How interdisciplinary is nanotechnology?

Abstract

Facilitating cross-disciplinary research has attracted much attention in recent years, with special concerns in nanoscience and nanotechnology. Although policy discourse has emphasized that nanotechnology is substantively integrative, some analysts have countered that it is really a loose amalgam of relatively traditional pockets of physics, chemistry, and other disciplines that interrelate only weakly. We are developing empirical measures to gauge and visualize the extent and nature of interdisciplinary interchange. Such results speak to research organization, funding, and mechanisms to bolster knowledge transfer. In this study, we address the nature of cross-disciplinary linkages using “science overlay maps” of articles, and their references, that have been categorized into subject categories. We find signs that the rate of increase in nano research is slowing, and that its composition is changing (for one, increasing chemistry-related activity). Our results suggest that nanotechnology research encompasses multiple disciplines that draw knowledge from disciplinarily diverse knowledge sources. Nano research is highly, and increasingly, integrative—but so is much of science these days. Tabulating and mapping nano research activity show a dominant core in materials sciences, broadly defined. Additional analyses and maps show that nano research draws extensively upon knowledge presented in other areas; it is not constricted within narrow silos.

Authorship and Content Analysis of Engineering Education Research: A Case Study

“…Here the authors have been grouped and colored (group G1 -G13) based on the count of distinct researchers they have worked with 3 . The dots repre-2 ,* A graph is connected if a path exists between all pairs of vertices.…”

“…If the graph is not connected then it can be divided into connected components where each component is mutually exclusive with every other component. 3 The complete description about the chosen layout and graph metrics is provided in the supplementary material. PAPER AUTHORSHIP AND CONTENT ANALYSIS OF ENGINEERING EDUCATION RESEARCH: A CASE STUDY sent the authors and the collaboration between authors is represented by lines or edges.…”

“…RESEARCH ON EDUCATIONAL ISSUES in engineering, computer science, and other technical areas is growing fast [1] due to the increased interest of funding agencies [2], the fact that facilitation of cross disciplinary research has attracted substantial attention in recent years [3], also, a growing number of scholars dedicating their career to the intersection of technical fields and education [4], and lastly, higher demands to show the effectiveness of programs for student achievement and retention. !At the same time, fields such as engineering education research and computer science education research are solidifying and developing their own identity [5][6], which is strongly indicated by the maturity and growth of fieldspecific conferences such as FIE (Frontiers in Education) and EDUCON, as well as the new establishment of a special interest group (at the American Educational Research Association), a research interest group (within the National Association for Research in Science Teaching), and research focused on engineering/computer science education within technical and general education communities.…”

The behaviors of multi-institute scientific organizations in nanotechnology

“…Early research has suggested that nanotechnology is a general purpose technology with broad applicability throughout the economy [21].Various studies have shown that nanotechnology continues to demonstrate an overall upward trend in publication and patent activity [22][23][24][25][26][27] and its subfields [28][29][30] or in a specific country or region [31][32][33][34], the multidisciplinarity and interdisciplinarity of nanotechnology [35][36][37][38] , visualization of nanotechnology at discipline level [39] and the collaboration level [36,38], analysis at the individual level [40][41][42], and other topics [43][44][45].…”

Environmental Aspects of Using Nanomaterials

“…It is estimated that the current global market for nanomaterials is equal to 300000 tons up to 1.6 million tons [2]. The largest market share is in the Asian region (approx.…”