GIGO

Cross-disciplinary Interaction

I was startled to hear a science bureaucrat pronounce that multi-disciplinary conferences were a waste of time. Perhaps they are in terms of producing a "measurable output", but I believe that such meetings serve a valuable purpose.

They do tend to be relatively rare events these days. Special interest groups, such as the Royal Society branches, cross the boundaries for an evening's lecture, but large gatherings that cover the gamut of the sciences from Astronomy to Zoology seem to be a thing of the past.

My first encounter with real working scientists was as a student attendee at an ANZAAS conference where a knock-down, drag-out argument over nuclear power showed me there is passion and debate in science -- something not encountered in my 7th Form science classes at the time.

In throwing physicists, environmental scientists, chemists and all sorts of disciplines together, that conference stands out as one of the most interesting I have ever attended. This year's Women in Science conference and the annual Skeptics conferences are the only recent ones I know of that have covered a broad range of science and encouraged attendees to find out what is happening in the wider world.

Why is this important? These days, when "scientist" is used interchangeably with "expert", those with science training are called upon to comment on all manner of subjects, often peripheral or completely outside their area of knowledge.

This is dangerous. It confers the mistaken impression that a PhD confers omniscience. It permits a certain hubris, if not intellectual dishonesty, in those willing to be used in such a fashion. It makes the media lazy and less likely to inform intelligently and appropriately.

More cross-disciplinary interaction would help build up the networks needed to refer such queries on to those really "in the know" -- maybe even lead to those highly desired "measurable outputs" in the form of collaborative research and joint ventures that can arise from a chance encounter over a coffee cup. More importantly, in my view, is that such meetings encourage an appreciation of the vast complexities of the world and provide a necessary lesson in humility. There are, after all, more things in Heaven and Earth...

Vicki Hyde is the editor of New Zealand Science Monthly.