Charting a Course Toward Interdisciplinary Collaborations

Charting a Course Toward Interdisciplinary

Collaborations

A Story of Successes, Failures, and lots of Fun

Prof. Jason Miller, Ph.D.Associate Professor of Mathematics

Truman State Universitymillerj@truman.edu

The Challenge

• coming together to form interdisciplinary collaborations

The Challenge

• influence curriculum in this direction

The Challenge

• influence curriculum in this direction

• results in students understanding the interrelatedness of the STEM fields

Acronyms

• UR = Undergraduate Research

Acronyms

• STEM = Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics

Acronyms

• STEP = STEM Talent Expansion Program (NSF)

Acronyms

• STEP = STEM Talent Expansion Program (NSF)

• UBM = Interdisciplinary Training for Undergraduates in Biology and Mathematics (NSF)

Truman & Interdisciplinary Activity

Truman is in rural Kirskville, Missouri

• Missouri’s only “highly selective” public liberal arts University

• ~6000 undergrads, ~325 faculty, 150 Masters students

• Institutional commitment to Undergraduate Research and to Interdisciplinary work

Truman & Interdisciplinary Activity• Truman has a strong institutional

commitment to interdisciplinary work and undergraduate research

• all students take a Junior Interdisciplinary Seminar course

• Truman views undergraduate research as a teaching tool; encourages faculty & students (grants, annual campus-wide conference)

• Two Truman programs -

The Next STEP program (STEM Talent Expansion)

Mathematical Biology program

• both grow out of Truman’s experience with undergraduate research and interdisciplinary work

Talk’s Focus

• Why should we want to move our work in an interdisciplinary direction? What motivation is there?

Talk’s Focus

• What does “interdisciplinary” mean?

Talk’s Focus

• What does “interdisciplinary” mean?

• What are some ways we can go about doing interdisciplinary work?

Tuskegee’s Work

Tuskegee’s WorkTuskegee University is already doing some noteworthy and important things in this direction

Tuskegee’s Work

• the CReATE program - very successful talent expansion effort

Tuskegee University is already doing some noteworthy and important things in this direction

Tuskegee’s Work

• Student Academic Partners

Tuskegee’s Work

• Aerospace Science & Psychology partnership

Tuskegee’s Work

• Aerospace Science & Psychology partnership

You should take great pride in these and other accomplishments!!

Why move toward interdisciplinary work?

Motivation for Interdisciplinarity?

• external partners

places that hire our students, graduate training programs

• ourselves

searching for new challenges

• ourselves

searching for new challenges

• our students

give ‘em a competitive advantage, grow our programs

Professional Societies

If we don’t do this...?

• pure “disciplinarians” will always be necessary

• but....

external funding (federal and industrial)

• but....

student recruitment and retention to STEM

• but....

student recruitment and retention to STEM

our connection to interesting questions

• forces of interdisciplinary inquiry are changing the nature of our disciplines...

• Example: the New Biology

• Example: the Experimental Mathematics

At some level, we will all be asked to adapt to the changing nature of our disciplines.

What does it mean to be “interdisciplinary”?

Non-Example

• Mathematics and Physics have an historical relationship

Non-Example

• At Truman: the Math Major requires students to take a course in physics (or chemistry)

Non-Example

• Only an Add-on course!

Non-Example

• Students are left to make the connection between the disciplines

Non-Example

• Students are left to make the connection between the disciplines

When we talk about an interdisciplinary interaction, we expect more!

What is Interdisciplinarity?

• is NOT the “add-on” course for a major

• involves more than one discipline

Biology

Chemistry

Biology

Chemistry

ComputerScience

Biology

Chemistry

MathematicsComputer

Science

Biology

Chemistry Physics

MathematicsComputer

Science

Biology

Chemistry Physics

MathematicsComputer

Science

Epistemology

• Disciplines can be distinguished from one another by their epistemology

Epistemology

• Example: Biology

scientific method, questions about life

Epistemology

• Example: Biology

scientific method, questions about life

• Example: Mathematics

deductive method, questions about pattern, proof

Epistemology

• Doing interdisciplinary work - need to be sensitive to discipline epistemology at the outset

Epistemology

• abstract process:

Epistemology

1. identify a question of interest to two (or more) disciplines

Epistemology

2. apply each discipline’s approach to the question

Epistemology

2. apply each discipline’s approach to the question

3. synthesize/reconcile results

How to “do” interdisciplinary work?

