Source: MICHIGAN STATE UNIV submitted to NRP
INVESTIGATING CROSS-DISCIPLINARY COMMUNICATION
Sponsoring Institution
National Institute of Food and Agriculture
Project Status
COMPLETE
Funding Source
HATCH
Reporting Frequency
Annual
Accession No.
1016959
Grant No.
(N/A)
Cumulative Award Amt.
(N/A)
Proposal No.
(N/A)
Multistate No.
(N/A)
Project Start Date
Oct 1, 2018
Project End Date
Sep 30, 2023
Grant Year
(N/A)
Program Code
[(N/A)]- (N/A)
Recipient Organization
MICHIGAN STATE UNIV
(N/A)
EAST LANSING,MI 48824
Performing Department
Philosophy
Non Technical Summary
We are living in a time when our awareness of the nature and potential impact of complex problems is increasing. Climate change, food security, water availability, and sustainable resource use all manifest as global challenges that threaten human well being.Interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary research are motivated in part by a desire to meet complex problems like these with complex solutions. But these modes of research practice are themselves complex, involving as they do experts from the academy and the community who speak different technical languages, have different values, and look at the world in different ways. It is not easy to find common ground on which to conduct a common research project when you are coming from so many different places with so many different backgrounds. Key to success in this kind of research iscommunication, i.e., relationship building and information transfer that enables people to collaborate effectively and efficiently. This project focuses on understanding and facilitating interdisciplinary communication so that these projects can increase their chances of success. Specifically,I engage in philosophical analysis of communication processes as they arise in interdisciplinary research projects. On the one hand, as a facilitator of communication, I pursue continued development of the Toolbox approach to collaborative, cross-disciplinary communication, an effort that aims to improve the conduct of cross-disciplinary scientific research; in addition, I apply lessons learned from this approach to curricula in interdisciplinary courses at the undergraduate and graduate levels. As a theorist of interdisciplinary communication, I concentrate on two objectives: (A) developing a conceptual model of cross-disciplinary integration, and (B) constructing conceptual models of key aspects of cross-disciplinary communication, specifically dialogue. These models should inform my work as a facilitator, providing me with better understanding for intervening in existing research projects. While both science and philosophy should profit from this work, the ultimate beneficiaries will be cross-disciplinary research projects and the communities that depend on them.
Animal Health Component
50%
Research Effort Categories
Basic
50%
Applied
50%
Developmental
(N/A)
Classification

Knowledge Area (KA)Subject of Investigation (SOI)Field of Science (FOS)Percent
90372993030100%
Knowledge Area
903 - Communication, Education, and Information Delivery;

Subject Of Investigation
7299 - Research equipment and methods, general/other;

Field Of Science
3030 - Information and communication;
Goals / Objectives
This project divides into a facilitative half and a critical half, that is, into a half that focuses on facilitating improvements in cross-disciplinary science (thefacilitative) and a half that focuses on enhancing philosophical research (thecritical). Given this, I organize the objectives for this project into two groups, the facilitative objectives and the critical objectives.Facilitative ObjectivesToolbox ObjectivesConduct Toolbox workshops with cross-disciplinary groups, especially those that involve natural resource and agriculture researchers, managers, policymakers, and stakeholders (e.g., growers)Continue to evaluate whether structured philosophical dialogue enhances communication in cross-disciplinary research groupsEducational ObjectivesDisseminate the Toolbox "EESE" curriculum (http://eese.msu.edu/) widely and extend it into additional cross-disciplinary contextsContinue developing the Toolbox-based framework for use in interdisciplinary graduate programs, especially those involving environmental scienceCritical ObjectivesDevelop a broad-based, conceptual model of communication processes in cross-disciplinary research, focusing on both relational and informational communicationProduce philosophical analyses of concepts central to the process of transdisciplinary research in natural resources (e.g., integration, dialogue)
Project Methods
Achievement of project objectives will require employment of multiple methods, consistent with the facilitative and critical halves of the project. The facilitative objectives are social scientific in character and will require use of both qualitative and quantitative methods. Use of these methods and subsequent analysis of the data they generate will be conducted by Marisa Rinkus, a natural resource social scientist working with C4I, and supported by Troy E. Hall, a natural resource social scientist at Oregon State University who is part of TDI.Our first Toolbox objective will require identifying such groups and working with them to arrange workshops. We are in regular contact with groups at MSU who represent sources of partners (e.g., AgBioResearch, Food@MSU), as well as research projects outside MSU (e.g., Woody Weeds). Our second Toolbox objectivewill be pursued using the mixed methods approach we have developed in TDI (Schnapp et al. 2012). These methods include a quantitative, statistical analysis of the Likert data collected in each workshop, a qualitative analysis of transcript data that focuses on local indicators of changes in understanding (e.g., challenge, disagreement, negotiation, agreement), and an association of shifts in pre- and post-workshop Likert data with relevant moments of explanatory dialogue. post-Workshop questionnaires collected one month after the Toolbox workshop will also be assessed to determine qualitative shifts in participant attitude toward the conceptual foundations of research practice.The educational objectives will be pursued initially through systematic and broad dissemination of the Values and Responsibility Curriculum, initially through distribution of the website URL to listservs and posting of the curriculum to the Online Ethics Center (http://www.onlineethics.org/). I will continue to work with LissyGoralnik and Marisa Rinkus to develop the mental modeling context for curricular implementation. We are evaluating the potential for this approach in environmental science courses at MSU with a view to applying for grant support to evaluate the pedagogical impact of the combined methodology.The critical objectives will be pursued using a mix of top-down and bottom-up methods in conceptual analysis. Pursuit of the first critical objective will be driven by bottom-up, content analysis methods of the literatures on cross-disciplinary communication and interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary project structure (Mayring 2000). Generalizations supported by these literatures will be checked for conceptual consistency using the standard methods of a priori philosophical analysis (Rescher 2001). Work on the second objective will be primarily top-down, driven by the techniques of philosophical analysis but supported by and checked against the literatures in philosophy, cognitive science, and interdisciplinary theory that concern the concepts under investigation. The methodological goal in this type of work is reflective equilibrium, where the conditions identified via a priori conceptual analysis support predictions borne out by the data gathered from the relevant literatures (Daniels 2011).Work on the facilitative objectives will be based at MSU, but will also involve researchers from TDI who are based at other US universities. Toolbox workshops will be conducted at locations around the United States, based on identification of willing partner groups conducting transdisciplinary natural resources research; we are not restricting our focus to any one location. The educational objective will be pursued primarily at MSU. The critical analyses will be based in Michigan at MSU, with off-campus TDI collaborators.

