of assessment indicates that students have a positive view of the course, feel they have succeeded in achieving course outcome goals, and that the course is relevant to their professional future. Instructor assessment of student outcome goal achievement via performance on exams and labs is comparable to that of students in traditional physical chemistry courses. Perhaps more noteworthy, both student and instructor assessment indicate positive trends from year 1 to year 2, presumably due to the student stakeholder effect.
Enhancing Interdisciplinary, Mathematics, and Physical Science in an Undergraduate Life Science Program through Physical Chemistry

PubMed Central

2009-01-01

BIO2010 advocates enhancing the interdisciplinary, mathematics, and physical science components of the undergraduate biology curriculum. The Department of Chemistry and Life Science at West Point responded by developing a required physical chemistry course tailored to the interests of life science majors. To overcome student resistance to physical chemistry, students were enabled as long-term stakeholders who would shape the syllabus by selecting life science topics of interest to them. The initial 2 yr of assessment indicates that students have a positive view of the course, feel they have succeeded in achieving course outcome goals, and that the course is relevant to their professional future. Instructor assessment of student outcome goal achievement via performance on exams and labs is comparable to that of students in traditional physical chemistry courses. Perhaps more noteworthy, both student and instructor assessment indicate positive trends from year 1 to year 2, presumably due to the student stakeholder effect. PMID:19255133
Inter-disciplinarity in sport sciences: The neuroscience example.

PubMed

Fargier, Patrick; Collet, Christian; Moran, Aidan; Massarelli, Raphaël

2017-02-01

Sport science is a relatively recent domain of research born from the interactions of different disciplines related to sport. According to the European College of sport science ( http://sport-science.org ): "scientific excellence in sport science is based on disciplinary competence embedded in the understanding that its essence lies in its multi- and interdisciplinary character". In this respect, the scientific domain of neuroscience has been developed within such a framework. Influenced by the apparent homogeneity of this scientific domain, the present paper reviews three important research topics in sport from a neuroscientific perspective. These topics concern the relationship between mind and motor action, the effects of cognition on motor performance, and the study of certain mental states (such as the "flow" effect, see below) and motor control issues to understand, for example, the neural substrates of the vertical squat jump. Based on the few extensive examples shown in this review, we argue that by adopting an interdisciplinary paradigm, sport science can emulate neuroscience in becoming a mono-discipline.
"Kahua A'o"--A Learning Foundation: Using Hawaiian Language Newspaper Articles for Earth Science Professional Development

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chinn, Pauline W. U; Businger, Steven; Lance, Kelly; Ellinwood, Jason K.; Stone, J. Kapomaika'i; Spencer, Lindsey; McCoy, Floyd W.; Nogelmeier, M. Puakea; Rowland, Scott K.

2014-01-01

"Kahua A'o," a National Science Foundation Opportunities for Enhancing Diversity in the Geosciences project, seeks to prepare educators to address issues of underrepresentation of Native Hawaiian students in Earth and Space Science (ESS) and science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields. An interdisciplinary team…
HRD Domain in the Service Science Discipline: Developing Interdisciplinary Professionals

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dickson, Donna; Noveski, Igor; Hamidi, Hana

2011-01-01

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to identify critical components for service science curricula that address the unique competency needs of the service sector. Design/methodology/approach: The method for this investigation included a comprehensive review, analysis, and synthesis of service science, as well as service science management and…
Gender, Science, & the Undergraduate Curriculum. Building Two-Way Streets.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Musil, Caryn McTighe, Ed.

In the essays in this book interdisciplinary groups of scholars and teachers explore ways to integrate the feminist science studies scholarship into the teaching of basic science and how to insert more basic science into the teaching of women's studies. The essays of part 1, New Courses and New Intellectual Frameworks: Transforming Courses in…
A Hands-On, Interdisciplinary Laboratory Program and Educational Model to Strengthen a Radar Curriculum for Broad Distribution

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Yeary, Mark; Yu, Tian-You; Palmer, Robert; Biggerstaff, Michael; Fink, L. Dee; Ahem, Carolyn; Tarp, Keli Pirtle

2007-01-01

This paper describes the details of a National Science Foundation multi-year educational project at the University of Oklahoma (OU). The goal of this comprehensive active-learning and hands-on laboratory program is to develop an interdisciplinary program, in which engineering, geoscience, and meteorology students participate, which forms a…

Good Intentions Are Not Enough: A Story of Collaboration in Science, Education, and Technology.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Collins, Angelo; Bercaw, Lynne; Palmeri, Amy; Altman, Jan; Singer-Gabella, Marcy; Gary, Todd

1999-01-01

Explains what collaboration in education means and presents a study conducted in an interdisciplinary course in which preservice teachers were responsible for developing a CD-ROM on Cystic Fibrosis that was to be used by upper middle grade students. Discusses the impact of the interdisciplinary collaboration on student learning. (YDS)
From Michel Foucault to Mario Puzo: Using an Interdisciplinary Approach to Understand Urban Immigration Then and Now

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pecorella, Robert F.

2016-01-01

This article reports on the efforts of a political science professor teaching a multidisciplinary course focused on New York City to develop an interdisciplinary class project designed to lead students to an appreciation of the immigrant experience in the United States "From Ellis Island to JFK" (Foner, 2000). The particular…
What to Teach and How to Teach It: Elementary Teachers' Views on Teaching Inquiry-Based, Interdisciplinary Science and Social Studies in Urban Settings

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Santau, Alexandra O.; Ritter, Jason K.

2013-01-01

Inquiry-based and interdisciplinary teaching practices exemplify constructivist approaches to education capable of facilitating authentic student learning; however, their implementation has proven particularly challenging within certain contexts in the United States. This qualitative study considers one such context via an investigation of…
Teaching an Interdisciplinary Graduate-Level Methods Course in an Openly-Networked Connected Learning Environment: A Glass Half-Full

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Secret, Mary; Bryant, Nita L.; Cummings, Cory R.

2017-01-01

Our paper describes the design and delivery of an online interdisciplinary social science research methods course (ISRM) for graduate students in sociology, education, social work, and public administration. Collaborative activities and learning took place in two types of computer-mediated learning environments: a closed Blackboard course…
Supplementing Interdisciplinary Studies Programs with a Consciousness-Based Transdisciplinary Approach To Increase Students' Holistic Development.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Boothby, Samuel

Formal and informal assessment of interdisciplinary courses in learning communities indicate that communicating across disciplines is a problem that can diminish the effectiveness of these courses. A new discipline called the Science of Creative Intelligence (SCI) has been used for 27 years at Maharishi University of Management (Iowa) to…
Teaching Anthropogenic Climate Change through Interdisciplinary Collaboration: Helping Students Think Critically about Science and Ethics in Dialogue

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Todd, Claire; O'Brien, Kevin J.

2016-01-01

Anthropogenic climate change is a complicated issue involving scientific data and analyses as well as political, economic, and ethical issues. In order to capture this complexity, we developed an interdisciplinary student and faculty collaboration by (1) offering introductory lectures on scientific and ethical methods to two classes, (2) assigning…
Elementary Acid Rain Kit, Interdisciplinary, Grades 4-8.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stubbs, Harriett S.; And Others

An interdisciplinary approach for teaching about acid rain is offered in this curriculum guide for teachers of grades 4-8. Skill and concept areas of science, math, social studies, art, and the language arts are developed in 12 activities which focus on the acid rain problems. A matrix of the activities and subject areas indicates the coverage…
The Biology and Chemistry of Brewing: An Interdisciplinary Course

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hooker, Paul D.; Deutschman, William A.; Avery, Brian J.

2014-01-01

For the past nine years, we have been offering an interdisciplinary course for science majors: The Biology and Chemistry of Brewing. This course is primarily laboratory- and inquiry-based; from a total of 24 h of student/instructor contact time, approximately 6 h are devoted to lecture, and the other 18 h are divided between laboratory exercises,…
Towards International and Interdisciplinary Research Collaboration for the Measurements of Quality of Life

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mizohata, Sachie; Jadoul, Raynald

2013-01-01

This paper focuses on three main subjects: (1) monitoring quality of life (QoL) in old age; (2) international and interdisciplinary collaboration for QoL research; and (3) computer-based technology and infrastructure assisting (1) and (2). This type of computer-supported cooperative work in the social sciences has been termed eHumanities or…
Physics of Non-Newtonian Fluids and Interdisciplinary Relations (Biology and Criminology)

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Holubova, R.

2018-01-01

The aim of the paper is the presentation of an interdisciplinary topic that allows applying content knowledge in physics, mathematics and biology in real life environment. Students use to play games and view crime scenes but in common they have little knowledge about the science used during crime scene investigation. In this paper the science…
Crossing boundaries: the design of an interdisciplinary training program to improve care for the frail elderly.

PubMed

Kolomitro, Klodiana; Stockley, Denise; Egan, Rylan; MacDonald, Michelle L

2015-01-01

The Technology Evaluation in the Elderly Network (TVN) was funded in July 2012 under the Canadian Networks of Centres of Excellence program. This article highlights the development and preliminary evaluation of the TVN Interdisciplinary Training Program. This program is based on an experiential learning approach that crosses a multitude of disciplines including health sciences, law, social sciences, and ethical aspects of working with the frail elderly. Opportunities within the program include mentorship, interdisciplinary online collaborative projects, external placements, academic products, pre-grant submission, trainee-driven requirements, Network meetings, online modules/webinars, and most importantly active involvement with patients, families, and their support systems. The authors have 120 trainees from approximately 23 different disciplines including law, ethics, public policy, social work, and engineering engaged in the program. Based on our evaluation this program has been perceived as highly valuable by the participants and the community.
Towards transdisciplinarity in Arctic sustainability knowledge co-production: Socially-Oriented Observations as a participatory integrated activity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vlasova, Tatiana; Volkov, Sergey

2016-09-01

The paper is an attempt to tie together main biogeophysical and social science projects under the auspice of interdisciplinary sustainability science development. Special attention is put to the necessity of the transdisciplinary knowledge co-production based on activities and problem-solutions approaches. It puts attention to the role of monitoring activities in sustainability interdisciplinary science and transdisciplinary knowledge evolution in the Arctic. Socially focused monitoring named Socially-Oriented Observations creating a transdisciplinary space is viewed as one of sources of learning and transformations towards sustainability making possible to shape rapid changes happening in the Arctic based on sustainability knowledge co-production. Continuous Socially-Oriented Observations integrating scientific, education and monitoring methods enables to define adaptation and transformation pathways in the Arctic - the most rapidly changing region of our planet. Socially-Oriented Observations are based on the existing and developing interdisciplinary scientific approaches emerged within natural science and social science projects, sustainable development and resilience concepts putting principle attention to building sustainable and resilient socio-ecological systems. It is argued that the Arctic sustainability science is a valuable component of the whole and broader system of the Arctic Sustainability knowledge co-produced with the help of transdisciplinary approaches integrating science, local/traditional knowledge, entrepreneurship, education, decision-making. Socially-Oriented Observations are designed to be a transdisciplinary interactive continuous participatory process empowering deliberate choices of people that can shape the changes and enable transformation towards sustainability. Approaches of Socially-Oriented Observations and methods of implementation that have been developed since the IPY 2007/2008 and being practiced in different regions of the Arctic are discussed.
Teaching climate science within the transdisciplinary framework of Critical Zone science

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

White, T. S.; Wymore, A.; Dere, A. L. D.; Washburne, J. C.; Hoffman, A.; Conklin, M. H.

2017-12-01

During the past decade a new realm of Earth surface and environmental science has evolved, Critical Zone (CZ) science. The CZ is the outermost layer of the continents spanning from the top of the vegetation canopy down to the bottom of the fresh groundwater zone. CZ science integrates across many disciplines and cross cutting concepts, including climate science, and much progress has been made by the CZ community to develop educational curricula - descriptions of the climate science aspects of two of those follows. An interdisciplinary team of CZ scientists developed an undergraduate course entitled "Introduction to CZ science". The semester-long course is modular, has been tested in multiple university settings, and the content is available online. A primary tenet of the course is that to achieve environmental sustainability, society must understand the CZ system, the natural processes and services of the CZ that are of value to society, and how those processes operate with and without the presence of humanity. A fundamental concept in the course is that the fluxes of water, C, energy, reactive gases, particulates and nutrients throughout the CZ are directly and indirectly related to climatic phenomenon and processes. Units on land-atmosphere interactions, weathering, and water budgets highlight the connection between CZ science and climate science, and are augmented by learning activities that consider climate links to soil development and landscape evolution. An online open-source course entitled "Earth 530: Earth Surface Processes in the Critical Zone'" is offered as part of The Pennsylvania State University's Masters of Education in Earth Sciences program. The course is designed to educate teachers interested in incorporating CZ science into their classrooms, though it is usable by anyone with a basic understanding of Earth surface and environmental science. Earth 530 introduces students to knowledge needed to understand the CZ through integration of transdisciplinary science. The course structure is organized into seven units; those covering the atmosphere and climate, water, and landforms, are of particular interest to this session. Earth 530 is unique from the introductory course discussed previously in that students also consider paleoclimate and future climate predictions as part of this curriculum.
Transactions in Transformation: the Challenge of Interdisciplinary Understanding in an International Baccalaureate World School.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Forde, N. J.

2017-12-01

This poster will consider the extent to which students understanding of geoscience are enhanced by interdisciplinary curricular offerings, as well as how teacher instructional practices are influenced in the process. The poster will cite examples from a two programme bilingual International Baccalaureate (IB) world school in Hong Kong where students' opportunities to learn about the world come in a number of forms both within and beyond the mainstream curriculum. The IB Middle Years (IB MYP) and Diploma (IB DP) Programmes encourage interdisciplinary learning. The IB's Approaches to Teaching and Learning (AtTL) provides students and teachers with a framework for best practice for learning how to learn, as well specific teacher practices for the planning and delivery of courses. Most importantly, approaches to teaching which are based on inquiry, focused on conceptual understanding, and rooted in global and local contexts are categorized with approaches to learning which focus on the development of research skills as well as social and self management skills. Through the examination of IB curricular offerings such as the `Interdisciplinary Unit' (IDU) for IB MYP and `Group 4 Science Project' for IB DP, as well as examples taken from the unique `Shuyuan' enrichment programme offered at this school, the poster will consider the interdisciplinary environment from the student and teacher perspective, and the extent to which interdisciplinary learning takes students further in their overall understanding of science and humanities in the real world. In addition, the poster will consider the effect on teacher instructional practices and professional learning needs for schools undertaking interdisciplinary teaching and learning. The poster concludes that for high quality interdisciplinary understanding to take place, these experiences should be planned both vertically and horizontally and collaborative planning for teachers needs to be prioritized. In addition, exploring opportunities for synergies between the mainstream and enrichment curriculum should be encouraged.
Defining interdisciplinary competencies for audiological rehabilitation: findings from a modified Delphi study.

