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.