Convergence: Facilitating Transdisciplinary Integration of Life Sciences, Physical Sciences, Engineering, and Beyond
English
By (author): Board on Life Sciences Committee on Key Challenge Areas for Convergence and Health Division on Earth and Life Studies National Research Council
Convergence of the life sciences with fields including physical, chemical, mathematical, computational, engineering, and social sciences is a key strategy to tackle complex challenges and achieve new and innovative solutions. However, institutions face a lack of guidance on how to establish effective programs, what challenges they are likely to encounter, and what strategies other organizations have used to address the issues that arise. This advice is needed to harness the excitement generated by the concept of convergence and channel it into the policies, structures, and networks that will enable it to realize its goals.
Convergence investigates examples of organizations that have established mechanisms to support convergent research. This report discusses details of current programs, how organizations have chosen to measure success, and what has worked and not worked in varied settings. The report summarizes the lessons learned and provides organizations with strategies to tackle practical needs and implementation challenges in areas such as infrastructure, student education and training, faculty advancement, and inter-institutional partnerships.
Table of Contents- Front Matter
- Summary
- 1 Introduction
- 2 Convergence in Action
- 3 Convergence Is Informed by Research Areas with Broad Scope
- 4 Fostering Convergence in Organizations: Challenges and Strategies
- 5 Advancing Knowledge and Solving Complex Problems Through Convergence: Conclusions and Recommendations
- References
- Appendix A: Committee Member Biographies
- Appendix B: Workshop on Key Challenges in the Implementation of Convergence: Agenda and Participants