"Some problems are so complex that you have to be highly intelligent and well informed just to be undecided about them."
Laurence J. Peter, formulator of the "Peter Principle"
Tame problems can be clearly defined, have logical solutions and when solved, usually stay solved. Wicked problems are complex, ever changing, conflicting and, when solved, often result in new problems. Precisely because of their "wickedness," civic engagement with them has enormous teaching and learning potential for higher education faculty and students.
To tap this potential, we invite you to attend:
Wicked Problems In Science And Health: Teaching and Learning Opportunities
Many of the problems facing society today are complex, challenging to define, and even more challenging to solve and are, indeed, wicked problems. Environmental issues such as clean water and air, global warming, or health issues such as childhood obesity, pandemic threats, and health care financing are wicked problems that challenge our society but also provide real life learning opportunities for our students.
This workshop will bring together higher education faculty and students from the STEM fields and the health professions to explore ways in which the wicked problems of our communities, whether international or local, can provide opportunities to engage, inspire and motivate our students.
Featured Speakers:
Dr. Sherryl Broverman from Duke University will share her journey from a collaborative project to teach chemistry through the establishment of an innovative school for girls in rural Kenya.
Dr. Colin Drummond and Professor Jesse Honsky from Case Western Reserve University will describe a collaboration between Biomedical Engineering and Nursing that identified solutions to patient care problems that neither discipline had solved independently.
Dr. Autumn Marshall from Lipscomb University will describe a creative way to teach physics through foods and nutrition, and the challenge of bringing that education to the most captive audience: inmates at a women's prison.
In addition to learning from these unique approaches to the solution of wicked problems, attendees will engage In interdisciplinary planning sessions exploring ways to engage students in addressing and learning from the wicked problems around them.