One of the unique aspects of the Laidlaw Program is that it connects students with diverse research interests. How can researchers collaborate and connect effectively with scholars from various disciplines to foster interdisciplinary innovation and tackle complex global challenges? Have your conversations with the Laidlaw community allowed you to understand ways in which your own research and/or academic interests might extend beyond the field of your research and/or your intended major? In what ways might your research benefit from the perspective or expertise of someone from outside your discipline?
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Since I'm in a STEM focused field, where the bulk of the work is technical and somewhat niche, it can be easy to lose a sense of global direction and purpose for the work and instead just become a bit obsessive with the individual experiments or just get stuck thinking about things through the viewpoint of whatever you are studying. While I do think research for the sake of research is important and that obsessiveness is important to the advancement of STEM fields, I'm personally much more interested in how STEM, particularly the biosciences, can be used to make effective change. That is why having a cohort contains a variety of fields is crucial, since it allows advancements to reach their full application potential. Specifically, having people with different perspectives on how the world functions to just bounce ideas off of and to get perspectives from allows researchers to more clearly see and utilize the intersection of fields to allow research work to reach its fullest potential.
Some conversations that have really highlighted this for me are ones about public health. They've really helped me to gain a better understanding of why it can be so hard for heath advancements to reach the public and why it is not just a matter of producing results, but rather that and then getting the information out in a way that generates trust for the technology or breakthrough.
Liam, your focus on public health is something I have come to learn as well concerning my field! I understand where you are coming from because, in STEM, it demonstrates the importance of collaboration from lab breakthroughs to community support. I also think, for you, engaging with individuals in Communications and Public Policy is crucial for crafting messages that build trust and inform others on new technologies and the built environment that you or your team create.
Through interactions within the Laidlaw community, I have recognized that my major in Urban Studies, Environment & Sustainability inherently intersects with other fields like public health, economics, sociology, engineering, linguistics, and so on! These disciplines, although distinct, must work in tandem with other subjects by introducing innovative methods, concepts, and ways of thinking. Conversations with peers from different disciplines have broadened my perspective, encouraging me to think more holistically about urban planning.
For example, my project's focus on GIS, maps, history, and the cultural influences of people pushes me to think about how environmental scientists play a role, how an anthropologist might approach certain things, and how an engineer would go about building an element of my work. All of these social dynamics of urban space are integrated with something else. Hence, I am eager to embrace these interdisciplinary approaches not only to enrich my research but also to enhance its practical applicability.
I totally agree that urban studies is an incredibly interdisciplinary field that really encapsulates how the intersection of fields can create better results and how the incongruity of those fields can cause unforeseen problems in the future that can't be solved by just one discipline. I'm looking forward to hearing about your approach to the project!
My project is interdisciplinary in and of itself, as I am looking at historical sources in comparison to film and literature. This will allow me to create a project that differs from other accounts of the same time period and historical events, as well as interacting with scholars from a variety of fields. In doing this, I hope to investigate the global challenge of how history is documented versus how individuals experienced it.
Despite the fact that my project is interdisciplinary, I felt at times that it lacked relevance. However, after hearing about other researchers’ projects, I was able to see that it can be tied to many fields, regardless of the time period or specific location that I am focusing on. For example, the study of immigration and assimilation has ties to sociology as well as human rights. Immigration is a very researched and debated issue today in many countries, and using the perspective of modern immigration policies could help me shape my research into something applicable to society today.
Overall, I think that having knowledge about other disciplines is necessary to facilitate communication and collaboration in academic fields. This can be done by simply asking others about their work and listening well, or from reading up on important developments in other disciplines. Without knowledge of the work of others, researchers and scholars cannot collaborate to create change.
Hi Hannah!
I completely agree with what you said about the importance of communication and collaboration. I am also interested in your proposal to consult modern immigration policies to make your research more applicable to modern society. I have needed to find a way to modernize my research and your perspective was very helpful in that regard. Funnily enough, I believe this is a good example of what you were discussing about collaboration. Overall, I am excited to see how your research develops!
