Description: Convergence has been at the heart of recent efforts to encourage crossdisciplinary synthesis within several programs funded by the US National Science Foundation (NSF). The Growing Convergence Research (GCR) program, in particular, encourages investigators to “intentionally bring together their research team and develop a convergent culture of discovery and communication,” noting this as key to success (GCR program page, 2024). In this webinar we will explore “convergence culture” through findings from a pilot study aimed at understanding how awardees conceptualize and operationalize convergence in their projects. This two-stage study involved interviews with investigators from awarded NSF GCR projects (2020-2023), followed by a survey. Interviews centered on four themes: 1) how investigators see their project as convergence research, 2) what is being done to create the conditions needed to support convergence (practices and processes), 3) how convergence is being measured, and 4) what is needed for a convergence research project and team to be successful. The survey utilized findings from the interviews and adapted existing measures to examine and assess the collaborative processes involved in convergence research and participant attitudes toward convergence research. This study was part of the Toolbox Dialogue Initiative (TDI) Center’s work with the GCR Program (NSF Award #2119916) conducting structured dialogue-based workshops with newly funded GCR teams.

Speaker: Marisa A. Rinkus - Michigan State University

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