PubMed

Xue, Lina; Le Bot, Gaëlle; Van Petegem, Wim; van Wieringen, Astrid

2018-02-01

The aim of this study is to derive a consensus on an interdisciplinary competency framework regarding a holistic approach for audiological rehabilitation (AR), which includes disciplines from medicine, engineering, social sciences and humanities. We employed a modified Delphi method. In the first round survey, experts were asked to rate an initial list of 28 generic interdisciplinary competencies and to propose specific knowledge areas for AR. In the second round, experts were asked to reconsider their answers in light of the group answers of the first round. An international panel of 27 experts from different disciplines in AR completed the first round. Twenty-two of them completed the second round. We developed a competency framework consisting of 21 generic interdisciplinary competencies grouped in five domains and nine specific competencies (knowledge areas) in three clusters. Suggestions for the implementation of the generic competencies in interdisciplinary programmes were identified. This study reveals insights into the interdisciplinary competencies that are unique for AR. The framework will be useful for educators in developing interdisciplinary programmes as well as for professionals in considering their lifelong training needs in AR.
Barriers and Solutions to Conducting Large International, Interdisciplinary Research Projects

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pischke, Erin C.; Knowlton, Jessie L.; Phifer, Colin C.; Gutierrez Lopez, Jose; Propato, Tamara S.; Eastmond, Amarella; de Souza, Tatiana Martins; Kuhlberg, Mark; Picasso Risso, Valentin; Veron, Santiago R.; Garcia, Carlos; Chiappe, Marta; Halvorsen, Kathleen E.

2017-12-01

Global environmental problems such as climate change are not bounded by national borders or scientific disciplines, and therefore require international, interdisciplinary teamwork to develop understandings of their causes and solutions. Interdisciplinary scientific work is difficult enough, but these challenges are often magnified when teams also work across national boundaries. The literature on the challenges of interdisciplinary research is extensive. However, research on international, interdisciplinary teams is nearly non-existent. Our objective is to fill this gap by reporting on results from a study of a large interdisciplinary, international National Science Foundation Partnerships for International Research and Education (NSF-PIRE) research project across the Americas. We administered a structured questionnaire to team members about challenges they faced while working together across disciplines and outside of their home countries in Argentina, Brazil, and Mexico. Analysis of the responses indicated five major types of barriers to conducting interdisciplinary, international research: integration, language, fieldwork logistics, personnel and relationships, and time commitment. We discuss the causes and recommended solutions to the most common barriers. Our findings can help other interdisciplinary, international research teams anticipate challenges, and develop effective solutions to minimize the negative impacts of these barriers to their research.
Barriers and Solutions to Conducting Large International, Interdisciplinary Research Projects.

PubMed

Pischke, Erin C; Knowlton, Jessie L; Phifer, Colin C; Gutierrez Lopez, Jose; Propato, Tamara S; Eastmond, Amarella; de Souza, Tatiana Martins; Kuhlberg, Mark; Picasso Risso, Valentin; Veron, Santiago R; Garcia, Carlos; Chiappe, Marta; Halvorsen, Kathleen E

2017-12-01

Global environmental problems such as climate change are not bounded by national borders or scientific disciplines, and therefore require international, interdisciplinary teamwork to develop understandings of their causes and solutions. Interdisciplinary scientific work is difficult enough, but these challenges are often magnified when teams also work across national boundaries. The literature on the challenges of interdisciplinary research is extensive. However, research on international, interdisciplinary teams is nearly non-existent. Our objective is to fill this gap by reporting on results from a study of a large interdisciplinary, international National Science Foundation Partnerships for International Research and Education (NSF-PIRE) research project across the Americas. We administered a structured questionnaire to team members about challenges they faced while working together across disciplines and outside of their home countries in Argentina, Brazil, and Mexico. Analysis of the responses indicated five major types of barriers to conducting interdisciplinary, international research: integration, language, fieldwork logistics, personnel and relationships, and time commitment. We discuss the causes and recommended solutions to the most common barriers. Our findings can help other interdisciplinary, international research teams anticipate challenges, and develop effective solutions to minimize the negative impacts of these barriers to their research.
Of Animals, Nature and People. Teacher's Guide. Preparing for Tomorrow's World.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Iozzi, Louis A.; And Others

"Of Animals, Nature and People" is one of the "Preparing for Tomorrow's World" (PTW) program modules. PTW is an interdisciplinary, future-oriented program incorporating information from the sciences and social sciences and addressing societal concerns which interface science/technology/society. The program promotes responsible…
Tornado! An Event-Based Science Module. Student Edition. Meteorology Module.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wright, Russell G.

This book is designed for middle school students to learn scientific literacy through event-based science. Unlike traditional curricula, the event-based earth science module is a student-centered, interdisciplinary, inquiry-oriented program that emphasizes cooperative learning, teamwork, independent research, hands-on investigations, and…
Basic Research in Information Science in France.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chambaud, S.; Le Coadic, Y. F.

1987-01-01

Discusses the goals of French academic research policy in the field of information science, emphasizing the interdisciplinary nature of the field. Areas of research highlighted include communication, telecommunications, co-word analysis in scientific and technical documents, media, and statistical methods for the study of social sciences. (LRW)

Volcano!: An Event-Based Science Module. Student Edition. Geology Module.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wright, Russell G.

This book is designed for middle school students to learn scientific literacy through event-based science. Unlike traditional curricula, the event-based earth science module is a student-centered, interdisciplinary, inquiry-oriented program that emphasizes cooperative learning, teamwork, independent research, hands-on investigations, and…
Art & Science Grow Together

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stellflue, Pat; Allen, Marie; Gerber, D. Timothy

2005-01-01

This article describes a collaborative effort that included a botany professor, an art teacher, and a science teacher, called,"Plants, Pots, and Paints." This interdisciplinary project was successful in connecting content across disciplines (science to art) and for motivating fourth-and fifth-grade students to create something beautiful both they…
Oil Spill! An Event-Based Science Module. Student Edition. Oceanography Module.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wright, Russell G.

This book is designed for middle school students to learn scientific literacy through event-based science. Unlike traditional curricula, the event-based earth science module is a student-centered, interdisciplinary, inquiry-oriented program that emphasizes cooperative learning, teamwork, independent research, hands-on investigations, and…
Marine Language Exchange Program: A 21st Century International and Interdisciplinary Partnership

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Robigou, V.; Nichols-Pecceu, M.

2001-12-01

The ability of scientists to communicate across cultural and linguistic barriers is crucial for the global economic sustainability and protection of the world\\'{}s oceans. Yet students with majors in the sciences and engineering constitute less than 2% of those who study abroad each year. And even rarer are students who study in countries where English is not the first language. The Marine Language Exchange program is a case study of an international and interdisciplinary collaboration between faculties in the languages and the sciences who address this gap. A consortium of U.S. and European institutions including Eckerd College (Florida), University of Washington (Washington), University of Hilo (Hawaii), Université de la Rochelle (France), Université de Liège (Belgium), and Universidad de Las Palmas (Spain) is developing a multilingual, marine sciences exchange program in an effort to internationalize their Marine Sciences departments. The program includes a three-week, intensive "bridge" course designed to reinforce second language skills in the context of marine sciences, and prepare undergraduate students for the cultural and educational differences of their host country. Following this immersion experience students from each institution enroll in courses abroad including marine sciences specialization for full academic credit. This session will review the Marine Language Exchange program activities since 2000 and will discuss the ideological and practical aspects of the program. The program successes, difficulties and future directions will also be presented. Different disciplinary approaches -Second Language Acquisition, English as a Second Language and Marine Science- prepare science students to contribute to the study and the management of the world\\'{}s oceans with an awareness of the cultural issues reflected by national marine policies. Based on this case study, other universities could initiate their own international and interdisciplinary collaboration to facilitate a better understanding of other planetary issues.
Astronomy as the Leader of Interdisciplinary and Multidisciplinary Sciences (Introductory talk)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Martirosyan, R. M.; Mickaelian, A. M.

2015-07-01

Interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary sciences over the last few decades have become the major booster of science development. The most important discoveries occur just at the intersection of sciences and in collaboration of several fields. There appeared such intermediate fields as mathematical physics, physical chemistry, biophysics, biochemistry, geophysics, etc. In astronomy, astrophysics has long been the main field, and in present archaeoastronomy, astrochemistry, astrobiology, astroinformatics (which is tightly related to virtual observatories) are developing. On the other hand, in recent years many science areas surfeit of research on Earth, more and more use data coming from the Space and are being developed just due to them. It is possible that in the near future, various science areas create Space departments or simply develop their research in close collaboration with astronomers. Interesting discoveries have been made in studies of astronomical topics in various areas of culture; such topics are widely used in folklore, other genres of literature, painting, and architecture. Astronomy has also a leading role in scientific tourism, scientific journalism and in general, dissemination of popular science or public outreach.
Astronomy as the Leader of Interdisciplinary and Multidisciplinary Sciences

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mickaelian, A. M.; Farmanyan, S. V.

2016-12-01

Interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary sciences over the last few decades have become the major booster of science development. The most important discoveries occur just at the intersection of sciences and in collaboration of several fields. There appeared such intermediate fields as mathematical physics, physical chemistry, biophysics, biochemistry, geophysics, etc. In astronomy, astrophysics has long been the main field, and in present archaeoastronomy, astrochemistry, astrobiology, astroinformatics (which is tightly related to virtual observatories) are developing. On the other hand, in recent years many science areas surfeit of research on Earth, more and more use data coming from the Space and are being developed just due to them. It is possible that in the near future, various science areas create Space departments or simply develop their research in close collaboration with astronomers. Interesting discoveries have been made in studies of astronomical topics in various areas of culture; such topics are widely used in folklore, other genres of literature, painting, and architecture. Astronomy has also a leading role in scientific tourism, scientific journalism and in general, dissemination of popular science or public outreach.
Developing human functioning and rehabilitation research. Part II: Interdisciplinary university centers and national and regional collaboration networks.

PubMed

Stucki, Gerold; Celio, Marco

2007-05-01

There is a strong movement towards interdisciplinary research around common and scientifically competitive themes, both at universities and at the national and regional level. Human functioning and rehabilitation is a new, highly innovative and relevant theme. It has the potential to attract researchers from a wide range of disciplines, institutions and organizations. It is thus of interest for universities seeking to embark upon a new and unique research area. Similarly, it is a promising theme for individual researchers, institutions and organizations aiming to develop a national or regional collaboration network for interdisciplinary research. Human functioning and rehabilitation complements established themes from the biomedical perspective. In the context of the life sciences, it can be seen as an extension of the biosciences towards a comprehensive understanding of human life, including human interaction and communication, against the background of the natural and social environment. Based on a better understanding of human functioning and disability, there is a wide range of largely unexplored possibilities to optimize populations' functioning and minimize persons' experience of disability in the presence of a health condition. Rehabilitation research is uniquely positioned to integrate and translate scientific advances into benefits for people and the society. Rehabilitation research from the comprehensive perspective can thus become a catalyst of interdisciplinary research that crosses the boundaries of the natural sciences and engineering research, the human and behavioral sciences, the social sciences and a wide range of related scientific areas. Rehabilitation research is also uniquely positioned to cross the boundaries of medicine and the health sector at large, and to translate knowledge across sectors including education, labor and social affairs.
Enhancing Student Engagement to Positively Impact Mathematics Anxiety, Confidence and Achievement for Interdisciplinary Science Subjects

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Everingham, Yvette L.; Gyuris, Emma; Connolly, Sean R.

2017-01-01

Contemporary science educators must equip their students with the knowledge and practical know-how to connect multiple disciplines like mathematics, computing and the natural sciences to gain a richer and deeper understanding of a scientific problem. However, many biology and earth science students are prejudiced against mathematics due to…
Integrating Literacy and Science for English Language Learners: From Learning-to-Read to Reading-to-Learn

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tong, Fuhui; Irby, Beverly J.; Lara-Alecio, Rafael; Koch, Janice

2014-01-01

The authors examined the impact of 2 subsequent, longitudinal interdisciplinary interventions for 58 Hispanic English language learners (ELLs): (a) Grade 5 science with English language/reading embedded (i.e., science intervention) and (b) K-3 English language/reading with science embedded (i.e., language/reading intervention). Results revealed…
The Howard University Program in Atmospheric Sciences (HUPAS): A Program Exemplifying Diversity and Opportunity

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Morris, Vernon R.; Joseph, Everette; Smith, Sonya; Yu, Tsann-wang

2012-01-01

This paper discusses experiences and lessons learned from developing an interdisciplinary graduate program (IDP) during the last 10 y: The Howard University Graduate Program in Atmospheric Sciences (HUPAS). HUPAS is the first advanced degree program in the atmospheric sciences, or related fields such as meteorology and earth system sciences,…
The Importance of Interdisciplinary Research Training and Community Dissemination

PubMed Central

Vessali, Misha; Pratt, Jacob A.; Watts, Samantha; Pratt, Janey S.; Raghavan, Preeti; DeSilva, Jeremy M.

2015-01-01

Abstract Funding agencies and institutions are creating initiatives to encourage interdisciplinary research that can be more easily translated into community initiatives to enhance health. Therefore, the current research environment calls for interdisciplinary education and skills to create sustained partnerships with community institutions. However, formalized opportunities in both of these areas are limited for students embarking on research careers. The purpose of this paper is to underscore the historical and current importance of providing interdisciplinary training and community dissemination for research students. We also suggest an approach to begin to address the existing gap. Specifically, we suggest embedding a 10‐week summer rotation into existing research curricula with the goals of: (1) providing students with a hands‐on interdisciplinary research experience, (2) facilitating dialogue between research students and community settings to disseminate science to the public, and (3) sparking collaborations among researchers who seek to create a way to sustain summer program rotations with grant funding. PMID:26508528
Challenges and Opportunities in Interdisciplinary Materials Research Experiences for Undergraduates

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vohra, Yogesh; Nordlund, Thomas

2009-03-01

The University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) offer a broad range of interdisciplinary materials research experiences to undergraduate students with diverse backgrounds in physics, chemistry, applied mathematics, and engineering. The research projects offered cover a broad range of topics including high pressure physics, microelectronic materials, nano-materials, laser materials, bioceramics and biopolymers, cell-biomaterials interactions, planetary materials, and computer simulation of materials. The students welcome the opportunity to work with an interdisciplinary team of basic science, engineering, and biomedical faculty but the challenge is in learning the key vocabulary for interdisciplinary collaborations, experimental tools, and working in an independent capacity. The career development workshops dealing with the graduate school application process and the entrepreneurial business activities were found to be most effective. The interdisciplinary university wide poster session helped student broaden their horizons in research careers. The synergy of the REU program with other concurrently running high school summer programs on UAB campus will also be discussed.
Capturing Student Interest in Astrobiology through Dilemmas and Paradoxes

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Slater, Timothy F.

2006-01-01

Astrobiology is an interdisciplinary science course that combines essential questions from life, physical, and Earth sciences. An effective astrobiology course also capitalizes on students' natural curiosity about social science implications of studying the origin of life and the impact of finding life elsewhere in the universe. (Contains 2…
Bug Talk: A Learning Module on Insect Communication

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bergman, Daniel J.

2008-01-01

The study of insects (entomology) can be used to stimulate students' interest in science and nature. It can develop students' understanding of fundamental science concepts, awareness of interdisciplinary connections, and mastery of science process skills. This teaching module provides opportunities for middle school students (Grades 5-8) to learn…
Toxic Leak!: An Event-Based Science Module. Student Edition. Groundwater Module.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wright, Russell G.

This book is designed for the middle school students to learn scientific literacy through event-based science. Unlike traditional curricula, the event-based earth science module is a student-centered, interdisciplinary, inquiry-oriented program that emphasizes cooperative learning, teamwork, independent research, hands-on investigations, and…
A Listing of Theses and Dissertations Completed in Family and Consumer Sciences: 2002.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Makela, Carole J.

2003-01-01

This list of 270 theses and 133 dissertations in family and consumer sciences is categorized as follows: art and design; child development; textiles; resource management; interdisciplinary; foods; nutrition; family relations; family and consumer sciences; human environment/housing; and institution, hotel, and restaurant management. (SK)
Fire!: An Event-Based Science Module. Student Edition. Chemistry and Fire Ecology Module.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wright, Russell G.

