Boundary objects

Star and Griesemer suggest that the successful cooperation in science of actors from sometimes radically different social worlds depends upon methods standardization and boundary objects. They define boundary objects as... 

Alchemy and radioactivity served as boundary objects that allowed groups from such different social worlds to work together. But unlike the examples discussed by Star, Griesemer, and Bowker, these boundary objects also served a dismptive function, as, I would argue, boundary objects in a borderland necessarily must. They helped to break down discourse boundaries as much as they enabled the productive coexistence of different discourses and purposes. 

Science studies scholars would say that alchemy and radiation functioned as boundary objects that facilitated the interaction between occultists and scientists. Alchemy and radiation were both abstract and largely text-based, as they involved the interpretation of alchemical texts and the frequently secondhand accounts of radiation. See Appendix A. 

Star, Susan Leigh, and James R. Griesemer. 1989. Institutional Ecology, Translations and Boundary Objects Amateurs and Professionals in Berkeley s Museum of Vertebrate Zoology, 1907-39. Social Studies of Science 19 3 (August 1989) 387-420. 

Fujimura, Joan H. 1992. Crafting science Standardized packages, boundary objects, and translation. In Science as Practice and Culture, edited by Andrew Pickering, 168-211. Chicago University of Chicago Press. 

Star, Susan Leigh, and James Griesemer, 1989, Institutional ecology, translations and boundary objects Amateurs and professionals in Berkeley s museum of vertebrate zoology, 1907-1939, Social Studies of Science 12 129-140,... 

Terms like the northern Great Artesian Basin, surroundings of London, or arid zones of Israel may be suitable for the name or title of a project, but in the report or the paper itself the study area should be precisely defined. The aerial definition may be by coordinates or by names of geographical boundary objects. The study area should always be defined on a clearly readable map, along with a map that shows the study area in a larger geographical frame, for example, a country. 

Star, S.L. and Griesemer, J., Institutional ecology, translations and boundary objects amateurs and professionals in Berkeley s Museum of Vertebrate Zoology, 1907-1939, Soc. Stud. ScL, 19, 387-420, 1989. 

On the negative side, work and relocation of functions can imply that personnel who today communicate face-to-face must communicate by leaner channels, as a consequence non-verbal communication might be lost. New ways of work can also remove important arenas for information and experience transfer, such as coffee breaks and personal contact. Furthermore, the increased request of information may disturb sharp-end work. Successfiil work forms can blur differences that can he critical, as different interpretations of boundary objects can create a behef of being harmonized, while actually not. 

Carlile, P. R. (2002), "A pragmatic view of knowledge and boundaries Boundary objects in new product development," Organization Science, 13 (4), 442-55. 

Fujimura, J. H. (1992) Crafting Science. Standardized Packages, Boundary Objects, and Translation . In Pickering, A. (ed.) Science As Practice and Culture. Chicago, University of Chicago Press, pp. 169-211. 

Broberg, O., Andersen, Y Seim, R., 2011. Participatory ergonomics in design processes the role of boundary objects. Applied ergonomics, 42(3), pp. 464-72. Availa-bleat http //www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gOv/pubmed/20947061 [Accessed May 26, 2013]. 

An object x is closed if Ox = 0, and it is a boundary if x = 3y for some object y. In particular, boundary objects are closed, and if x is closed (resp. a boundary) then so is -x. For n>0 the closed objects are precisely the algebraic Poincare complexes, and for n 1 they are precisely the non-singular forms and formations. 

Negotiation, communication, trust As a boundary objective between the different stakeholders who have to agree (or not) the claims being made about the system. To this end it has to be detailed and rigorous enough to effectively conununi-cate the case and allow challenges and the subsequent deepening of the case. 

Lagesen, V. A. (2010). The importance of boundary objects in transcultural interviewing. European... 

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