<table><tr><th>From:</th><th>jeffrey E. &lt;jeevacation@gmail.com&gt;</th></tr><tr><td>Sent:</td><td>Thursday, May 12, 2016 10:34 PM</td></tr><tr><td>To:</td><td>Joichi Ito</td></tr><tr><td>Subject:</td><td>Re: Antidisciplinary Science Fellows Proposal</td></tr></table>

011 331 441 70210

On Thu, May 12, 2016 at 11:28 PM, Joichi Ito <

<mailto: > wrote:

The MIT Media Lab seeks support for a fellowship pro=ram in Antidisciplinary Science. The Lab is a leader in this area, which p=omises to fundamentally rethink research and practice around scientific in=uiry. We seek $12 million to fund and operate the first three years of thi= fellowship program.

Today, we fa=e a crisis in science. Academic science is not leading to breakthrough inn=vations, and the disciplinary structures of the academy are largely to bla=e. Certain types of research are recognized and rewarded, and become defin=d as disciplines. As this happens, people begin talking only to a very sma=l peer group, often by publishing in a small number of very specific journ=ls. Meanwhile, we believe the most important scientific questions today re=ide in the spaces between disciplines.

work. An antidisciplinary project isn =99t a sum of many disciplines but something entirely new—the word =efies easy definition. But what it means to the Media Lab is someone or so=ething that doesn't fit within a traditional academic discipline =94a field of study with its own particular words, frameworks, and methods.=Most academics are judged by how many times they have published in prestig=ous, peer-reviewed journals. This system often leads researchers to align =heir work to the dictates of peer review rather than risking the potential=repercussions of an unconventional approach. Indeed, the current peer revi=w system causes hyper-specialization where people in different fields have=a very difficult time collaborating—or even communicating—=ith people in other fields.

When =oi thinks about the "space" the Lab has created, he likes =o imagine a huge piece of paper that represents "all science. =80 The disciplines, such as "chemistry," "genet=cs" or "design" are small black dots on this paper= The massive amounts of white space between the dots represent antidiscipl=nary space. Many people would like to play in this white space, but there =s very little funding available, and it's even harder to get a ten=red position without some sort of disciplinary anchor in one of the black =ots.

Additionally, it appears inc=easingly difficult to tackle many of the interesting problems—as w=ll as the "wicked problems"—through a traditional =isciplinary approach. Unraveling the complexities of the human body is the=perfect example. Our best chance for rapid breakthroughs should come throu=h a collaborative "One Science." But instead, we seem unab=e to move beyond "many sciences"—a complex mosaic =f so many different disciplines that often we don't recognize when=we are looking at the same problem because our language is so different an= our microscopes are set so differently.

So how do we find talent in as yet un-named fields? We h=pothesize that the regular academic processes of hiring and peer review wi=l not find these people. And current programs to find exceptional individu=ls are either too organized or not organized enough. There is a limit to h=w much the search for geniuses can and should be centrally planned and org=nized, as the best people tend to have their discussions outside of instit=tions. Events like O'Reilly's FOO Camp are a wonderful exa=ple of successful models of unstructured ways of discovering and engaging =uch talent. However, we are interested in exploring a different way that b=tter integrates with the academic research structure. Therefore the Media =ab is developing a new prize and fellowship program focused on finding ext=aordinary minds who are working beyond disciplinary bounds.

The Antidisciplinary Science=Fellowship Program proposes to locate remarkable people working in antidis=iplinary white spaces by offering prizes to individuals from inside and ou=side academia, giving them access to the resources of the Media Lab and ea=h other, and bringing them to the attention of the world. We will work wit= a group of nominators and we will also utilize a novel Web-based nominati=n crowdsourcing platform, also offering prizes to people who identify such=exceptional talents. A small, distinguished selection committee will then =eview nominees and award prizes of $100,000 each to a maximum of ten indiv=duals each year. Each winner will select up to five other individuals work=ng on a related topic, forming an investigational cluster. Team members in=each cluster will receive a prize of $10,000. All Fellows and team members=will stay in their current locations, but will be brought together at an a=nual Fellows event at the Media Lab, and will also communicate regularly o=er the course of a year.

Through this project the MIT Media Lab aims to trigger a shift =n the nature of scientific inquiry and nurture entire new areas of discove=y that could bring about beneficial impacts to humanity. We believe the La= can bring the right balance of institutional rigor and free-form creativi=y to this search and selection process. The Media Lab is a top research an= teaching program within one of the world's best universities, but=at the same time is also unique within MIT. And we have worked for 30 year= to ensure that our students and faculty have the freedom to explore the w=ldest and most compelling of ideas.

Budget (over 3 years)

<table><tr><th>Staff:</th><th>=AO</th><th>=C2</th><th>=AO</th><th>=C2</th><th>$1,118,164</th></tr><tr><td colspan="6">style="font-size:14.666666666666666px;font-family:Calibri;vertical-=lign:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap"&gt;Travel: =span</td></tr><tr><td></td><td>=C2</td><td>=AO</td><td>=C2</td><td>=AO</td><td>=C2 $=90,000</td></tr><tr><td colspan="3">Materials and Service=:</td><td>=C2</td><td>$210,000</td><td></td></tr><tr><td colspan="2">Convenings: =C2</td><td>=A0</td><td>=C2</td><td>=A0</td><td>$1,200,000</td></tr><tr><td colspan="2">Overhead at 20%:</td><td>=AO</td><td>=C2</td><td>&lt;=span&gt;</td><td>$1,998,633</td></tr><tr><td>Total:</td><td>=AO</td><td>=C2</td><td>=AO</td><td>=C2</td><td>=11,991,797</td></tr></table>

## =C2 please note

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JEE

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