This book is designed for middle school students to learn scientific literacy through event-based science. Unlike traditional curricula, the event-based earth science module is a student-centered, interdisciplinary, inquiry-oriented program that emphasizes cooperative learning, teamwork, independent research, hands-on investigations, and…
Epistemology Shock: English Professors Confront Science

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Barnard, Ian; Osborn, Jan

2017-01-01

This article raises questions and concerns regarding students from the sciences working with faculty in the humanities in interdisciplinary settings. It explores the experience of two English professors facing the privileging of "facts" and a science-based understanding of the world in their own classrooms. It poses both questions and…
Toward Enhancing Scholarship of Science Education in College Teaching

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wang, Jianjun; Luo, Xingkai

2010-01-01

Quality of science instruction is crucial at the college level due to the increasing demand of scientific literacy. Development of science education has been examined in this article through both contextual and comparative angles of college teaching. Different approaches have been analyzed to merge interdisciplinary efforts that articulate both…
Humboldt's Legacy and the Restoration of Science.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sachs, Aaron

1995-01-01

Examines issues related to specialization in science in the context of the work of Alexander Von Humboldt, one of the first popular scientists in the 19th century and Charles Darwin's mentor. Chronicles the impacts of a science dominated by specialization and argues for increased emphasis on interdisciplinary environmental study. (LZ)

The Astonishing Curriculum: Integrating Science and Humanities through Language.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tchudi, Stephen, Ed.

This book probes the possibilities of interdisciplinary learning and integrated curriculum through the structuring and expressive powers of language. The 15 essays in the book explore the issues of bridging the gap between the two cultures of science and humanities, demystifying science for learners, teaching students to construct and explain…
Context of STEM Integration in Schools: Views from In-Service Science Teachers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

EL-Deghaidy, Heba; Mansour, Nasser; Alzaghibi, Mohammad; Alhammad, Khalid

2017-01-01

This study explores science teachers' views regarding Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) pedagogy and its interdisciplinary nature. It also seeks to identify teachers' views on the contextual factors that facilitate and hinder such pedagogy in their schools. Qualitative methodologies were used through focus group discussions…
Technical background, chapter 3, part B

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1975-01-01

A description is given of the physics of electromagnetic scattering from the sea and a guideline is presented to relate an observable (such as the radar cross section) to the hydrodynamics or physical properties of the sea. As specific examples of the interdisciplinary science of electromagnetics and geophysical oceanography, the physics is discussed in connection with data provided by three instruments: namely, the scatterometer, the altimeter, and the imaging radar. The data provided by each instrument are discussed in context with specular point and Bragg scattering theories. Finally, the degrading effect of extraneous sources of noise is discussed as a limiting mechanism of the accuracy of the ocean surface measurement.
The Importance of Mathematical Models to Scientific Discovery: A Case Study on the Feeding Mechanism of the Goliath Grouper "Epinephelus itajara"

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Huber, Daniel; Jones, Leslie; Helminski, Christine

2015-01-01

The use of collaborative problem solving within mathematics education is imperative in this day and age of integrative science. The formation of interdisciplinary teams of mathematicians and scientists to investigate crucial problems is on the rise, as greater insight can be gained from an interdisciplinary perspective. Mathematical modelling, in…
APEX: A Computerized Simulation Game as the Basis for an Undergraduate Interdisciplinary Course.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tannenbaum, Robert S.

APEX is a computerized gaming simulation; it is also the name of an interdisciplinary course in environmental problems in urban areas introduced at the School of Health Science, Hunter College of the City University of New York. In the course, students assume the roles of decision makers in both the private and public sectors. They receive data…
Building the Bridge between Science and Practice: Essential Characteristics of a Translational Framework

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stafford-Brizard, K. Brooke; Cantor, Pamela; Rose, L. Todd

2017-01-01

Mind, brain, and education is a field developed with two key purposes: (1) to accelerate the knowledge developed through research by using an interdisciplinary approach, and (2) to create a bridge to connect and apply this knowledge to educational practice. While great progress has been made with regard to the interdisciplinary efforts of mind,…
Cases on Interdisciplinary Research Trends in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics: Studies on Urban Classrooms. Advances in Educational Technologies and Instructional Design

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lansiquot, Reneta D.

2013-01-01

Involving two or more academic subjects, interdisciplinary studies aim to blend together broad perspectives, knowledge, skills, and epistemology in an educational setting. By focusing on topics or questions too broad for a single discipline to cover, these studies strive to draw connections between seemingly different fields. Cases on…
The Role of Search in University Productivity: Inside, outside, and Interdisciplinary Dimensions. NEBR Working Paper No. 15489

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Adams, James D.; Clemmons, J. Roger

2009-01-01

Due to improving information technology, the growing complexity of research problems, and policies designed to foster interdisciplinary research, the practice of science in the United States has undergone significant structural change. Using a sample of 110 top U.S. universities observed during the late 20th century we find that knowledge flows,…
[Transsexualism as an interdisciplinary phenomenon].

PubMed

Bilikiewicz, Adam; Gromska, Jadwiga

2005-01-01

The authors express their criticism on the currently prevailing Polish diagnostic and therapeutic criteria of transsexualism. Relying on their clinical experience and expertise (opinions for the court) as well as current literature, they point to the necessity of a discussion between specialists from various medical fields (psychiatry, sexology, urology, surgery, endocrinology, genetics) and humanistic sciences (psychology, sociology, law, ethics) on this interdisciplinary phenomenon.
Criminalistics and the forensic nursing process.

PubMed

Burgess, Ann Wolbert; Piatelli, Michael J; Pasqualone, Georgia

2011-06-01

Students learn science by actually performing science activities. The 12 laboratories described in this article assist students in applying the fundamental techniques germane to the field of forensic science to "solve" contrived cases and present "evidence" in a mock trial. Moreover, students are also confronted with some of the legal and ethical issues concerning the validity, reliability, and application of some forensic techniques. The pedagogical design of the laboratory course provides a rich, challenging, and interdisciplinary academic experience intended to augment and compliment the didactic forensic lecture portion of the course. This laboratory course was designed to engender, embody, and articulate one of the University's directive goals to support interdisciplinary teaching, research, and programming. Because we developed the laboratories on minimal funds, we demonstrated that it could be cost-effective. And thus, we recommend a laboratory science course be included as part of the curriculum of all forensic nursing students and practitioners. © 2011 International Association of Forensic Nurses.
Integrating Brain Science into Health Studies: An Interdisciplinary Course in Contemplative Neuroscience and Yoga

PubMed Central

Wolfe, Uta; Moran, Amy

2017-01-01

As neuroscience knowledge grows in its scope of societal applications so does the need to educate a wider audience on how to critically evaluate its research findings. Efforts at finding teaching approaches that are interdisciplinary, accessible and highly applicable to student experience are thus ongoing. The article describes an interdisciplinary undergraduate health course that combines the academic study of contemplative neuroscience with contemplative practice, specifically yoga. The class aims to reach a diverse mix of students by teaching applicable, health-relevant neuroscience material while directly connecting it to first-hand experience. Outcomes indicate success on these goals: The course attracted a wide range of students, including nearly 50% non-science majors. On a pre/post test, students showed large increases in their knowledge of neuroscience. Students’ ratings of the course overall, of increases in positive feelings about its field, and of their progress on specific course objectives were highly positive. Finally, students in their written work applied neuroscience course content to their personal and professional lives. Such results indicate that this approach could serve as a model for the interdisciplinary, accessible and applied integration of relevant neuroscience material into the undergraduate health curriculum. PMID:29371845
College and University Earth System Science Education for the 21st Century (ESSE 21)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Johnson, D. R.; Ruzek, M.; Schweizer, D.

2002-12-01

The NASA/USRA Cooperative University-based Program in Earth System Science Education (ESSE), initiated over a decade ago through NASA support, has led in the creation of a nationwide collaborative effort to bring Earth system science into the undergraduate classroom. Forty-five ESSE institutions now offer over 120 Earth system courses each year, reaching thousands of students annually with interdisciplinary content. Through the course offerings by faculty from different disciplines and the organizational infrastructure of colleges and universities emphasizing cross disciplinary curricula, programs, degrees and departments, the ESSE Program has led in systemic change in the offering of a holistic view of Earth system science in the classroom. Building on this successful experience and collaborative infrastructure within and among colleges, universities and NASA partners, an expanded program called ESSE 21 is being supported by NASA to extend the legacy established during the last decade. Through its expanded focus including partnerships with under represented colleges and universities, the Program seeks to further develop broadly based educational resources, including shared courses, electronic learning materials and degree programs that will extend Earth system science concepts in both undergraduate and graduate classrooms and laboratories. These resources emphasizing fundamentals of Earth system science advance the nation's broader agenda for improving science, technology, engineering and mathematics competency. Overall the thrust within the classrooms of colleges and universities is critical to extending and solidifying courses of study in Earth system and global change science. ESSE 21 solicits proposals from undergraduate institutions to create or adopt undergraduate and graduate level Earth system science content in courses, curricula and degree programs. The goal for all is to effect systemic change through developing Earth system science learning materials, courses, curricula, minors or degree tracks, and programs or departments that are self-sustaining in the coming decades. Interdisciplinary college and university teams are competitively selected through a peer-reviewed Call for Participation. ESSE 21 offers an infrastructure for an interactive community of educators and researchers including under represented participants that develops interdisciplinary Earth system science content utilizing NASA resources involving global change data, models, visualizations and electronic media and networks. The Program provides for evaluation and assessment guides to help assure the pedagogical effectiveness of materials developed. The ultimate aim of ESSE 21 is to expand and accelerate the nation's realization of sound, scientific interdisciplinary educational resources for informed learning and decision-making by all from the perspective of sustainability of the Earth as a system.
Early Career Summer Interdisciplinary Team Experiences and Student Persistence in STEM Fields

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cadavid, A. C.; Pedone, V. A.; Horn, W.; Rich, H.

2015-12-01

STEPS (Students Targeting Engineering and Physical Science) is an NSF-funded program designed to increase the number of California State University Northridge students getting bachelor's degrees in the natural sciences, mathematics, engineering and computer science. The greatest loss of STEM majors occurs between sophomore and junior- years, so we designed Summer Interdisciplinary Team Experience (SITE) as an early career program for these students. Students work closely with a faculty mentor in teams of ten to investigate regionally relevant problems, many of which relate to sustainability efforts on campus or the community. The projects emphasize hands-on activities and team-based learning and decision making. We report data for five years of projects, qualitative assessment through entrance and exit surveys and student interviews, and in initial impact on retention of the participants.
Knowledge of childhood: materiality, text, and the history of science - an interdisciplinary round table discussion.

PubMed

Rietmann, Felix; Schildmann, Mareike; Arni, Caroline; Cook, Daniel Thomas; Giuriato, Davide; Göhlsdorf, Novina; Muigai, Wangui

2017-03-01

This round table discussion takes the diversity of discourse and practice shaping modern knowledge about childhood as an opportunity to engage with recent historiographical approaches in the history of science. It draws attention to symmetries and references among scientific, material, literary and artistic cultures and their respective forms of knowledge. The five participating scholars come from various fields in the humanities and social sciences and allude to historiographical and methodological questions through a range of examples. Topics include the emergence of children's rooms in US consumer magazines, research on the unborn in nineteenth-century sciences of development, the framing of autism in nascent child psychiatry, German literary discourses about the child's initiation into writing, and the sociopolitics of racial identity in the photographic depiction of African American infant corpses in the early twentieth century. Throughout the course of the paper, childhood emerges as a topic particularly amenable to interdisciplinary perspectives that take the history of science as part of a broader history of knowledge.
Astrobiology and society: building an interdisciplinary research community.

PubMed

Race, Margaret; Denning, Kathryn; Bertka, Constance M; Dick, Steven J; Harrison, Albert A; Impey, Christopher; Mancinelli, Rocco

2012-10-01

This paper reports recent efforts to gather experts from the humanities and social sciences along with astrobiologists to consider the cultural, societal, and psychological implications of astrobiology research and exploration. We began by convening a workshop to draft a research roadmap on astrobiology's societal implications and later formed a Focus Group on Astrobiology and Society under the auspices of the NASA Astrobiology Institute (NAI). Just as the Astrobiology Science Roadmap and various astrobiology science focus groups have helped researchers orient and understand their work across disciplinary contexts, our intent was to apply the same approach to examine areas beyond the physical and life sciences and expand interdisciplinary interaction and scholarly understanding. These efforts continue as an experiment in progress, with an open invitation to interested researchers-astrobiologists as well as scholars in the humanities and social sciences-to become involved in research, analysis, and proactive discussions concerning the potential impacts of astrobiology on society as well as the possible impacts of society on progress in astrobiology.
Perspectives on Open Science and scientific data sharing:an interdisciplinary workshop.

PubMed

Destro Bisol, Giovanni; Anagnostou, Paolo; Capocasa, Marco; Bencivelli, Silvia; Cerroni, Andrea; Contreras, Jorge; Enke, Neela; Fantini, Bernardino; Greco, Pietro; Heeney, Catherine; Luzi, Daniela; Manghi, Paolo; Mascalzoni, Deborah; Molloy, Jennifer; Parenti, Fabio; Wicherts, Jelte; Boulton, Geoffrey

2014-01-01

Looking at Open Science and Open Data from a broad perspective. This is the idea behind "Scientific data sharing: an interdisciplinary workshop", an initiative designed to foster dialogue between scholars from different scientific domains which was organized by the Istituto Italiano di Antropologia in Anagni, Italy, 2-4 September 2013.We here report summaries of the presentations and discussions at the meeting. They deal with four sets of issues: (i) setting a common framework, a general discussion of open data principles, values and opportunities; (ii) insights into scientific practices, a view of the way in which the open data movement is developing in a variety of scientific domains (biology, psychology, epidemiology and archaeology); (iii) a case study of human genomics, which was a trail-blazer in data sharing, and which encapsulates the tension that can occur between large-scale data sharing and one of the boundaries of openness, the protection of individual data; (iv) open science and the public, based on a round table discussion about the public communication of science and the societal implications of open science. There were three proposals for the planning of further interdisciplinary initiatives on open science. Firstly, there is a need to integrate top-down initiatives by governments, institutions and journals with bottom-up approaches from the scientific community. Secondly, more should be done to popularize the societal benefits of open science, not only in providing the evidence needed by citizens to draw their own conclusions on scientific issues that are of concern to them, but also explaining the direct benefits of data sharing in areas such as the control of infectious disease. Finally, introducing arguments from social sciences and humanities in the educational dissemination of open data may help students become more profoundly engaged with Open Science and look at science from a broader perspective.
THE EOS ART Projects: Six Art Projects Inspired by Earth Science

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kerlow, I.

2015-12-01

The six projects produced under the artists' residencies at the Earth Observatory of Singapore (EOS) were inspired by Earth science and by the human experience in naturally hazardous regions. These contemporary artworks were created within an interdisciplinary framework that fostered collaborations between artists and scientists. The EOS ART 2010-2013 was a pilot program that also facilitated the active engagement of regional artists with issues related to Earth science, sustainable societies, and innovative methods for science outreach. An interdisciplinary jury of art critics, curators and Earth scientists selected art projects proposed by regional artists, and funds were awarded to develop and realize the projects.The artworks-including installations, photographs, and video art-were showcased in the "Unearthed" public exhibit at the Singapore Art Museum from March to July of 2014. A 92-page catalog accompanied the show and public seminars about interdisciplinary connections complemented the event. This was a unique example of collaboration between scientific and artistic institutions in Southeast Asia.The presentation provides an overview of the motivations, process and accomplished results. The art projects include "Coastline" by Zhang Xiao (China), "Lupang" by Clara Balaguer and Carlos Casas (Philippines and Spain), "Sound of the Earth" by Chen Sai Hua Kuan (Singapore), "Sudden Nature" by Isaac Kerlow (Mexico/USA), "The Possibility of Knowing" by Robert Zhao Renhui (Singapore), and "When Need Moves the Earth" by Sutthirat Supaparinya (Thailand). http://art-science-media.com/the-eos-art-projects/
Quantitative Analysis of the Trends Exhibited by the Three Interdisciplinary Biological Sciences: Biophysics, Bioinformatics, and Systems Biology.

