Enabling Interdisciplinary and Team Science: A Professional Development Program from AIBS
Reports abound from professional societies, the Academies, government agencies, and researchers calling attention to the fact that science is increasingly an inter-disciplinary, transdisciplinary, inter-institutional, and international endeavor. In short, science has become a “team sport.” There is a real and present need to better prepare scientists for success in this new collaborative environment. The American Institute of Biological Sciences (AIBS) is responding to this call with a new program for scientists, educators, and individuals who work with or participate in scientific teams. Team science is increasingly common in 21st century biological, life, and environmental sciences. Collaboration is no longer limited to sharing ideas with the biologist in the lab next door. The questions confronting science often require teams that may include a mix of computer and information scientists, physical and social scientists, mathematicians, ethicists, policy and management experts, as well as community stakeholders and citizen scientists. Adding to this complexity, teams span programs within organizations, cross organization boundaries to form institutional consortia, and often include international partners. This intensive, two-day, interactive, professional development course was designed by scientists and experts on collaboration and teamwork to provide participants with the knowledge and skills required to become productive and effective members of scientific teams. From its first offering the course has evolved to include a greater focus on team planning and teamwork, and less time allocated to university administration of interdisciplinary teams. Nothing teaches collaboration like practicing collaboration. This is not a course that asks you to learn in isolation. It is a microcosm of scientific collaboration, with extensive hands-on learning as part of a scientific team, with scientific case studies and examples. This course is designed for anyone involved in collaborative scientific endeavors. Team leaders will find the course especially helpful. Because participants will work on “real-world” team science concerns, we encourage multiple members of a team to attend together. We can also customize the course and bring it to your university, department, lab, or research team. This course provides the right foundation from which your team can successfully accomplish your goals. Participants will develop and hone the skills needed to: - Explain interdisciplinary team science and characteristics of effective scientific teams - Describe how teams work - Recognize competencies and characteristics of effective team leadership - Create effective teams and team culture - Develop a shared vision, mission, plan, and key performance indicators for a scientific team - Identify and assess the right mix of competencies and people needed for a scientific team - Use team tools and processes such as quality improvement cycle and knowledge mapping - Improve team communication and trust Dates: January 14-15, 2019 Location: 1201 New York Avenue, NW, Suite 420, Washington, DC 20005 Learn more at https://www.aibs.org/events/team_science_event.html. ___________________________________________ Jyotsna Pandey, Ph.D. Public Policy Manager American Institute of Biological Sciences 1201 New York Avenue, NW Suite 420 Washington, DC 20005 Phone: 202-628-1500 x 225 www.aibs.org Follow us on Twitter! @AIBS_Policy -- This message is confidential and should only be read by its intended recipients. If you have received it in error, please notify the sender and delete all copies.