Progress 10/01/20 to 09/30/21

Outputs
Target Audience:During the reporting period (October 1, 2020- September 30, 2021), my work involved both facilitation and critique as outlined in my Research Project Outline. On the facilitative side, the audiences reached by our work includeinternational development officers, international scientists, interdisciplinary researchers, the Directorate General of the Environment of the European Commission, PIs and teams sponsored by three National Science Foundation programs (AccelNet, Convergence Accelerator, and Growing Convergence Research), PIs and teams sponsored by one NASA program (Heliophysics DRIVE Science Center), faculty and administrative staff at MSU, and participants in several academic conferences. Our primary work involved running Toolbox workshops. My post-docs and I led 32Toolbox workshops. On the critical side, the audiences include scholars of interdisciplinarity and transdisciplinarity, natural resource and agricultural researchers conducting interdisciplinary projects, scholars interested in interdisciplinary research methods, and interdisciplinary environmental science graduate students. I finalized and published four papers and one book, and received several more NSF awards. Changes/Problems: Nothing Reported What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?I have worked with Dr. Marisa Rinkus, a Ph.D. in human dimensions of natural resources. Dr. Rinkus is hired on funds from a different source, but she has been engaged in work that is related to my Hatch proposal. I have also worked with Dr. Edgar Cardenas, who has been a key part of collaborations with various people in AgBioResearch, and Dr. Chet McLeskey, who has conducted Responsible Conduct of Research workshops for the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources at MSU. Together, the four of us helped to initiate a new service center at MSU, the Toolbox Dialogue Initiative (TDI) Center, and they are not Associate Directors of this center. This represents a significant increase in salary and in professional profile, and this is an outcome of the Hatch-supported Toolbox work they have done with me over the years. In addition, the Toolbox workshops delivered during courses supplied training opportunities in interdisciplinary communication for students, teachers, and other meeting participants. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Our published manuscripts have appeared in venues read by philosophers, scientists, and interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary researchers and theorists. We have presented on various aspects of the Toolbox approach to very interested audiences around the world. The Toolbox workshops were disseminated directly to communities of interest, including a number of communities interested in agricultural and natural resource issues. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?On the facilitative side, we will continue to conduct Toolbox workshops, collecting data for process evaluation. We will continue to work with NSF and NASA programs, and will grow the portfolio of Toolbox partners through the activities of TDI Center. Further, we plan to maintain our workload on campus, expanding the services we provide local transdisciplinary collaborations. We plan to continue working on cross-disciplinary communication in the coming year, which will result in additional manuscripts that are related to the critical goals described above. I plan to commence work on a research monograph that focuses on crossdisciplinary integration.

