Page 11 - Interdisciplinary Approach to Research
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very common within the social sciences and humanities, it is becoming increasingly common in
the physical sciences as well (White, 2003).
Gardy, J. &Brinkman, F. (2003)in their study of the benefits of interdisciplinary research
described their experience with pathogen bioinformatics as an area in which traditional
microbiology and computer science intersect in the study of a variety of infectious diseases. This
dual approach is very powerful, and allows them to analyze and prioritize the large amount of
data provided by bacterial genome-sequencing projects, to rapidly identify features unique to
particular pathogens (infectious disease-causing agents), and to rationally design vaccines and
antibiotics to combat them. In addition, work was done with a larger group of researchers in the
new area of "pathogenomics," which involves using microbiology, evolutionary theory,
computer science, medical genetics, and genomics to study how infectious disease agents interact
with humans and then develop new approaches to manipulate these interactions to the benefit of
humanity (Gardy and Brinkman, 2003).
How Interdisciplinary Research Approach Works
Interdisciplinary research works in a problem solving situation where a historian
collaborates with a biologist in the process of bringing resolve to a history issue affecting human
biological sequence in a much scientific or applied perspectives using their different knowledge
orientation and specialization to accomplish a more reasonable outcome.
In the context of a research approach where a Mathematics, Business and Mass
Communication professors synergizes their knowledge base to come up with a unified form of
resolving issues of mathematical, business and mass communication importance,
interdisciplinary approach evolves. How can we assess how much budget needed looking at the
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