Interdisciplinary work is that which integrates concepts across different disciplines. New disciplines have arisen as a result of such syntheses. For instance, quantum information processing amalgamates elements of quantum physics and computer science. Bioinformatics combines molecular biology with computer science. An interdisciplinary team is a team of people with training in different fields. Interdisciplinary teams are common in complex environments such as health care. Quantum information processing is concerned with what we can and cannot do with quantum information. ... Fig. ... Computer science (academically, CS, CSC or compsci) encompasses a variety of topics that relates to computation, like abstract analysis of algorithms, formal grammars, and subjects such as programming languages, program design, software and computer hardware. ... Bioinformatics or computational biology is the use of techniques from applied mathematics, informatics, statistics, and computer science to solve biological problems. ... Molecular biology is the study of biology at a molecular level. ... A team is any group of people or animals linked in a common purpose. ... Health care or healthcare is the delivery of medical services by specialist providers, such as midwives, doctors, nurses, home health aides, vaccination technicians and physicians assistants. ...

A few traditional disciplines could be considered as more interdisciplinary than others: philosophy, anthropology, mathematics, business, education, ecology, and history among others. Some other, newer fields, such as cybernetics and systems theory, are also highly interdisciplinary. All disciplines have important connections with other disciplines, however. Philosophy (from a combination of the Greek words philos meaning love and sophia meaning wisdom), as a practice, aims at some kind of understanding, knowledge or wisdom about fundamental matters such as reality, knowledge, meaning, value, being and truth. ... Anthropology (from the Greek word άνθρωπος = human) consists of the study of humankind (see genus Homo). ... Mathematics, often abbreviated maths in Commonwealth English and math in American English, is the study of abstraction. ... Historically, the term business referred to activities or interests. ... Ecology can mean either: the natural environment, or an analysis or study using the principles and methods of ecological science. ... History is a term for information about the past. ... Cybernetics is a theory of the communication and control of regulatory feedback. ... Systems theory or general systems theory or systemics is an interdisciplinary field which studies systems as a whole. ...

Factors that, arguably, have hindered interdisciplinary work are the traditional divisions that have been established between disciplines and the resulting homogeneity within academic bodies such as departments and specialized academic journals. Nevertheless, some of the most important interdisciplinary work has been done by people who have a definite "academic home" in one discipline. Academic publishing describes a system of publishing that is necessary in order for academic scholars to review work and make it available for a wider audience. ...

Here are a few of the most important concepts that are arguably interdisciplinary, thus finding applications in several different fields:

Interdisciplinarity terms

• abstraction
• architecture
• analogy
• chaos theory
• complexity
• control
• culture
• cycle
• design
• discipline
• elegance
• energy
• entropy
• equilibrium
• evolution
• feedback
• generalization
• hierarchy
• invariance
• language
• learning
• logic
• methodology
• model
• mind
• negotiation
• ontology
• order
• pattern
• position
• purpose
• relation
• self-organization
• signal
• simplicity
• specialization
• strategy
• structure
• synthesis
• system
• transformation
• trust
• uniformity
• unity
• universe
• whole