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? 1. Facilitative Objectives My post-docs and I conducted 32 Toolbox workshops with various groups related in different ways to agriculture and natural resources, including eight with the National Science Foundation (NSF) Convergence Accelerator Program; six with the NSF AccelNet Program; eleven with the NSF Growing Convergence Research Program; one with the NASA WAVE DRIVE Science Center; one with the European Commission Directorate General for the Environment; and five with various groups at The Ohio State University, Binghamton University, and Michigan State University. I continue as Director of the MSU Center for Interdisciplinarity (C4I), a research center at MSU that focuses on supporting and conducting cross-disciplinary research. I also worked with my post-docs to create a new, MSU-based service center, the Toolbox Dialogue Initiative (TDI) Center, which will become the new hub for Toolbox workshops locally, nationally, and internationally. Many of our research an facilitation efforts are focused on producing products related to my Hatch project. 2. Critical Objectives Two articles on which I am a co-author that are relevant to my Hatch proposal were published in issues this past year: Bugin, K., Lotrecchiano, G. R., O'Rourke, M., Butler, J. (2021). Evaluating integration in collaborative cross-disciplinary FDA new drug reviews using an input-process-output model. Journal of Clinical and Translational Science 5: e199, 1-10. https://doi.org/10.1017/cts.2021.861 Rinkus, M. A., Donovan, S., Hall, T. E., O'Rourke, M. (2021). Using a survey to initiate and sustain productive group dialogue in focus groups. International Journal of Social Research Methodology. 24(3): 327-340. https://doi.org/10.1080/13645579.2020.1786240 Two book chapters on which I am a co-author that are relevant to my Hatch proposal have appeared in the last year: O'Rourke, M., Fam, D. (2021). Theoretical and empirical perspectives on failure: An introduction. In D. Fam and M. O'Rourke (Eds.), Interdisciplinary and Transdisciplinary Failures: Lessons Learned from Cautionary Tales (pp. 1-20). London: Routledge. O'Rourke, M., Crowley, S., Eigenbrode, S. D., Vasko, S. E. (2021). Failure and what to do next: Lessons from the Toolbox Dialogue Initiative. In D. Fam and M. O'Rourke (Eds.), Interdisciplinary and Transdisciplinary Failures: Lessons Learned from Cautionary Tales (pp. 97-113). London: Routledge. Finally, co-edited a book published by Routledge that appeared in the reporting period: Fam, D., O'Rourke, M. (Eds.) (2021). Interdisciplinary and Transdisciplinary Failures: Lessons Learned from Cautionary Tales. London: Routledge. In addition, I delivered seven invited presentations in the reporting period that relate to my Hatch proposal: "Introduction to the Toolbox Dialogue Initiative," University Initiatives Panel, 2021 Science of Team Science Conference, Virginia Tech University, Online, June 2021 "Creating Common Ground for Interdisciplinary Teams," Keynote lecture, Team Research Symposium, University of New Mexico, Virtual, April 2021 "Facilitating Convergence Through Dialogue: The Toolbox Dialogue Method," Keynote lecture, Convergence Symposium, Dartmouth College, Online, February 2021 "Interdisciplinary Environmental Science," ESP 800, Michigan State University, Online, January 2021 "The Challenge of Building Transdisciplinary Research Teams," Workshop on Transdisciplinarity, University of Ghent, Belgium, Online, December 2020 "Warming Up to the 'F' word: Failure in Interdisciplinary and Transdisciplinary Research," with D. Fam, Sustainable Communities Transdisciplinary Areas of Excellence Seminar, Binghamton University, Online, December 2020 "Is There Any Hope for Interdisciplinarity?", Department of Philosophy Colloquium, University of Utah, Online, October 2020

Publications

  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2021 Citation: Bugin, K., Lotrecchiano, G. R., ORourke, M., Butler, J. (2021). Evaluating integration in collaborative cross-disciplinary FDA new drug reviews using an input-process-output model. Journal of Clinical and Translational Science 5: e199, 110. https://doi.org/10.1017/cts.2021.861
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2021 Citation: Rinkus, M. A., Donovan, S., Hall, T. E., ORourke, M. (2021). Using a survey to initiate and sustain productive group dialogue in focus groups. International Journal of Social Research Methodology. 24(3): 327340. https://doi.org/10.1080/13645579.2020.1786240
  • Type: Books Status: Published Year Published: 2021 Citation: Fam, D., ORourke, M. (Eds.) (2021). Interdisciplinary and Transdisciplinary Failures: Lessons Learned from Cautionary Tales. London: Routledge.
  • Type: Book Chapters Status: Published Year Published: 2021 Citation: ORourke, M., Fam, D. (2021). Theoretical and empirical perspectives on failure: An introduction. In D. Fam and M. ORourke (Eds.), Interdisciplinary and Transdisciplinary Failures: Lessons Learned from Cautionary Tales (pp. 120). London: Routledge.
  • Type: Book Chapters Status: Published Year Published: 2021 Citation: ORourke, M., Crowley, S., Eigenbrode, S. D., Vasko, S. E. (2021). Failure and what to do next: Lessons from the Toolbox Dialogue Initiative. In D. Fam and M. ORourke (Eds.), Interdisciplinary and Transdisciplinary Failures: Lessons Learned from Cautionary Tales (pp. 97113). London: Routledge.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2021 Citation: Introduction to the Toolbox Dialogue Initiative, University Initiatives Panel, 2021 Science of Team Science Conference, Virginia Tech University, Online, June 2021
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2021 Citation: Creating Common Ground for Interdisciplinary Teams, Keynote lecture, Team Research Symposium, University of New Mexico, Virtual, April 2021
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2021 Citation: Facilitating Convergence Through Dialogue: The Toolbox Dialogue Method, Keynote lecture, Convergence Symposium, Dartmouth College, Online, February 2021
  • Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2021 Citation: Interdisciplinary Environmental Science, ESP 800, Michigan State University, Online, January 2021
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2020 Citation: The Challenge of Building Transdisciplinary Research Teams, Workshop on Transdisciplinarity, University of Ghent, Belgium, Online, December 2020
  • Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2020 Citation: Warming Up to the F word: Failure in Interdisciplinary and Transdisciplinary Research, with D. Fam, Sustainable Communities Transdisciplinary Areas of Excellence Seminar, Binghamton University, Online, December 2020
  • Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2020 Citation: Is There Any Hope for Interdisciplinarity?, Department of Philosophy Colloquium, University of Utah, Online, October 2020
  • Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2021 Citation: European Commission High Level Roundtable Sherpa Meeting (Directorate General of the Environment, European Commission, Brussels, Belgium, Online, September 2021),
  • Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2021 Citation: Portuguese Language Group (Less Commonly Taught and Indigenous Languages Partnership, Michigan State University, Online, August 2021)
  • Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2021 Citation: Divided Community Project (The Ohio State University, Online, July 2021)
  • Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2021 Citation: Binghamton Artists & Scholars (SUNY Binghamton, Online, July 2021) and McNair Scholars and LSMAP Students (SUNY Binghamton, Online, July 2021)
  • Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2021 Citation: NASA WAVE DRIVE Science Center (University of Colorado, Online, May 2021)
  • Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2021 Citation: NSF Growing Convergence Research (GCR) Program Awardee Teams  11 workshops (Workshops delivered to teams funded by the GCR Program, Online, February 2021)
  • Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2021 Citation: Transdisciplinary Graduate Fellowship Program Short Course (Michigan State University, Online, January 2021)
  • Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2020 Citation: NSF AccelNet Program 2020 Cohort Workshops  6 workshops (National Science Foundation, Online, December 2020)
  • Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2020 Citation: NSF Convergence Accelerator Train the Trainer Workshop 2  4 workshops (National Science Foundation, Online, November 2020)
  • Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2020 Citation: NSF Convergence Accelerator Train the Trainer Workshop 1  4 workshops (National Science Foundation, Online, October 2020)


