On Disciplinarity, Interdisciplinarity and Transdisciplinarity

Dr. Aisling Kelliher, Associate professor of Design at Carnegie Mellon University, explains what "interdisciplinarity" and "transdisciplinarity" mean with respect to collaboration in a research university setting. For Kelliher, the difference between these two modes of collaboration is measured by the depth at which each distinct discipline negotiates understanding of the other's discipline, and whether the collaboration is useful to the scope of a project or serves as a catalyst for co-solving an enigmatic problem.