Interdisciplinarity Beyond the Buzzword: Full publication
This publication by the Amsterdam Young Academy (AYA) offers insight into the attitudes and practices of more than 20 intensely interdisciplinary researchers from the University of Amsterdam, the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam University Medical Centers and beyond. These scholars and practitioners were interviewed on their collaborations with colleagues in other fields. From the assembled conversations new and deepened understandings of interdisciplinary practices emerge. The collected insights, and the interviewers’ reflections on them, offer a stimulating ground for newcomers, as well as a comforting mirror for all of us who conduct and enjoy this kind of research for quite a while already.
Authors
Editors-in-chief: Bram Mellink & Linda Douw Editors: Anastasia Sergeeva, Antske Fokkens, Boris Noordenbos, Elsje van Bergen, Miriam Wijkman, Theo Araujo Illustrations: Merel Barends Graphic design: Aldus’ producties; Tijl Akkermans and Kars van den Heuvel
‘Interdisciplinarity’ has become a ubiquitous academic buzzword or, as one of our interviewees put it, a rarely scrutinized ‘hooray term’. Research institutes proudly advertise their ‘interdisciplinary orientation’; rant applications routinely mention the ‘cross-disciplinary’ scope of the proposed research. Given this often unquestioned enthusiasm, one should ask a set of basic questions: Why is interdisciplinary research to be welcomed? Which research objects or problems require an interdisciplinary approach? Which of these might best be addressed via the in-depth expertise of one discipline? However, as disciplines are hardly ever a single unified ‘thing’, these questions may themselves be oversimplifying the current situation at universities and research institutes.
Authors
Editors-in-chief: Bram Mellink & Linda Douw Editors: Anastasia Sergeeva, Antske Fokkens, Boris Noordenbos, Elsje van Bergen, Miriam Wijkman, Theo Araujo Illustrations: Merel Barends Graphic design: Aldus’ producties; Tijl Akkermans and Kars van den Heuvel Contact Email: aya@vu.nl Twitter: @ayoungacademy
Community and collaboration are major aspects of interdisciplinary work. In an interdisciplinary team, the composition of its members’ disciplinary backgrounds determines both the types of question that can and will be addressed in a particular collaboration as well as the methodology used to answer such questions. It is important here to take into account that one’s interdisciplinary identity may be just as important as one’s disciplinary background in the creation of successful interdisciplinary teams. Simply gathering researchers from different fields does not guarantee that concepts and ideas will be adequately translated. Instead, identity and the personality characteristics relevant to interdisciplinarity (detailed in the previous section) may be more likely indications of interdisciplinary success. The present section underlines the importance of selecting team members based on their willingness to be vulnerable regarding (the limits of) their knowledge; their genuine interest in other fields can hardly be underestimated.
Authors
Editors-in-chief: Bram Mellink & Linda Douw Editors: Anastasia Sergeeva, Antske Fokkens, Boris Noordenbos, Elsje van Bergen, Miriam Wijkman, Theo Araujo Illustrations: Merel Barends Graphic design: Aldus’ producties; Tijl Akkermans and Kars van den Heuvel
Interdisciplinary work is not only about research: It now enjoys an increasingly prominent role in education and teaching. Integrating interdisciplinary aspects into teaching – or even offering a fully interdisciplinary programme – has the potential to bring several benefits to students. It also brings with it a set of challenges.
Authors
Editors-in-chief: Bram Mellink & Linda Douw Editors: Anastasia Sergeeva, Antske Fokkens, Boris Noordenbos, Elsje van Bergen, Miriam Wijkman, Theo Araujo Illustrations: Merel Barends Graphic design: Aldus’ producties; Tijl Akkermans and Kars van den Heuvel
One in five children in Amsterdam is overweight, which has proven a difficult problem to solve. Obesity is multifaceted, originating from and persisting due to a combination of medical, social and political factors. This is why an interdisciplinary view is key towards lowering this percentage of overweight kids. Together with Amsterdam’s chief scientific officer Caroline Nevejan, Amsterdam Young Academy will present such a multifaceted view of childhood obesity, marking the launch of Interdisciplinarity beyond the buzzword: a guide to academic work across disciplines.
Caroline Nevejanis a researcher and designer who has been involved with the emerging network society and digital culture since the 1980s.
Karen den Hertogis part of the Management Team of the GGD Amsterdam and leads the Amsterdam Healthy Weight Program.
Elsje van Bergenis an Associate Professor in Biological Psychology and at the Netherlands Twin Register at the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam.
Coosje Dijkstrais an Assistant Professor at the Department of Health sciences, section Youth and Lifestyle at the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam and the Amsterdam Public Health Research Institute.
Linda Douw(moderator) is an Associate Professor at the Department of Anatomy and Neurosciences of the Amsterdam UMC.
All academics are embedded within an academic landscape: the system, that is, or place of learning that encompasses the procurement of funding as well as publishing and evaluation. The academic landscape effects whether scholars’ interdisciplinary approach hinders or advances their careers. Unfortunately, most of our interviewees expressed concerns that the current academic landscape prompts most researchers to shy away from interdisciplinary research.
Authors
Editors-in-chief: Bram Mellink & Linda Douw Editors: Anastasia Sergeeva, Antske Fokkens, Boris Noordenbos, Elsje van Bergen, Miriam Wijkman, Theo Araujo Illustrations: Merel Barends Graphic design: Aldus’ producties; Tijl Akkermans and Kars van den Heuvel