Progress 10/01/19 to 09/30/20

Outputs
Target Audience:During the reporting period (October 1, 2019- September 30, 2020), my work involved both facilitation and critique as outlined in my Research Project Outline. On the facilitative side, the audiences reached by our work includeinternational development officers, international scientists, interdisciplinary researchers, PIs and teams sponsored by three National Science Foundation progams (AccelNet, Convergence Accelerator, and Growing Convergence Research), faculty and administrative staff at MSU, and participants in several academic conferences. Our primary work involved running Toolbox workshops. My post-docs and I led 25Toolbox workshops. On the critical side, the audiences include scholars of interdisciplinarity and transdisciplinarity, natural resource and agricultural researchers conducting interdisciplinary projects, scholars interested in interdisciplinary research methods, and interdisciplinary environmental science graduate students. I finalized and published seven papers and one book, and received several more NSF awards. Changes/Problems: Nothing Reported What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?I have worked with Dr. Marisa Rinkus, a Ph.D. in human dimensions of natural resources. Dr. Rinkus is hired on funds from a different source, but she has been engaged in work that is related to my Hatch proposal. I have also worked with Dr. Edgar Cardenas, who has been the point person for our relationship with the LASG and has been a key part of collaborations with various people in AgBioResearch. In addition, the Toolbox workshops delivered during courses supplied training opportunities in interdisciplinary communication for students, teachers, and other meeting participants. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Our published manuscripts have appeared in venues read by philosophers, scientists, and interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary researchers and theorists. We have presented on various aspects of the Toolbox approach to very interested audiences around the world. The Toolbox workshops were disseminated directly to communities of interest, including a number of communities interested in agricultural and natural resource issues. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?On the facilitative side, we will continue to conduct Toolbox workshops, collecting data for process evaluation. We will also continue to work with the three NSF programs who have funded our facilitative work - NSF Convergence Accelerator, NSF AccelNet, and NSF Growing Convergence Research. In addition, we have just launched a large, two-year funded collaboration with NASA. Further, we plan to maintain our workload on campus, expanding the services we provide local transdisciplinary collaborations. The synergy between the Toolbox Dialogue Initiative and the MSU Center for Interdisciplinarity should enable our facilitative work to reach new audiences on campus and off. We plan to continue working on cross-disciplinary communication in the coming year, which will result in additional manuscripts that are related to the critical goals described above. One work that will appear during the next reporting period will be a new edited book published by Routledge, Interdisciplinary and Transdisciplinary Failures: Lessons Learned from Cautionary Tales.

