Convergence: The Catalyst to Transform Scientific Research

January 7, 2015 / G C Network / Comments Off

Twitter Feed

Watson Crowdsources Cloud Computing

By G C Network | October 20, 2016

Recently I’ve been doing quite a bit of analysis work using the IBM Watson cognitive business platform. The really exciting thing about this opportunity is the way data can seem…

New Horizons® Delivers CloudMASTER®

By G C Network | October 17, 2016

For over 30 years, New Horizons has provided more than 30 million students with industry-leading technical training that delivers the most relevant and intuitive computer courses and certifications. They are…

See You At RSA Conference 2017!

By G C Network | October 11, 2016

JUST ANNOUNCED!! I am personally excited to be delivering the (ISC)² CCSP Two-Day Crash Course at RSA Conference 2017! “The current state of cybersecurity means there are many opportunities for the…

#KnowYourData: The Key to Business

By G C Network | October 7, 2016

Last week’s Strata-Hadoop conference in New York, NY was showcase of how big data is redefining business. Every company, every demonstration and every conversation highlighted how data is driving the…

A New Chapter: “Cloud Musings en español”

By G C Network | October 5, 2016

Since May 2010, “Cloud Musings” has demonstrated, educated and celebrated the use of advanced technology in business. Specific subjects are sometimes varied, but cloud computing and cybersecurity seem to have…

Military Tips On Business Resiliency

By G C Network | September 28, 2016

Photo credit: Shutterstock A steel bar is resistant to stress and is capable of maintaining its form while bearing large loads. While steel is also known as one of the…

Meet Ameet Bakshi: The Insurance CloudMASTER®

By G C Network | September 25, 2016

Powered by Singapore-based Big Data start-up Crayon Data, BigData-MadeSimple.com tapped the insurance industry as being at the forefront of integrating cloud technology into their digital eco system. As stated in…

Understand The Language Of Data: Strata+Hadoop World and TAP

By G C Network | September 19, 2016

Our world is driven by data. It may speak in whispers, but it can also scream insight and information to those that understand it’s language. This is why I’ll be…

Transformative Training for Hybrid Cloud

By G C Network | September 13, 2016

Figure 1- Shawn Bolan, Technical Training Manager, New Horizons of Nebraska, https://www.linkedin.com/in/shawn-bolan-96b8a9103 In a recent CloudTech article multi-cloud, or hybrid cloud, strategy was heralded as “…transformative for businesses, allowing them…

Surviving the coming “Hackerpocalypse”

By G C Network | September 6, 2016

Photo credit: Shutterstock With all the excellent training available on television today, we are all now well prepared to deal with the coming Zombie Apocalypse. Our failure as a society…

« Previous
1
…
10
11
12
13
14
…
73
Next »

by Melvin Greer

Greer Institute for Leadership and Innovation

A new transformative research approach is gaining global attention and adoption. The scientific opportunities enabled by convergence—the coming together of insights and approaches from originally distinct fields—will make fundamental contributions in our drive to provide creative solutions to the most difficult problems facing us as a society. This convergence provides power to think beyond usual paradigms and to approach issues informed by many perspectives instead of few.

Two entities converge when advances and time channel them to the same point. This is an appropriate way to characterize and address converging research in life sciences and engineering, computation, and physical sciences. Convergence is an approach to problem solving that cuts across disciplinary boundaries. It integrates knowledge, tools, and ways of thinking from life and health sciences, physical, mathematical, and computational sciences, engineering disciplines, and beyond to form a comprehensive synthetic framework for tackling scientific and societal challenges that exist at the interfaces of multiple fields.

Advanced technologies (i.e. big data, cloud, and high performance computing) are accelerating the impact and innovation obtained via convergence of biology and data science. With nearly $450 billion annually in research expenditures, Arizona State University is a research leader, partnering with companies like Dell and Intel to transform scientific research.

Their complex adaptive systems initiative is harnessing the power of advanced technologies to accelerate big data and high performance computing research in complex adaptive systems. They are making medical breakthroughs in areas of cancer and diabetes research.

I’m very excited about the opportunities to investigate the transformative benefits of convergence. My participation in The National Academy of Science expert committee to explore the application of convergence approaches to biomedical research and beyond is a critical first step. This approach is intended to realize the untapped potential from the merger of multiple disciplines to address key challenges that require such close collaborations. One example of the high impact transformation is my research investigation into the impact of synthetic biology on effective utilization of green IT and energy development and deployment systems. Its primary focus is on development of a synthetically generated DNA BioFab that enhances the photosynthetic properties of algae. This research will report on the process of synthetic engineering of natural occurring DNA for a specific purpose, in this case sustainable energy.

Bringing together the insights enabled by rapid progress across multiple disciplines has the potential to transform science for the benefit of society. Its critical we bring awareness of this convergence to a wider range of audiences and stakeholders and catalyze the systematic efforts necessary to harness its power most effectively.

(This post was written as part of the Dell Insight Partners program, which provides news and analysis about the evolving world of tech. To learn more about tech news and analysis visit Tech Page One. Dell sponsored this article, but the opinions are our own and don’t necessarily represent Dell’s positions or strategies.)