PubMed

Kang, Jonghoon; Park, Seyeon; Venkat, Aarya; Gopinath, Adarsh

2015-12-01

New interdisciplinary biological sciences like bioinformatics, biophysics, and systems biology have become increasingly relevant in modern science. Many papers have suggested the importance of adding these subjects, particularly bioinformatics, to an undergraduate curriculum; however, most of their assertions have relied on qualitative arguments. In this paper, we will show our metadata analysis of a scientific literature database (PubMed) that quantitatively describes the importance of the subjects of bioinformatics, systems biology, and biophysics as compared with a well-established interdisciplinary subject, biochemistry. Specifically, we found that the development of each subject assessed by its publication volume was well described by a set of simple nonlinear equations, allowing us to characterize them quantitatively. Bioinformatics, which had the highest ratio of publications produced, was predicted to grow between 77% and 93% by 2025 according to the model. Due to the large number of publications produced in bioinformatics, which nearly matches the number published in biochemistry, it can be inferred that bioinformatics is almost equal in significance to biochemistry. Based on our analysis, we suggest that bioinformatics be added to the standard biology undergraduate curriculum. Adding this course to an undergraduate curriculum will better prepare students for future research in biology.
Interdisciplinary reasoning about energy in an introductory physics course for the life sciences

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dreyfus, Benjamin William

Energy is a unifying concept that cuts across physics, chemistry, and biology. However, students who study all three disciplines can end up with a fragmented understanding of energy. This dissertation sits at the intersection of two active areas of current research: the teaching and learning of energy, and interdisciplinary science education (particularly the intersection of physics and biology). The context for this research is an introductory physics course for undergraduate life sciences majors that is reformed to build stronger interdisciplinary connections between physics, biology, and chemistry. An approach to energy that incorporates chemical bonds and chemical reactions is better equipped to meet the needs of life sciences students than a traditional introductory physics approach that focuses primarily on mechanical energy, and so we present a curricular thread for chemical energy in the physics course. Our first set of case studies examines student reasoning about ATP hydrolysis, a biochemically significant reaction that powers various processes in the cell. We observe students expressing both that an energy input is required to break a chemical bond (which they associate with physics) and that energy is released when the phosphate bond is broken in ATP (which they associate with biology). We use these case studies to articulate a model of interdisciplinary reconciliation: building coherent connections between concepts from different disciplines while understanding each concept in its own disciplinary context and justifying the modeling choices in deciding when to use each disciplinary model. Our second study looks at ontological metaphors for energy: metaphors about what kind of thing energy is. Two ontological metaphors for energy that have previously been documented include energy as a substance and energy as a location. We argue for the use of negative energy in modeling chemical energy in an interdisciplinary context, and for the use of a blended substance/location ontology in reasoning about negative energy. Our data show students and experts using the blended ontology productively when the two ontologies are combined in a coherent structure, as well as students getting confused when the ontologies are not coherently combined.
The Implementation and Growth of an International Online Forensic Science Graduate Program at the University of Florida

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Grundmann, Oliver; Wielbo, Donna; Tebbett, Ian

2010-01-01

Forensic science education has evolved as an interdisciplinary science that includes medicine, chemistry, biology, and criminal justice. Therefore, multiple paths can lead to a career in forensic science. A formal education usually requires the student to attend a college or university to obtain a bachelor's or master's degree. In many cases,…

Engaging in Effective Science Communication: A Response to Blancke et al. on Deproblematizing GMOs.

PubMed

Landrum, Asheley R; Hallman, William K

2017-05-01

As science communication scholars, we encourage interdisciplinary efforts such as those by Blancke, Grunewald, and De Jaeger to engage with the public on GMOs and genetic engineering broadly. We extend the advice given by these scholars with tips based on what we know from the science of science communication. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
A Science Odyssey: A Social Studies and Science Resource for Middle- and High-School Educators. Educator's Guide.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

WGBH-TV, Boston, MA.

This interdisciplinary guide provides activities, discussion questions, and information to help teachers use the series of five special PBS programs entitled "A Science Odyssey" in the classroom. For each Science Odyssey program, the guide features: (1) an overview of the program; (2) a summary of program contents and story segments; (3) a…
Preface paper to the Semi-Arid Land-Surface-Atmosphere (SALSA) Program special issue

USGS Publications Warehouse

Goodrich, D.C.; Chehbouni, A.; Goff, B.; MacNish, B.; Maddock, T.; Moran, S.; Shuttleworth, W.J.; Williams, D.G.; Watts, C.; Hipps, L.H.; Cooper, D.I.; Schieldge, J.; Kerr, Y.H.; Arias, H.; Kirkland, M.; Carlos, R.; Cayrol, P.; Kepner, W.; Jones, B.; Avissar, R.; Begue, A.; Bonnefond, J.-M.; Boulet, G.; Branan, B.; Brunel, J.P.; Chen, L.C.; Clarke, T.; Davis, M.R.; DeBruin, H.; Dedieu, G.; Elguero, E.; Eichinger, W.E.; Everitt, J.; Garatuza-Payan, J.; Gempko, V.L.; Gupta, H.; Harlow, C.; Hartogensis, O.; Helfert, M.; Holifield, C.; Hymer, D.; Kahle, A.; Keefer, T.; Krishnamoorthy, S.; Lhomme, J.-P.; Lagouarde, J.-P.; Lo, Seen D.; Luquet, D.; Marsett, R.; Monteny, B.; Ni, W.; Nouvellon, Y.; Pinker, R.; Peters, C.; Pool, D.; Qi, J.; Rambal, S.; Rodriguez, J.; Santiago, F.; Sano, E.; Schaeffer, S.M.; Schulte, M.; Scott, R.; Shao, X.; Snyder, K.A.; Sorooshian, S.; Unkrich, C.L.; Whitaker, M.; Yucel, I.

2000-01-01

The Semi-Arid Land-Surface-Atmosphere Program (SALSA) is a multi-agency, multi-national research effort that seeks to evaluate the consequences of natural and human-induced environmental change in semi-arid regions. The ultimate goal of SALSA is to advance scientific understanding of the semi-arid portion of the hydrosphere-biosphere interface in order to provide reliable information for environmental decision making. SALSA approaches this goal through a program of long-term, integrated observations, process research, modeling, assessment, and information management that is sustained by cooperation among scientists and information users. In this preface to the SALSA special issue, general program background information and the critical nature of semi-arid regions is presented. A brief description of the Upper San Pedro River Basin, the initial location for focused SALSA research follows. Several overarching research objectives under which much of the interdisciplinary research contained in the special issue was undertaken are discussed. Principal methods, primary research sites and data collection used by numerous investigators during 1997-1999 are then presented. Scientists from about 20 US, five European (four French and one Dutch), and three Mexican agencies and institutions have collaborated closely to make the research leading to this special issue a reality. The SALSA Program has served as a model of interagency cooperation by breaking new ground in the approach to large scale interdisciplinary science with relatively limited resources.
New Challenges in Education: Retrospection of History of Education to the Future in the Interdisciplinary Dialogue among Didactics of Various School Subjects

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gallová, Mária, Ed.; Guncaga, Ján, Ed.; Chanasová, Zuzana, Ed.; Chovancová, Michaela Moldová, Ed.

2013-01-01

Purpose: The purpose of this scientific monograph is to show new and creative approaches to different school subjects in primary and secondary level. Methodology: Interdisciplinary and international comparative approaches were used. Now according to the 7th Framework Program, the preferred form of Science Education (www.scientix.eu) is preferred…
The Gift of the Tree

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jones, Marla Wagner

2009-01-01

A piece of children's literature can be a powerful tool for teaching and learning science; however, it takes more than reading about a topic to qualify as "doing science." Inspired by the book, "The Gift of the Tree", the author developed an in-depth interdisciplinary lesson for her sixth-grade students without diluting the science. Through this…
Chemical Science and Technology I. A Study Guide of the Science and Engineering Technician Curriculum.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ballinger, Jack T.; Wolf, Lawrence J.

This study guide is part of an interdisciplinary program of studies entitled the Science and Engineering Technician (SET) Curriculum. This curriculum integrates elements from the disciplines of chemistry, physics, mathematics, mechanical technology, and electronic technology with the objective of training technicians in the use of electronic…
Utilizing Shulman's Table of Learning to Understand Learning in Professional Health Science Programs

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mortier, Teresa; Yatczak, Jayne

2016-01-01

Understanding student learning in health science professional programs is both timely and relevant and is the focus of this article. "The Table of Learning" by Lee Shulman (2002) provided a tool for an interdisciplinary reflection surrounding student learning in clinical laboratory science and occupational therapy. Utilizing the taxonomy…
Putting It into Perspective: Mathematics in the Undergraduate Science Curriculum

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Matthews, Kelly E.; Adams, Peter; Goos, Merrilyn

2009-01-01

Mathematics and science are tightly interwoven, yet they are often treated as distinct disciplines in the educational context. This study details the development, implementation and outcomes of a teaching intervention that highlights the links between mathematics and science, in the form of a first-year interdisciplinary course. A mixed method…
What Middle Grade Students Say about Learning Science with Multimedia

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Goldenberg, Lauren B.; Heinze, Juliette; Ba, Harouna

2004-01-01

The JASON Multimedia Science Curriculum (JMSC) was developed in 1989 by the JASON Foundation for Education (www.jason.org), and is a multimedia, interdisciplinary, inquiry-based science curriculum that responds to the dual demands of teachers having to teach state standards while engaging students in scientific inquiry. The JMSC encourages…
The Dynamics of Cognitive Performance: What Has Been Learnt from Empirical Research in Science Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stamovlasis, Dimitrios

2017-01-01

This paper discusses investigations in science education addressing the nonlinear dynamical hypothesis. Learning science is a suitable field for applying interdisciplinary research and predominately for testing psychological theories. It was demonstrated that in this area the paradigm of complexity and nonlinear dynamics have offered theoretical…
Linguistics, Cognitive Science and the Undergraduate Curriculum. Linguistics in the Undergraduate Curriculum, Appendix 4-I.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Feinstein, Mark; Stillings, Neil

Cognitive science has recently emerged as a new interdisciplinary field incorporating parts of psychology, computer science, philosophy, neuroscience, and linguistics. Its goal is to bring the theoretical and methodological resources of the contributing disciplines to bear on an integrated investigation of thought, meaning, language, perception,…
Investigating the Relationship between STEM Learning Principles and Student Achievement in Math and Science

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hansen, Michael; Gonzalez, Thomas

2014-01-01

Science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) advocates commonly emphasize an interdisciplinary, authentic, project-based, and technology-based approach to learning, though the strength of prior research varies. This study examines the association between a range of classroom activities and academic performance gains in math and science. Using…
The Value of Conceptual Models in Coping with Complexity and Interdisciplinarity in Environmental Sciences Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fortuin, Karen P. J.; van Koppen, C. S. A.; Leemans, Rik

2011-01-01

Conceptual models are useful for facing the challenges of environmental sciences curriculum and course developers and students. These challenges are inherent to the interdisciplinary and problem-oriented character of environmental sciences curricula. In this article, we review the merits of conceptual models in facing these challenges. These…
Levers and Mixtures: An Integrated Science and Mathematics Activity to Solve Problems

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Alpaslan, Muhammet Mustafa

2017-01-01

In recent years, the integration of science and mathematics has become popular among educators because of its potential benefits for student learning. The purpose of this study is to introduce a two-day interdisciplinary lesson that brings science and mathematics concepts together, actively engaging students in working with percentages of the…
Visual Literacy in Science

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McTigue, Erin; Croix, Amanda

2010-01-01

While diagrams make the text more visually appealing and provide an image of the text, they also do much more. Subsequently, the authors designed a series of lessons for students to discover the many purposes of graphics in science. A particular utility of these interdisciplinary lessons is that they are used with any science text featuring visual…
Assessing Understanding of the Energy Concept in Different Science Disciplines

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Park, Mihwa; Liu, Xiufeng

2016-01-01

Energy is one of the most central and richly connected ideas across all science disciplines. The purpose of this study was to develop a measurement instrument for assessing students' understanding of the energy concept within and across different science disciplines. To achieve this goal, the Inter-Disciplinary Energy concept Assessment (IDEA) was…
Evaluation of Project Symbiosis: An Interdisciplinary Science Education Project.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Altschuld, James W.

1993-01-01

The goal of this report is to provide a summary of the evaluation of Project Symbiosis which focused on enhancing the teaching of science principles in high school agriculture courses. The project initially involved 15 teams of science and agriculture teachers and was characterized by an extensive evaluation component consisting of six formal…
Using Science Songs to Enhance Learning: An Interdisciplinary Approach

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Crowther, Gregory

2012-01-01

Music is recognized as an effective mode of teaching young children but is rarely used in university-level science courses. This article reviews the somewhat limited evidence on whether and how content-rich music might affect college students' understanding of science and offers practical suggestions for incorporating music into courses. Aside…
Moral Education: The Missing Link to Science, Technology and Society Programs.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Zeidler, Dana Lewis

Progressive approaches to science education incorporate a social dimension based on an interdisciplinary curriculum. The importance of such an approach has been recognized by educators and many science-techonology-society (STS) programs have been developed as a response to this social need. However, such programs may fall short of their mark…
Interdisciplinary multiinstitutional alliances in support of educational programs for health sciences librarians.

PubMed Central

Smith, L C

1996-01-01

This project responds to the need to identify the knowledge, skills, and expertise required by health sciences librarians in the future and to devise mechanisms for providing this requisite training. The approach involves interdisciplinary multiinstitutional alliances with collaborators drawn from two graduate schools of library and information science (University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and Indiana University) and two medical schools (University of Illinois at Chicago and Washington University). The project encompasses six specific aims: (1) investigate the evolving role of the health sciences librarian; (2) analyze existing programs of study in library and information science at all levels at Illinois and Indiana; (3) develop opportunities for practicums, internships, and residencies; (4) explore the possibilities of computing and communication technologies to enhance instruction; (5) identify mechanisms to encourage faculty and graduate students to participate in medical informatics research projects; and (6) create recruitment strategies to achieve better representation of currently underrepresented groups. The project can serve as a model for other institutions interested in regional collaboration to enhance graduate education for health sciences librarianship. PMID:8913560

Mars rover sample return: An exobiology science scenario

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rosenthal, D. A.; Sims, M. H.; Schwartz, Deborah E.; Nedell, S. S.; Mckay, Christopher P.; Mancinelli, Rocco L.

