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Make creativity part of study programs for scientists-in-training, experts urge
The bioinformatician Professor Dr Martin Lercher from Heinrich Heine University Dusseldorf (HHU) and his colleague Professor Dr Itai Yanai from New York University (NYU) are focusing on the topic of creativity in research. In the latest editorial in the scientific journal Nature Biotechnology , they advocate teaching the importance of creative processes for the advancement of science especially in graduate study programmes.
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The authors observe that the rate of scientific innovation appears to be slowing down: The proportion of research projects that push science in new directions by breaking with previous understanding has decreased since the second half of the 20th century. Such projects have been replaced by more results-oriented approaches, which advance research areas but rarely result in transformative science. This reflects a fundamental development: Publicly funded research projects are being dominated by hypothesis-driven approaches, which tend to confirm the hypotheses rather than seeking genuinely new and unexpected results.
Professor Martin Lercher, head of the Computational Cell Biology research group at HHU and Professor Itai Yanai, Director of the Applied Bioinformatics Laboratories at NYU, believe there is a need to rethink how scientists-in-training are educated. They write that "graduate study programmes should renew an emphasis on creativity by teaching the tools of innovative thinking."
The two authors have been calling for the "promotion of the creative side of the scientific process" for years. Their approach draws on the concept of "day science" and "night science" developed by the Nobel Prize winner Francois Jacob: "Day science" refers to modern science as a systematic, well-planned process guided by hypotheses developed in advance, while "night science" is the non-systematic, creative part of science, namely free thinking and the often intuitive exploration of ideas.
Lercher: "The first thing scientists-in-training learn today is how to establish a foothold in the world of research through the definition of highly specific projects, which lead to predictable results, which in turn lead to citable publications. Knowing and practising this is of course important as it enables incremental advances in research areas and the provision of reliable answers to detailed questions." Yanai adds: "Yet, we cannot see this as the be-all and end-all, as this structured process rarely results in new discoveries, which are however critical for the advancement of science."
In Nature Biotechnology, the two authors call for the integration of scientific creativity courses into the curricula of graduate study programmes. The most powerful tool for creative science might be improvisational, open scientific discussions, both with close colleagues and with experts in related fields. By gaining an insight into the creativity toolbox of other subjects, graduate students and postdoctoral fellows can learn to pose new questions from different perspectives. Lercher and Yanai believe that "inventing the right question can advance science more than answering an existing one."
Finally, the authors emphasise in their editorial that placing an emphasis on creativity in the sciences would also help to reduce misconceptions among the public about the scientific process, encouraging increased numbers of creative young people to pursue a career in science.
RELATED TOPICS Mind & Brain Creativity Educational Psychology K-12 Education Child Development Infant and Preschool Learning Schizophrenia Multiple Sclerosis Addiction
RELATED TERMS Psycholinguistics Special education Collaboration Psychology Synesthesia Cognitive science Social psychology Personality psychology
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Materials provided by Heinrich-Heine University Duesseldorf . Original written by Arne Claussen. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.
