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Research at the Interface of the Life and Physical Sciences: Bridging the Sciences
November 9, 2004
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the National Science Foundation (NSF) sponsored a "Conference on Research at the Interface of the Life and Physical Sciences: Bridging the Sciences" on November 9 at the Holiday Inn Select Hotel in Bethesda, Maryland. The conference was a result of recommendations from a May 10 interagency workshop that was mandated by language in the House Report accompanying the FY2004 Federal budget. A total of about 170 people attended this meeting including 29 invited primary discussants from the life, physical, and interface sciences; investigators from a broad range of life and physical sciences; Congressional staff; and representatives from technical societies, media, foundations, and Federal agencies.
The meeting was planned by an Interagency Coordinating Committee which included representatives from the NIH, NSF, DOE, EPA, NASA, and NIST. Intramural Chairs were Dr's. Richard Swaja (NIH/NIBIB) and Bruce Hamilton (NSF). Extramural conference chairs were Drs. Ken Dill (UCSF), Claire Fraser (TIGR), and Jose Onuchic (UCSD). Meeting administration and logistics were coordinated by Colleen Guay-Broder and Stacy Wallick of the NIH/NIBIB.
The overall objective of the one-day conference was to obtain input from the scientific community on how to bridge the life and physical sciences. Questions considered during the workshop-style meeting included (1) what are the primary questions that will require collaborative efforts between the life and physical sciences to solve, (2) what are the primary issues and barriers to inter-disciplinary collaboration, and (3) what actions or approaches are necessary to bridge the sciences and realize the potential benefits? The meeting agenda included breakout and plenary sessions aimed at answering these questions.
The following text provides links to (1) the conference agenda, (2) a list of Interagency Coordinating Committee members, (3) a list of invited primary discussants, (4) breakout session assignments for invited discussants and agency representatives, and (5) a final report describing the proceedings and results of the conference.
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