In a new workshop report published by the Computing Community Consortium (CCC), Grand Challenges for the Convergence of Computational and Citizen Science Research, experts across disciplines examine the ways in which artificial intelligence (AI) and citizen science can mutually enrich each other, fostering increased opportunity for advancement in numerous scientific fields. The report presents a roadmap for maximizing the potential of citizen science through the contributions of AI — and vice versa — while also demonstrating the broader applications of this union for challenges across ecological, infrastructural, clinical, and other domains. “We are entering a brave new world where we are renegotiating the relationship between humans and machines,” says Lucy […]

CCC is excited to see how our latest best-practice documents on interdisciplinary research for Funders, Researchers, and Organizational Leaders echo—and amplify—the strategic recommendations from the recent National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine’s (NASEM) report on The Science and Practice of Team Science. Below, we enumerate several recommendations presented in both sets of resources.   1. Seed Funding & Early Stage Support NASEM emphasizes the importance of pilot grants and flexible budgeting for early-stage interdisciplinary work. CRA/CCC’s Best Practices for Funders document mirrors this, recommending dedicated seed-stage funding, travel grants, and support for team-building workshops to kickstart cross-disciplinary collaboration. 2. Structural & Budgetary Flexibility NASEM urges institutions to adapt budgeting, […]

The White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) recently released a memorandum to federal agencies to offer guidance on implementing the recent executive order on “Restoring Gold Standard Science”. The memo, authored by OSTP Director Michael Kratsios, offered nine key tenets for conducting scientific research, one of which was focused on “Collaborative and Interdisciplinary” research. Interdisciplinary research, the memo says, is “vital for generating new knowledge, as it fosters synergy, leverages complementary skills, and promotes the synthesis of ideas to raise new questions and tackle multifaceted problems that transcend traditional disciplinary boundaries.” The memo directed agencies to prioritize this type of interdisciplinary research, through improved collaboration between agencies […]