Examples Here

• your Aerospace + Psychology collaboration

Examples Here

• the Biochemistry efforts

Examples Here

• the “Mathematics, Computers, and Biosciences” course

Examples Here

• the CReATE program

Examples Here

• the CReATE program

All these put Tuskegee University on the interdisicplinary map!

Case Study #1

• Truman’s STEP program - 10 week Summer UR program

Case Study #1

• for students “on the fence” about STEM

Case Study #1

• all STEM disciplines at Truman represented

~20 students

~15 mentors

Case Study #1

• all STEM disciplines at Truman represented

~20 students

~15 mentors

• highly structured community & program

Truman STEP program

• students living together in the same residence hall

Truman STEP program

• Lunch & Learn Workshops/Discussions

Truman STEP program

• Monday Morning Meetings - time to report to group (ups & downs, questions, requests)

Truman STEP program

• Monday Morning Meetings - time to report to group (ups & downs, questions, requests)

• everyone aware of all the research being done - learning about the nature of each disciplines through interaction

Truman STEP program

• through community & discipline specific projects, these students are being sensitized to disciplinary differences

Truman STEP program

• projects of interdisciplinary nature can amplify this effect

Truman STEP program

• projects of interdisciplinary nature can amplify this effect

• (faculty mentors are affected, too!)

Case Study #2

• Introduction to Mathematical Biology course

Case Study #2

• major elective in Math & Biology, both

Case Study #2

• team taught: biologist + mathematician; lecture & discussion

Case Study #2

• team taught: biologist + mathematician; lecture & discussion

• students work in cross-disciplinary teams on modules that require expertise from both disciplines

Case Study #3

• Research-focused Learning Communities in Mathematical Biology program

Case Study #3

• centered around Mathematical Biology Seminar

Case Study #3

• community of 4-person teams (cross-disciplinary pair of students and pair of faculty mentors)

Case Study #3

• community of 4-person teams (cross-disciplinary pair of students and pair of faculty mentors)

• work on a research project for 12 months, including intensive summer 10 week period with STEP community

Community

Learning Community

Community

Learning Community

Community

Learning Community

Community

Learning Community

Community

Learning Community

Community

Learning Community

Community

Learning Community

Residence Hall

Small Group Meetings + MentorsWeekly Discussions/Workshops

Social EventsMathBio Seminar

Learning Community

Residence Hall

Small Group Meetings + MentorsWeekly Discussions/Workshops

Social EventsMathBio Seminar

Learning Community

Case Study #3

Case Study #3• Goals of the Learning Community

1. prepare students for interdisciplinary graduate programs

2. foster long-term research collaborations between faculty

3. build human infrastructure to build inter-curricular interactions

Case Study #3• Goals of the Learning Community

1. prepare students for interdisciplinary graduate programs

2. foster long-term research collaborations between faculty

3. build human infrastructure to build inter-curricular interactions

• Not - turning biology majors into mathematics majors or mathematics majors into biology majors

Case Study #3

• Each team (faculty + student) gets deep interdisciplinary experience

Case Study #3

• Mathematical Biology seminar gets us together, talking about disciplinary differences

Case Study #3

• Research projects develop institutional expertise and faculty buy-in to the program goals

Case Study #3

• Research projects develop institutional expertise and faculty buy-in to the program goals

• Observation: a faculty dynamic in an interdisciplinary collaborations - technician v. investigator

Summary

• These are different activities happening at Truman

Summary

• They share some features of work happening at Tuskegee

Summary

• All signs point to

Summary

you can do interdisciplinary work

Summary

just need a collaborator + curiosity and

Summary

just need a collaborator + curiosity and

a willingness to learn something new

Charting a Course Toward Interdisciplinary Collaborations

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