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? 1. Facilitative Objectives My post-docs and I conducted 25 Toolbox workshops with various groups related in different ways to agriculture and natural resources, including two with the National Science Foundation (NSF) Convergence Accelerator Program; one with the NSF Navigating the New Arctic Program; five with the NSF AccelNet Program; four with the BEACON Science and Technology Center; four with a team-based research development program at the University of Tennessee; one at the Integrative Conservation Conference at the University of Georgia; and seven with various groups at Oregon State University, Colorado State University, and Michigan State University. I continue as Director of the MSU Center for Interdisciplinarity (C4I), a research center at MSU that focuses on supporting and conducting cross-disciplinary research. My Toolbox efforts are based in C4I, and many of our research efforts are focused on producing products related to my Hatch project. 2. Critical Objectives Four articles on which I am a co-author that are relevant to my Hatch proposal have appeared this past year: Halpern, M. K., O'Rourke, M. (2020). Power in science communication collaborations. Journal of Science Communication 19 (04), C02. https://doi.org/10.22323/2.19040302. Rinkus, M. A., Donovan, S., Hall, T. E., O'Rourke, M. (2020). Using a survey to initiate and sustain productive group dialogue in focus groups. International Journal of Social Research Methodology. Online first. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/13645579.2020.1786240 Bammer,G., O'Rourke, M., O'Connell, D., Neuhauser, L., Midgley, G., Klein, J.T., Grigg, N.J., Gadlin, H., Elsum, I.R., Bursztyn, M., Fulton, E.A., Pohl, C., Smithson, M., Vilsmaier, U., Bergmann, M., Jaeger, J., Merkx, F., Vienni Baptista, B., Burgman, M.A., Walker, D.H., Young, J., Bradbury, H., Crawford, L., Haryanto, B., Pachanee, C., Polk, M., Richardson, G.P. (2020). Expertise in research integration and implementation for tackling complex problems: when is it needed, where can it be found and how can it be strengthened? Palgrave Communications. 6:5: https://doi.org/10.1057/s41599-019-0380-0. Laursen, B. K., O'Rourke, M. (2019). Thinking with Klein about integration. Issues in Interdisciplinary Studies. 37(2): 33-61. Three book chapters on which I am a co-author that are relevant to my Hatch proposal have appeared in the last year: McLeskey, C., Berling, E., O'Rourke, M., Pennock, R. (2020). The evolution of the Scientific Virtues Toolbox approach to responsible conduct of research training. In W. Banzhaf et al. (Ed.), Evolution in Action: Past, Present, and Future (pp. 535-550). Dordrecht: Springer. O'Rourke, M., Vasko, S. E., McLeskey, C., Rinkus, M. A. (2020). Philosophical dialogue as field philosophy. In E. Brister and R. Frodeman (Eds), A Guide to Field Philosophy: Case Studies and Practical Strategies (pp. 48-65). New York: Routledge. O'Rourke, M., Crowley, S., Laursen, B. K., Robinson, B., Vasko, S. E. (2019). Disciplinary diversity in teams, integrative approaches from unidisciplinarity to transdisciplinarity. In K. L. Hall, A. L. Vogel, and R. T. Croyle (Eds.), Advancing Social and Behavioral Health Research through Cross-Disciplinary Team Science: Principles for Success (pp. 21-46). Berlin/Heidelberg: Springer. Finally, the Toolbox Dialogue Initiative published our first book in the reporting period with CRC Press: Hubbs, G., O'Rourke, M., Orzack, S. H. (Eds.). (2020). The Toolbox Dialogue Initiative: The Power of Cross-Disciplinary Practice. Boca Raton, FL: CRC Press. This is an edited volume and I am co-author on 7 of its 12 chapters. In addition, I delivered six invited presentations in the reporting period that relate to my Hatch proposal: "Assessing Ethics Education: Thoughts on a Workshop", Association for Practical and Professional Ethics, Atlanta, GA, February 2020 "Effectively Constructing Antidisciplinary Projects," American Geophysical Union 2019 Conference, San Francisco, CA, December 2019 "How Do You Integrate?", Institute for Sustainable Futures, University of Technology, Sydney, Sydney, Australia, November 2019 "Introducing the Center for Interdisciplinarity (C4I)," Panel: Transforming Cross-Disciplinary Collaboration in Research and Practice: New Research from Michigan State University's Center for Interdisciplinarity, a2ru National Conference, Lawrence, KS, November 2019 "Facilitating Networks of Networks: Tools and Resources," AccelNet Program Kick-Off Meeting, National Science Foundation, Alexandria, VA, October 2019 "2019 AccelNet Project Kick-Off Meeting: Toolbox Dialogue Initiative," AccelNet Program Kick-Off Meeting, National Science Foundation, Alexandria, VA, October 2019