My project is very niche, I am focusing on the development of abortion rights in specific states within the U.S. At first I felt a little suffocated by the hyper specificity of my research, but I've come to realize that the implications of my research push beyond my specific focus. By studying local activism and how it affects policy reform, I am operating within a larger conversation that concerns international politics, philosophy, human psychology, economics, and history. This has only been emphasized during my discussion with other Laidlaw scholars where I am surprised to find similarities in our research, despite any differing methodologies and disciplines.
Ultimately, I have learned that the best way to pursue interdisciplinary research is to facilitate this kind of discussion. Researchers need to understand the motivation for their research and they need to be able to articulate this, when we can do that we can begin to find shared themes and issues within our work and perhaps share our specialized insights. By facilitating an open and candid space for these conversations, we can drive innovation across all fields.
Evangeline, I totally agree that researchers need to understand the motivation behind their project in order to maximize potential innovation! By approaching challenges with multiple perspectives, there can only be room for more creativity and advancement. Your research sounds amazing, especially how you are planning to apply your topic to diverse areas like psychology and economics. I look forward to seeing what you discover!
I am working at a building that is affiliated with 3 different institutions: Columbia University, the New York State, and Presbyterian, a university, a government, and a hospital, which already shows the interdisciplinary attributes of research. Today, in fact, we had a floor-wide journal club, where the PIs, post-docs, and undergrads discussed a paper relevant to our work and how it related to mice behavioral work as whole. In this small way, I can clearly see the importance of communication and interdisciplinary innovation, especially in medicine. My contribution to this collaborative body is to study how early life stress, a great predictive factor for mental health, impacts movement and memory. This works goes hand-in-hand with studying the neurobiology—the neurotransmitters and receptors—and with clinical research—drug treatment. Outside of science, studying early life stress can be an avenue for advocacy, especially for children prone to experiencing stressful events in their childhood.
In terms of the Laidlaw cohort itself, I have learned so much in my conversations with my fellow scholars. I want to shoutout Justin for talking to me about his project about forgiveness. His research is a type of sociology/psychology research I have not encountered before, and it’s truly interesting how I can see the ways neuroscience can be applied to studying forgiveness.
Ultimately, our interdisciplinary perspectives can allow us to not only be more creative and innovative but it can also help us to be more compassionate as we think of the ways our research can benefit our field and beyond.
Tara, I really like how you brought in the idea of the physical building and its different affiliate institutions. I think this is a really interesting way to think about interdisciplinary research, because a lot of research happens because of funding from different organizations that are not always necessarily aligned with the same academic field or have the same exact goals. Your comment about creativity and innovation also connects to this, because when researchers come together and are provided with a larger wealth of resources, they are able to make great contributions to academia and society at large.
I really appreciate how Laidlaw features a cohort with extremely diverse interests and projects, as I now understand how intersectional all of our research really is. When tackling global challenges that may seem scientific at its core –like climate change – it seems equally important to study the human impact of the issue in order to foster empathy and a sense of urgency to address it.
Even in my own research, which aims to measure the radiation in the food of the Pacific Islands, I have had to not only work on purely scientific skills, but also understand the societal impacts of nuclear testing. Recently, my research group went to the Kiribati embassy last week to seek approval and advice on conducting in-person research. Here, I found that my research experience fundamentally intersects with politics, history, and social sciences; as my research will be conducted in an entirely new place next summer alongside a different community, my research can definitely be benefited by the historical knowledge of nuclear testing and its societal impacts.
Kate I'm quite interested in the intersections you've presented in your project. Personally, I know how important research on nuclear testing is to the field of politics and I think this is just another way that interdisciplinary approaches to research can allow for greater understanding of each other's work. I'm excited to read your abstract at the end of the summer, good luck!
