For the last few days, I’ve been at the annual meeting of the National Collegiate Inventors and Innovators Alliance. This is mostly university-based faculty from business and engineering with some social scientists and random smattering of physicists and others. Everyone has an interest in fostering creativity and innovation among students. Other Fresno State folks here include Shirley Kovacs, chair of Biology, Dave Goorahoo of Plant Science, George Vozikis from business, and Tim Stearns and Mike Summers from the Lyles Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship.
My contribution was a session on using social science to discover innovative products and services. Typical of the cross-disciplinary ferment at this conference, the panel consisted of myself (an anthropologist), Khanjan Mehta, a Penn State electrical engineer, and Leslie Speer, an industrial designer from San Jose State. I spoke about my passion, ethnography, the research method that characterizes cultural anthropology and that takes us out into the world to experience and understand the lives of others. I argued that among research strategies, ethnography offers the best path to inspirational insight into new products and services. Leslie detailed her engagement with projects on obesity and children’s diets and pesticide exposure among farmworkers. She talked about how her research took her and her collaborators straight to lunch rooms and fields to interact with people face to face, to understand their views and behaviors, and then develop strategies for promoting better diets and low-cost solutions to pesticide exposure problems.
Khanjan described perhaps the most intriguing cross-disciplinary combination I have encountered so far: a joint project between himself (an electrical engineer) and his colleagues in Women’s Studies at Penn State. Among other projects, they are working on cell phone networks for female entrepreneurs and low-cost health delivery systems, both in Tanzania. Khanjan said that he came to collaborate with his Women’s Studies colleagues after realizing that the biggest factors influencing success in such projects were not technical, but social and cultural. The social scientists helped him and his engineering colleagues grapple with the social networks and power structures that can either constrain or enable tech projects.
This is my second time going to the NCIIA conference, and like last year, I’ve come away with a renewed appreciation for the expertise and energy of people in other fields, from physics to engineering to design. I’m also encouraged by the response to our panel and by the steady stream of evidence that multidisciplinary projects can take us and our students further than any one discipline can go alone.
Read the papers from my panel here.
TheAnthroGeek
anthroguy
Felicia Salcido
8 comments
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March 25, 2009 at 11:35 am
tamif
It sounds like a great conference and important topic for all users. I was pleased to see that you had an eclectic group on the panel. Including both men and women in both “science/math” and “social disciplines” probably gave you a really well-rounded group of “experts.” As you mentioned, it is important for today’s inventors and marketers to know their customer and it seems that ethnographic studies would be essential. The more I read about Anthropology, the more I see applied anthropology in our everyday social/ educational/business relationships. I would personally like to see more ethnographic studies in the communication differences between men and women.
April 3, 2009 at 11:41 am
kiat
There is nothing better than working with other “experts” like yourself in a project. It seemed like you had quite a team to work with. You are right to point out that ethnographic studies have helped individuals understand different issues and topics out there.
May 1, 2009 at 6:13 pm
ChristinaB
This convention sounds like it it something that can be very useful and resourceful to several areas of study. I strongly believe that collaboration and communication is the most proficient way to success. To solve a long on going problem I think that several professionals from different areas of work should become involved in order to find a solution. The possibilities for success are greater because there are several people working together all with expertise and experience in their field work, what one individual may not be able to solve or comprehend can therefore, be provided by the insight of another expert. As I read some of the paper from the panel it discussed how bringing in different experts brings in a new effort. In my opinion I strongly agree that collaboration for innovative solutions is the lead to success.
May 12, 2009 at 8:44 pm
Sylvia V
Your job sounds very interesting. You get to meet and learn with other intelligent minds. That conference sounds like there was much useful information. Leslie’s information on obesity and the way they conducted the research used awsome techniques. She involved many people from different disciplines, which takes evreyones needs and opinions into consideration. The conference shared information that is needed in this county.
May 13, 2009 at 12:59 am
SeanC
I think that it is wonderful when people from different areas of study can come together and help a group of people; or community; or the world. As a Kinesiology major and Health Science minor, I think that it would be interesting and beneficial to hook up with another department and create something for the school to keep people healthy and understand the importance that exercise has on the body and the mind. The kinesiology department could hook up with the anthropology department, or even the math department. Everyone can help everyone, it does not matter your background; we all have something to bring to the table and all we need to do is share our thoughts.
May 13, 2009 at 2:02 am
BrookeM
The work between different fields is important to all populations. As Felicia mentioned in her blog about working with architects, this is an excellent example of that. I completely agree with Sean about working with other departments on campus. It has also showed through the work of the electrical engineer form Penn State. It is evident throughout the world that varying fields must work together in order to create new, innovative products. For example, I interned at a food company and it was imperative that my department worked with other to succeed. I was able to create and maintain relationships that will later lead to even more success. The importance of networking is also shown through this post. The conference was an opportunity for a Fresnan to network and possibly work with in the future.
May 13, 2009 at 10:20 am
Tami F
You make an excellent point of blending different programs with Anthropology. Antropology really does affect each and every one of us. As a Communication major, I too can see the benefits of joining communicators with anthropologist to get a message across. As with Kinesiology, Communication would be an avenue to “get the word out” about how important it is for different groups, cultures, sex, and ethnicity is to all of human kind.
May 13, 2009 at 11:51 pm
JamieA
This type of conference goes to show that every discipline can interact with one another. Some people conform themselves to believing only what they were taught and what is of interest to them only. When someone can broaden their views and interpret their own knowledge with a different and seperate viewpoint it can either make their original view stronger or provide a newer more reliable view. It is important to incorporate the views of different fields because no single field will provide for all the interpretations and answers alone. I am a criminology major and literally every different field and subject has one way or another shown me a different view on how I can apply some of the problems I will one day face as a deputy. Sometimes stepping out of your comfort zone can benefit you and inspire positive outcomes. Knowlege is power and the more diverse it is, the better!!