1988-01-01

A mission designed to collect and return samples from Mars will provide information regarding its composition, history, and evolution. At the same time, a sample return mission generates a technical challenge. Sophisticated, semi-autonomous, robotic spacecraft systems must be developed in order to carry out complex operations at the surface of a very distant planet. An interdisciplinary effort was conducted to consider how much a Mars mission can be realistically structured to maximize the planetary science return. The focus was to concentrate on a particular set of scientific objectives (exobiology), to determine the instrumentation and analyses required to search for biological signatures, and to evaluate what analyses and decision making can be effectively performed by the rover in order to minimize the overhead of constant communication between Mars and the Earth. Investigations were also begun in the area of machine vision to determine whether layered sedimentary structures can be recognized autonomously, and preliminary results are encouraging.
Working Group Reports and Presentations: Cis-lunar

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Laubscher, Bryan

2006-01-01

Space agencies are committed to the "safe, sustained, affordable human and robotic exploration of the Moon, Mars, and beyond." However, we recommend that they explicitly define our ultimate goal and motivation in order to portray a sense of purpose to the public. Our goal is sustainable human settlement of the Moon and Mars and our motivation is to preserve the human race. All secondary exploration and science objectives flow from this main goal and are still imperative to our success. As an economic guiding principle, governments should be limited to those areas where only government can perform the activity and should recognize and coordinate with the larger private and military sectors. Also, space agencies must continue to fund the interdisciplinary science necessary to characterize environmental hazards associated with dust, radiation, surface charging, topology, and meteorites in order to make our first attempts at extraterrestrial living viable.
EOS ART: Six Artistic Projects Inspired by Earth Science

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kerlow, Isaac

2015-04-01

The six projects produced under the artists' residencies at the Earth Observatory of Singapore (EOS) were inspired by Earth science and by the human experience in naturally hazardous regions. These contemporary artworks were created within an interdisciplinary framework that fostered collaborations between artists and scientists. EOS ART was a pilot program that also facilitated the active engagement of regional artists with issues related to Earth science, sustainable societies, and innovative methods for science outreach. An interdisciplinary jury of art critics, curators and Earth scientists selected art projects proposed by regional artists, and funds were awarded to develop and realize the projects. The artworks-including installations, photographs, and video art-were showcased in the "Unearthed" public exhibit at the Singapore Art Museum from March to July of 2014. A 92-page catalog accompanied the show and public seminars about interdisciplinary connections complemented the event. This was a unique example of collaboration between scientific and artistic institutions in Southeast Asia. The paper provides an overview of the motivations, process and accomplished results. The art projects include "Coastline" by Zhang Xiao (China), "Lupang" by Clara Balaguer and Carlos Casas (Philippines and Spain), "Sound of the Earth" by Chen Sai Hua Kuan (Singapore), "Sudden Nature" by Isaac Kerlow (Mexico/USA), "The Possibility of Knowing" by Robert Zhao Renhui (Singapore), and "When Need Moves the Earth" by Sutthirat Supaparinya (Thailand).
An interdisciplinary approach to teaching in a multi-disciplinary context - A model for teaching geociences?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Salmun, H.

2015-12-01

As a major component of an NSF-funded STEM program, a seminar-style course called the Catalyst Seminar was developed and offered over three consecutive semesters. The program included undergraduate students in the geosciences, computer science, mathematics and physics. The Catalyst Seminar was designed to expose scholars to the interdisciplinary research options and careers in these disciplines. The Seminar also provided a venue for scholars to meet regularly, build a sense of community and to engage in research projects that would enhance their preparation for multi and interdisciplinary careers in the sciences. The first semester of the Seminar was devoted to Exposure and Connections, accomplished through lectures by invited speakers on topics related to the disciplines participating in the Program. Scholars were required to read journal articles related to the lectures and to write a final short paper reflecting on the experience, all activities that are known to students at this level. Overall, this was a somewhat passive learning approach to research in classrooms. In the following two semesters a more active approach to engage students in interdisciplinary research was used. Students were asked to take ownership of their learning process through disciplinary and interdisciplinary engagement in a project. In one semester this process was guided by the seminar coordinator who was in charge of selecting and leading the 'research project' which although challenging to scholars, was 'safe' enough that answers were readily available. In the other semester the approach was student-centered, with a coordinator that merely facilitated the formation of interdisciplinary research teams that took complete charge of the entire research enterprise. I will discuss our observations and assessment of the outcomes of this instructional experience with relation to the teaching of geoscience, in particular to attracting students into this field.
Biomaterials: An Introduction for Librarians.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bush, Renee B.

1996-01-01

Contains an overview of biomaterials, an interdisciplinary field in which research combines medicine, biological sciences, physical sciences, and engineering. Biomaterials are substances which improve quality of life by augmenting or replacing bodily tissues or functions. Highlights problems associated with collection development and literature…
Art, the Natural Sciences and a Museum.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Unterberg, Adele Phyllis

1979-01-01

Described is a school-museum program which linked art and science through the study of small mammals and birds in relation to color, form, and communication. Art, audiovisual aids, research, readings, language, and communication were combined in this interdisciplinary program. (KC)
To Strengthen American Cognitive Science for the Twenty-First Century. Report of a Planning Workshop for the Cognitive Science Initiative at the National Science Foundation (Washington, D.C., April 20-21, 1991).

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

National Science Foundation, Washington, DC.

Cognitive science, the study of both biological and artificial intelligent systems, is an inherently interdisciplinary activity that embraces aspects of psychology, linguistics, artificial intelligence, neuroscience, engineering, and other behavioral and social sciences. This document reports the results of a workshop designed to provide advice to…
How to integrate social sciences in hydrological research?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Seidl, Roman; Barthel, Roland

2016-04-01

The integration of interdisciplinary scientific and societal knowledge plays an increasing role in environmental science. Many scholars have long advocated for a joint effort of scientists from different disciplines (interdisciplinarity) to address the problems of the growing pressure on environmental and human systems (Nature, 2015). Such a need was also recognised for the hydrological sciences (HS) e.g. most recently by Vogel et al. (2015). Vibrant new approaches such as "Panta Rhei" (Montanari et al., 2013) and "Socio-Hydrology" (Sivapalan et al., 2012) discuss and propose options for the deeper involvement of hydrologists in socio-economic questions. While there is widespread consensus that coping with the challenges of global change in water resources requires more consideration of human activity, it still remains unclear which roles the social sciences and the humanities (SSH) should assume in this context. Despite the frequent usage of the term "interdisciplinarity" in related discussions, there seems to be a tendency towards assimilation of socio-economic aspects into hydrological research rather than an opening up for interdisciplinary collaboration with social scientists at eye level. The literature, however, remains vague with respect to the concepts of integration and does not allow confirming this assumed tendency. Moreover, the discourse within the hydrological research community on increasing the consideration of societal aspects in hydrological modelling and research is still led by a comparatively small group. In this contribution we highlight the most interesting results of a survey among hydrologists (with 184 respondents). The survey participants do not think that SSH is presently well integrated into hydrological research. They recognize the need for better cooperation between the two disciplines. When asked about ways to improve the status of cooperation, a higher status and acknowledgment of interdisciplinary research by colleagues do not seem to be major incentives for integrative work. The statement "Hydrologists themselves should consider and integrate socioeconomic aspects in their own work" was rated most often as the most preferable option. Our sample seems to be relatively biased toward those individuals who already have an interest or considerable experience in cooperating with researchers from the social sciences or the humanities. Such a bias might indicate that the general interest among hydrology academics in including socio-economic aspects in their research is not as high and widespread as it could and should be. References: Montanari, A. et al., 2013. "Panta Rhei-Everything Flows": Change in hydrology and society-The IAHS Scientific Decade 2013-2022. Hydrolog Sci J, 58(6): 1256-1275. Nature, 2015. Why interdisciplinary research matters. Nature, 525(7569): 305. Sivapalan, M., Savenije, H.H.G., Bloschl, G., 2012. Socio-hydrology: A new science of people and water. Hydrol Process, 26(8): 1270-1276. Vogel, R.M. et al., 2015. Hydrology: The interdisciplinary science of water. Water Resour Res, 51(6): 4409-4430.
Position Paper: Designing Complex Systems to Support Interdisciplinary Cognitive Work

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Greene, Melissa T.; Papalambros, Panos Y.; Mcgowan, Anna-Maria R.

2016-01-01

The paper argues that the field we can call cognitive science of interdisciplinary collaboration is an important area of study for improving design of Large-Scale Complex Systems (LaCES) and supporting cognitive work. The paper mostly raised questions that have been documented in earlier qualitative analysis studies, and provided possible avenues of exploration for addressing them. There are likely further contributions from additional disciplines beyond those mentioned in this paper that should be considered and integrated into such a cognitive science framework. Knowledge and awareness of various perspectives will help to inform the types of interventions available for improving LaCES design and functionality. For example, a cognitive interpretation of interdisciplinary collaborations in LaCES elucidated the need for a "translator" or "mediator" in helping subject matter experts to transcend language boundaries, mitigate single discipline bias, support integrative activities, and correct misaligned objectives. Additional research in this direction is likely to uncover similar gaps and opportunities for improvements in practice.
Science and Exploration in the Classroom & Beyond: An Interdisciplinary STEAM Curriculum Developed by SSERVI Educators & Scientists

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Becker, Tracy M.; Runyon, Cassandra; Cynthia, Hall; Britt, Daniel; Tracy Becker

2017-10-01

Through NASA’s Solar System Exploration Research Virtual Institute (SSERVI), the Center for Lunar and Asteroid Surface Science (CLASS) and the SSERVI Evolution and Environment of Exploration Destinations (SEEED) nodes have developed an interdisciplinary formal and informal hands-on curriculum to bring the excitement of space exploration directly to the students.With a focus on exploring asteroids, this 5-year effort has infused art with traditional STEM practices (creating STEAM) and provides teachers with learning materials to incorporate art, social studies, English language arts, and other courses into the lesson plans. The formal curricula being developed follows Next Generation Standards and incorporates effective and engaging pedagogical strategies, such as problem-based learning (PBL), design thinking, and document based questions, using authentic data and articles, some of which are produced by the SSERVI scientists. From the materials developed for the formal education component, we have built up a collection of informal activities of varying lengths (minutes to weeks-long programs) to be used by museums, girl and boy scouts, science camps, etc.The curricula are being developed by formal and informal educators, artists, storytellers, and scientists. The continual feedback between the educators, artists, and scientists enables the program to evolve and mature such that the material will be accessible to the students without losing scientific merit. Online components will allow students to interact with SSERVI scientists and will ultimately infuse ongoing, exciting research into the student’s lessons.Our Education & Public Engagement (EPE) program makes a strong effort to make educational material accessible to all learners, including those with visual or hearing impairments. Specific activities have been included or independently developed to give all students an opportunity to experience the excitement of the universe.
Perceptions of science and art: An interdisciplinary investigation of preservice elementary teachers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fleming, Michelle Ann

Science and art have been intertwined throughout history. Leading educational organizations and researchers support interdisciplinary connections to maximize teaching scope and effectiveness. Preservice elementary teachers face unique challenges in developing appropriate pedagogical content knowledge in a variety of disciplines, including science and art. This multi-method, case study investigated the relationship between science and art as an example of two disciplines that seem disparate but actually have strong similarities. Attitudes and perceptions towards science and art, and the teaching of science and art were studied with a cohort of twenty-six preservice elementary teachers at a large, Midwestern university. Data was generated from pre- and post-tests, interviews, and observations in the elementary science and art methods courses. Interests and attitudes towards teaching science increased, and participants came to perceive science as a more creative and imaginative endeavor. Perceived self-efficacies towards teaching science and art increased significantly. Attitudes towards art and perceptions of outcome expectancy and cooperative peer relationships in both science and art did not change. Qualitative results suggested inadequate and naive views of science and art at the beginning and more developed views of science and art by the end of the coursework. Creativity and imagination in scientific and artistic inquiry was a pervading theme in the post-course data. Implications are discussed for elementary teacher education and further research in this area.
Earth Science in the News.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jackson, Julia A.; Paty, Alma Hale

2000-01-01

Offers two activities to help students explore the geosciences during Earth Science Week. Uses a fossil collection simulation that has students digging through strata of newspaper. Presents an interdisciplinary research project that has students investigate the fossils, minerals, and rocks of their home state. (ASK)
- Oklahoma Water Resources Center

Science.gov Websites

INTERDISCIPLINARY PROGRAMS Environmental Sciences Master of International Agriculture Degree Program OSU Home Professional Development Training (Baton Rouge, LA; 8/5-10) Global Water Security for Agriculture and Natural Oklahoma City Center for Health Sciences Division of Agriculture Institute of Technology Veterinary
A Course for Engineering and Science Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Companion, A.; Schug, K.

1973-01-01

Discusses the features of a course which emphasizes training of scientists and engineers with broad interdisciplinary knowledge in addition to those with a highly specialized professional preparation. Included is a list of books relating to applications of materials science concepts in general chemistry. (CC)
Promoting Ecohealth through Geography and Governmental Partnerships

EPA Science Inventory

Ecohealth is truly interdisciplinary and now includes the relatively new field of exposure science. In 2012, the National Research Council released Exposure Science in the 21st Century: A Vision and a Strategy, in which application of geospatial knowledge and technology such as r...
Science and Environmental Studies

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Clegg, Arthur

1977-01-01

This report of the status of science in interdisciplinary environmental studies programs is based on a 1975-76 HMI survey of 43 schools to observe what is being taught in environmental studies with children aged 8-13 years. Some examples of good practice are presented. (BR)
EOS Reference Handbook 1999: A Guide to NASA's Earth Science Enterprise and the Earth Observing System

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

King, M. D. (Editor); Greenstone, R. (Editor)

2000-01-01

The content of this handbook includes Earth Science Enterprise; The Earth Observing System; EOS Data and Information System (EOSDIS); Data and Information Policy; Pathfinder Data Sets; Earth Science Information Partners and the Working Prototype-Federation; EOS Data Quality: Calibration and Validation; Education Programs; International Cooperation; Interagency Coordination; Mission Elements; EOS Instruments; EOS Interdisciplinary Science Investigations; and Points-of-Contact.
Designing Creative Inter-Disciplinary Science and Art Interventions in Schools: The Case of Write a Science Opera (WASO)

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ben-Horin, Oded; Chappell, Kerry A.; Halstead, Jill; Espeland, Magne

2017-01-01

The goal of this qualitative study is to provide theoretical knowledge and design principles for a creative educational environment characterized by simultaneous study and exploration of science or math, and the arts: Write a Science Opera (WASO). To do so, we used a theory of creativity in education which links collaborative co-creation in…
The Role of Human Factors/Ergonomics in the Science of Security: Decision Making and Action Selection in Cyberspace.

PubMed

Proctor, Robert W; Chen, Jing

2015-08-01

The overarching goal is to convey the concept of science of security and the contributions that a scientifically based, human factors approach can make to this interdisciplinary field. Rather than a piecemeal approach to solving cybersecurity problems as they arise, the U.S. government is mounting a systematic effort to develop an approach grounded in science. Because humans play a central role in security measures, research on security-related decisions and actions grounded in principles of human information-processing and decision-making is crucial to this interdisciplinary effort. We describe the science of security and the role that human factors can play in it, and use two examples of research in cybersecurity--detection of phishing attacks and selection of mobile applications--to illustrate the contribution of a scientific, human factors approach. In these research areas, we show that systematic information-processing analyses of the decisions that users make and the actions they take provide a basis for integrating the human component of security science. Human factors specialists should utilize their foundation in the science of applied information processing and decision making to contribute to the science of cybersecurity. © 2015, Human Factors and Ergonomics Society.
An Integrative Approach to STEM Concepts in an Introductory Neuroscience Course: Gains in Interdisciplinary Awareness

PubMed Central

Basu, Alo C.; Mondoux, Michelle A.; Whitt, Jessica L.; Isaacs, André K.; Narita, Tomohiko

2017-01-01

Neuroscience is an integrative discipline for which students must achieve broad-based proficiency in many of the sciences. We are motivated by the premise that student pursuit of proficiency in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) can be supported by awareness of the application of knowledge and tools from the various disciplines for solving complex problems. We refer to this awareness as “interdisciplinary awareness.” Faculty from biology, chemistry, mathematics/computer science, physics, and psychology departments contributed to a novel integrative introductory neuroscience course with no pre-requisites. STEM concepts were taught in “flipped” class modules throughout the semester: Students viewed brief videos and completed accompanying homework assignments independently. In subsequent class meetings, students applied the STEM concepts to understand nervous system structure and function through engaged learning activities. The integrative introduction to neuroscience course was compared to two other courses to test the hypothesis that it would lead to greater gains in interdisciplinary awareness than courses that overlap in content but were not designed for this specific goal. Data on interdisciplinary awareness were collected using previously published tools at the beginning and end of each course, enabling within-subject analyses. Students in the integrative course significantly increased their identification of scientific terms as relevant to neuroscience in a term-discipline relevance survey and increased their use of terms related to levels of analysis (e.g., molecular, cellular, systems) in response to an open-ended prompt. These gains were seen over time within the integrative introduction to neuroscience course as well as relative to the other two courses. PMID:29371849

An analysis of factors that lead to better learning in an integrated and interdisciplinary course on climate change

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Reed, D. E.; Lyford, M.; Schmidt, L. O.; Bowles-Terry, M.