My research is concentrated in the social sciences at the Justice Lab, my personal project at the Lab considers themes of violence and patriotism in incarceration. While we are both focused on issues in the carceral system, this project of mine is different from what my fellow Justice Lab researcher Kiana is exploring. Through learning about her interests in mental health and incarceration I have been provided and opportunity to witness how health can interact with systems of justice. Further, I have found that conversations at the Justice Lab centered around our thoughts on systemic issues have been insightful. By talking to a variety of people interested in justice such as lawyers, researchers, and teachers, I have been able to explore what justice means through each of their narratives, something that will help me contextualize further justice-led work.
Shreya, your research is fascinating and I am excited to see where it goes within and outside of the Justice Lab. I agree that talking with a variety of people interested in similar topics helps contextualize and explore narratives outside of our own. I love the way you are also able to be present in a lab with another Laidlaw researcher and still learn from one another with differing perspectives on approaching Justice. Also, what you mentioned about open discussions is certainly crucial to fully understanding the scope of any topic. Great job!
Shreya, I too have learned a lot from your work in clemency and am excited to think about this when conducting my own research!
Shreya, this sounds incredibly interesting and I'd love to talk more about your research. I think your work with the Justice Lab really expands what we understand about the value of conversations and interdisciplinary inquiry. There is no one way to learn about the experiences of people within the US carceral system, and interdisciplinary inquiry ensures that we cover all bases in understanding not just the political or judiciary implications of their experiences, but the psychology, sociology, history, economics, and medical implications of incarceration.
My project is interdisciplinary, as it focuses on the intersections of psychology, culture, and philosophy (in understanding forgiveness). However, I found myself needing some guidance to hone in on my methodologies, and talking with Tara was both reassuring and constructive because I was able to understand from a neurological background. Her expertise in designing experiments in the past offered me insights into her thought processes and the ways to establish a successful study. I was able to bridge my passion for the humanities with my intrigue in STEM fields as well.
Moreover, my interest in career paths outside of my research has led to engaging in meaningful conversations with my librarian (Kae Bara Kratcha), other leaders of workshops during the first week such as Leah Edelman (about work in archives), and with past Laidlaw scholars to see how their work has evolved past graduation. Without the Laidlaw community, I would not have gained access to these discussions and exposure to these various career paths.
Overall, collaboration begins with a conversation, and the key to establishing tangible change in global matters is first to attempt to understand one another -- which is exactly what Laidlaw offers.
Justin, I am so happy that I was helpful to you! I am so glad that you've had productive conversations with librarians and past workshop leaders. I really agree with you that a clear and curious dialogue matters! Our voices are impactful when we harmonize with one another.
Please keep me updated on your work and feel free to reach out :)
An interdisciplinary environment like Laidlaw's cohort allows for a range of various perspectives on perhaps the same general topic; this interdisciplinary foundation allows room for unique expertise in the same general domain of topic or interest. In order to tackle complex global challenges, it is precisely this interdisciplinary environment that allows unique perspectives to be fostered, new ideas to emerge, and existing ideas to connect in new ways. While researching on imagination, it becomes important for me to understand not only human psychology and the neuroscience behind the brain, but also generally what makes people think and who they become -- inherently, to understand human psychology I must have an interdisciplinary understanding of humans as a whole, understanding various perspectives and unique ideas. In communicating with other scholars in the Laidlaw cohort, I have not only begun to understand their specific research projects, but also the various ways in which each person contributes something unique to the research field. Being a part of the Living Lab, further, has allowed me to interact not only with psychology and neuroscience, but also gain exposure to computer science and various other fields.
Liza, your project is incredibly fascinating, and I am eager to learn more about the findings of your research! I really appreciate how you've highlighted the complexity of lab work, which often appears straightforward but actually demands a diverse skill set, including computer science, data collection, and more. Mastering these skills now will undoubtedly be beneficial for your future research endeavors. I’m excited to hear more once you begin engaging with people and their imaginations soon!
