[csaa-forum] CHASS Newsletter: 'Expanding Horizons'

[Toss Gascoigne]

Dear csaa-forum

1.  "Expanding Horizons"
We have posted information about this year's Canberra event on our web site.

"Expanding Horizons" is on Tuesday-Wednesday March 28-29.

It especially targets early-career researchers and professionals, and the
theme is multi-disciplinary collaborations.

The program includes individual meetings with MPs and lunch at the National
Press Club.  

Registrations are invited from all disciplines - the humanities, arts and
social sciences, science, technology, engineering and medicine.

We expect many registrants will have completed a research degree in the
previous four or so years.

Registration, a draft program and tips on meeting MPs have been posted on
our web site:  www.chass.org.au


2.  CHASS project launched!
We have started a new project on multi-disciplinary collaborations.  It will
look at the ways people in research organizations and cultural institutions
work in a cross-disciplinary manner.

How do people in the humanities, arts and social sciences work with their
colleagues in science, technology, engineering and medicine?
What issues do they work on? How do they find each other? What funding
sources do they draw upon? Are there any problems working with people from
another disciplinary base?
Project 3 will examine current practices in Australia and overseas, and seek
out case studies to describe these practices in more detail. It will
identify factors which make for a successful collaboration - and those that
may cause a collaboration to fail.

CHASS is carrying out this project with funding from DEST.  More information
on our web site.


3.  Survey on multi-disciplinary collaborations
We want to know about the experiences of people involved in collaborative
work, as part of our project on multi-disciplinary work.

Please complete a short survey now posted on the CHASS web site:
www.chass.org.au

We are specifically interested in work that involves BOTH sides: a person
working in the humanities, arts or social sciences WITH someone from
science, technology, engineering and medicine.

Issues where a multi-disciplinary approach might be most fruitful include:
€ Urban design
€ Water recycling and consumption
€ Environment and conservation issues
€ Health matters like obesity

Examples include:
€ Doctors working with social scientists on aboriginal health issues
€ Fine arts curator working with chemists on conservation of paintings
€ Designers, architects and building technologists on urban design issues

And if you are interested in collaborative work but have not been involved,
there is space in the response to say why.

All responses by the end of February, please.


Toss Gascoigne