Workshops strike up interdepartmental dialogue

Updated 10:00 AM January 30, 2006

Workshops strike up interdepartmental dialogue

By Tian Lee
University Record Intern

When participants in the Consumption Junction workshop meet to discuss how food relates to society, they must set many plates at the table.

Consumption Junction, one of several interdisciplinary workshops sponsored by the Horace H. Rackham School of Graduate Studies, primarily serves graduate students, including participants from the School of Natural Resources and Environment and the departments of Anthropology, Psychology and Economics.

The group currently is planning a March 2006 symposium, "Food and Place: Exploring the Role of 'Local' in Consumption." It will serve as a venue for discussion of the implications of the "local foods" movement on the environmental, economic and societal level.

"Usually we are approaching consumption from two stances; as a phenomenon—exploring the nature of consumption behaviors, practices and cultures—or as problem—examining the consequences of overconsumption, materialism and consumerism," says Kif Scheuer, one of two graduate student coordinators of the workshop.

Workshops like Consumption Junction have enhanced intellectual conversation in the campus community by encouraging cross-departmental dialogue among faculty and students, says June Howard, former Rackham associate dean, who conceived the idea for the workshops three years ago as a part of the Rackham Interdisciplinary Initiatives.

"I wanted an initiative that was more decentralized, to balance the ones based at Rackham, one that would support and sustain the interdepartmental connections that are constantly being created on this highly interdisciplinary campus," Howard says. "This program emerged from a number of suggestions by faculty throughout the years.

"I hope it helps faculty and students to see themselves not just as members of departments, but as citizens of the University at large," she adds.

With varied academic perspectives on topics such as consumption, microfluidics and music, workshop leaders have brought in visiting speakers for talks and residencies, and helped to build communities in which students and faculty discuss ongoing research.

"These interdisciplinary workshops are intellectually stimulating and contribute to the vibrancy of our academic community," says Toni Antonucci, the Elizabeth M. Douvan Collegiate Professor of Psychology, senior research scientist at the Institute for Social Research and Rackham associate dean for academic programs and initiatives. "It is important to learn from others who have interests in similar topics, but approach those topics in very different ways."

The advantages of creating an environment for graduate students and faculty to foster shared intellectual interest creates new dimensions in the learning process, organizers say.

"Interdisciplinarity isn't just one thing; it takes many shapes in different parts of the University," says Janet A. Weiss, dean of the Rackham Graduate School and vice provost for academic affairs-graduate studies. "The program is terrific because it empowers graduate students to generate sustained, vibrant conversations on topics that are meaningful to them."

The cross-departmental collaboration has allowed members of the Microfluidics Workshop to team with 14 academic departments, including Chemical Engineering, Periodontics, Obstetrics, Pharmacology and Physics. Microfluidics, the study of a micro-processing chip technology that transports fluids instead of electrons, can be utilized in a number of ways ranging from analyzing influenza viruses, detecting proteins for periodontal disease and processing cells for patient therapy.

Last fall, the workshop received almost $2 million from an Institutional Training Grant from the National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering that provides funds for the workshop, a symposium in the spring, and stipend and tuition for graduate student research in the area of study for five years.

"This workshop is broad in the sense that it touches on so many different fields," says faculty advisor Mark Burns, professor of chemical engineering and biomedical engineering. "It's really a great program that lets people from different disciplines discuss fundamental ideas, allowing them to grow into larger projects."

A third workshop, "Music of the Americas," includes faculty and students from the departments of Musicology, History and American Culture. The scholarly forum, "Sound and Vision Symposium," presented in April 2005, brought together students and faculty from 10 departments and four universities to discuss recent research in film, music and dance.

Other activities have included visiting residencies for guest scholars to share their research and consult with graduate and faculty members about personal research projects. In February, the group will sponsor the symposium, "Ear Candy: Politics and Popular."

"We are really honeycombed within our own niches," says faculty advisor Mark Clague, assistant professor of musicology, associate director of the American Music Institute and faculty associate in the American Culture Program. "These workshops are good opportunities to cross vocabularies with colleagues across the University. Also, it really helps to crank up the intellectual energy of the scholarly community."

Workshops strike up interdepartmental dialogue

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