Why Interdisciplinary Perspectives Matter in Research

A woman stands next to a research poster titled "The Original Biosensor Meets Environmental Informatics" at a science event, presenting findings on round goby detection with conservation dogs.
by Katie Baronowski, UAlbany Information Science PhD Student

While I am currently a second-year Information Science PhD student, I studied human and animal cognition, learning, and behavior during my undergraduate studies. Therefore, I was initially worried about my untraditional background when I applied for and entered my graduate program, but I quickly came to realize it was a blessing in disguise.

Information science is an interdisciplinary field that studies how humans, technology, and organizations create, interact with, and manage information. So, while I entered the program with less technical experience than my peers, my psychology background allowed me to add a new, valuable perspective to class discussions and group projects on the human aspect.  

In the Information Science PhD program at the University at Albany, we are lucky to have several areas of specialization to choose from:

  1. Geographic Information Science (GIS)
  2. Information Assurance (IA)
  3. Information, Government, and Democratic Society (IGDS) 
  4. Information in Organizational Environments (IOE) 
  5. Knowledge Organization and Management (KOM) 
  6. Data Analytics (DA) 
  7. Information for Risk in Emergency Management & Security (IRES)

My classmates with computer science and data analytics backgrounds tend to be laser focused on crunching numbers, meanwhile an IRES student may think about how information supports disaster recovery, or an IDGS student with a public policy background might focus on the laws and regulations that impact how information is shared. Meanwhile, I can bring in a psychology perspective as an IOE student and discuss how people perceive and act on information; I study human and animal behavior, specifically detection K9’s and their handlers, and integrate technology to improve their performance for emergency response.

When we merge these perspectives, the conversations we have go far deeper than they otherwise could in a siloed room.  Interdisciplinary collaboration not only sparks innovation but also builds resilience, turning our diverse backgrounds from potentially being perceived as liabilities into powerful assets!