“doing” inter-disciplinary
science
Chakradhar Iyyunni, Ph.D.
Professor, Research & Development
2 Spot Check
Develop confidence (skills and methods) for solving any problem with
anyone.
Is your Ph.D. supersized [Link] thesis?
3 What is the goal of science today?
Universal laws
Insights from diversity (Stephan Jay Gould)
Malcolm Gladwell
Ted Talk
“Spaghetti Sauce”
4 Definition
‘parallel but independent lines of research in two
disciplines are brought together to highlight
similarities, bring a cross-disciplinary discourse that
would benefit both’
(Wilkinson et al., 1996)
5 What?
Any context ?
(Exercise)
6
In Nursing practice …
multidisciplinary work is
‘a cooperative enterprise in which traditional forms
and divisions of professional knowledge are
retained’
interdisciplinary work is
‘implies a willingness to share and indeed give up
exclusive claims to specialised knowledge and
authority, if the needs of clients can be met more
effectively by other professional groups’
(Barr, 1997: p. 1005).
7 Norbert Weiner
Father of Cybernetics
Wiener’s interest in interdisciplinary science,
advocating for research between mathematics
and other disciplines including physiology,
biology, electrical engineering, and physics
resulted in his collaboration with scientists in
many fields.
He coined the word “cybernetics” in the 1940s
to cover his developing ideas related to
feedback control systems and communication
systems.
8 Norbert Weiner
In 1933 Wiener became acquainted with Arturo
Rosenblueth, a Mexican physiologist who was leading a
series of interdisciplinary seminars at the Harvard
Medical School. It appears that this interaction was the
intellectual beginning of what would become the
publication Cybernetics (1948).
In the mid-1940s Wiener began to focus on
neurophysiology. He advocated an interdisciplinary
approach in which physicists, electrical engineers, and
biologists could combine forces.
He and John von Neumann started the Macy
Conferences on “Circular Causal and Feedback
Mechanisms in Biological and Social Systems.”
9 What’s new?
Historically in the 20th century
Biology is the biggest benefactor of inter-
disciplinary research.
Information Theory, Computer Science
latest fad.
Cognitive Neuroscience (decision sciences – 3
nobel prizes in the last 15years)
10
Advent of “nonlinear dynamics”
Marty Golubitsky on Gait
11 Engineering Science
Electromagnetic control of Structures (Liviu
Librescu; A. C. Eringen)
12
Ronald H. W. Hoppe
The Finite Element Immersed Boundary Method for
the Numerical Simulation of the Motion of Red Blood
Cells in Microfluidic Flows
Modeling, Simulation and Optimization of
Electrorheological Fluids
Transport at Interfaces in Lipid Membranes and
Enantiomer Separation, October 2018
Elasto-plasticity model in structural optimization of
composite materials with periodic microstructures
13 More examples
Biomimetics has been an inspiration for all
science (from Newton’s apple …)
Advent of “Biomedical Engineering”
(Bioengineering)
14 Inter-disciplinary Science
Space Medicine, Sports Medicine
Epilepsy and disorders of the brain
Climate Change
Plants and agriculture research
Health & Medicine
Sleep.
Hearing, Sight/Color/Imaging, Touch/
tactile, Smell/ olefactory
Ageing
Genomics, Bioinformatics
15 Inter-disciplinarity in Engineering
Mechatronics
Optoelectronics
Classical examples
RF devices with novel materials
Magneto-rheological dampers
16 Disclaimer / Caution
Common language; new conceptual framework
Creating models (Scott Page)
Need “mathematical thinking”
Asking “apparently foolish questions”
Okay with not being an expert!
Need to have high ‘social network capital’
Challenges to collaboration and shared decision-
making
17 Norbert Weiner
Father of Cybernetics
Simple suggestion:
You should know enough of the other’s subject to ask questions!
18 Why?
(curiosity)
Nature of Complexity
primarily, explain new phenomena; develop
new science
19 How?
Methods from either field; mostly new methods, algorithms
20 Who? Where? When?
You!
Here!!
Now!!!
21
Case Study
22
Dan Ariely
Long term effect of short term emotions
Harvard Business Review, 2010.
23
Reflection
Spot Check
24
Develop confidence (skills and methods) for solving any problem with anyone
Tips:
What is available data, what are assumptions, what is known and what do you want
to find out?
Asking research questions
Start doing small problems. Create different problems – try ? Start challenging yourself
and look for known, stated challenges ! (your Ph.D. must have impact)
Be multi-dimensional (you should be able to discuss beyond your specific problem)
10,000 hour rule.
Read 10 books in your area of specialization.
Have conversations about research
Create at least 2 courses in your specialization.
Emotional resilience (reframe questions; don’t blame yourself)
25 Approach
Structure-Function relationships
Systems view
Time-series analysis
Characterization
26 Inspiration
Historical
J.C. Bose
Sonya Kowaleski (celestial mechanics)
Education
Dr. Ravi Prakash (IIT-BHU)
Dr. Liviu Librescu, Dr. Daniel Schneck (Virginia Tech)
Dr. Isaak Kunin (Univ of Houston)
Dr. Golubitsky, Dr. M. Fields, Dr. Ronald Hoppe (Univ of Houston)
27
‘It is not because things are difficult that we dare
not to venture ... It is because we dare not to
venture that things seem difficult ...’
(Ovidio, 43 BC – 17 AD).
28 Looking forward to our Conversations
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