Creating Interdisciplinary Research Projects Workshop
August 5 – August 11 2007
Abstract:
This school, set in the inspiring new Mediterranean Institute for Life Sciences at the shore of Split, intends to assemble free spirited students and researchers from broad scientific backgrounds to conceive creative projects at the interface with Life Sciences. The School will be devoted to developing and writing research projects in small interdisciplinary groups. The week will be scattered by (i) interactive short workshops (ii) discussion panels and (iii) presentations by the participants and mediators presenting their work in context of the open challenges in their respective fields and their personal scientific path.
Mediators:
Stephane Douady
Physics, ENS, France
Bernard Hennion
Communication, FT-Orange, France
Pascal Hersen
Physics, France
Suckjoon Jun
Physical Biology, Harvard, USA
Etienne Koechlin
Cognitive Neurobiology, ENS, France
Ariel Lindner
Chemistry/Biology, INSERM, France
Matteo Merzagora
Science Communication, Italy
Gregory Paul
Biology, INSERM, France
Thomas Pfeiffer
Evolutionary Dynamics, Harvard, USA
Miroslav Radman
Genetics, MedILS, Croatia
Ivo Sbalzarini
Computational Biology, ETH, Switzerland
François Taddei
Biology, INSERM, France
More information:
Detailed description:
General Introduction
The term ‘interdisciplinary research’ was coined to describe the rising importance of collaborative effort across scientific domains, a hallmark of the forefront of contemporary research. The term suggests a synthetic, integrative approach where scientists from different backgrounds formulate and address jointly a common problem. The importance of Interdisciplinarity goes beyond research practice; it is an intellectual framework and as such can serve as a key component in scientific education. Interdisciplinary training at its best can form students capable of adapting to the pivotal aspect of modern life: a continuous change. Interdisciplinary background will be increasingly valued in our world where flexibility, cooperative problem-solving and communication with different mindsets are essential.
Program
How to put all this into practice? The CIRP summer school attempts to provide the primary basis: collegiality and communication between students and scientists from different disciplines through dialogue and brainstorming on open questions in Life Sciences.
(i) Project conception and presentation
The core of the School will be devoted to developing and writing research projects in small interdisciplinary groups. The group will be allotted two days to converge on a specific question, followed by days consecrated to defining the best theoretical and experimental framework to answer the problem. Daily debriefing with the rest of the students and in presence of the mediators will take place. The written projects will be handed to the mediators and will be discussed at length with each group at the end of the fifth day. The sixth day will be devoted to preparation of the presentations, the actual presentation and a closing party.
In addition, the week will be scattered by:
(ii) Interactive short workshops
“Zoom in/Zoom out” - On the role of careful observation and questioning in research
Field work - Scrutinizing the seaside and MedILS surroundings for unanswered scientific questions (small group work)
(iii) Discussion panels
Scientists & Society – What role should scientists play?
Graduate studies – Design of the optimal graduate school
+ 2 subjects chosen by the participants
The panels will be prepared by participants electively divided into preliminary discussion groups that will present a ‘position paper’ in front of the full forum
(iv) Presentations by the mediators
in context of the open challenges in their respective fields and their personal scientific path.
(v) Poster sessions
Detailed schedule will be available at the end of the registration phase
Impressions from last year’s participants:
Sonja Beč
Institute Ruđer Bošković, Zagreb
This workshop changed my life I think, I am sure actually. It opened me to find and ask questions that are relevant to me, to let go, and in the end to be more actually present and hopefully responsible as a traveler and captain of my own life. And as a productive person I know that after this experience I can give more, and more widely and thoroughly research the world around me and myself in connection to it. Here I have met so many wonderful people, who have amazed me and insipired me: I’m honoured to have known all of them.
I’m only dissatisfied that I have tried to do so many things in so little time and that I basically overstretched all my resources for good functioning.
I believe in MedILS because it gave me a chance to become free, open, to ask relevant questions, both to me and socially relevant, to see my intrinsic motivation taken seriously, to see how much other people dare to be themselves and are accepted and produce interesting outputs. I think that MedILS is a great incubator for posing questions, communicating and building new ideas.