One of the most thrilling aspects of the Laidlaw Scholars program for me has been the diverse range of interests and passions among the cohort. In a world that is increasingly complex and divided, this diversity is invaluable. As potential leaders across various fields, we have the opportunity to collaborate and merge our distinct goals. This collaboration not only enhances our individual projects but also fosters a sense of unity. By working together, we can bridge gaps between different groups, helping to open minds and build connections that might not have existed otherwise. This synergy is essential for creating a more inclusive and cohesive society. However, this inclusive and cohesive society only results if researchers themselves are willing to work with others and not solely focus on their own interests. Researchers need to function as collaborative teammates within the global leadership team, rather than focusing solely on being standout stars in their own individual fields if we want to see this change enacted.
Engaging with my fellow Laidlaw Scholars has transformed my view of research from a mere summer project to a powerful tool for impacting children’s lives nationwide. While my current research focuses on clinical and genetic aspects, the diverse projects within my cohort have sparked my curiosity about integrating various ideas and disciplines into my future work. Specifically, for my second summer research project, I am inspired to explore the psychological aspects of returning to sports after being labeled as high-risk. Liza’s project in particular, piqued my interest as it relates to perceived pain. If the brain's perception of pain differs from the actual physical sensation, how might this impact children who are pushing their bodies to the limit in inherently risky environments? My ultimate goal is to develop a comprehensive approach that addresses both the mental and physical challenges faced by young athletes as they return back to sports if cleared by cardiology. This interdisciplinary perspective not only broadens the scope of my research but also enhances its potential to effect meaningful change.
Tatum, I completely agree with the sentiment of unity and being part of a team, especially with so much division in our current world. I think that research and our own passions are certainly tools that not only require but also innately drive people to be collaborative. When I think of your project, I am always amazed with the ways all aspects of life intersect with healthcare, especially as you mention the new psychological ways of being conscious of one's body and involving in risk analysis at a young age. With my interest in sociology and social work, I think of existing or missing resources to help immediate families of patients with Cardiomyopathy. At the end of the day, anyone who cares about the wellbeing of children, regardless of their background or school of thought, can and will commit to working as a team to achieve it! Excited to hear more about your project, especially as you transition for the second summer :)
My research project centers around social justice, specifically related to inequities in the justice system. Although this project is in line with my future career aspirations it is not a part of my major/minor plans. As such, thinking about ways reimagining justice and fighting against biased unfair treatment in criminal courts can be linked to other disciplines has been prominently on my mind since the start of Laidlaw.
Speaking with students in humanities fields such as Philosophy and Political Science allowed me to discover connections - thinking about the meaning of justice proves a prominent aspect of philosophy with thinkers from diverse backgrounds offering their own perspectives and I hope to use this research, combined with other knowledge from philosophical readings to create my own interpretation of the definition of "justice". Furthermore, prison reform presents itself in political activism and in order to create change legally, potentially passing new legislation.
Additionally, learning about STEM projects opened my eyes to other ways of conducting research. Specifically, looking at their strict methodology inspired me to conduct my research in an organized fashion rather than simply reading as much as I can without structure.
Hanna, your project is very exciting and highly important for our society. It is interesting how you found the connections between your research and other fields of studying - these connections seems really insightful. I am excited to learn more about your project and to see where it goes next summer!
My project is very concerned with current issues, focusing on immigration from specific populations to New York City. Throughout my research so far, a lot of interdisciplinary ways of thinking, including philosophy, journalism, urban planning and more have really expanded my understanding while also narrowing my focus. I think the beauty about diverse disciplines and backgrounds is how helpful different ways of thinking about an issue can come along. I greatly appreciated the conversations we had with Malick Gai and Professor Anette Wu because they helped me understand the different ways someone can go about interviewing, getting the truth, helping patients, and that unity allows for that individual knowledge to pass down into groups and teams that can comprehensively and holistically go about solving an issue. Immediately, I became interested in looking at my project from the lenses of journalism and public health. This is because our interests are not dull or one-sided, but rather multi-faceted problems that require a team of people with various skills and ways of thinking to solve.