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Itai Yanai, Martin J. Lercher. Make science disruptive again . Nature Biotechnology , 2023; DOI: 10.1038/s41587-023-01736-5
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Follow: Facebook. Twitter. LinkedIn. Subscribe: RSS Feeds. advertisement. 2. Make creativity part of study programs for scientists-in-training, experts urge. Facebook. Twitter. Pinterest. LinkedIN. Email. The bioinformatician Professor Dr Martin Lercher from Heinrich Heine University Dusseldorf (HHU) and his colleague Professor Dr Itai Yanai from New York University (NYU) are focusing on the topic of creativity in research. In the latest editorial in the scientific journal Nature Biotechnology , they advocate teaching the importance of creative processes for the advancement of science especially in graduate study programmes. advertisement. The authors observe that the rate of scientific innovation appears to be slowing down: The proportion of research projects that push science in new directions by breaking with previous understanding has decreased since the second half of the 20th century. Such projects have been replaced by more results-oriented approaches, which advance research areas but rarely result in transformative science. This reflects a fundamental development: Publicly funded research projects are being dominated by hypothesis-driven approaches, which tend to confirm the hypotheses rather than seeking genuinely new and unexpected results. Professor Martin Lercher, head of the Computational Cell Biology research group at HHU and Professor Itai Yanai, Director of the Applied Bioinformatics Laboratories at NYU, believe there is a need to rethink how scientists-in-training are educated. They write that "graduate study programmes should renew an emphasis on creativity by teaching the tools of innovative thinking." The two authors have been calling for the "promotion of the creative side of the scientific process" for years. Their approach draws on the concept of "day science" and "night science" developed by the Nobel Prize winner Francois Jacob: "Day science" refers to modern science as a systematic, well-planned process guided by hypotheses developed in advance, while "night science" is the non-systematic, creative part of science, namely free thinking and the often intuitive exploration of ideas. Lercher: "The first thing scientists-in-training learn today is how to establish a foothold in the world of research through the definition of highly specific projects, which lead to predictable results, which in turn lead to citable publications. Knowing and practising this is of course important as it enables incremental advances in research areas and the provision of reliable answers to detailed questions." Yanai adds: "Yet, we cannot see this as the be-all and end-all, as this structured process rarely results in new discoveries, which are however critical for the advancement of science." In Nature Biotechnology, the two authors call for the integration of scientific creativity courses into the curricula of graduate study programmes. The most powerful tool for creative science might be improvisational, open scientific discussions, both with close colleagues and with experts in related fields. By gaining an insight into the creativity toolbox of other subjects, graduate students and postdoctoral fellows can learn to pose new questions from different perspectives. Lercher and Yanai believe that "inventing the right question can advance science more than answering an existing one." Finally, the authors emphasise in their editorial that placing an emphasis on creativity in the sciences would also help to reduce misconceptions among the public about the scientific process, encouraging increased numbers of creative young people to pursue a career in science. RELATED TOPICS Mind & Brain Creativity Educational Psychology K-12 Education Child Development Infant and Preschool Learning Schizophrenia Multiple Sclerosis Addiction. RELATED TERMS Psycholinguistics Special education Collaboration Psychology Synesthesia Cognitive science Social psychology Personality psychology. advertisement. Story Source: Materials provided by Heinrich-Heine University Duesseldorf . Original written by Arne Claussen. Note: Content may be edited for style and length. Journal Reference : Itai Yanai, Martin J. Lercher. Make science disruptive again . Nature Biotechnology , 2023; DOI: 10.1038/s41587-023-01736-5. Cite This Page : MLA. APA. Chicago. Print. Email. Share. 2. 3. 4. 