Opportunities
National expert on team science to lead town hall
Aug. 29, 2013
As a part of IU’s commitment to developing its capacity for team science, L. Michelle Bennett, Ph.D., a national expert on collaboration in the sciences, will lead a town hall meeting from 8 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. on Monday, Sep. 9, in Walther Hall (R3), Rooms 303 and 305.
During the town hall meeting, Dr. Bennett will lead a discussion on developing agreements among collaborators, team science in the promotion and tenure process, and how to evaluate individual members’ contributions to the team goals.
Michelle Bennett.
As deputy director of the Division of Intramural Research, a research program within the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute at the National Institutes of Health (NHLBI/NIH), Dr. Bennett co-authored the award-winning publication, Collaboration and Team Science: A Field Guide.
The National Cancer Institute (NCI) defines team science as “a collaborative effort to address a scientific challenge that leverages the strengths and expertise of professionals trained in different fields.” While this definition sounds straightforward, implementing team science is not without challenges. Questions yet to be addressed include: How is faculty credit awarded in teams? What if conflicts arise? How do we train learners to work in teams? Is team science really a more efficient approach to scientific discovery?
"The School of Medicine's Transforming Research Initiative has made it clear that team science is going to be one of the foundations of our research enterprise moving forward. As the author of the "Field Guide" to team science and with her national expertise, Michelle Bennett is the perfect choice to help kick-start our move into a new era of collaborative science," said David S. Wilkes, M.D., executive associate dean for research affairs and August M. Watanabe Professor of Medical Research.
Attendees of the town hall meeting are encouraged to visit the NIH’s Team Science website prior to the presentation. The site offers several resources including how to build teams, agreement and tenure track offer templates, and information about evaluating team members’ individual contributions.
This event is sponsored by the Office of Research Affairs and the Office of Faculty Affairs and Professional Development. It is open to the entire IU community.
Registration is online.
