A message from Dr. Peter H. Niewiarowski"Scientific progress is based ultimately on unification rather than fragmentation of knowledge. At the threshold of what is widely regarded as the century of biology, the life sciences are undergoing a profound transformation. They have long existed as a collection of narrow, even parochial, disciplines with well-defined territories...The time is upon us to recognize that the new frontier is the interface, wherever it remains unexplored."
Excerpted from Unification in the century of biology. By: Kafatos FC, Eisner T, Science (New York, N.Y.), 1095-9203, 2004 Feb 27, Vol. 303, Issue 5662
Welcome to the Integrated Bioscience website. I am new to the program as interim director, but have been an ardent supporter and participant since the earliest phases of the program's development. Over the next year I plan to build on strengths and success realized over the first two years of life of the program.
As the excerpt (and the full text from which it came) above suggests, a century of synthesis is one of the defining challenges for biologists. Our IB program recognizes this and even stretches the boundaries beyond life sciences to include physical sciences, math, and engineering to name just a few prominent examples. Integrated Bioscience is founded on the simple principle that biology is at the core of, or interfaces among an essentially limitless array of collaborative research endeavors. Fundamental to that principle is the implicit recognition that collaboration does not, by itself, guarantee integration, but rather that collaboration provides an opportunity for, path to, and tools required by synthesis. It is fitting, therefore, that when we attempt to measure the success of our efforts, we take stock not only of the teams that are working together, but also how, through collaboration, novel questions extending beyond the domain of any one member of the team are being pursued.
I invite you to explore the program website and to anticipate new content that will provide, in the very near future, an ongoing view of Integrated Bioscience research at the University of Akron. I hope that by becoming familiar with ongoing work in IB, you will see a new opportunity to pursue or a novel challenge to tackle that will help build our IB program into a model for the education and training of a new breed of bioscientist.
Please feel free to contact me, Peter H. Niewiarowski, or individual faculty members if you have any questions.
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