Advisory Committee Chair
Murat M Tanik
Advisory Committee Members
Karthik Lingasubramanian
Lee Moradi
David Robbins
Jeff Walker
Steve Wingo
Document Type
Dissertation
Date of Award
2019
Degree Name by School
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) School of Engineering
Abstract
Convergence, an approach to problem-solving that transcends disciplinary boundaries, is increasingly viewed as a key enabler in the development of timely, cost-effective, and resilient solutions for some of society’s most vexing problems in healthcare, energy, and other complex problem domains. This transdisciplinary convergence, with its emphasis on collaboration beyond traditional disciplinary boundaries (electrical engineering, mechanical engineering, biomedical engineering, computer engineering, and project management), is necessary to bridge the communication chasms that often emerge in silo-based research and problem-solving. These communication rifts, deepened by language, jargon, process, and technical differences between disciplines, represent major impediments to collective research. In this dissertation, a convergence-based engineering modeling framework, Transdisciplinary Framework for Collaborative Problem-solving (TFCP), was developed using convergence principles, complexity theory, communication theory, and engineering modeling concepts, to address some of the communicational challenges associated with multi-disciplinary research. The framework was applied to a case study in the energy industry to demonstrate the value that a new standardized framework affords research and collaborative problem-solving. Furthermore, this new convergence-based engineering modeling framework may assist in reducing the presence of entropy or disorder in large, silo-based research and other projects that span disciplinary, geographical, technical, data, or other boundaries thereby leading to improved utilization of limited human, fiscal, technological, and environmental resources.
Recommended Citation
Fielder, Darrell, "Transdisciplinary Problem-Solving Using Convergence-Based Engineering Modeling And Communication Theory" (2019). All ETDs from UAB. 1644.
https://digitalcommons.library.uab.edu/etd-collection/1644