2012-12-01

Climate change education presents many challenges to college educators due to the interdisciplinary nature of the issue as well as the social and political context and implications. This presents multiple barriers to learning for the student, both because it is difficult to address all scientific components in one course, and because many students have strong preconceived feelings or beliefs about climate change. A further barrier to learning for non-science majors is that very often the number of required science courses is low and a highly complex issue such as climate change is difficult to address in introductory science courses. To attempt to address these issues a course for non-science majors, Life Science 1002, Discovering Science, at the University of Wyoming was created as an interdisciplinary and integrated science course that includes a lecture component as well as weekly lab and discussion sections. Our previous work has shown a clear change in the reference sources used by non-science majors when referring to complex topics; namely, students increase their use of scientific journals when they are shown how to use scientific journals and students also report a correlated decrease in non-peer reviewed sources (ie, radio, newspapers, TV). We seek to expand on this work by using pre- and post-topic student surveys in the course at the University of Wyoming to directly measure student performance in different components of the course. The course has enrollment between 120 and 130 students, with nearly equal distribution between grade levels and a wide sampling of non-science majors or undeclared majors. For this work we will use a non-quantitative survey of students to find out which part of the course (lecture, lab or discussion) is most effective for student learning. Further, quantitative analysis of which factors of the student body (class standing, major, gender, background and personal beliefs) will be correlated to help predict who achieved the best and we will apply a non-quantitative analysis to determine which section of the student body had difficulties and why. This work will show other higher education instructors both the methodology and results from this study of the interdisciplinary course on climate change. While this work is limited in only focusing on one introductory course, the large number of students and the diversity of those students allow for a study of which factors in the course are best for student learning.
Interdisciplinarity as cognitive integration: auditory verbal hallucinations as a case study

PubMed Central

Bernini, Marco; Woods, Angela

2015-01-01

In this article, we advocate a bottom-up direction for the methodological modeling of interdisciplinary research based on concrete interactions among individuals within interdisciplinary projects. Drawing on our experience in Hearing the Voice (a cross-disciplinary project on auditory verbal hallucinations running at Durham University), we focus on the dynamic if also problematic integration of cognitive science (neuroscience, cognitive psychology, and of mind), phenomenology, and humanistic disciplines (literature, narratology, history, and theology). We propose a new model for disciplinary integration which brings to the fore an under-investigated dynamic of interdisciplinary projects, namely their being processes of distributed cognition and cognitive integration. PMID:26005512
Emerging issues and future directions of the field of health communication.

PubMed

Hannawa, Annegret F; Kreps, Gary L; Paek, Hye-Jin; Schulz, Peter J; Smith, Sandi; Street, Richard L

2014-01-01

The interdisciplinary intersections between communication science and health-related fields are pervasive, with numerous differences in regard to epistemology, career planning, funding perspectives, educational goals, and cultural orientations. This article identifies and elaborates on these challenges with illustrative examples. Furthermore, concrete suggestions for future scholarship are recommended to facilitate compatible, coherent, and interdisciplinary health communication inquiry. The authors hope that this article helps current and future generations of health communication scholars to make more informed decisions when facing some of the challenges discussed in this article so that they will be able to seize the interdisciplinary and international potential of this unique and important field of study.
Bringing New Ph.D.s Together for Interdisciplinary Climate Change Research

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Phelan, Liam; Jones, Holly; Marlon, Jennifer R.

2013-01-01

Climate change is complex and thus requires interdisciplinary research, and new scholars are rising to that challenge. The Dissertations Initiative for the Advancement of Climate Change Research (DISCCRS (pronounced "discourse"); see http://www.disccrs.org) brings together select groups of recent PhD graduates to encourage interdisciplinary work on climate change. The DISCCRS Symposium VII held just outside of Colorado Springs, Colo., brought together 33 graduates from fields as diverse as climatology, ecology, anthropology, and political science for an intensive week of cross-disciplinary engagement in activities like facilitation and leadership training, collaborative research development, peer networking, communication training, and analysis of working group processes.
Breaking barriers through collaboration: the example of the Cell Migration Consortium.

PubMed

Horwitz, Alan Rick; Watson, Nikki; Parsons, J Thomas

2002-10-15

Understanding complex integrated biological processes, such as cell migration, requires interdisciplinary approaches. The Cell Migration Consortium, funded by a Large-Scale Collaborative Project Award from the National Institute of General Medical Science, develops and disseminates new technologies, data, reagents, and shared information to a wide audience. The development and operation of this Consortium may provide useful insights for those who plan similarly large-scale, interdisciplinary approaches.
Minority University-Space Interdisciplinary Network Conference Proceedings of the Seventh Annual Users' Conference

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Harrington, James L., Jr.; Brown, Robin L.; Shukla, Pooja

1998-01-01

Seventh annual conference proceedings of the Minority University-SPace Interdisciplinary Network (MU-SPIN) conference. MU-SPIN is cosponsored by NASA Goddard Space Flight Center and the National Science Foundation, and is a comprehensive educational initiative for Historically Black Colleges and Universities, and minority universities. MU-SPIN focuses on the transfer of advanced computer networking technologies to these institutions and their use for supporting multidisciplinary research.
Scientific retreats with 'speed dating': networking to stimulate new interdisciplinary translational research collaborations and team science.

PubMed

Ranwala, Damayanthi; Alberg, Anthony J; Brady, Kathleen T; Obeid, Jihad S; Davis, Randal; Halushka, Perry V

2017-02-01

To stimulate the formation of new interdisciplinary translational research teams and innovative pilot projects, the South Carolina Clinical and Translational Research (SCTR) Institute (South Carolina Clinical and Translational Science Award, CTSA) initiated biannual scientific retreats with 'speed dating' networking sessions. Retreat themes were prioritized based on the following criteria; cross-cutting topic, unmet medical need, generation of novel technologies and methodologies. Each retreat begins with an external keynote speaker followed by a series of brief research presentations by local researchers focused on the retreat theme, articulating potential areas for new collaborations. After each session of presentations, there is a 30 min scientific 'speed dating' period during which the presenters meet with interested attendees to exchange ideas and discuss collaborations. Retreat attendees are eligible to compete for pilot project funds on the topic of the retreat theme. The 10 retreats held have had a total of 1004 participants, resulted in 61 pilot projects with new interdisciplinary teams, and 14 funded projects. The retreat format has been a successful mechanism to stimulate novel interdisciplinary research teams and innovative translational research projects. Future retreats will continue to target topics of cross-cutting importance to biomedical and public health research. Copyright © 2016 American Federation for Medical Research.
Some Thoughts on Interdisciplinary Science *

PubMed Central

Stannard, J. Newell

1966-01-01

The development of the “new biology” is largely a story of developments in interdisciplinary science. This paper considers a few of these of special interest to the author and active at the University of Rochester; namely, dental research, biophysics, radiation biology, health physics, biomedical engineering, and space biology. Rochester pioneered advanced academic training in radiation biology, a field which, despite some earlier tendencies to become associated with techniques rather than scientific problems, is now clearly a substantive discipline. Using biophysics as an example, the paper points to the futility of trying to define in detail the exact nature of each new “interdisciplinary discipline,” yet it also decries the coining of new names without due cause. Health physics and its related field, radiological health, are described as centered on problems of radiation protection and as professional in their overtones. The interrelationships between engineering and bioscience are seen most clearly in biomedical engineering and the growing programs in space biology which require complete cooperation and mutual understanding between engineers and bioscientists for their ultimate success. After presenting some implications for medical libraries, the paper closes with a plea that the developers of new interdisciplinary fields and their powerful tools maintain historical perspective, simplicity of approach, and respect for nature's infinite resourcefulness. PMID:5910383
Scientific Retreats with ‘Speed Dating’: Networking to Stimulate New Interdisciplinary Translational Research Collaborations and Team Science

PubMed Central

Alberg, Anthony J.; Brady, Kathleen T.; Obeid, Jihad S.; Davis, Randal; Halushka, Perry V.

2016-01-01

To stimulate the formation of new interdisciplinary translational research teams and innovative pilot projects, the South Carolina Clinical & Translational Research (SCTR) Institute (South Carolina Clinical and Translational Science Award, CTSA) initiated biannual scientific retreats with “speed dating” networking sessions. Retreat themes were prioritized based on the following criteria; cross-cutting topic, unmet medical need, generation of novel technologies and methodologies. Each retreat commences with an external keynote speaker followed by a series of brief research presentations by local researchers focused on the retreat theme, articulating potential areas for new collaborations. After each session of presentations, there is a 30 minute scientific “speed dating” period during which the presenters meet with interested attendees to exchange ideas and discuss collaborations. Retreat attendees are eligible to compete for pilot project funds on the topic of the retreat theme. The 10 retreats held have had a total of 1004 participants, resulted in 61 pilot projects with new interdisciplinary teams, and 14 funded projects. The retreat format has been a successful mechanism to stimulate novel interdisciplinary research teams and innovative translational research projects. Future retreats will continue to target topics of cross-cutting importance to biomedical and public health research. PMID:27807146
Learning about the Earth through Societally-relevant Interdisciplinary Research Projects: the Honours Integrated Science Program at McMaster

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Eyles, C.; Symons, S. L.; Harvey, C. T.

2016-12-01

Students in the Honours Integrated Science (iSci) program at McMaster University (Hamilton, Ontario, Canada) learn about the Earth through interdisciplinary research projects that focus on important societal issues. The iSci program is a new and innovative undergraduate program that emphasizes the links between scientific disciplines and focuses on learning through research and the development of scientific communication skills. The program accepts up to 60 students each year and is taught by a team of 18 instructors comprising senior and junior faculty, post-doctoral fellows, a lab coordinator, instructional assistant, a librarian and library staff, and an administrator. The program is designed around a pedagogical model that emphasizes hands-on learning through interdisciplinary research (Research-based Integrated Education: RIE) and is mostly project-based and experiential. In their freshman year students learn fundamental Earth science concepts (in conjunction with chemistry, physics, mathematics and biology) through research projects focused on environmental contamination, interplanetary exploration, the effect of drugs on the human body and environment, sustainable energy, and cancer. In subsequent years they conduct research on topics such as the History of the Earth, Thermodynamics, Plant-Animal Interactions, Wine Science, Forensics, and Climate Change. The iSci program attracts students with a broad interest in science and has been particularly effective in directing high quality students into the Earth sciences as they are introduced to the discipline in their first year of study through research projects that are interesting and stimulating. The structure of the iSci program encourages consideration of geoscientific applications in a broad range of societally relevant research projects; these projects are reviewed and modified each year to ensure their currency and ability to meet program learning objectives.
An Approach to Teaching General Chemistry II that Highlights the Interdisciplinary Nature of Science

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sumter, Takita Felder; Owens, Patrick M.

2011-01-01

The need for a revised curriculum within the life sciences has been well-established. One strategy to improve student preparation in the life sciences is to redesign introductory courses like biology, chemistry, and physics so that they better reflect their disciplinary interdependence. We describe a medically relevant, context-based approach to…
Educacion y Ciencias Sociales en el Mundo Moderno. [Education and the Social Sciences in the Modern World].

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rimoldi, Horacio J. A.

The document, written in Spanish, discusses the relationship between research in the social sciences and the role of the university in social science education. The author considers the education of researchers, the application of research, the need for interdisciplinary research methods, and problems involved in cross-cultural studies. He states…
Boundary-Work in the Health Research Field: Biomedical and Clinician Scientists' Perceptions of Social Science Research

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Albert, Mathieu; Laberge, Suzanne; Hodges, Brian D.

2009-01-01

Funding agencies in Canada are attempting to break down the organizational boundaries between disciplines to promote interdisciplinary research and foster the integration of the social sciences into the health research field. This paper explores the extent to which biomedical and clinician scientists' perceptions of social science research operate…
Accelerated Integrated Science Sequence: Interdisciplinary Undergraduate Science for the 21st Century

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ulsh, Lisa S.

2011-01-01

Numerous reports cite the need to improve the quality of undergraduate STEM education in order to attract and train a diverse pool of talented students prepared to meet the scientific and technological challenges of the 21st century. A growing body of research reveals that the nature and quality of science instruction in introductory college…
Student Staff Partnership to Create an Interdisciplinary Science Skills Course in a Research Intensive University

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Woolmer, Cherie; Sneddon, Peter; Curry, Gordon; Hill, Bob; Fehertavi, Szonja; Longbone, Charlotte; Wallace, Katherine

2016-01-01

This paper reflects upon the development of a multidisciplinary lesson plan aimed at developing science skills for Physics and Astronomy, Geographical and Earth Sciences, and Chemistry students at a research intensive Scottish university. The lesson plan was co-developed with a small group of staff and undergraduate students from these…
Chemical Science and Technology II. A Study Guide of the Science and Engineering Technician Curriculum.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ballinger, Jack T.; Wolf, Lawrence J.

This study guide is part of a program of studies entitled the Science and Engineering Technician (SET) Curriculum developed to provide a framework for training technicians in the use of electronic instruments and their applications. This interdisciplinary course of study integrates elements from the disciplines of chemistry, physics, mathematics,…
An Analysis of the Effectiveness of an Interdisciplinary Poster-Newsletter in Improving Communication between University Scientists and Science Educators.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cummins, Catherine L.; Wandersee, James H.

A poster-newsletter, "Science Talk," was developed and its effectiveness at a major research university analyzed. The goal of the newsletter was to make information regarding upcoming research seminars sponsored by the science departments available campuswide and to raise the scientists' awareness level regarding the university's science…
Protein Structure and Function: An Interdisciplinary Multimedia-Based Guided-Inquiry Education Module for the High School Science Classroom

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bethel, Casey M.; Lieberman, Raquel L.

2014-01-01

Here we present a multidisciplinary educational unit intended for general, advanced placement, or international baccalaureate-level high school science, focused on the three-dimensional structure of proteins and their connection to function and disease. The lessons are designed within the framework of the Next Generation Science Standards to make…
Trash Conflicts: A Science and Social Studies Curriculum on the Ethics of Disposal. An Interdisciplinary Curriculum.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ballin, Amy; And Others

Designed for middle school science and social studies classes, this document is a curriculum on waste disposal. Mathematics and language skills also are incorporated into many of the activities. In the study of trash disposal, science students benefit from understanding the social issues related to the problem. Social studies students need…
Perspektiven einer Rezeption neurowissenschaftlicher Erkenntnisse in der Erziehungswissenschaft (Perspectives of an Integration of Neuro-Scientific Findings into Educational Science).

