by Melvin Greer
Greer Institute for Leadership and Innovation
A new transformative research approach is gaining global
attention and adoption. The scientific opportunities enabled by convergence—the
coming together of insights and approaches from originally distinct fields—will
make fundamental contributions in our drive to provide creative solutions to
the most difficult problems facing us as a society. This convergence provides
power to think beyond usual paradigms and to approach issues informed by many
perspectives instead of few.
Two entities converge when advances and time channel them to
the same point. This is an appropriate way to characterize and address
converging research in life sciences and engineering, computation, and physical
sciences. Convergence is an approach to problem solving that cuts across disciplinary boundaries.
It integrates knowledge, tools, and ways of thinking from life and health
sciences, physical, mathematical, and computational sciences, engineering
disciplines, and beyond to form a comprehensive synthetic framework for
tackling scientific and societal challenges that exist at the interfaces of
multiple fields.
Advanced technologies
(i.e. big data, cloud, and high performance computing) are accelerating the
impact and innovation obtained via convergence of biology and data
science. With nearly $450 billion
annually in research expenditures, Arizona State University is a research
leader, partnering with companies like Dell and Intel to transform scientific
research.
Their complex adaptive systems initiative is harnessing the
power of advanced technologies to accelerate big data and high performance
computing research in complex adaptive systems. They are making medical
breakthroughs in areas of cancer and diabetes research.
I’m very excited about the opportunities to investigate the
transformative benefits of convergence. My participation in The National Academy of Science expert committee to explore the application of convergence approaches to
biomedical research and beyond is a critical first step. This approach is
intended to realize the untapped potential from the merger of multiple
disciplines to address key challenges that require such close collaborations.
One example of the high impact transformation is my research investigation into
the impact of synthetic biology on effective utilization of green IT and energy
development and deployment systems. Its primary focus is on development of a
synthetically generated DNA BioFab that enhances the photosynthetic properties
of algae. This research will report on the process of synthetic engineering of
natural occurring DNA for a specific purpose, in this case sustainable energy.
Bringing together the
insights enabled by rapid progress across multiple disciplines has the
potential to transform science for the benefit of society. Its critical we
bring awareness of this convergence to a wider range of audiences and
stakeholders and catalyze the systematic efforts necessary to harness its power
most effectively.
(This post was written as part of the Dell Insight Partners
program, which provides news and analysis about the evolving world of tech. To
learn more about tech news and analysis visit Tech Page One. Dell sponsored
this article, but the opinions are our own and don’t necessarily represent
Dell’s positions or strategies.)
