Building Transdisciplinary Research Communities: Re-envisioning “Community” Engagement

• In Event: Exploring Approaches to Catalyzing Transdisciplinary Engagement

Abstract

Often when we consider the creation of new transdiscplinary academic initiatives to tackle complex problems, like centers or university-sponsored research programs, we consider our on-campus members as our first priority. With the growing popularity of citizen science and art/science collaborations, it’s time to rethink the traditional approach. In this talk, I’ll present the community-engagement strategies being used by the newly-formed Michigan State University Center for Interdisciplinarity, where we are considering community as an ever-expanding circle encompassing faculty, students/postdocs, and local community members and involving all levels in our strategic planning. For adding new perspectives to complex problems, we expand Ribes & Baker’s 2007 “Modes of social science engagement in community infrastructure design” to modes of humanities engagement in trandisciplinary initiative and community infrastructure design. In integrating local community perspectives in an integrative, and not prescriptive manner, I’ll explore the five topics of tension around public engagement posited by Delgado, Kjølberg, and Wickson (2011). I’ll also consider the notions of experience and expertise put forth by Collins & Evans (2002) and contrast this with how local knowledge and expertise can greatly inform solutions to complex problems. I’ll touch on the potential for students and postdocs interested transdisciplinary careers outside of academia to gain transferrable real-world experience in problem solving and opportunities for networking. Finally, when it comes to building/managing communities, I’ll reflect on my experience as an American Association for the Advancement of Science Community Engagement Fellow and the need to address roles like these in the STS literature.

Author

• Stephanie Vasko, Michigan State University