Cross-disciplinary research at CU-Boulder

Cross-disciplinary research at CU-Boulder

Feb. 17, 2012                        Tom Cech                                   

A smarter way of getting more out of its research dollars has taken hold at the University of Colorado Boulder. It’s called cross-disciplinary research and for students and faculty at the Biofrontiers Institute this approach offers them a better opportunity to advance human health, says researcher and Nobel Laureate Tom Cech.

CUT 1 “I find the University of Colorado Boulder to be an exceptionally exciting and collaborative environment for scientific research. In addition to us being able to share our expertise it’s also really part of the spirit of what we’re about - (:15) really helping each other to try to move science forward as much as possible.”

The teamwork driven environment, Cech says, brings more minds and different perspectives together.

CUT 2 “All of us love this job because we like having smart people around us and we don’t mind if somebody else has a better idea than we had. We love that and we embrace that and that’s the way the whole field moves forward.” (:15)

Students work alongside esteemed scientists at the Institute. It’s an environment where they can push themselves and gain real-world experience.

CUT 3 “They’re working with cutting edge technologies. They are working side by side with graduate students and postdoctoral fellows and they’re treated like adults. We really expect them to operate as mature scientists and they rise to this challenge.” (:16)

Cech says the cross-disciplinary environment will create a new generation of scientists. By incorporating different scientific fields, he says, the research will promote growth and new advancements in biotechnology.

CUT 4 “We are always looking for ways to translate our basic science discoveries into products that might be helpful to the population, that might improve health, it might improve the treatment of disease. (:19) Overall, over the period of a decade, the university has a remarkable track record in producing new approaches to human disease to alternative energy to other major societal problems.” (:35)

Cross-disciplinary research on campus will get an added boost this spring when the $145 million Jennie Smoly Caruthers Biotechnology building opens for business.

The building will be home to scientists from multiple disciplines in bioscience from the Biofrontiers Institute, the department of chemical and biological engineering and the division of biochemistry.

-CU-