In an age characterized by new dimensions of complexity, scale and uncertainty, many challenges require solutions that are beyond the reach of one thought discipline. More and more frequently, the advances in science and engineering that will have the most impact are those born at the frontiers of more than one engineering discipline. The benefits of multidisciplinary thinking - and the shortcomings of a world that has been "understood" primarily by specialization - have been apparent for several decades. Upon learning that he won the 2000 Nobel Prize in chemistry - sharing it with a physicist and an engineer - Dr. Alan Macdiarmid of the University of Pennsylvania stated unequivocally that research in the future must incorporate communication and interaction among disciplines. The National Science Foundation's director has called [multidisciplinary] research "nothing short of vital."

While the concept of multidisciplinary thinking, or "multidisciplinarity," is not new, it has in recent years emerged as a pervasive term, gaining popularity both in science and in policy contexts. Multidisciplinarity traces its roots to the second half of the 20th Century, with the cross-fertilization among the sub-branches of physics, the development of grand simplifying concepts, the emergence of systems theory and of new fields such as biochemistry, radio astronomy and plate tectonics. During the Second World War, the formation of institutes and laboratories to solve military problems led to multidisciplinary, problem-focused endeavors and involved researchers in large-scale collaborative projects.

Multidisciplinary engineering refers to engineering that engages one or more areas of engineering (e.g. mechanical, chemical electrical, biomedical, etc.), as well as other sciences or technical disciplines. Multidisciplinary engineering often requires team work. For instance, a mechanical engineer works with a biologist to design a heart valve. In this example, the teammates work together, each contributing his or her own expertise to solving the problem. Multidisciplinarity additionally refers to the development of conceptual links using a perspective in one discipline to modify a perspective in another discipline, or using research techniques developed in one discipline to elaborate a theoretical framework in another.

Recognizing the benefit of disciplinary cross-fertilization, multidisciplinary efforts are underway in fields from materials science to industrial ecology. New organizational structures also have emerged to support this phenomenon, including offices of technology transfer, industrial liaison programs, mergers and joint ventures, research networks, consortia, contract research and entrepreneurial firms.

Perhaps the most visible example of multidisciplinarity is the Human Genome Project (HGP), an international 13-year effort formally begun in October 1990 to discover all of the estimated 30,000-35,000 human genes and make them accessible for further biological study. At least 18 countries established human genome research programs, and a working draft of the entire human genome sequence was announced in June 2000, with analyses published in February 2001. The unprecedented complexity of the project's undertaking required the collaboration of biologists, chemists, computer scientists and others worldwide. While mechanical engineers are currently playing a fairly minor role in the project, it is expected that they will make a significant contribution to the advancement of health care (both in diagnostics and medical devices) as information obtained about the human genome is applied.

Here is an example of a multidisciplinary project involving medicine, electrical engineering, mechanical engineering and computer science.