Session Presenters:

Terrence Tiersch, LSU Agricultural Center, 225-235-7267 (ttiersch@agctr.lsu.edu)

Henrique Cheng (co-chair), LSU School of Veterinary Medicine, 225-578-9747 (hcheng@lsu.edu)

Kevin Kleinow, LSU School of Veterinary Medicine, 225-578-9889 (kklein7@lsu.edu)

Yue Liu (co-chair), LSU Agricultural Center, 225-235-7267 (yliu97@lsu.edu)

Brief Synopsis:

One of the major challenges in today’s research environment is to overcome the expanding differentiation and specialization towards a field of study. This has caused detrimental effects on science by slowing the pace of discoveries and our ability to find cures for human and animal diseases. When focus is placed on a single or specific area, it diminishes one’s ability to think “outside the box”, since narrowing the focus can result in a narrow mindset. On the other hand, when researchers work together through interdisciplinary programs, it provides another dimension to problem solving. This is because researchers in different fields have different mindsets and methodologies, which gives them this unique opportunity to share their thinking process. However, interdisciplinary research has its challenges and several steps of career development must be taken to establish a successful program. The goal of the workshop is to acquaint the audience with the opportunities and challenges encountered during establishment of interdisciplinary programs. Important aspects of programmatic development will be covered such as academic training and path to becoming an independent investigator, establishment of research collaborations, multidisciplinary programs, and the utility of and paths to interdisciplinary work. The speakers will share their personal experiences and the audience will have the opportunity to ask questions and share their own experiences through groups discussions.

This special session is designed as a 4-hr workshop format (including a 30-min break) to be held during the afternoon. The intended audience is primarily students, postdocs, early investigators, but all interested parties especially from industry user groups are welcome. There will be a brief workshop overview followed by an introduction to define terms and introduce concepts. This will be followed by 15-min presentations with 15-min facilitated group discussions for each topic.

Proposed Schedule:

1:00 Introduction: An Ethical Framework for Research and Development (Tiersch)

1:15 Group Discussion and Questions

1:30 Pathway Towards Becoming an Independent Researcher (Cheng)

1:45 Group Discussion and Questions

2:00 Establishing Successful Collaborations (Kleinow)

2:15 Group Discussion and Questions

2:30 Break

3:00 Components of a Multidisciplinary Program (Liu)

3:15 Group Discussion and Questions

3:30 Solving Complex Problems Through Interdisciplinary Research (Tiersch)

3:45 Group Discussion and Questions

4:00 Overall Questions and Discussions followed by Workshop Survey

5:00 End of Workshop