Transdisciplinary Collaborations to Address Our “Wicked Problems"

Dr. Eric Stokan, Director of the Center for Social Science Scholarship (CS3), an associate professor of political science, and an affiliate faculty in the School of Public Policy at UMBC.

This talk centers on building successful collaborations and partnerships to address the “wicked problems” we face within and across our communities.  From developing strategic plans aimed at mitigating flooding to building alternative energy infrastructure, overcoming our disciplinary boundaries and leveraging knowledge across our colleges, institutions, and communities is an important pathway to addressing the most pressing challenges we face today.

The second part of the talk will highlight opportunities for increased engagement with social scientists and humanists and supports to make this happen. Drawing on social science and public management theory, this talk will make the case that finding these points of collaboration are increasingly important and necessary for the challenges ahead..

Dr. Eric Stokan is the Director of the Center for Social Science Scholarship (CS3), an associate professor of political science, and an affiliate faculty in the School of Public Policy at UMBC.  He also serves as a faculty affiliate to the Center for Urban Studies at Wayne State University and is co-director and faculty affiliate to the Metropolitan Government and Management Lab (MGMT) at the Paul H. O’Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs at Indiana University Bloomington.  Dr. Stokan’s research explores how governments balance economic growth goals with community development activities and environmental protections equitably. Further, he studies the impact of local government policy decisions on economic and social equity outcomes.

(rescheduled from February 11, 2025)