American Scientist

Science has long been a product of researchers collaborating across disciplines. But the idea behind convergence science takes things further. The 2014 National Academies report Convergence: Facilitating Transdisciplinary Integration of Life Sciences, Physical Sciences, Engineering, and Beyond acknowledges that “the goal of merging expertise to address complex problems is not new.” But it goes on to clarify: “At the heart of the current momentum for convergence, however, is the realization that physical and biological sciences can each benefit from being more fully integrated into the intellectual milieu of the other."

Writing in this report as the chair of the Committee on Key Challenge Areas for Convergence and Health of the National Research Council, Joseph DeSimone (whose First Person interview appears in the July-August 2022 issue) notes that “convergence provides us with an opportunity not only to discuss strategies to advance science but also to elevate discussions on how to tackle fundamental structural challenges in our research universities, funding systems, policies, and partnerships.”

In a way, what defines convergence science is its overarching goal of solving what the National Science Foundation calls “vexing research problems,” meaning ones that are complex and focus on societal needs. Another primary characteristic is the deep integration of researchers across disciplines to reach these goals by developing novel ways of framing research questions.

In the July-August 2022 issue of American Scientist, we focused in on how convergence science is transforming public health research. In the list below, we showcase some past content that highlights other areas of public health, as well as the ideas of convergence on a larger scale.

Articles on Research Collaboration

Energy-Water Nexus: Head-On Collision or Near Miss?
Energy production requires water, and clean water requires energy. How will we overcome this feedback loop in a warming, increasingly crowded world?

Do You Know Where your Food, Energy, and Water Come From?
A new data visualization tool shows you your connections.

Computational Thinking in Science
The computer revolution has profoundly affected how we think about science, experimentation, and research.

Collaboration: Ants, Art, and Science
Artists and scientists can work well together when they share the same quarry.

Scientists in the Wake of the Hurricanes
After a devastating storm season, researchers are seeking better ways to rebuild and to support their most vulnerable colleagues.

The Folly of “Sustainable Cities”?
A review of BIRD ON FIRE: Lessons from the World’s Least Sustainable City..

Studying Big Science
A review of Structures of Scientific Collaboration.

Books on Innovation and Imagination
A review of How Innovation Works and Make, Think, Imagine.

The Science of Innovation and Deep Learning
How can professors foster atmospheres of deep learning so that students can be more innovative?

The Social Organization of Innovative Scientific Groups
A discussion with sociologist and Sigma Xi Distinguished Lecturer Ed Hackett on the history and outcomes of social organization in science, and what that means for those who wish to cultivate an innovative scientific environment.

Articles on Public Health

First Person: Stephaun Elite Wallace
(Re)building trust in public health campaigns

How Climate Science Could Lead to Action
Institutional context and history have led to top-down knowledge dissemination. Would infrastructure for public engagement help science lead to mobilization?

A Delta in Peril
Rising Salinity in Coastal Bangladesh

A Hawaiian Renaissance That Could Save the World
This archipelago’s society before Western contact developed a large, self-sufficient population, yet imposed a remarkably small ecological footprint.

How Bacterial Pathogens Emerge
Can scientists predict where disease-causing microbes will arise before they cause the next pandemic?

How Endocrine Disruptors Affect Menstruation
The ubiquity of phthalates and other substances known to interfere with hormonal pathways disproportionately harms people with periods.

A Handbook for Climate Communication
Climate scientist Katharine Hayhoe has written a how-to book about getting others to join you in confronting global warming.

The Evolutionary Potential of Pathogens
A review of THE STOCKHOLM PARADIGM: Climate Change and Emerging Disease.

Integrating Big Data Into Surveillance Models to Inform Decision-Making for COVID-19
Shweta Bansal’s work in infectious disease modeling is crucial to understanding and predicting the spread of the pandemic.

Preparing for Tomorrow’s Pandemics, Today
Timothy Sheahan, a virologist at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Gillings School of Global Public Health, discusses his research on developing broad-spectrum antiviral medications to treat infections caused by emerging viruses.

Flint Water Crisis Yields Hard Lessons in Science and Ethics
Q&A with Virginia Tech civil engineer Marc Edwards on uncovering the water crises in Flint, Michigan and Washington, DC and his efforts to keep it from happening again.

A Pandemic of Confusion
Conflicting messages have characterized not just COVID-19, but also many past disease outbreaks.

Harnessing the Web to Track the Next Outbreak
Innovations in data science and disease surveillance are changing the way we respond to public health threats.

Unequal Burden of Urban Heat
Historically redlined areas are disproportionately affected by rising temperatures—a disparity that has significant health implications.

Just-as-good Medicine
Less expensive, lower-quality innovations abound in every economic sector—except medicine.

Climate Change and Cholera
Research from many fields is uncovering important connections.

Solvents, Ethanol, Car Crashes & Tolerance
How risky is inhalation of organic solvents?