Gersely, I completely agree that an individual's interests are not one-sided but are instead multi-faceted and multidimensional. I think our interests as individuals vary across different fields, and this is entirely natural, so I am glad you brought attention to it. I am very excited to hear more about your research on immigration as this topic aligns with my identity as a first-generation immigrant. I am glad that the various interdisciplinary fields of philosophy, journalism, and urban planing have both helped to expand and deepen your understanding of immigration of certain populations to New York, while also helping to narrow down your focus. I am excited to hear more!
Despite the stereotype that the research is usually done on a very specific topic, it usually involves many different areas. My project is about nuclear weapon testing, but it is by no means limited to nuclear physics. Besides math, chemistry, and computer science that are explicitly involved in all the subprojects, there is also a social aspect: working with people who live on the island that was directly affected by nuclear weapon testing. Their rights were violated, they were forced to leave their homes, and they were poorly protected from the consequences of exposure to radiation. Thus, it also became a human rights issue, and in order to find a solution, politics must be involved. Therefore, the collaboration with people of various backgrounds and areas of interest would be highly beneficial for the project.
During one of my conversations with Laidlaw Scholars, I met a researcher who was working on the Climate Change issue. My project is also related to this problem: the island that we are studying is sinking due to global warming, and since the land is contaminated with radiation, once it is under the water, the radiation will be in the ocean and thus will be spread on a bigger territory. I was amazed by how we both were working on the same global problem, but were doing it in completely different ways. And I can imagine our collaboration to be very valuable and insightful later on: for example, we could find a way to keep the island above the water and thus save the water from being polluted.
In the humanities and social sciences, conversations are everything. Researchers in these fields are always seeking out opportunities to collaborate with and learn from each other, and from adjacent disciplines. Economists, for example, regularly borrow from the tools of anthropologists, psychologists, and sociologists to understand the determinants of human behaviour in markets. Historians work with cultural studies experts and political scientists to get a fuller understanding of historical context. Interdisciplinary study is at the heart of these fields and the research they do.
Conversations with other Laidlaw scholars have helped me understand not only the potential applications of their and my own research, but have expanded the range of methodological options available to me in my research. We don't always know what's available out there as a tool for our inquiry and so learning how biologists, epidemiologists, cognitive scientists, and others are answering the problems posed by their fields expands the range of tools available to me in my own research.
In order to solve a problem, you need multiple different perspectives and ideas provided along the way. The same is true with research -- it starts with a problem and various scholars from various disciplines join together to solve said problem. Specifically in my research, I've seen diplomats and scientists work together to further discussions that could benefit populations. It's showing me that not just pure science of the way things work can solve a problem alone. Teamwork in this context fosters innovation and holistic problem-solving, leading to richer, more nuanced solutions -- a conclusion that no one researcher could come to on their own.
Erica, I totally agree with what you said about needing collaboration between multiple disciplines and scholars to solve global problems. I'm curious as to how teamwork plays a role in your project, especially given how interdisciplinary your project is and how big your team is.
The Laidlaw program fosters interdisciplinary collaboration, crucial for tackling global challenges like climate change. By connecting scholars from diverse fields such as urban studies, physics and food security, history, and medical science, the program promotes innovative solutions. Conversations within the Laidlaw community have made me realize the various ways that climate change can impact human beings. For instance, while my focus may be on marine science and biological carbon sequestration, insights from the mapping historical New York project could enhance my understanding of the different communities of coastal residents that climate change can impact. Similarly, sustainability perspectives could offer holistic approaches in medicine, social sciences, and humanities. Embracing interdisciplinary collaboration enriches research, especially on an undergraduate level like the Laidlaw program.