Publications

  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2019 Citation: Laursen, B. K., ORourke, M. (2019). Thinking with Klein about integration. Issues in Interdisciplinary Studies. 37(2): 3361.
  • Type: Book Chapters Status: Published Year Published: 2019 Citation: ORourke, M., Crowley, S., Laursen, B. K., Robinson, B., Vasko, S. E. (2019). Disciplinary diversity in teams, integrative approaches from unidisciplinarity to transdisciplinarity. In K. L. Hall, A. L. Vogel, and R. T. Croyle (Eds.), Advancing Social and Behavioral Health Research through Cross-Disciplinary Team Science: Principles for Success (pp. 2146). Berlin/Heidelberg: Springer.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2020 Citation: Bammer, G., ORourke, M., OConnell, D., Neuhauser, L., Midgley, G., Klein, J.T., Grigg, N.J., Gadlin, H., Elsum, I.R., Bursztyn, M., Fulton, E.A., Pohl, C., Smithson, M., Vilsmaier, U., Bergmann, M., Jaeger, J., Merkx, F., Vienni Baptista, B., Burgman, M.A., Walker, D.H., Young, J., Bradbury, H., Crawford, L., Haryanto, B., Pachanee, C., Polk, M., Richardson, G.P. (2020). Expertise in research integration and implementation for tackling complex problems: when is it needed, where can it be found and how can it be strengthened? Palgrave Communications. 6:5: https://doi.org/10.1057/s41599-019-0380-0.
  • Type: Book Chapters Status: Published Year Published: 2020 Citation: ORourke, M., Vasko, S. E., McLeskey, C., Rinkus, M. A. (2020). Philosophical dialogue as field philosophy. In E. Brister and R. Frodeman (Eds), A Guide to Field Philosophy: Case Studies and Practical Strategies (pp. 4865). New York: Routledge.
  • Type: Book Chapters Status: Published Year Published: 2020 Citation: McLeskey, C., Berling, E., ORourke, M., Pennock, R. (2020). The evolution of the Scientific Virtues Toolbox approach to responsible conduct of research training. In W. Banzhaf et al. (Ed.), Evolution in Action: Past, Present, and Future (pp. 535550). Dordrecht: Springer.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2020 Citation: Rinkus, M. A., Donovan, S., Hall, T. E., ORourke, M. (2020). Using a survey to initiate and sustain productive group dialogue in focus groups. International Journal of Social Research Methodology. Online first. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/13645579.2020.1786240
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2020 Citation: Halpern, M. K., ORourke, M. (2020). Power in science communication collaborations. Journal of Science Communication 19 (04), C02. https://doi.org/10.22323/2.19040302.
  • Type: Books Status: Published Year Published: 2020 Citation: Hubbs, G., ORourke, M., Orzack, S. H. (Eds.). (2020). The Toolbox Dialogue Initiative: The Power of Cross-Disciplinary Practice. Boca Raton, FL: CRC Press.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2019 Citation: How Do You Integrate?, Institute for Sustainable Futures, University of Technology, Sydney, Sydney, Australia, November 2019
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2019 Citation: 2019 AccelNet Project Kick-Off Meeting: Toolbox Dialogue Initiative, AccelNet Program Kick-Off Meeting, National Science Foundation, Alexandria, VA, October 2019
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2019 Citation: Facilitating Networks of Networks: Tools and Resources, AccelNet Program Kick-Off Meeting, National Science Foundation, Alexandria, VA, October 2019
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2019 Citation: Introducing the Center for Interdisciplinarity (C4I), Panel: Transforming Cross-Disciplinary Collaboration in Research and Practice: New Research from Michigan State Universitys Center for Interdisciplinarity, a2ru National Conference, Lawrence, KS, November 2019
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2019 Citation: Effectively Constructing Antidisciplinary Projects, American Geophysical Union 2019 Conference, San Francisco, CA, December 2019
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2020 Citation: "Assessing Ethics Education: Thoughts on a Workshop", Association for Practical and Professional Ethics, Atlanta, GA, February 2020
  • Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2019 Citation: NSF Convergence Accelerator Conference -- 2 workshops (National Science Foundation, Alexandria, VA, October 2019)
  • Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2019 Citation: NSF AccelNet Program PI Meeting -- 5 workshops (National Science Foundation, Alexandria, VA, October 2019)
  • Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2019 Citation: Transdisciplinary Research on the Changing Arctic and Its Global Impacts: Enhancing Capacity for Convergence Science (NSF Navigating the New Arctic Program, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA, November 2019)
  • Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2020 Citation: NSF Growing Convergence Research Program PI meeting (National Science Foundation, Alexandria, VA, January 2020)
  • Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2020 Citation: Expanding Horizons Program, University of Tennessee -- 4 workshops (Virtual workshops delivered to teams based in Knoxville, TN, April/May 2020)


Progress 10/01/18 to 09/30/19

Outputs
Target Audience:During the reporting period (October 1, 2018 - September 30, 2019), my work involved both facilitation and critique as outlined in my Research Project Outline. On the facilitative side, the audiences reached by our work include graduate students in interdisciplinary environmental science programs, international development officers, international scientists, interdisciplinary scientists, faculty and administrative staff at MSU, food-related researchers and staff at MSU, and participants in several conferences devoted to aspects of environmental systems research and practice. Our primary work involved running Toolbox workshops. My post-docs and I led 21 Toolbox workshops, including the ones mentioned above. On the critical side, the audiences include scholars of interdisciplinarity and transdisciplinarity, natural resource and agricultural researchers conducting interdisciplinary projects, scholars interested in interdisciplinary research methods, and interdisciplinary environmental science graduate students. I finalized and published two papers and am working to bring my two active NSF projects to successful fruition. Changes/Problems: Nothing Reported What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?I have worked with Dr. Marisa Rinkus, a Ph.D. in human dimensions of natural resources. Dr. Rinkus is hired on funds from a different source, but she has been engaged in work that is related to my Hatch proposal. I have also worked with Dr. Edgar Cardenas, who has been the point person for our relationship with the LASG and has begun working on an EAGER grant proposal with colleagues at KBS. In addition, the Toolbox workshops delivered during courses supplied training opportunities in interdisciplinary communication for students, teachers, and other meeting participants. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Our published manuscripts have appeared in venues read by philosophers, scientists, and interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary researchers and theorists, including in Philosophy of Science, one of the leading philosophy journals. We have presented on various aspects of the Toolbox approach to very interested audiences around the world. The Toolbox workshops were disseminated directly to communities of interest, including a number of communities interested in agricultural and natural resource issues. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?On the facilitative side, we will continue to conduct Toolbox workshops, collecting data for process evaluation. We will also work on the two NSF awards we've received that finance the delivery of Toolbox workshops at the National Science Foundation for the C-Accel and AccelNet programs. Further, we plan to maintain our workload on campus, expanding the services we provide local transdisciplinary collaborations. The synergy between the Toolbox Dialogue Initiative and the MSU Center for Interdisciplinarity should enable our facilitative work to reach new audiences on campus and off. We plan to continue working on cross-disciplinary communication in the coming year, which will result in additional manuscripts that are related to the critical goals described above.