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Becker, Nicole

2002-01-01

Sketches the status quo and possible starting points for the adoption of neuro-scientific findings by educational science. Describes the latest developments in U.S. research. Discusses the adoption of these points by German educational science. Outlines the possibilities and limits of an interdisciplinary discourse. (CAJ)

Report on an interdisciplinary program for allied health.

PubMed

Peloquin, S M; Cavazos, H; Marion, R; Stephenson, K S; Pearrow, D

2007-11-01

A central recommendation from the Pew Health Commission to educators has been to empower future care providers to function effectively as teams. Administrators and faculty members within a school of allied health sciences thus established an interdisciplinary program where students would learn to function as team members and demonstrate competencies required for practice in diverse, demanding, and continually changing health care environments. Students from five disciplines have participated in featured events, mentored activities and capstone projects, earning credit in an interdisciplinary course of study that complements offerings in their home disciplines. This follow-up article reports on the progress and development since 2002 of an interdisciplinary program known as Team IDEAL. Formative evaluation measures used to assess satisfaction with the program are presented alongside a discussion of new directions. Team IDEAL will move forward in a streamlined form that reflects its central aim. IDEAL leadership will remain cognizant of the effects of discipline-specific curricular changes, complex programming, and student perspectives on the process interdisciplinary education.
Doing Interdisciplinary Mixed Methods Health Care Research: Working the Boundaries, Tensions, and Synergistic Potential of Team-Based Research.

PubMed

Hesse-Biber, Sharlene

2016-04-01

Current trends in health care research point to a shift from disciplinary models to interdisciplinary team-based mixed methods inquiry designs. This keynote address discusses the problems and prospects of creating vibrant mixed methods health care interdisciplinary research teams that can harness their potential synergy that holds the promise of addressing complex health care issues. We examine the range of factors and issues these types of research teams need to consider to facilitate efficient interdisciplinary mixed methods team-based research. It is argued that concepts such as disciplinary comfort zones, a lack of attention to team dynamics, and low levels of reflexivity among interdisciplinary team members can inhibit the effectiveness of a research team. This keynote suggests a set of effective strategies to address the issues that emanate from the new field of research inquiry known as team science as well as lessons learned from tapping into research on organizational dynamics. © The Author(s) 2016.
Advancing the Interdisciplinary Collaborative Health Team Model: Applying Democratic Professionalism, Implementation Science, and Therapeutic Alliance to Enact Social Justice Practice.

PubMed

Murphy, Nancy

2015-01-01

This essay reframes the interdisciplinary collaborative health team model by proposing the application of 3 foundational pillars-democratic professionalism, implementation science, and therapeutic alliance to advance this practice. The aim was to address challenges to the model, enhance their functional capacity, and explicate and enact social justice practices to affect individual health outcomes while simultaneously addressing health inequities. The pillars are described and examples from the author's dissertation research illustrate how the pillars were used to bring about action. Related theories, models, and frameworks that have negotiation, capacity building, collaboration, and knowledge/task/power sharing as central concepts are presented under each of the pillars.
Alliance for NanoHealth (ANH) Training Program for the development of future generations of interdisciplinary scientists and collaborative research focused upon the advancement of nanomedicine

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Gorenstein, David

The objectives of this program are to promote the mission of the Department of Energy (DOE) Science, Technology, Engineering, Math (STEM) Program by recruiting students to science and engineering disciplines with the intent of mentoring and supporting the next generation of scientists; to foster interdisciplinary and collaborative research under the sponsorship of ANH for the discovery and design of nano-based materials and devices with novel structures, functions, and properties; and to prepare a diverse work force of scientists, engineers, and clinicians by utilizing the unique intellectual and physical resources to develop novel nanotechnology paradigms for clinical application.
Transdisciplinary and interdisciplinary exchanges between embodied cognition and performance practice: working across disciplines in a climate of divisive knowledge cultures

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bryon, Experience

2017-01-01

Although Embodied Cognition and Performance Practice could be said to have in common that they live in the fields of hermeneutics and epistemology concurrently, and with this are interested in perception, knowledge, experience and agency without privileging any of them or presuming a linear or status relationship among them - there still remains a divisive disciplinary gulf. This paper provides a critical history of the science/humanities divide, exposing prejudices and practices that often impede productive interdisciplinary relationships between Cognitive Science and Performance, and offers suggestions forward towards a more productive middle field allowing for the possibility of new knowledge(s).
Light Vision Color

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Valberg, Arne

2005-04-01

Light Vision Color takes a well-balanced, interdisciplinary approach to our most important sensory system. The book successfully combines basics in vision sciences with recent developments from different areas such as neuroscience, biophysics, sensory psychology and philosophy. Originally published in 1998 this edition has been extensively revised and updated to include new chapters on clinical problems and eye diseases, low vision rehabilitation and the basic molecular biology and genetics of colour vision. Takes a broad interdisciplinary approach combining basics in vision sciences with the most recent developments in the area Includes an extensive list of technical terms and explanations to encourage student understanding Successfully brings together the most important areas of the subject in to one volume
Planning Bepicolombo MPO Science Operations to study Mercury Interior

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

De La Fuente, Sara; Carasa, Angela; Ortiz, Iñaki; Rodriguez, Pedro; Casale, Mauro; Benkhoff, Johannes; Zender, Joe

2017-04-01

BepiColombo is an Interdisciplinary Cornerstone ESA-JAXA Mission to Mercury, with two orbiters, the ESA Mercury Planetary Orbiter (MPO) and the JAXA Mercury Magnetospheric Orbiter (MMO) dedicated to study of the planet and its magnetosphere. The MPO, is a three-axis-stabilized, nadir-pointing spacecraft which will be placed in a polar orbit, providing excellent spatial resolution over the entire planet surface. The MPO's scientific payload comprises 11 instrument packages, including laser altimeter, cameras and the radio science experiment that will be dedicated to the study of Mercury's interior: structure, composition, formation and evolution. The planning of the science operations to be carried out by the Mercury's interior scientific instruments will be done by the SGS located at the European Space Astronomy Centre (ESAC), in conjunction with the scientific instrument teams. The process will always consider the complete nominal mission duration, such that the contribution of the scheduled science operations to the science objectives, the total data volume generated, and the seasonal interdependency, can be tracked. The heart of the science operations planning process is the Observations Catalogue (OC), a web-accessed database to collect and analyse all science operations requests. From the OC, the SGS will first determine all science opportunity windows compatible with the spacecraft operational constraints. Secondly, only those compatible with the resources (power and data volume) and pointing constraints will be chosen, including slew feasibility.
Superhydrophobic Materials for Biomedical Applications

PubMed Central

Colson, Yolonda L.; Grinstaff, Mark W.

2016-01-01

Superhydrophobic surfaces are actively studied across a wide range of applications and industries, and are now finding increased use in the biomedical arena as substrates to control protein adsorption, cellular interaction, and bacterial growth, as well as platforms for drug delivery devices and for diagnostic tools. The commonality in the design of these materials is to create a stable or metastable air state at the material surface, which lends itself to a number of unique properties. These activities are catalyzing the development of new materials, applications, and fabrication techniques, as well as collaborations across material science, chemistry, engineering, and medicine given the interdisciplinary nature of this work. The review begins with a discussion of superhydrophobicity, and then explores biomedical applications that are utilizing superhydrophobicity in depth including material selection characteristics, in vitro performance, and in vivo performance. General trends are offered for each application in addition to discussion of conflicting data in the literature, and the review concludes with the authors’ future perspectives on the utility of superhydrophobic surfaces for biomedical applications. PMID:27449946
Gender and Disciplinary Differences in Experiences with Interdisciplinary Collaboration

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Borrego, Maura; Creamer, Elizabeth G.

This work directly compares three explanations for differences in experiences of interdisciplinary research collaborators using a sample of 347 academics from 144 different research intensive and extensive universities in the United States who were awarded funding from the same directorate of the National Science Foundation. The findings provide a much more positive view of interdisciplinary collaboration than is routinely found in the literature. Despite varied disciplinary backgrounds, members of the sample are extremely satisfied with their experiences with interdisciplinary collaboration and have much more in common than they differ in their attitudes and experiences, including how they meet collaborators, the difficulties they have encountered, their approach to the division of labor, and their interest in collaboration as a venue for learning. Findings dispute the stereotype that the relational element of collaboration is significantly more salient for women than it is for men.
Mentoring interdisciplinary research teams for the study of sex and gender differences in health and disease.

PubMed

Miller, Virginia M; Bahn, Rebecca S

2013-09-01

Initiatives to hasten the translation of basic science discoveries to clinical care have necessitated the development of new approaches to interdisciplinary collaboration and training of future investigators. This has been nowhere more important than in the study of sex differences with implications for extension into areas of gender medicine. Clearly, gaining better understanding of the role that sex and gender play in health and disease is essential to the implementation of truly individualized medicine. This case report will describe our experiences in developing the Mayo Clinic Building Interdisciplinary Research Programs in Women's Health (BIRCWH) program, an interdisciplinary research and training program in women's health and sex and gender differences. We identify both our successes and the barriers we have encountered in order that others who are developing similar programs might benefit from our experiences.
Knowledge and attitude toward interdisciplinary team working among obstetricians and gynecologists in teaching hospitals in South East Nigeria.

PubMed

Iyoke, Chukwuemeka Anthony; Lawani, Lucky Osaheni; Ugwu, George Onyemaechi; Ajah, Leonard Ogbonna; Ezugwu, Euzebus Chinonye; Onah, Paul; Onwuka, Chidinma Ifechi

2015-01-01

Interdisciplinary team working could facilitate the efficient provision and coordination of increasingly diverse health services, thereby improving the quality of patient care. The purpose of this study was to describe knowledge of interdisciplinary team working among obstetricians and gynecologists in two teaching hospitals in South East Nigeria and to determine their attitude toward an interdisciplinary collaborative approach to patient care in these institutions. This was a questionnaire-based cross-sectional study. Data analysis involved descriptive statistics and was carried out using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences software version 17.0 for Windows. In total, 116 doctors participated in the study. The mean age of the respondents was 31.9±7.0 (range 22-51) years. Approximately 74% of respondents were aware of the concept of interdisciplinary team working. Approximately 15% of respondents who were aware of the concept of interdisciplinary team working had very good knowledge of it; 52% had good knowledge and 33% had poor knowledge. Twenty-nine percent of knowledgeable respondents reported ever receiving formal teaching/training on interdisciplinary team working in the course of their professional development. About 78% of those aware of team working believed that interdisciplinary teams would be useful in obstetrics and gynecology practice in Nigeria, with 89% stating that it would be very useful. Approximately 77% of those aware of team working would support establishment and implementation of interdisciplinary teams at their centers. There was a high degree of knowledge of the concept and a positive attitude toward interdisciplinary team working among obstetricians and gynecologists in the study centers. This suggests that the attitude of physicians may not be an impediment to implementation of a collaborative interdisciplinary approach to clinical care in the study centers.
Knowledge and attitude toward interdisciplinary team working among obstetricians and gynecologists in teaching hospitals in South East Nigeria

PubMed Central

Iyoke, Chukwuemeka Anthony; Lawani, Lucky Osaheni; Ugwu, George Onyemaechi; Ajah, Leonard Ogbonna; Ezugwu, Euzebus Chinonye; Onah, Paul; Onwuka, Chidinma Ifechi

2015-01-01

Background Interdisciplinary team working could facilitate the efficient provision and coordination of increasingly diverse health services, thereby improving the quality of patient care. The purpose of this study was to describe knowledge of interdisciplinary team working among obstetricians and gynecologists in two teaching hospitals in South East Nigeria and to determine their attitude toward an interdisciplinary collaborative approach to patient care in these institutions. Methods This was a questionnaire-based cross-sectional study. Data analysis involved descriptive statistics and was carried out using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences software version 17.0 for Windows. Results In total, 116 doctors participated in the study. The mean age of the respondents was 31.9±7.0 (range 22–51) years. Approximately 74% of respondents were aware of the concept of interdisciplinary team working. Approximately 15% of respondents who were aware of the concept of interdisciplinary team working had very good knowledge of it; 52% had good knowledge and 33% had poor knowledge. Twenty-nine percent of knowledgeable respondents reported ever receiving formal teaching/training on interdisciplinary team working in the course of their professional development. About 78% of those aware of team working believed that interdisciplinary teams would be useful in obstetrics and gynecology practice in Nigeria, with 89% stating that it would be very useful. Approximately 77% of those aware of team working would support establishment and implementation of interdisciplinary teams at their centers. Conclusion There was a high degree of knowledge of the concept and a positive attitude toward interdisciplinary team working among obstetricians and gynecologists in the study centers. This suggests that the attitude of physicians may not be an impediment to implementation of a collaborative interdisciplinary approach to clinical care in the study centers. PMID:26064058
Benefits of applying low-temperature plasma treatment to wound care and hemostasis from the viewpoints of physics and pathology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shimizu, Tetsuji; Ikehara, Yuzuru

2017-12-01

Over the last decade, low-temperature plasma (LTP) technology has reached the life sciences and introduced the benefits of using such technology at atmospheric pressure for medical applications. The active elements from LTP, such as reactive molecular species, charged particles and photons, appear to react with biomolecules on wounds and at bleeding points. This action by LTP might be analogous with semiconductor fabrication techniques such as etching and surface modification. From this perspective, we discuss the general aspects and principles of LTP devices used at atmospheric pressure in wound care and hemostasis as an interdisciplinary fusion of applied physics and pathology.
Are Sleepy Students Learning?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Willingham, Daniel T.

2013-01-01

Cognitive science is an interdisciplinary field of researchers from psychology, neuroscience, linguistics, philosophy, computer science, and anthropology who seek to understand the mind. This paper considers findings from this field that are strong and clear enough to merit classroom application. Although many teachers and parents worry that high…
Poetic inquiry as a research and engagement method in natural resource science

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Complex and “wicked” natural resource issues often require interdisciplinary or transdisciplinary research approaches—that is, methods that span boundaries among physical, natural and social sciences, and, increasingly, the humanities, and that engage multiple sectors of society in the research proc...
Intentionality and Wisdom in Language, Information, and Technology

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lin, Lin; Ross, Haj; O'Connor, Brian; Spector, J. Michael

2015-01-01

An interdisciplinary approach from linguistics, information sciences, learning sciences, and educational technology is used to explore the concept of information. Several key issues are highlighted, including: (1) learning language through meaning or probability; (2) the situational difference between message and meaning; (3) relationship between…
Infusing Quantitative Approaches throughout the Biological Sciences Curriculum

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Thompson, Katerina V.; Cooke, Todd J.; Fagan, William F.; Gulick, Denny; Levy, Doron; Nelson, Kären C.; Redish, Edward F.; Smith, Robert F.; Presson, Joelle

2013-01-01

A major curriculum redesign effort at the University of Maryland is infusing all levels of our undergraduate biological sciences curriculum with increased emphasis on interdisciplinary connections and quantitative approaches. The curriculum development efforts have largely been guided by recommendations in the National Research Council's "Bio…
Rock on!

