MULTI- AND INTER- DISCIPLINARY RESEARCH

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MULTI- AND

INTER-DISCIPLINARY RESEARCH

Lecture to Postgraduates

Faculty of Science, University of Malaya

13 November 2020

Siew-Moi Phang

Institute of Ocean and Earth Sciences & Institute of Biological Sciences, University of Malaya UCSI University

Research is an ORGANIZED and SYSTEMATIC way of FINDING ANSWERS to QUESTIONS.

SYSTEMATIC because there is a definite set of procedures and steps which you

will follow. There are certain things in the research process which are always done in order to get the most accurate results.

ORGANIZED in that there is a structure or method in going about doing

research. It is a planned procedure, not a spontaneous one. It is focused and limited to a specific scope.

FINDING ANSWERS is the end of all research. Whether it is the answer to a

hypothesis or even a simple question, research is successful when we find answers. Sometimes the answer is no, but it is still an answer.

QUESTIONS are central to research. If there is no question, then the answer is

of no use. Research is focused on relevant, useful, and important questions. Without a question, research has no focus, drive, or purpose.

How do you start a Research Project?

1. Select a Research Topic

2. Define the Research Question

3. Determine Information Requirements 4. Select Appropriate Research Tools

STEP 1: Select a Research Topic How do you select a research problem?

• Interest in a topic

• Of national/global priority • Answers required urgently

• Opportunity to learn/develop new skills • Supervisor’s recommendation

STEP 2: Define the Research Question

1. Once you have selected a topic, you must clearly define the research question. It helps if you actually state your topic idea as a question.

For example:

If you are interested in finding out about the effect of global warming on coral growth, you might pose the question,

RESEARCH QUESTION: "What effect does an increase in temperature have on growth in corals?”

2. Identify the main concepts or keywords

in your question. In this case they are:

STEP 3: Determine the Information Requirements- Literature Review

Ask yourself questions about what TYPE of research information you will need to deal adequately with your research question. Be sure you have a good idea about the answers to each of these questions before you begin your research.

Source of Information: Textbooks; journal publications; reviews; theses; web (caution)

How current must your information be, e.g. no more than three years old, no more than 5 years old, no more than 10 years, etc.?

STEP 4: Select Appropriate Research Tools

Selecting appropriate research tools can be the most difficult of the four research preparation steps.

There are appropriate and inappropriate research tools for every topic and every combination of topic and research situation.

It is easy to pick the wrong research tool and end up wasting valuable time!

UNIVERSITY OF MALAYA

ALGAE CULTURE COLLECTION (UMACC)

CATALOGUE OF STRAINS

UNIVERSITY OF MALAYA SEAWEEDS AND

SEAGRASSES HERBARIUM

THE UNIVERSITY OF MALAYA COLLECTIONS OF ALGAE

The only Microalgae Culture Collection in Malaysia

The largest collection of seaweeds and seagrasses in

Malaysia

Phang SM . 2000

Seagrasses of Malaysia, University of Malaya Botanical Monographs No. 2, 60p. ISBN 983-2085-09-8

Phang SM & Chu WL. 2004 The University of Malaya Algae Culture Collection (UMACC) and potential applications of a unique

Chlorella from the collection. Jap. J.

Phycol. 52: 221-224

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MSc Research

Physiological Characterisation of Chlorella Isolates

PhD Research

Use of Algae Ponding Systems for Palm Oil Mill Effluent Treatment

Physiology

?

?

Multi- OR Inter-Disciplinary ?

1970 – 1990 1930 – 1970

Discovery of algae resources & their

uses Inventory, checklists, taxonomy, physiology, ecology 2000 - present 1990 -2000 Systematics, phylogenetics, applied phycology

DEVELOPMENT OF PHYCOLOGY IN MALAYSIA

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❖ Algae biotechnology (mass-culture, bioremediation, bioactive compounds, bioenergy)

❖ Systematics, phylogenetics, ‘omics’ ❖ Algae & climate change

Milestone I “Truly M’sian Phycologists” Milestone II New technologies-DNA technology Milestone III

Collaboration with Chemists, Bioprocess Engineers

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DEFINITIONS

MULTI-DISCIPLINARY RESEARCH

❖ approaches a problem from a number of different disciplines, but each discipline works in a self-contained manner and there is no integration across disciplines

INTER-DISCIPLINARY RESEARCH

❖ approaches a problem from a number of different

disciplines (as tools) and integrates their contributions into a synergistic outcome where the whole is greater than the sum of the parts

TRANS-DISCIPLINARY RESEARCH

❖ ignores disciplines, focuses on issues

Solution Discipline A Discipline B Discipline C Solution Discipline B Discipline C Discipline A Solution Issue 2 Issue 3 Issue 1 GSDR 2015 Brief

Inter- and Trans-disciplinary Research: A Critical Perspective. Anne H. Toomey, et al. Brockett Lancaster Environment Centre, Lancaster University

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Transdisciplinary Research

“a reflective, integrative, method-drive scientific principle aiming at the solution or transition of societal problems and concurrently of related scientific problems by differentiating and integrating knowledge from various scientific and societal bodies of knowledge”.

