This blog is a view from the alleged interface between the Physical Sciences and the Life Sciences. I am a Materials Scientist working in the School of Materials at the University of Manchester. I have been trying to apply tools used in my field (characterization and fabrication) to applications in the Life Sciences with some success and some failures. One thing I have noticed in discussions with colleagues on the other side of the interface is that we often do not understand how we work and how research is done in each other’s disciplines.
So how do we work together? It is clearly possible once the field has been defined e.g. X-Ray and NMR techniques in structural biology. However, in the field of biomechanics and tissue engineering there are still many misunderstandings and areas of mutual incomprehension. Life Scientists are difficult to understand as theirs (like ours) is a world of jargon. Surgeons and Physicians, who seem to think a bit like Engineers, are easier to work with in that they can define problems very clearly.
There is clearly hope. When I discuus our techniques with potential users they are always interested. My latest project is to use acoustic techniques to probe the mechanical properties of tissue at a micron resolution. I have an enthusiastif life scientist colleague who acts as a marketing agent and their appear to be countless opportunities. However, I feel like a snake oil salesman as I am sure my claims are sometimes accepted without question.
Watch this space for progress reports in science at the interface and potential mutual incomprehension.
Hi Brian,
As a researcher often residing at the interface(s) of several fields (geosciences, biochemistry, materials science, chemistry), I understand your feelings about mutual incomprehension. Maybe this can be combated in the future if interdisciplinary programs are ingrained in the training of young scientists, but I doubt many senior researchers will sacrifice their students’ time in the lab for more exploratory collaboration outside of their field. I look forward to your blog and reading about your interactions at the interface—thanks for contributing!
Hi Nicholas
The problem is worse in the UK where the High School System forces specialisation from age 16. I was lucky in studying the Cambridge Natural Sciences programme as an undergraduate so I was exposed to some physics, chemistry and mineralogy as well as materials science (or metallurgy as it was in those far gone days). The key to interdisciplinary thought is to follow your interests and read widely.
Hi Brian,
We met over lunch at SciFoo over the summer… welcome to Nature Network!
As you may have noticed, a lot of members of Nature Network are also doing interdisciplinary work. Bioinformatics and systems biology, for example, are well represented here. So you’re in good company.