Integration among subfields in biology, as well as integration between biology and other disciplines, has advanced our fundamental understanding of living systems and raised a number of new questions. As exciting new areas of study emerge from the interstices, solid grounding in the sciences, including computer science and social science, can advance the practice and comprehension of biology. Accordingly, all students should have experience applying concepts and subdisciplinary knowledge from within and outside of biology in order to interpret biological phenomena.
Interdisciplinary science practice may be achieved in several ways. For future biologists, one way is through developing expertise not just in an area of biology, but also in a related discipline. That way, students will develop the vocabulary of both disciplines and an ability to think independently and creatively in each as well. A second, less intensive approach is to develop deep expertise in one area and fluency in related disciplines. A third option is to serve as a biologist on a multidisciplinary team. All of these routes develop a student’s facility to apply concepts and knowledge across traditional boundaries. For those not majoring in biology, the inherent interdisciplinary nature of biology practice lends itself to forming connections between biology and other sciences and, in so doing, can help all students understand the way science disciplines inform and reinforce each other.
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