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? 1. Facilitative Objectives My post-docs and I conducted 21 Toolbox workshops with various groups related in different ways to agriculture and natural resources, including one at the Integrative Conservation Workshop at the University of Georgia; a virtual one with a Norwegian Research Council project on trout in Buenos Aires, Argentina; two with an EPSCoR project based at the University of Idaho; four with the BEACON Science and Technology Center; five with a Social Science and Humanities Research Council Partnership project based at the University of Waterloo in Ontario, CA; two with global development groups; three with various units and groups within MSU; three with diverse groups of researchers at international conferences; and six with student groups at Whittier College (4), Oregon State University, and Washington State University. Further, we have continued to publish results from the NSF Ethics Education in Science and Engineering project that involved developing a Toolbox-based curriculum for interdisciplinary environmental science courses. One of the articles produced out of this project appeared in the reporting period, and two are currently under development. Finally, I have become Director of the MSU Center for Interdisciplinarity (C4I), a research center at MSU that focuses on supporting and conducting cross-disciplinary research. My Toolbox efforts are based in C4I, and many of our research efforts are focused on producing products related to my Hatch project. 2. Critical Objectives Two articles on which I am a co-author that are relevant to my Hatch proposal have appeared this past year: Valles, S., Piso, Z., O'Rourke, M. (2019). Coupled ethical-epistemic analysis as a tool for environmental science. Ethics, Policy & Environment. 22(3): 267-286. DOI: 10.1080/21550085.2019.1652288. Robinson, B., Gonnerman, C., O'Rourke, M. (2019). Experimental philosophy of science and philosophical differences across the sciences. Philosophy of Science. 86(3): 551-576. I also have three book chapters and one journal article forthcoming in the next few months and several relevant projects that should go into review in the next six months. In addition, I delivered seventeen invited presentations in the reporting period that relate to my Hatch proposal: "Facilitating Cross-Disciplinary Research," Michigan State University, Cognitive Science Program Faculty Roundtable, East Lansing, MI, September 2019 "How to Facilitate Interdisciplinary Research," Building Bridges - Colloquium on Interdisciplinary Research, Royal Flemish Academy of Belgium for Science and the Arts, Brussels, Belgium, September 2019 "Detecting Integrative Discourse in Team Meetings," with B. Laursen, International Transdisciplinary Conference, Gothenburg, Sweden, September 2019 "The Toolbox Method for Embedded, Empirical Philosophy of Science: Evidence from the Toolbox Dialogue Initiative," with B. Robinson (*), S. Crowley, C. Gonnerman, M. A. Rinkus, Learning from Empirical Approaches to the History and Philosophy of Science (LEAHPS), Hannover, Germany, July 2019 "Introducing the Toolbox Approach to Interdisciplinary Capacity Building," Convergence Accelerator Program, National Science Foundation, Arlington, VA, July 2019 "Teaching for Teamwork: Creating a Culture of Collaboration," with G. Lotrecchiano, Digital Science and Data Analytic Learning Environments at Small Liberal Arts Schools, Carroll University, Waukesha, WI, March 2019 "Challenges with Bridging Knowledge Domains," KnowInnovation, Buffalo, NY, February 2019 "Are We All Interdisciplinary?", MSU Department of Forestry Research Symposium, East Lansing, MI, February 2019 "The Virtue-based Toolbox Approach to Responsible Conduct of Research Training," with E. Berling (*), C. McLeskey (*), and R. Pennock, BEACON NSF Site Visit, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, December 2018 "Workshop: Critical Dialogue to Enhance Effectiveness in the Practice of Sustainable Development," with A. Malavisi (*) and M. Rinkus (*), Sustainability and Development Conference, Ann Arbor, November 2018 "A Deep Dive into the Collaborative Toolbox for Interdisciplinary Researchers," University of Milwaukee, Wisconsin Research Office, Milwaukee, WI, November 2018 "Designing Interdisciplinary Communication," 2018 SAC Symposium on Interdisciplinarity, Science Europe, Brussels, Belgium, November 2018 "Tools to Meet the Challenges of Interdisciplinary Research," University of Milwaukee, Wisconsin Research Office, Milwaukee, WI, October 2018 "When the Land Speaks: Conversations to Save the World," Broad Art Museum, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, October 2018 "Enhancing Interdisciplinary Collaboration: The Toolbox Approach," Global Lake Ecological Observatory Network Research Coordination Network (GLEON RCN) Advisory Board Meeting, Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies, Millbrook, NY, October 2018 "Understanding Interdisciplinary Integration: Learning from Julie Thompson Klein," with B. Laursen (*), 2018 Association of Interdisciplinary Studies Conference, Detroit, MI, October 2018 "Neither Here nor There: Reflections on Interdisciplinary Integration," Legacies of the Enlightenment Conference, Lansing, MI, October 2018

