Thinking “Outside the Box”: A Collaborative Approach to Research

Imagine spending years immersing yourself in a specific aspect of a field of study, working with other researchers with that expertise, and writing a dissertation based on that work. Then imagine leaving the university lab and entering a lab where no one else has your expertise—and you have none of theirs. Transitioning to a national lab, where researchers have the chance to see their expertise contribute to a full-scale application, can be exciting and challenging.

David Stokes (second from right), his mentor Dr. Tuan Vo-Dinh (left), and fellow researchers collaborate on many research projects.

The opportunity to work on an interdisciplinary research team was one of the main reasons David Stokes joined the Advanced Biomedical Science and Technology Group (ABST) as part of the Postdoctoral Research Associates Program at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), which is administered by the Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education (ORISE) and funded by ORNL. “I wanted to learn to think ‘outside the box’—that is, to learn to understand and appreciate work being done outside of my area of expertise, and acknowledge possible impacts of such work on my research,” says Stokes.

Much of Stoke’s research at ORNL involves the collaboration of individuals with varied backgrounds—biologists, analytical chemists, spectroscopists, electrical engineers, package designers, machinists, clinicians, and computer programmers—all working toward a common goal. With a Ph.D. in analytical chemistry from the University of Tennessee, Stokes’ area of expertise is sensors development, but most of his projects require the input of many other researchers. The ABST Group is a multidisciplinary research team comprised of about 25 members that work together on environmental and biomedical projects. By partnering researchers with vastly different skills, the team can accomplish a range of goals. “Our aims are to help improve medical care at reduced cost, help identify general sources of health risk in the environment as well as manmade products, and to help combat chemical and biological terrorism.”

Though Stokes’ scientific successes have involved the work of many scientists, he admits that interdisciplinary research isn’t always easy. According to Stokes, “Interdisciplinary collaboration can be quite challenging because the areas of expertise vary widely among the group members. Nevertheless, we meet this challenge as each member acknowledges the importance of others’ skills; gains a limited yet working knowledge of others’ areas of expertise; and acknowledges that all work performed in the group, no matter how specific it may seem, has an impact on all members of the group.”

During his time at ORNL, Stokes has extended his interest in interdisciplinary research to the international arena. This year, he was selected as one of four American co-organizers for the sixth German-American Frontiers of Engineering (GAFOE) symposium held in Ludwigsburg, Germany. Nominated by his mentor Vo-Dinh, he was selected last year as one of eight Americans to speak at the GAFOE symposium held in Washington, D.C. The symposium brings together scientists and engineers with wide-ranging expertise to encourage interdisciplinary and international collaboration. “There definitely is an impact not only on my work at ORNL now, but also on my future work when I leave here,” Stokes explains. “I have kept in touch with some other German attendees. No collaborative projects have been initiated at this point, but it’s nice to know that contacts have been established for when the time is right in the future.”

For now, Stokes is focused on some exciting research projects with the ABST Group. In fact, he and his colleagues have just been selected by Research and Development Magazine for developing one of the 100 most significant inventions of 2003: compact Raman technology. This technology makes Raman spectroscopy—a powerful analytical technique for identifying chemicals—portable, energy-efficient, and practical. Several prototypes of this system have been developed for the FBI for on-site rapid detection of drugs, explosives, and chemical warfare agents. Stokes’ co-recipients of the award include Dr. Tuan Vo-Dinh, Dr. Alan Wintenberg, Robert Maples, and two former ORISE participants, Dr. Joel Mobley and Dr. Brian Cullum.

This year is not the first time Stokes’ work has been awarded an R&D 100 award. In 1996, his contribution to the work on surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) gene probes at ORNL also received this honor, shared also by Dr. Vo-Dinh and Dr. Kelly Houke. SERS gene probes can be used to detect multiple pathogens or diseases simultaneously and have been applied to the direct detection of HIV DNA as well as genes associated with various forms of cancer. Co-researchers in this inter-disciplinary project also include Dr. Narayan Isola, and two former ORISE participants, Dr. Leonardo Allain and Dr. Mustafa Culha.

Stokes sums up his experience as an ORISE research participant in one word—“priceless.” When the program ends, he hopes to find full-time employment in industry, with the long-term goal of teaching at a small or medium-sized university. Outside of work, Stokes is beginning a new collaborative effort with his wife, Randi: parenthood. “This new chapter in my life pretty much consumes my free time for now, and I’m happy with that.”