I believe in MedILS because I think that people there can strive to be better. Because ideas are freely exchanged, generated by need of a group of people, pass between people and get built slowly.
I love the idea of putting people in groups and letting them learn how to function well both for themselves and for the group success. I love the exchange, of letting my idea be seen by someone else’s eyes, from where it can be built in any new direction.
Morana Biljaković
Institute Ruđer Bošković, Zagreb
During the workshop, I think that the most important thing was freedom: freedom we were given as young people and as young or future-to-be scientists. We were given freedom to somehow forget and rest from our aquired knowledge and habits and to seek and develop our creativity and imagination. I think that our education today doesn’t make us smarter, even opposite - most of the time. We should learn so much more about life processes and systems in general. That takes me to the other “training” during the workshop which was unspeakably rewarding: with zooming out of our specific field of work or interest we can get much more understanding of other (scientific) fields, better understanding of our own field, and, of course, better understanding of life! Constant zooming in is just not enough. We have to zoom in and zoom out all the time in our lives. Life is so rich, beautiful, complex and interconnected - life sciences with a true inter and transdisciplinary approach (natural sciences, humanities, social, medical, technical sciences…) shoud teach us about that. MedILS as an institute for Life sciences has a perfect opportunity to do it!
Darja Dubravčić
undergraduate biology student, Zagreb
MedILS Summer School of Interdisciplinarity, that`s what was said on the MedILS offical web site, that and few more lines. Truly, I had no idea what it was. So I hitched hiked. My profile, my CV, my education, they were all pretty skinny. It was basically me and my thumb up. My application was accepted. Now I really did not know what this school is being all about. I think most of us did not know.
So what was it!? Imagine yourself a situation of 25 enthusiastic young students, scientists and their mentors put in one room for two weeks. Could it not be pure creative and productive thinking, exchange of ideas, freedom of communication, freedom of letting your wildest ideas out in a forest, to run. Could it not be arguing and laughing, learning how to communicate, how to accept and listen to others. Letting yourself see and think wider than ever, because your not thinking alone, there is a whole little world of you, and you are all connected. It could not, and it was not.
It was learning through questions, not answers, through research, through your ideas, not interrupted by conventional borders. It was taking all of the fun out of science and with our diversity, we managed to pull it as wide as we could, all in the purpose of creating new ideas. At the end, well there really is no end, that is the best part…
Bernard Hennion, Dr.
Computer scientist, Orange R&D division, France
I spent delightful enriching moments (and full of quality humour, which is the cherry on top for me!) within all of my fifteen days here at MedILS Summer School in Split. I found Croatian students adorable: it is amazing how much I receive from them; I mean exchange, friendship, confidence, humour, and kindness… From that, the idea to spend more time at Medils, several months, with a grouping of researchers made its way in my mind…
I loved the humour, open minded ambiance, hearing the others, the quality of mixing age exchanges, no contempt towards the one who asks a question, the one who knows the answer simply explains and shares his knowledge, which so becomes the knowledge of all, mutual enrichment, the nicest lesson I have drawn from MedILS 2006!
I was stricken by the maturity and excellence of your research projects, well-established, rich, pertinent and exciting. (I apprehended deadlocks, group explosions, victory of the “should I go”, nothing like that happened!)
This is the proof that actually, it is from vigorous discussions, sometimes stubborn, that embryos of ideas mature, bounce, refine, and finally become true smart research tracks…
Ivo F. Sbalzarini, Prof. Dr.
Computational Biophysics Lab, ETH Zurich, Switzerland
www.cbl.ethz.ch
Without understatement, this MedILS summer workshop was the most exciting and rewarding experience in my scientific career. Why? It’s simple. Take the brightest and highest motivated students from all over the world, put them in one of the nicest places in the world, provide some initial stimulation (in this case in the form of interdisciplinary lectures, group projects, and discussion rounds), sit back and watch.
What I observed and participated in was truly amazing and exceptional. It was not a “geek thing” or a strange collection of socially autistic nerds. The pure opposite. I cannot find adequate words to describe the atmosphere that developed during these days at MedILS, the spirit of creativity, the communicative openness of everybody, the wealth of combined scientific expertise, curiosity, motivation, energy, drive, joy, cordiality, and spirit. Only those who were there can know what I am talking about.