Inter- and Multi-disciplinary research → bring together knowledge from multiple scientific domains. Transdisciplinary → brings in also societal and non-academic domains.

Comple x & socially r ele van t pr oblem Scientific disciplines Researchers Societal actors ❖Scientific insights ❖Societal impacts (changes in practical knowledge & decision making capacity of stakeholders)

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Transdisciplinary Research projects have 3 key stages:

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Impact of climate change on seaweed farm productivity in Semporna

Chemistry Ames Research Center Atmospheric Science Oceanography Socio-economics Physiology https://image.freepik.com/free- photo/woman-holding-globe- earth-background-sea_100656-264.jpg Geopolitics Business Management Photo Credits: Mushidi Hussin ISSUE Scientists

Society & Non-Science Stakeholders

Multidisciplinary

Tr

ansdisciplinar

Interdisciplinary Research

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❖ “Interdisciplinary research can be one of the most productive and inspiring of human pursuits - one that provides a format for conversations and connections that lead to new knowledge”

❖ “Interdisciplinary programs arise from a conviction that the traditional disciplines are unable or unwilling to address an important problem”

❖ “True interdisciplinarity occurs when researchers from two or more disciplines pool their approaches and modify them so that they are better suited to the problem at hand”

❖ “Interdisciplinary programs arise from new research developments, such as

nanotechnology, which cannot be addressed without combining the approaches of two or more disciplines”

INTERDISCIPLINARY MODERN EPIDEMIOLOGY

Drivers of Interdisciplinary Research

“Interdisciplinary thinking is rapidly becoming an integral feature

of research as a result of four powerful drivers:

❖the inherent complexity of nature and society

❖the desire to explore problems and questions that are not

confined to a single discipline,

❖the need to solve societal problems,

❖and the power of

new technologies

.”

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Stefi Baum, Rochester Inst. Technology, 2010

Biotechnology, Nannotechnology, Mechatronics, Biomedical engineering, Biophysical chemistry, etc.

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Transition from Single Disciplinary to Inter-Disciplinary Research

Steps to be taken

➢ Breaking down discipline/department boundaries ➢ Embarking on collaboration

➢ Learning other disciplines ➢ Share formative experiences

➢ Share common culture (cooperation, competition, etc.) ➢ Set boundaries of acceptability

➢ Set standards of measurement ➢ Qualities of Researcher:

o Broad Ranging Curiosity o Open mindedness

o Risk taking o Humility

o Willingness to work hard to learn new things

Issues/Difficulties

▪ Disciplines have distinct analytic tools concepts and methods

▪ Disciplines have distinct languages and representations (terminology and

notation – e.g., math vs music)

▪ Disciplines have distinct mechanisms for demonstrating knowledge (proof, score, demo, product, paper)

▪ Disciplines have distinct mechanisms for proprietariness (authorship,

Recommendations

❖Students

• Undergraduate students should seek out interdisciplinary experiences, such as courses at the interfaces of traditional disciplines that address basic research problems, interdisciplinary courses that address societal problems, and research experiences that span more than one traditional discipline.

• Graduate students should explore ways to broaden their experience by gaining requisite knowledge in one or more fields in addition to their primary field.

❖Researchers and Faculty Members

• Researchers and faculty members desiring to work on interdisciplinary

research, education, and training projects should immerse them-selves in the languages, cultures, and knowledge of their collaborators in IDR.

❖Educators

• Educators should facilitate IDR by providing educational and training opportunities for undergraduates, graduate students, and post- doctoral scholars, such as

relating foundation courses, data gathering and analysis, and research activities to other fields of study and to society at large.

❖Academic Institutions

• Academic institutions should develop new and strengthen existing policies and practices that lower or remove barriers to interdisciplinary research and scholarship...

• institutions should experiment with more innovative policies and structures to facilitate IDR, making use of lessons learned from IDR in industrial and national laboratories.

❖Academic Institutions

• Institutions should support interdisciplinary education and training for students, postdoctoral scholars, researchers, and faculty by providing

such mechanisms as undergraduate research opportunities, faculty team-teaching credit, and IDR management training.

• Institutions should develop equitable and flexible budgetary and cost-sharing policies that support IDR.