Phys.org June 2, 2022 Interdisciplinary scholarship and education remain elusive at modern universities, despite efforts at both the individual and institutional levels. A team of researchers in the US (Cornell University, University of Wisconsin) has identified the main motivations that bring different disciplines together in joint research and some of the obstacles to that coming together. According to them instead of rallying around a specific mission, collaborating among disciplines effectively is much more about how to approach problems, finding a common way of interacting. Through unstructured workshops they found the choice of participants (who participates?), aspects of time (when do […]
Tag Archives: Collaborative science
Are conferences worth time and money?
Phys.org March 14, 2022 A team researchers in the US (Northwestern University, industry) developed a new mathematical model to understand and predict how scientists form collaborations at both in-person and virtual conferences. They validated the model with extensive data. The results suggest that the way organizers design conferences can have a direct effect on which scientific collaborations are formed and, by extension, on the direction of scientific inquiry. The patterns of interaction during conferences can be used to predict who will subsequently form a new collaboration, even when interaction is prescribed rather than freely chosen. After applying its mathematical model […]
Coaching scientists to play well together
Science Daily July 18, 2019 When scientists from different disciplines collaborate — as is increasingly necessary to confront the complexity of challenging research problems — interpersonal tussles often arise. A free online training tool developed by researchers at Northwestern University called teamscience.net has proven to develop skills to work with other scientists outside their own discipline. Scientists who completed the program’s modules — called COALESCE — significantly boosted their knowledge about team science and increased their self-confidence about being able to successfully work in scientific teams…read more.