The Interdisciplinary Imperative: Interactive Research and Education, Still an Elusive Goal in Academia

"Interdisciplinarity" is perhaps the most used keyword in describing changes in current patterns of Federal funding. However, it is not a new idea - the interdisciplinary theme has been tried for over forty years. Yet, until now, involved or the performance has been. This book is the report on the "Interdisciplinarity Revisited: Materials Research as a Case Study" Conference, convened on August 31-September 1, 1999 at the Pennsylvania State University. The contributors included the world's leading practitioners in the field of interdisciplinary thrusts in other areas, from Science, Technology and Society to medicine, were represented by senior practitioners. The key findings include the following: - The entire research enterprise demands and is moving increasingly toward "interactive research." (Interactive includes inter-disciplinary, inter-institutional, and inter-sector research.)-The university world has, by and large, failed to organize itself to respond to this new reality. -Specific hindrances to I3R are the traditional peer review process and academic intellectual property practices. - New directions proposed include: funding based largely on past performance and matching fund strategies." is perhaps the most used keyword in describing changes in current patterns of Federal funding. However, it is not a new idea - the interdisciplinary theme has been tried for over forty years. Yet, until now, involved or the performance has been. This book is the report on the "Interdisciplinarity Revisited: Materials Research as a Case Study" Conference, convened on August 31-September 1, 1999 at the Pennsylvania State University. The contributors included the world's leading practitioners in the field of interdisciplinary thrusts in other areas, from Science, Technology and Society to medicine, were represented by senior practitioners. The key findings include the following: - The entire research enterprise demands and is moving increasingly toward "interactive research.

Rustum Roy, one of the nation's leading materials scientists, founded and directed for 23 years, Penn State University's best known interdisciplinary units: the Materials Research Laboratory and the degree programs in "Solid State Technology" and "Science, Technology and Society." He has actively participated in National and State science policy-making for 35 years.