Guseltseva M.S. Review on the Book “Interdisciplinarity in the making: models and methods in frontier science” by Nancy J. Nersessian

This article provides the overview of the book “Interdisciplinarity in the making: models and methods in frontier science” by Nancy J. Nersessian, who is a professor of cognitive science at the Georgia Institute of Technology. The book discusses the study of research activities in laboratories engaged in biomedical engineering (BME) and integrative systems biology (ISB). According to N. Nersessian, it is bioengineering scientists working today at the forefront of science who can serve as a model for the productive integration of cognitive, social, material and cultural aspects of interdisciplinary research practices.

The purpose of N. Nersessian's work was a comprehensive study of new interdisciplinary epistemic practices that are formed in the everyday professional activities of research laboratories at the forefront of bioengineering sciences. The research group headed by N. Nersessian studied how bioengineering scientists invent innovative ways of modeling and new methods for solving scientific problems. Their professional activity unfolds in the interdisciplinary space of bioengineering and by definition has a hybrid nature. At the theoretical level, modeling complex dynamic biological systems, these scientists use concepts, methods, materials and other resources drawn from the applied areas of engineering. In their professional activity, there is an organic synthesis of theory and practice, which contributes not only to a relevant understanding of complex biological systems, but also to the possibilities of effective management and control of the processes occurring in them.

The primary method used to study the new interdisciplinary epistemic practices emerging at the frontiers of science was the combination of cognitive ethnography of research laboratories with philosophical reflection and qualitative analysis of the data obtained.

Although the study of bioengineering sciences was in many ways a random choice for N. Nersessian, she is convinced that the resulting analytical model, combined with the developed methodological approach, is applicable to the study of scientific research activities in general.

Key words: cognition and culture, interdisciplinarity, cognitive science, cognitive ethnography, bioengineering laboratories, modeling, epistemic practices

For citation: Guseltseva, M.S. (2024). Review on the Book “Interdisciplinarity in the making: models and methods in frontier science” by Nancy J. Nersessian. New Psychological Research, No. 4, 229–253. DOI: 10.51217/npsyresearch_2024_04_04_11

Acknowledgment

The article was prepared within a state task, project FNRE-2024-0016