Motivating Investment in Interdisciplinary Infrastructure: What Can One Person Do?

• In Event: Lives in STS “as a Series of Failed Political Experiments”

Abstract

In this talk, I will discuss how to gather resources, data, and good arguments for investing in inter/ transdisciplinary research, in its infrastructure, and in hiring and training capable staff. Although the perspective I adopt is rooted in my disciplinary training as a philosopher, it also reflects my longstanding interest in interdisciplinary pursuits. I will extract lessons through reflection on a number of inter/transdisciplinary projects that I have been involved in developing over the course of my career — a long running conference and associated book series, a well-established colloquium series, and an influential research and outreach project that focuses on communication and collaboration in cross-disciplinary research. I will describe these efforts, sharing details about successful and unsuccessful strategies for building interdisciplinary capacity in an academic institution. I will ground these details in the literature on institutional support for inter/transdisciplinary scholarship, as well as on the importance of accountability in evaluating complex scholarly efforts of this type. This presentation will provide information that can be used to effectively "make the case" within an institution for recognition, support, and validation of a career path that involves facilitating inter/transdisciplinary research.

Author

• Michael O O'Rourke, Michigan State University