5. Breaking. StowÂaways in the Genome. Male Yellow Crazy Ants Are Real-Life Chimeras. Einstein's Theory of Gravity: New Findings. Gusty Winds in a Far-Off Neutron Star System. Shutting Down Nuclear Power: Air Pollution. Elephant's Self-Taught Banana Peeling. Warmth-Trapping Secrets of Polar Bear Fur. Before Life: How Were Amino Acids Formed? High BP in Your 30s, Worse Brain Health Later. Brain Tumors Treatment and Diet. HEALTH & MEDICINE. Study Reframes Understanding of Graft-Versus-Host Disease. Warmer Climate May Drive Fungi to Be More Dangerous to Our Health. HRT Could Ward Off Alzheimer's Among at-Risk Women. MIND & BRAIN. Video Game Playing Causes No Harm to Young Children's Cognitive Abilities, Study Finds. When Chronic Stress Activates These Neurons, Behavioral Problems Like Loss of Pleasure, Depression Result. Traffic Pollution Impairs Brain Function. LIVING & WELL. Reducing Total Calories May Be More Effective for Weight Loss Than Intermittent Fasting. Coffee With Milk May Have an Anti-Inflammatory Effect. advertisement. HEALTH & MEDICINE. Researchers Create Embryo-Like Structures from Monkey Embryonic Stem Cells. Super-Sized Nanocage Could Deliver Bigger Drug Cargoes. A Miniature Heart in a Petri Dish: Organoid Emulates Development of the Human Heart. MIND & BRAIN. Table Tennis Brain Teaser: Playing Against Robots Makes Our Brains Work Harder. Sleight-of-Hand Magic Trick Only Fools Monkeys With Opposable Thumbs. English Language Pushes Everyone -- Even AI Chatbots -- To Improve by Adding. LIVING & WELL. Vocal Tract Size, Shape Dictate Speech Sounds. Virtual Reality Games Can Be Used as a Tool in Personnel Assessment. Edible Electronics: How a Seaweed Second Skin Could Transform Health and Fitness Sensor Tech. Study Shows Creativity Assessments Progressing Slowly, Including Racialized, Gendered Approaches. Apr. 27, 2022 — Which Is More Creative, the Arts or the Sciences? Oct. 13, 2020 — As an Act of Self-Disclosure, Workplace Creativity Can Be Risky Business. Sep. 4, 2019 — Educating the Next Generation of Medical Professionals With Machine Learning Is Essential. Sep. 27, 2018 — advertisement. Toggle navigation. Menu. S D. S D Home Page Top Science News Latest News. Home Home Page Top Science News Latest News. Health View all the latest top news in the health sciences, or browse the topics below: Health & Medicine Allergy Alternative Medicine Cancer Cold and Flu Diabetes Diseases Heart Disease Infectious Diseases Obesity Stem Cells ... more topics Mind & Brain ADD and ADHD Addiction Alzheimer's Autism Depression Headaches Intelligence Psychology Relationships Schizophrenia ... more topics Living Well Parenting Child Development Stress Skin Care Men's Health Women's Health Nutrition Diet and Weight Loss Fitness Healthy Aging ... more topics. Tech View all the latest top news in the physical sciences & technology, or browse the topics below: Matter & Energy Aviation Chemistry Electronics Fossil Fuels Nanotechnology Physics Quantum Physics Solar Energy Technology Wind Energy ... more topics Space & Time Astronomy Black Holes Dark Matter Extrasolar Planets Mars Moon Solar System Space Telescopes Stars Sun ... more topics Computers & Math Artificial Intelligence Communications Computer Science Hacking Mathematics Quantum Computers Robotics Software Video Games Virtual Reality ... more topics. Enviro View all the latest top news in the environmental sciences, or browse the topics below: Plants & Animals Agriculture and Food Animals Biology Biotechnology Endangered Animals Extinction Genetically Modified Microbes and More New Species Zoology ... more topics Earth & Climate Climate Earthquakes Environment Geography Geology Global Warming Hurricanes Ozone Holes Pollution Weather ... more topics Fossils & Ruins Ancient Civilizations Anthropology Archaeology Dinosaurs Early Humans Early Mammals Evolution Lost Treasures Origin of Life Paleontology ... more topics. Society View all the latest top news in the social sciences & education, or browse the topics below: Science & Society Arts & Culture Consumerism Economics Political Science Privacy Issues Public Health Racial Disparity Religion Sports World Development ... more topics Business & Industry Biotechnology & Bioengineering Computers & Internet Energy & Resources Engineering Medical Technology Pharmaceuticals Transportation ... more topics Education & Learning Animal Learning & Intelligence Creativity Educational Psychology Educational Technology Infant & Preschool Learning Learning Disorders STEM Education ... more topics. Quirky Top News Human Quirks Odd Creatures Bizarre Things Weird World. Search. Get the latest science news in your RSS reader with ScienceDaily's hourly updated newsfeeds, covering hundreds of topics: List of All RSS Feeds. Keep up to date with the latest news from ScienceDaily via social networks: Facebook. Twitter. LinkedIn. 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