associated science experts

associated science experts

The Role of Associated Science Experts in Advancing Knowledge and Innovation

1. Introduction to Associated Science Experts

Updating previous reports, the AAAS Center reports on the linkages between dreams to innovate and the attendant enterprise, and among three key sets of actors associated through their vocation or avocation with the accomplishment of scientific research. These three groups are the residual “Scientific Research and Development Workforce,” the specialists in science who provide scientific information and analysis to the decision-making process, and the “associated experts” who provide topical “boundary spanning” expertise across several types of topical, organizational or regional barriers to the fuller benefit of the scientific enterprise and society.

Associated expertise includes the occasionally hidden work of the many thousands of highly trained people who have expertise different from the researchers involved in performing the peer review that is widely recognized as being the gatekeeper that either releases funding for grant proposals or leads to the publication of research studies in learned journals. Said somewhat differently, the research professor at the nation’s research universities needs the aid of many others who may be students or who are not employed full-time at the university at which the professor teaches if the professor is to be judged competent to conduct research in another and different scientific field. So too does the nation have the right for the nation expects the taxpayer’s investment in higher education to have “impact.”

2. The Impact of Associated Science Experts in Various Fields

Drilling down further, there are a surprising number of fields where associated sciences play a critical role in development. Sometimes, the role of associated science experts is primary, though often (but not always) it is as a secondary matter and narrower focus supporting scientific advancements in adjacent (or non-adjacent fields). Sometimes the use is simply foundational and the related technologies can be spun off and used to advance a broad swath of businesses. Although this white paper is primarily focused on physical sciences, these fields are by no means the only important associated sciences. There are many other areas of science and technology where the integration of associated sciences enables rapid advances with broad cross-cutting impacts. The exploration thus far suggests that any technology roadmap should take associated sciences into account.

Associated sciences are increasingly important to the advancement of knowledge and innovation. Associated science and scientists help answer the largest open questions in many research fields and often enable rapid application of new discoveries. However, there are few well-defined problems that explicitly focus on advancing the tools and techniques used across disciplines. The role of associated science experts is varied and useful in a wide variety of ways. By examining case studies in physics, researchers, their applications, and the FIESTA. White House Youth Assessment Report, we begin the conversation on when and how associated science experts bring value to the world.

3. Challenges and Opportunities for Associated Science Experts

One fascinating aspect of the world of work is that people look at the same thing and see totally different scenarios and courses of action. The same policy challenge will be seen as requiring a certain course of action by one actor; by another, it is a natural fit for another course of action. When we look at the examples provided by experts in the world of work, it becomes much easier to understand the diversity.

The following list of trends, themes, and opportunities has been harvested from the previous panelists’ remarks. They may stimulate your thinking and raise some thoughts or questions about the role of experts and the future of employment and training.

– Uniqueness of workplace situations and jobs as their distinguishing identifiers, not commonalities between them. – Recognition of knowledge and expertise application as potential pivots in the world of work. – Increased functioning and value of expertise networks via less traditional networks and other means such as electronic networking or individual expertise alliances. – The growing importance of people, in particular, recognizing the importance of people in the new economy and new forms of operation.

Surely, there are profound workplace education and training implications in all of these. What do you think?

4. Best Practices and Strategies for Effective Collaboration with Associated Science Experts

When there are multiple programs and products of the research collaborating in the same geographic area, it is advantageous that the scientists populating these programs work collaboratively to minimize potential conflict and redundancy in the research projects and the associated data collection. Working through issues associated with field health and safety, and equipment policies in a collaborative process has already helped researchers working in the Program for the Application of Supernumerary Cattle (Elimination of PALs) and the GIPSA associated programs in the Rome, Georgia gamete collection facilities. This orientation has also led to joint policy development for the soon-to-be-on-line-metadata repository and web-based data-dissemination center that will be available to associated scientists.

One major advantage that field station scientists have is the maintenance of their own herds and the ability to perform maintenance activities on the animals on weekends rather than interrupting valuable laboratory time. A major disadvantage that associated scientists have is the “career interruptus” that occurs even while the field studies are of relatively short duration. In addition, microgravity-simulated studies can provide equivalent data and test null hypotheses. To sum, the in-field or in-escrow abilities of the field station staff can contribute to scientists conducting microgravity-related tests and studies to further the understanding of the hypothesis tests and the pursuit of overall program goals.