Chapter 1, Section 3
Collaboration and Communication
No matter how talented the players on a team, one player cannot ensure victory for the team. Individuals must collaborate, or work together, for the good of the team. Think about the volleyball players in Figure 1.20. In volleyball, the person who spikes the ball depends on the person who sets the ball. Unless the ball is set properly, the spiker will have limited success. Many sports recognize the importance of collaboration by keeping track of assists. During a volleyball game, the players also communicate with one another so it is clear who is going to do which task. Strategies that are successful in sports can work in other fields, such as science. When scientists collaborate and communicate, they increase the likelihood of a successful outcome.
Figure 1.20 For a volleyball team to win, the players must collaborate, or work together.
Collaboration
Scientists choose to collaborate for different reasons. For example, some research problems are so complex that no one person could have all the knowledge, skills, and resources to solve the problem. It is often necessary to bring together individuals from different disciplines. Each scientist will typically bring different knowledge and, perhaps, a different approach to bear on a problem. Just talking with a scientist from another discipline may provide insights that are helpful.
There may be a practical reason for collaboration. For example, an industry may give a university funding for pure research in an area of interest to the industry. Scientists at the university get the equipment and the time required to do research. In exchange, the scientists provide ideas and expertise. The industry may profit from its investment by marketing applications based on the research.
Collaboration isn’t always a smooth process. Conflicts can arise about use of resources, amount of work, who is to receive credit, and when and what to publish. Like the students in Figure 1.21, you will likely work on a team in the laboratory. If so, you may face some challenges. But you can also experience the benefits of a successful collaboration.
Figure 1.21 Working in a group can be challenging, but it can also be rewarding. Applying Concepts What steps in the scientific method are these students using?
Communication
The way that scientists communicate with each other and with the public has changed over the centuries. In earlier centuries, scientists exchanged ideas through letters. They also formed societies to discuss the latest work of their members. When societies began to publish journals, scientists could use the journals to keep up with new discoveries.
Today, many scientists, like those in Figure 1.22, work as a team. They can communicate face to face. They also can exchange ideas with other scientists by e-mail, by phone, and at international conferences. Scientists still publish their results in scientific journals, which are the most reliable source of information about new discoveries. Articles are published only after being reviewed by experts in the author’s field. Reviewers may find errors in experimental design or challenge the author’s conclusions. This review process is good for science because work that is not well founded is usually not published.
Figure 1.22 Communication between scientists can occur face to face. These chemists are using the model projected on the screen to discuss the merits of a new medicine.
The Internet is a major source of information. One advantage of the Internet is that anyone can get access to its information. One disadvantage is that anyone can post information on the Internet without first having that information reviewed. To judge the reliability of information you find on the Internet, you have to consider the source. This same advice applies to articles in news-papers and magazines or the news you receive from television. If a media outlet has a reporter who specializes in science, chances are better that a report will be accurate.