At the same time, the quality of science and ideas was world-class. MedILS is the ultimate proof that a good social atmosphere CAN go with cutting-edge science (or fosters it?). Every day left me speechless with the quality and originality of the ideas that emerged from the interaction of the participants. And the best thing is that many of these ideas will be pursued. I am convinced that MedILS was - and will be - an incubator and a driver for original and significant research - for Croatia and for the rest of the world.
Personally, I want to get back to MedILS as soon as possible. Thanks, Miro, Francois, and Ariel, for creating this wonderful place, this harbor for free minds. Within one week I got more inspiration (not only scientific), new ideas, and new contacts than I normally get in a whole year. And this is no exaggeration.
Anamarija Štafa
PhD student of Molecular and Cellular Biology
Laboratory of Biology and Microbial Genetics, Faculty of Food Technology and Biotechnology, Zagreb
MedILS Summer School ″Creating Interdisciplinary Research Projects″ was an excellent example how scientists from different disciplines and countries should collaborate to improve the quality of their scientific work.
Igor Šegota
undergraduate physics student, Zagreb
MedILS summer school on creating interdisciplinary projects was wonderful and unique experience for me. The entire school was organised in a different style than usual schools. All the people together created relaxing atmosphere in which you were free to express any idea and weren’t constrained in any way.
During the school, I participated in a diverse lectures held by top scientists in the areas of life, physical and social sciences, found myself working on ideas for serious scientific projects and still had so much fun. There is a saying that goes „if you have a job that you like doing, you never have to work a day in your life“ and what I learned during this school is that it’s absolutely true.
Another thing that I was impressed of was how everyone was treated equally, regardless of their age, title or anything else, which is today uncommon in most of the labs/companies/groups. In my opinion, diversity of participants’ backgrounds was another key element for a big success of the school, because each person was unique in a way that he/she either knew things other didn’t and could see the same scientific problems from a different perspective.
Overall, I had a great time and can’t think of a better and more enjoyable way to spend my summer than I spent this one at MedILS.
Nives Škunca
undergraduate student, Faculty of Food Technology and Biotechnology, Zagreb
This summer school has been the priceless experience, because, as an undergraduate student, I had a chance to communicate with people who are doing their research at some of the most elite world institutes and universities. I felt that MedILS, if it continues with the good path that has taken, could be one of the important windows to the world, which means so much to young people longing for new experiences.
I am thrilled with innovative concepts of research and project creation which were presented during this school, its joie de vivre which radiated from all the participants. Experience I got here will help me a lot in defining my own life path.
Francois Taddei, Prof. Dr.
Research Scientist
U571 INSERM, Paris http://www.necker.fr/tamara/
interdisciplinary teaching http://www.master-aiv.org/
Participants’ motivation was excellent and soon a very pleasing spirit of cooperation emerged leading to very energetic and powerful interactions: even though they worked endless hours and had to invest personally a lot.
I see MedILS as an innovation ‘hub’ and “role model”, not only by training young scientists, but also by showing that it is possible and valuable to invest in new mode of creative and collaborative scientific education.
Yegor Tourleigh
biophysicist performing computer modeling
Lomonosov Moscow State Univerity, Russia
The idea of the institute and schools is very noble; people who really appreciate it will help it come true, to the extent they perceive it and depending on how sincere they are.
Prerequisites:
The school (limited to 25 participants) is open for all post graduates (M.Sc., Ph.D. post-docs) from Social sciences, Philosophy, Medicine, Biology, Chemistry, Computer Sciences, Physics or Math interested in taking part in our unique project centered on fostering new approaches to Living systems.
Fee(full-board accommodation):
350 EUR - subsidized fee (before June 15th)
500 EUR - full cost fee (for late registration)
Lack of financial support should not prevent applying! Travel and/or participation fellowships are available.
Application:
Application documents should include your CV, an abstract for oral/poster presentation, a letter of motivation and a letter of recommendation. Send your application to: cirp@medils.hr
Indicate whether a MedILS fellowship is requested for travel and/or registration.
Application deadline:
June 15th 2007
Organizers:
Stephane Douady
Ariel Lindner
Thomas Pfeiffer
Francois Taddei