Publications

  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2019 Citation: Robinson, B., Gonnerman, C., ORourke, M. (2019). Experimental philosophy of science and philosophical differences across the sciences. Philosophy of Science. 86(3): 551576.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2019 Citation: Valles, S., Piso, Z., ORourke, M. (2019). Coupled ethical-epistemic analysis as a tool for environmental science. Ethics, Policy & Environment. 22(3): 267286. DOI: 10.1080/21550085.2019.1652288
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2018 Citation: Neither Here nor There: Reflections on Interdisciplinary Integration, Legacies of the Enlightenment Conference, Lansing, MI, October 2018
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2018 Citation: Understanding Interdisciplinary Integration: Learning from Julie Thompson Klein, with B. Laursen (*), 2018 Association of Interdisciplinary Studies Conference, Detroit, MI, October 2018
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2018 Citation: Enhancing Interdisciplinary Collaboration: The Toolbox Approach, Global Lake Ecological Observatory Network Research Coordination Network (GLEON RCN) Advisory Board Meeting, Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies, Millbrook, NY, October 2018
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2018 Citation: When the Land Speaks: Conversations to Save the World, Broad Art Museum, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, October 2018
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2018 Citation: Tools to Meet the Challenges of Interdisciplinary Research, University of Milwaukee, Wisconsin Research Office, Milwaukee, WI, October 2018
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2018 Citation: Designing Interdisciplinary Communication, 2018 SAC Symposium on Interdisciplinarity, Science Europe, Brussels, Belgium, November 2018
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2018 Citation: A Deep Dive into the Collaborative Toolbox for Interdisciplinary Researchers, University of Milwaukee, Wisconsin Research Office, Milwaukee, WI, November 2018
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2018 Citation: "Workshop: Critical Dialogue to Enhance Effectiveness in the Practice of Sustainable Development, with A. Malavisi (*) and M. Rinkus (*), Sustainability and Development Conference, Ann Arbor, November 2018
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2018 Citation: The Virtue-based Toolbox Approach to Responsible Conduct of Research Training, with E. Berling (*), C. McLeskey (*), and R. Pennock, BEACON NSF Site Visit, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, December 2018
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2019 Citation: Are We All Interdisciplinary?, MSU Department of Forestry Research Symposium, East Lansing, MI, February 2019
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2019 Citation: Challenges with Bridging Knowledge Domains, KnowInnovation, Buffalo, NY, February 2019
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2019 Citation: Teaching for Teamwork: Creating a Culture of Collaboration, with G. Lotrecchiano, Digital Science and Data Analytic Learning Environments at Small Liberal Arts Schools, Carroll University, Waukesha, WI, March 2019
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2019 Citation: Introducing the Toolbox Approach to Interdisciplinary Capacity Building, Convergence Accelerator Program, National Science Foundation, Arlington, VA, July 2019
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2019 Citation: The Toolbox Method for Embedded, Empirical Philosophy of Science: Evidence from the Toolbox Dialogue Initiative, with B. Robinson (*), S. Crowley, C. Gonnerman, M. A. Rinkus, Learning from Empirical Approaches to the History and Philosophy of Science (LEAHPS), Hannover, Germany, July 2019
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2019 Citation: Detecting Integrative Discourse in Team Meetings, with B. Laursen, International Transdisciplinary Conference, Gothenburg, Sweden, September 2019
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2019 Citation: How to Facilitate Interdisciplinary Research, Building Bridges  Colloquium on Interdisciplinary Research, Royal Flemish Academy of Belgium for Science and the Arts, Brussels, Belgium, September 2019
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2019 Citation: Facilitating Cross-Disciplinary Research, Michigan State University, Cognitive Science Program Faculty Roundtable, East Lansing, MI, September 2019
  • Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2018 Citation: University of Nebraska, Lincoln Research Day  2 Toolbox workshops (University of Nebraska, Lincoln, NE, November 2018),
  • Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2018 Citation: Art, Art History, & Design Toolbox workshop (Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, January 2019)
  • Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2019 Citation: MRM 525 Toolbox workshop (Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR, January 2019)
  • Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2019 Citation: Whittier Scholars Program 301 undergraduate student groups  4 Toolbox workshops (Whittier College, Whittier, CA, March 2019)
  • Type: Other Status: Other Year Published: 2019 Citation: Building Healthcare Collectives (Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, April 2019)
  • Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2019 Citation: University of Nigeria, Nsukka Toolbox workshop (University of Nigeria, Nsukka, Nsukka, Nigeria, August 2019)
  • Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2019 Citation: The Toolbox Dialogue Method: A Train-the-Trainers Workshop, Convergence Accelerator Program, National Science Foundation, Alexandria, VA, October 2019