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Clary, Renee; Wandersee, James

2012-01-01

Gravel is a component of parking lots, highway shoulders, garden pathways, and filtration systems. Few people bother to scientifically examine gravel and determine its origin, but gravel can be an effective, inexpensive, and abundant resource for science classrooms. It can serve as a portal for several interdisciplinary science activities and…
Becoming Responsible Learners: Community Matters

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wiersema, Janice A.; Licklider, Barbara L.; Ebbers, Larry

2013-01-01

Students at Iowa State University had the opportunity to enroll in a two-year National Science Foundation (NFS) Scholarship for Service (SFS) leadership development program, in addition to their work within their majors. This interdisciplinary program included faculty and students in computer engineering, computer science, mathematics, political…
Semiconductors: A 21st Century Social Studies Topic.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sunal, Cynthia

2000-01-01

Addresses the reasons for exploring semiconductor technology and organic semiconductors in schools for either middle school or secondary students in an interdisciplinary social studies and science environment. Provides background information on transistors and semiconductors. Offers three social studies lessons and related science lessons if an…

Earth Science Syllabus, 1970 Edition.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

New York State Education Dept., Albany. Bureau of Secondary Curriculum Development.

This syllabus outlines a year earth science program designed to be activity oriented, investigatory in approach, and interdisciplinary in content. Each topic section contains a topic abstract and topic outline, major understandings, and information to teachers. The topic abstract lists behavioral objectives and general information about the topic…
Exploring the Intersections of Science and History Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hughes, Catherine; Cosbey, Allison

2016-01-01

How can history museums incorporate Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) activities while preserving their missions and identities? How do interdisciplinary experiences lead to learning? A cross-institutional exhibit development and evaluation team wrestled with these ideas as they developed "Create.Connect," an National…
Recommendations for the role of social science research in One Health.

PubMed

Lapinski, Maria Knight; Funk, Julie A; Moccia, Lauren T

2015-03-01

The social environment has changed rapidly as technology has facilitated communication among individuals and groups in ways not imagined 20 years ago. Communication technology increasingly plays a role in decision-making about health and environmental behaviors and is being leveraged to influence that process. But at its root is the fundamental need to understand human cognition, communication, and behavior. The concept of 'One Health' has emerged as a framework for interdisciplinary work that cuts across human, animal, and ecosystem health in recognition of their interdependence and the value of an integrated perspective. Yet, the science of communication, information studies, social psychology, and other social sciences have remained marginalized in this emergence. Based on an interdisciplinary collaboration, this paper reports on a nascent conceptual framework for the role of social science in 'One Health' issues and identifies a series of recommendations for research directions that bear additional scrutiny and development. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Collective intelligence for translational medicine: Crowdsourcing insights and innovation from an interdisciplinary biomedical research community.

PubMed

Budge, Eleanor Jane; Tsoti, Sandra Maria; Howgate, Daniel James; Sivakumar, Shivan; Jalali, Morteza

2015-01-01

Translational medicine bridges the gap between discoveries in biomedical science and their safe and effective clinical application. Despite the gross opportunity afforded by modern research for unparalleled advances in this field, the process of translation remains protracted. Efforts to expedite science translation have included the facilitation of interdisciplinary collaboration within both academic and clinical environments in order to generate integrated working platforms fuelling the sharing of knowledge, expertise, and tools to align biomedical research with clinical need. However, barriers to scientific translation remain, and further progress is urgently required. Collective intelligence and crowdsourcing applications offer the potential for global online networks, allowing connection and collaboration between a wide variety of fields. This would drive the alignment of biomedical science with biotechnology, clinical need, and patient experience, in order to deliver evidence-based innovation which can revolutionize medical care worldwide. Here we discuss the critical steps towards implementing collective intelligence in translational medicine using the experience of those in other fields of science and public health.
ECHO Data Partners Join Forces to Federate Access to Resources

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kendall, J.; Macie, M.

2003-12-01

During the past year the NASA's Earth Science Data and Information System (ESDIS) project has been collaborating with various Earth science data and client providers to design and implement the EOS Clearinghouse (ECHO). ECHO is an open, interoperable metadata clearinghouse and order broker system. ECHO functions as a repository of information intended to streamline access to digital data and services provided by NASA's Earth Science Enterprise and the extended Earth science community. In a unique partnership, ECHO data providers are working to extend their services in the digital era, to reflect current trends in scientific and educational communications. The multi-organization, inter-disciplinary content of ECHO provides a valuable new service to a growing number of Earth science applications and interdisciplinary research efforts. As such, ECHO is expected to attract a wide audience. In this poster, we highlight the contributions of current ECHO data partners and provide information for prospective data partners on how the project supports the incorporation of new collections and effective long-term asset management that is directly under the control of the organizations who contribute resources to ECHO.
Infrastructure for collaborative science and societal applications in the Columbia River estuary

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Baptista, António M.; Seaton, Charles; Wilkin, Michael P.; Riseman, Sarah F.; Needoba, Joseph A.; Maier, David; Turner, Paul J.; Kärnä, Tuomas; Lopez, Jesse E.; Herfort, Lydie; Megler, V. M.; McNeil, Craig; Crump, Byron C.; Peterson, Tawnya D.; Spitz, Yvette H.; Simon, Holly M.

2015-12-01

To meet societal needs, modern estuarine science needs to be interdisciplinary and collaborative, combine discovery with hypotheses testing, and be responsive to issues facing both regional and global stakeholders. Such an approach is best conducted with the benefit of data-rich environments, where information from sensors and models is openly accessible within convenient timeframes. Here, we introduce the operational infrastructure of one such data-rich environment, a collaboratory created to support (a) interdisciplinary research in the Columbia River estuary by the multi-institutional team of investigators of the Science and Technology Center for Coastal Margin Observation & Prediction and (b) the integration of scientific knowledge into regional decision making. Core components of the operational infrastructure are an observation network, a modeling system and a cyber-infrastructure, each of which is described. The observation network is anchored on an extensive array of long-term stations, many of them interdisciplinary, and is complemented by on-demand deployment of temporary stations and mobile platforms, often in coordinated field campaigns. The modeling system is based on finiteelement unstructured-grid codes and includes operational and process-oriented simulations of circulation, sediments and ecosystem processes. The flow of information is managed through a dedicated cyber-infrastructure, conversant with regional and national observing systems.
Nanoparticle-based biologic mimetics

PubMed Central

Cliffel, David E.; Turner, Brian N.; Huffman, Brian J.

2009-01-01

Centered on solid chemistry foundations, biology and materials science have reached a crossroad where bottom-up designs of new biologically important nanomaterials are a reality. The topics discussed here present the interdisciplinary field of creating biological mimics. Specifically, this discussion focuses on mimics that are developed using various types of metal nanoparticles (particularly gold) through facile synthetic methods. These methods conjugate biologically relevant molecules, e.g., small molecules, peptides, proteins, and carbohydrates, in conformationally favorable orientations on the particle surface. These new products provide stable, safe, and effective substitutes for working with potentially hazardous biologicals for applications such as drug targeting, immunological studies, biosensor development, and biocatalysis. Many standard bioanalytical techniques can be used to characterize and validate the efficacy of these new materials, including quartz crystal microbalance (QCM), surface plasmon resonance (SPR), and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Metal nanoparticle–based biomimetics continue to be developed as potential replacements for the native biomolecule in applications of immunoassays and catalysis. PMID:20049778
Mechatronical systems and experimental methods for investigations on tribology of electrical contacts

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Franek, Friedrich; Neuhaus, Alexander; Reichart, Martin; Schrank, Clemens

2008-08-01

The investigation of electrical low power switching contacts, including dry-circuit, is characterized as a highly interdisciplinary research field. The knowledge of plasma physics, the influence of kinetics on contact phenomena, material science and metallurgy, as well as thermal aspects and tribology, is demanded. The methods usually used at the Austrian Center of Competence for Tribology are e.g. defined contact make and break along two-independent axis using model switches, high-resolution measurement of displacement and electrical values, including the detection of arcs, contact force measurement in the kHz and cN range (one-axis and two-axis systems), on-line optical investigations (especially time lapse movie systems), state of the art 3D surface topography measurement of eroded contact surfaces, and (electron-) microscopical evaluation of metallographic cross sections. Some aspects of this methodology are presented in this paper.
A review of nanostructured surfaces and materials for dental implants: surface coating, patterning and functionalization for improved performance.

PubMed

Rasouli, Rahimeh; Barhoum, Ahmed; Uludag, Hasan

2018-05-10

The emerging field of nanostructured implants has enormous scope in the areas of medical science and dental implants. Surface nanofeatures provide significant potential solutions to medical problems by the introduction of better biomaterials, improved implant design, and surface engineering techniques such as coating, patterning, functionalization and molecular grafting at the nanoscale. This review is of an interdisciplinary nature, addressing the history and development of dental implants and the emerging area of nanotechnology in dental implants. After a brief introduction to nanotechnology in dental implants and the main classes of dental implants, an overview of different types of nanomaterials (i.e. metals, metal oxides, ceramics, polymers and hydrides) used in dental implant together with their unique properties, the influence of elemental compositions, and surface morphologies and possible applications are presented from a chemical point of view. In the core of this review, the dental implant materials, physical and chemical fabrication techniques and the role of nanotechnology in achieving ideal dental implants have been discussed. Finally, the critical parameters in dental implant design and available data on the current dental implant surfaces that use nanotopography in clinical dentistry have been discussed.
USSR Report, Science and Technology Policy.

DTIC Science & Technology

1987-05-22

aspect of scientific communication. It is well known that the history of science abounds in debates which are connected with factual, theoretical, and...community on the given question. The study of the forms of debate in the history of science clearly demonstrates the nature of the scientific community as...interdisciplinary research in the history of science . The plan of the State Commission for the Electrification of Russia, which was drafted in 1920 on
Princeton University Materials Academy for underrepresented students

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Steinberg, Daniel; Rodriguez Martinez, Sara; Cody, Linda

Summer 2016 gave underrepresented high school students from Trenton New Jersey the opportunity to learn materials science, sustainability and the physics and chemistry of energy storage from Princeton University professors. New efforts to place this curriculum online so that teachers across the United States can teach materials science as a tool to teach ``real'' interdisciplinary science and meet the new Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS). The Princeton University Materials Academy (PUMA) is an education outreach program for underrepresented high school students. It is part of the Princeton Center for Complex Materials (PCCM), a National Science Foundation (NSF) funded Materials Research Engineering and Science Center (MRSEC). PUMA has been serving the community of Trenton New Jersey which is only eight miles from the Princeton University campus. We reached over 250 students from 2003-2016 with many students repeating for multiple years. 100% of our PUMA students have graduated high school and 98% have gone on for college. This is compared with overall Trenton district graduation rate of 48% and a free and reduced lunch of 83%. We discuss initiatives to share the curriculum online to enhance the reach of PCCM' PUMA and to help teachers use materials science to meet NGSS and give their students opportunities to learn interdisciplinary science. MRSEC, NSF (DMR-1420541).
Science in action: An interdisciplinary science education program

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Horton, Linda L.

1992-01-01

Science in Action is an education outreach program for pre-collegiate students. It is based on the concept that, in order to interest students in science, they must see science and scientists at work. The program encompasses the full range of scientific disciplines - the core sciences, engineering, and mathematics. A unique aspect of the program is the involvement and support of scientists and engineers representing local professional societies, industries, business, and academic institutions. An outline of the program is given.
Lived experiences of self-reported science-anxious students taking an interdisciplinary undergraduate science course

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Minger, Mark Austin

Having fears and frustrations while studying science topics can lead to science anxiety for some individuals. For those who experience science learning anxiety, the reality is often poor performance, lowered self-esteem, anger, and avoidance of further science courses. Using an interpretive approach, this study captures the experiences of five self-reported science anxious students as they participate in an interdisciplinary science course at the University of Minnesota. A series of three in-depth interviews were conducted with five students who were enrolled in the "Our Changing Planet" course offered at the University of Minnesota. The interviews were transcribed verbatim, coded, and analyzed thematically. Four major themes emerged from the interviews. Two of the themes involve the realities of being a science anxious student. These focus on participants' experiences of feeling frustrated, anxious and incompetent when studying both math and science; and the experiences of trying to learn science content that does not seem relevant to them. The last two themes highlight the participants' perceptions of their experiences during the "Our Changing Planet" course, including how the course seemed different from previous science courses as well as their learning experiences in cooperative groups. After presenting the themes, with supporting quotations, each theme is linked to the related literature. The essence of the participants' science anxiety experiences is presented and practical implications regarding science anxious students are discussed. Finally, insights gained and suggestions for further research are provided.
LEARNERS: Interdisciplinary Learning Technology Projects Provide Visualizations and Simulations for Use of Geospatial Data in the Classroom

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Farrell, N.; Hoban, S.

2001-05-01

The NASA Leading Educators to Applications, Research and NASA-related Educational Resources in Science (LEARNERS) initiative supports seven projects for enhancing kindergarten-to-high school science, geography, technology and mathematics education through Internet-based products derived from content on NASA's mission. Topics incorporated in LEARNERS projects include remote sensing of the Earth for agriculture and weather/climate studies, virtual exploration of remote worlds using robotics and digital imagery. Learners are engaged in inquiry or problem-based learning, often assuming the role of an expert scientist as part of an interdisciplinary science team, to study and explain practical problems using real-time NASA data. The presentation/poster will demonstrate novel uses of remote sensing data for K-12 and Post-Secondary students. This will include the use of visualizations, tools for educators, datasets, and classroom scenarios.
Facilitating Collaboration across Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics (STEM) Fields in Program Development

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ejiwale, James A.

2014-01-01

Collaboration plays a major role in interdisciplinary activities among Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics (STEM) disciplines or fields. It also affects the relationships among cluster members on the management team. Although effective collaboration does not guarantee success among STEM disciplines, its absence usually assures…
Favorite Demonstrations: Simple "Jack-in-the-Box" Demonstrations for Physical Science Courses.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cole, Theodor C. H.

1993-01-01

The demonstrations presented in this article relate to everyday life, address interdisciplinary aspects, and have implications for the life sciences. Topics of the demonstrations are electricity calculations, astronomy, electrolysis of water, ester synthesis from butyric acid and pentanol, catalysis, and minerals. (PR)
Evaluating the Science of Discovery in Complex Health Systems

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Norman, Cameron D.; Best, Allan; Mortimer, Sharon; Huerta, Timothy; Buchan, Alison

2011-01-01

Complex health problems such as chronic disease or pandemics require knowledge that transcends disciplinary boundaries to generate solutions. Such transdisciplinary discovery requires researchers to work and collaborate across boundaries, combining elements of basic and applied science. At the same time, calls for more interdisciplinary health…
NUCLEAR SCIENCE, AN INTRODUCTORY COURSE.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

SULCOSKI, JOHN W.

THIS CURRICULUM GUIDE DESCRIBES A TWELFTH-GRADE INTERDISCIPLINARY, INTRODUCTORY NUCLEAR SCIENCE COURSE. IT IS BELIEVED TO FILL THE NEED FOR AN ADVANCED COURSE THAT IS TIMELY, CHALLENGING, AND APPROPRIATE AS A SEQUENTIAL ADDITION TO THE BIOLOGY-CHEMISTRY-PHYSICS SEQUENCE. PRELIMINARY INFORMATION COVERS SUCH MATTERS AS (1) RADIOISOTOPE WORK AREAS,…
Food Enzymes

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McBroom, Rachel; Oliver-Hoyo, Maria T.

2007-01-01

Many students view biology and chemistry as two unrelated, separate sciences; how these courses are generally taught in high schools may do little to change that impression. The study of enzymes provide a great opportunity for both biology and chemistry teachers to share with students the interdisciplinary nature of science. This article describes…
Science Fiction and General Semantics as Interdisciplinary/Cross-Cultural Teaching Aids.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Drake, Harold L.

General semantics and science fiction are disciplines that can be incorporated in lectures for public speaking and other speech communication classes. Alfred Korzybski's theories of general semantics lend themselves to researching, preparing, delivering interpersonal communication messages, and establishing student interest in foreign languages,…

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