The importance of interdisciplinary studies

Maeen Bin Jonaid MANY members of the public tend to view academic subjects as different and separate from one another. This is because these subjects are taught separately at school and teachers never try to explain how they can be related. The same holds true for our universities. In advanced countries, the situation is different. Students in school or college are taught that all subjects can be interdisciplinary or interconnected. For example, mathematics and statistical methods are important for many majors and even considered indispensable at times. It is important to encourage Saudis who study certain majors to look into other majors and try to find common ground and ways to benefit from other subjects. Peter W. Higgs, a British scientist, was awarded the Noble Prize in physics for the theoretical discovery of a mechanism that contributes to our understanding of the origin of the mass of subatomic particles. This contribution has nothing to do with Higgs’ doctorate dissertation, which was written in something else completely different from subatomic particles. He would not have made this achievement and won the prize had he not widened his knowledge in other fields and tried to find common ground between them. Artificial intelligence is mainly concerned with computer science but scientists are using it today to discover new patterns in the universe that help us deepen our understanding of the entire universe. We live in a world in which subjects are interconnected. I encourage young Saudi men and women to expand their horizons of knowledge by exploring other fields for they might come up with incredible discoveries that can benefit the entire world.