Collaborations of Consequence NAKFI's 15 Years Igniting Innovation at the Intersections of Disciplines (2018) / Chapter Skim
Currently Skimming:
2 Lessons from Developing a Robust and Flexible Model
2 Lessons from Developing a Robust and Flexible Model
Pages 39-56
The Chapter Skim interface presents what we've algorithmically identified as the most significant single chunk of text within every page in the chapter.
Select key terms on the right to highlight them within pages of the chapter.
From page 39... ...
developed: Lesson 1: Systemic change can start at the grassroots level • Cultivating science leadership creates lasting benefits • The potential for individuals to impact the scientific endeavor is powerful Lesson 2: Content + container = serendipity by design • Focused, in-person experiences help to support interdisciplinary collaborations • Experiences that reduce systemic barriers to collaboration are hard to find • The right mix of participants goes beyond a few simple demographics 39
|
From page 40... ...
In keeping with the spirit of the NAKFI Oversight Committee's desire for future generations to receive the benefits of the Futures Model, Appendix VII provides additional guidance, tips, and tools for "In Practice: How to Think Like NAKFI." LESSON 1: SYSTEMIC CHANGE CAN START AT THE GRASSROOTS LEVEL As observed by the Five-Year Review Panel, for NAKFI to effectively create impact across the myriad of organizations and interconnected systems that comprise the U.S. scientific establishment would have been a tremendous challenge.
|
From page 41... ...
The NAKFI meeting taught me how to interact with investigators in other fields, it broadened my thinking about a problem, and I was introduced to knowledge translation using journalism students to summarize team meetings and action plans. I learned so much more from a meeting outside of my field, as opposed to the meetings with the same colleagues all the time." (Zelma Kiss, 2006 and 2017 Futures Conference Participant)
|
From page 42... ...
The Potential for Individuals to Influence the Scientific Endeavor Is Powerful NAKFI embraced the premise that exposure to a positive experience can change behavior and evolved its model to support creating multiple venues for individual and group interaction from the familiar to the unexpected. It was a welcome surprise to discover through conference surveys, the 10-year review, and anecdotal stories that NAKFI participants were making a difference not only in their research but also in organizations.
|
From page 43... ...
Both my research and my music have gone in new directions thanks to the collaborations created as part of NAKFI." (Jonathan Berger, 2015 and 2017 Futures Conference Participant) "The Nuclear conference inspired a policy project to answer a question posed by the working group I was assigned to -- how to create an international governance regime for nuclear power that facilitates a world with few, if any, nuclear weapons while concurrently managing a global expansion of nuclear power in response to climate change.
|
From page 44... ...
Over time, NAKFI noticed an increase in the number of participant organizations promoting the call for Futures Conference applications and recognizing selected participants and grantees through media outreach, annual reports, and other promotional activities. BOX 2-1 Blending Nanotechnology, Engineering, and Medicine Debra Schwinn, MD, a member of the National Academy of Medicine, was a professor of anesthesiology and Program Director for Cardiovascular Genomics at Duke University Medical Center when she attended the Futures Conference on Ge nomics in 2005.
|
From page 45... ...
The program was developed with well-established ideas for achieving interdisciplinary collaboration and strengthened through regular and periodic evaluation and process improvement. Once participants experienced NAKFI they appreciated what was unique about the model and lamented the absence of those attributes in the professional opportunities typically available to them.
|
From page 46... ...
The model was developed to reflect best practices and to overcome barriers to interdisciplinary and collaborative science. In addition to the early research on facilitating interdisciplinary science and the 5- and 10-year reviews, the program reflected theory and practice supported elsewhere in the literature, including the importance of face-to-face interaction to enhance information exchange and build trust (Duhigg, 2016)
|
From page 47... ...
Engaging individuals primed for the NAKFI experience was important but the model did not rely solely on what participants brought with them. The entire event was organized to maximize the experience, from the moment participants applied to the day they left the conference.
|
From page 48... ...
LESSON 3: SUPPORT FOR VENTURE SCIENCE PROMOTES INNOVATION Data from Futures Conference participants and grantees and the 5- and 10-year reviews indicate that the Futures Model is effective, robust, and has value to crossing disciplinary boundaries and advancing innovation by supporting what the program has come to call "venture science." Futures Conferences provided the time and space necessary for interdisciplinary collaboration, venture science, and innovation and Futures Grants served as an incentive for attendees to further explore ideas generated during the conference. The grant application process was straightforward and reporting requirements were minimal.
|
From page 49... ...
"My two major research interests -- how aging impacts function and best ways to measure function in community-dwelling adults -- both were ‘jolted' by the 2008 NAKFI conference. I had lots of opportunity to talk with scientists focused on ubiquitous computing and agent-based models of behavior and those conversations have guided how I approach applying insights from mouse behavioral neuroscience to human populations." (Anonymous, 2008 Futures Conference Participant)
|
From page 50... ...
." (Anonymous, 2010 and 2014 Futures Conference Participant) NAKFI's 10-Year Review Reveals Approaches to Support Innovation That Are Highly Important and Not Commonly Practiced The 10-year review highlighted approaches reported as highly important and not commonly practiced, suggesting that the need for venture science continues to exist, especially among interdisciplinary researchers.
|
From page 51... ...
M Keck Foundation's mission and embracing the findings of the Facilitating Interdisciplinary Research report, the program reflected the current thinking about interdisciplinary research and the important role of pluralism and inclusion to tackling complex problems and achieving significant innovation.
|
From page 52... ...
When identifying potential areas for program improvement, the 5-year review noted that NAKFI conferences could benefit from a broader diversity in conference planning and participation. Additionally, the panel recommended that greater attention be paid to the identification, recruitment, and selection of participants, especially regarding the participation of women, under-represented minorities, and younger scientists.
|
From page 53... ...
There is some quantifiable evidence that NAKFI conferences had the potential to change how participants drew on research from other fields in their conference participation. In 2008, an analysis of publications by participants in the 2004 Nanostructures conference revealed that a group of biologists were citing more engineering papers after the meeting than they had previously.
|
From page 54... ...
When asked to provide the most significant interaction from the conference, an anonymous engineer reported it was learning that "people in the biological research community … are also interested in pursuing interdisciplinary research with people with physical sciences and engineering backgrounds." This pattern of mutual recognition and exchange of ideas across disciplines is robust across NAKFI conferences. Hundreds of examples exist in survey data and unsolicited testimonial emails sent to program staff.
|
From page 55... ...
• How do we create experiences that allow sharing across disciplines to support innovation?
|
Key Terms
This material may be derived from roughly machine-read images, and so is provided only to facilitate research.
More
information on Chapter Skim is available.