This is a proposal to examine the changing nature of scientific integration, referring to the merger of research questions, methodological techniques, and/or theory of two or more fields of science as part of broader transformations within disciplines. Attempts to integrate scientific disciplines are not new; in the past century molecular biology, biochemistry, and astrophysics have developed as a result of scientists working to bridge disciplinary boundaries. However, recent decades have seen dramatic changes in the organization of scientific practice. In many fields collaboration has transitioned from small-scale research to large-scale, externally funded enterprises. It has become increasingly intertwined with government and industry, practiced in non -or semi-academic settings, and is increasingly transdisciplinary and application-oriented. In place of the informal social movements that have traditionally been the catalysts for integration, new organizations charged with the promotion of integration have emerged. Understanding these organizations and the manner in which integration is occurring is the purpose of this study. These issues will be analyzed through a comparative case study of attempts to integrate social science into ecological knowledge production in three organizations: 1) The Long-term Ecological Research Network, 2) The Resilience Alliance, and 3) The National Center for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis. The proposed study uses both qualitative and quantitative analysis. Qualitative methods include interviews with members of each organization, ethnographic observations of research group collaborations, and content analysis of knowledge products (book chapters, journal articles, monographs, etc.). Quantitative methods include network analyses of co-authorship patterns over time, and bibliometric analyses of the impact each organization is having on science.
The intellectual merit of the proposed research stems from its importance for advancing knowledge about integration, a relatively neglected but fundamental driver of scientific change. This study will advance both theories of integration and methods used in its analysis. Theory will be advanced by exploring integration as it is taking place in new settings, and assessing the effects of these settings on social and technical processes central to integration. Methods will be advanced by taking advantage of new developments in social science methodology occurring since the major studies of integration were conducted such as computational network analysis, and developing original analytic tools. The proposed research will advance knowledge across disciplines by creating information about the most effective ways in which to create the intellectual space for organizationally-fostered disciplinary crosspollination.
The broader impacts associated with this project are multiple. The proposed research advances discovery while promoting teaching, training, and learning. One goal of the project is to enhance understanding of issues concerning training and socialization of junior scientists into integrative research. The project will entail training and education of the co-PI and training of an undergraduate assistant through Arizona State University's IGERT program in urban ecology. Second, results of the project will be broadly disseminated. Findings will be presented to the broader scientific community at several meetings and conferences and will also be provided to the members of each case study. Finally, the proposed activity will be of benefit to society. A great many social and environmental problems require the integration of expertise from numerous disciplines, and exploring the most efficient ways in which to promote integration will provide pragmatic knowledge with potential to increase societal well-being.
