Interdisciplinary Research
The DaVinci Effect
Other universities may call it an "air of collaboration," "cross-pollination," or "discipline fluidity." At Carnegie Mellon we call it "the DaVinci Effect" and it is the phenomenon which occurs when the left and right brain collide.It is marked by a rapid proliferation of unique ideas capable of making a significant contribution to the human condition. During the Renaissance, this phenomenon was most obviously manifested in an extraordinary individual who was at once scientist, artist and philosopher.
At Carnegie Mellon, it is induced by encouraging great thinkers with varied backgrounds to collaborate toward practical goals. It is the primary reason the university is known for making an impact on the world disproportionately greater than its size would suggest.
Collaboration across the traditional barriers of knowledge is more deeply ingrained in our culture that in most because the university has never been confined by traditional models of higher education.
Our collaborative culture has become the foundation of learning at Carnegie Mellon, with the expectation that it will produce extraordinary individuals who, like DaVinci, can make a disproportionate impact upon the world.