This article is about the concept of abstraction in general. ... Architecture (in Greek αρχή = first and τέχνη = craftsmanship) is the art and science of designing buildings and structures. ... An analogy is a comparison between two different things, in order to highlight some form of similarity. ... Chaos theory, in mathematics and physics, deals with the behavior of certain nonlinear dynamical systems that (under certain conditions) exhibit the phenomenon known as chaos, most famously characterised by sensitivity to initial conditions (see butterfly effect). ... There are different senses of complexity: In information processing, complexity is a measure of the total number of properties transmitted by an object and detected by an observer. ... In engineering and mathematics, control theory deals with the behaviour of dynamical systems over time. ... The word culture comes from the Latin root colere (to inhabit, to cultivate, or to honor). ... A cycle is anything round, in the physical sense (e. ... Design as a process can take many forms depending on the object being designed and the individual or individuals participating. ... Discipline is any training intended to produce a specific character or pattern of behaviour, especially training that produces moral or mental development in a particular direction. ... Elegance is the attribute of being tastefully designed or decorated, with focus on basic features. ... The thermodynamic entropy S, often simply called the entropy in the context of thermodynamics, is a measure of the amount of energy in a physical system that cannot be used to do work. ... For the 2002 science fiction movie see Equilibrium (2002 movie) Equilibrium or balance is any of a number of related phenomena in the natural and social sciences. ... Charles Darwin, the father of evolutionary theory Although generally, evolution is taken to mean any process of change over time, in the context of life science, evolution is a change in the traits of living organisms over generations, including the emergence of new species. ... In cybernetics and control theory, feedback is a process whereby some proportion or in general, function, of the output signal of a system is passed (fed back) to the input. ... Concept A is a generalization of concept B if and only if: every instance of concept B is also an instance of concept A; and there are instances of concept A which are not instances of concept B. Equivalently, A is a generalization of B if B is a specialization... A hierarchy (in Greek hieros, sacred, and arkho, rule) is a system of ranking and organizing things. ... Invariant may have meanings invariant (computer science), such as a combination of variables not altered in a loop invariant (mathematics), something unaltered by a transformation invariant (music) invariant (physics) conserved by system symmetry This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the... Learned redirects here. ... Logic (from ancient Greek λόγος (logos), originally meaning the word, or what is spoken, but coming to mean thought or reason) is the study of arguments. ... The word Methodology is used in several ways. ... Model may refer to more than one thing : For models in society, art, fashion, and cosmetics, see; role model model (person) supermodel figure drawing modeling section In science and technology, a model (abstract) is understood as an abstract or theoretical representation of a phenomenon,see; geologic modeling model (economics) model... The mind is the term most commonly used to describe the higher functions of the human brain, particularly those of which humans are subjectively conscious, such as personality, thought, reason, memory, intelligence and emotion. ... Negotiation is the process whereby interested parties resolve disputes, agree upon courses of action, bargain for individual or collective advantage, and/or attempt to craft outcomes which serve their mutual interests. ... This article is about the philosophical meaning of ontology. ... Order is the opposite of anarchy and chaos. ... A pattern is a form, template, or model (or, more abstractly, a set of rules) which can be used to make or to generate things or parts of a thing, especially if the things that are generated have enough in common for the underlying pattern to be inferred or discerned... The word position can have one of several meanings: 2-dimensional or 3-dimensional location; Occupation, Job In finance, a position means entitlement to receive or obligation to deliver an asset or financial instrument, as in long position (ownership) and short position (obligation to deliver); In politics and government a... Purpose is deliberately thought-through goal-directedness. ... In mathematics, a relation is a generalization of arithmetic relations such as = and < which occur in statements such as 5 < 6 or 2 + 2 = 4. See relation (mathematics), binary relation and relational algebra. ... Self-organization refers to a process in which the internal organization of a system, normally an open system, increases automatically without being guided or managed by an outside source. ... A signal may refer to: an abstract element of information, or, more exactly, usually a flow of information (in either one or several dimensions). ... Simplicity is the property, condition, or quality of being simple or uncombined. ... Concept B is a specialization of concept A if and only if: every instance of concept B is also an instance of concept A; and there are instances of concept A which are not instances of concept B. For instance, Bird is a specialization of Animal because every bird is... A strategy is a long term plan of action designed to achieve a particular goal. ... The structure of a thing is how the parts of it relate to each other, how it is put together. This contrast with process, which is how the thing works; but process requires a viable structure. ... Synthesis (from the Greek words syn = plus and thesis = position) is commonly understood to be an integration of two or more pre-existing elements which results in a new creation. ... For the Macintosh operating system, which was called System up to version 7. ... Transformation has two meanings in molecular biology: Transformation is the genetic alteration of a cell resulting from the introduction, uptake and expression of foreign DNA. Transformation is also the process by which normal cells are converted into cells that will continue to divide without limit. ... The term trust has several meanings: In sociology, trust is the willingly acceptance of one persons power to affect another. ... Uniformity may refer to more than one thing: For the subject of uniformity in mathematical systems of topology, see uniform space. ... Unity is oneness. ... The deepest visible-light image of the cosmos. ... Holism (from holon, a Greek word meaning entity) is the idea that the properties of a system cannot be determined or explained by the sum of its components alone. ...

Interdisciplinary researchers

• William Newell, Western College Program professor
• Julie Klein
• [1] (http://www.is.wayne.edu/mnissani/PAGEPUB/10CHEERS.HTM)Moti Nissani

The Western College Program was created in 1974 when the Western College for Women merged with Miami University. ...

See also

Highly interdisciplinary fields (see also: Category:Interdisciplinary fields)

• Cognitive science
• Political economy
• Library and information science
• Cybernetics
• Systems theory

Cognitive science is usually defined as the scientific study either of mind or of intelligence (e. ... Political economy was the original term for the study of production and the relationships of buying and selling and their relationship to laws, customs and government. ... Fundamental Concepts Library and information science (LIS) is the study of issues related to libraries. ... Cybernetics is a theory of the communication and control of regulatory feedback. ... Systems theory or general systems theory or systemics is an interdisciplinary field which studies systems as a whole. ...

External links

• A glossary of interdisciplinary concepts (http://www.uia.org/uialists/ndx/konindex.htm).
• Association for Integrative Studies (http://www.units.muohio.edu/aisorg/)