Summary by: Sidonie Wittman and edited by the CSRC team.
Through the Climate Conversation on Fostering Transdisciplinary Research, community members came together to explore various ways to engage effectively in transdisciplinary research and education. Professors Naoko Ellis (Applied Science) and Derek Gladwin (Education) shared their experience in creating transdisciplinary research initiatives, both the opportunities and challenges. They invited participants to have a dialogue about what interests them and the following themes emerged.
Participants reflected on the importance of collaborative research for real world application of climate solutions. For example, research on carbon capture projects requires not only a focus on the engineering technology itself, but also the political and social aspects of the projects, examination of the environmental effects, and further thought on the context within which these projects are pursued. Transdisciplinary approaches support some research projects, but these depend on the project.
Naoko Ellis and Derek Gladwin offered insight on how to go about creating transdisciplinary research. They emphasized the benefits of focusing on the process itself and how this may alter potential outcomes. Adaptability and collaboration were main themes brought up that were said to be valuable in the transdisciplinary research process, which requires a shift in mindset/worldview. It was also emphasized how important it is to push UBC to be a place that encourages transdisciplinary research, to better create solutions to real world problems.
If this topic interests you, consider taking INDS 502T 001, Practicing Collaborative Transdisciplinary Research for Impact. This course is taught by Naoko Ellis and Derek Gladwin and is open to all UBC graduate students interested in working across and beyond disciplinary frameworks to focus on some of the challenging societal transitions.
Our Solution Scholars program attempts to foster transdisciplinary research, by bringing people together from different disciplines and by allowing for non-traditional, non-linear approaches to research. Stay tuned for our 2023/2024 Solution Scholars reports, and for the announcement of our 2024/2025 Solution Scholars.
This is the last of our summer Climate Conversations, but we hope to continue this series in the fall. Sign up for our newsletter to hear about upcoming events!