We have a listserv for wicked scientists at The Ohio State University, i.e., wicked buckeyes. The listserv is used to share events, resources, and opportunities for folks interested in wicked science. You can subscribe here: https://lists.osu.edu/mailman/listinfo/wicked.

“Wicked problems”: Government and nonprofit agencies address complex challenges with assistance from the John Glenn College of Public Affairs Rapid Innovation for Public Impact course. Meet students who developed solutions for the Ohio Department of Transportation to support the growth of the advanced air mobility industry and to address equity challenges in deploying electric vehicle charging stations. You can read the post here.

On September 5th, the wicked science team successfully organized the kick-off event.

Here is what the Battelle Center and Student Communities Of Practice and Engagement (SCOPE) programming can do for you:

• Curriculum: PUBAFRS 5620 Rapid Innovation for Public Impact (4 credits) is one of the course options in the curriculum; this experiential learning, wicked challenge course is taught by Battelle Center instructors Heather Tsavaris and Ethan Rivera.
• Career: Through regular attendance at our SCOPE Community Conversations, you’ll meet and hear from wicked scientists who are practicing in government, industry, and the nonprofit sectors in a range of issue areas, including sustainable energy, digital technology, environmental health, and community food systems. Learning about the wide range of wicked science careers will help prepare you to take the GIS capstone: ANTROP 5515 Careers for Wicked Scientists (1 credit).
• Community: Through regular attendance at the Battelle Center’s SCOPE Community Conversations, professional development training, and social events, build your network of wicked science peers and mentors. You’ll meet students, faculty, and professionals from across the university and central Ohio who share your passion for tackling complex, political challenges.
• Action items:
  • Visit the Wicked Science GIS home page where you can get more details and apply for the specialization
  • Interested in learning more about Rapid Innovation? Get more information about upcoming challenges and a reminder to register for the spring session by completing this questionnaire.
  • Follow us on Instagram @OSU_battelle_center
  • View and sign up for future SCOPE events on our Battelle Center calendar

Franny Lazarus from Ohio State News wrote a piece about our Graduate interdisciplinary specialization in Wicked Science, which helps students tackle complex problems. It also features graduate student David Hibler and undergraduate student Lydia Wisne. You can read the story here.

The Council of Academic Affairs has approved the Graduate Interdisciplinary Specialization in Wicked Sciences in their meeting on March 1, 2023. No additional level of review or approval is necessary. Yay!

Mark Moritz and Nick Kawa published a piece in the American Scientist The World needs Wicked Scientists about the wicked science program. Here is the abstract: Many problems facing humanity are so daunting they seem impossible to solve. Among these problems are global climate change, food insecurity, growing socioeconomic inequality, systemic racism, and emerging infectious diseases. Yet it is precisely these problems—identified by a growing number of scholars as “wicked problems”—that society most urgently needs to address. How, then, can our expanding scientific understanding of wicked problems help us find better approaches? And what specific skills, attitudes, and knowledge do scientists need in order to effectively tackle them?

The paper is behind a paywall, but if you want to read it, contact Mark Moritz and he will send you a digital copy.