SPRING 2018
WICKED
PURDUE POLICY RESEARCH INSTITUTE Bringing Viable Alternatives to Wicked Problems
FEATURE STORY
BREAKING THROUGH An innovative approach to scholarly communication
PPRI DIRECTOR WELDON SPEAKS AT GATES FOUNDATION GOALKEEPERS 2017 EVENT
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SUPPORTING AUTONOMOUS VEHICLE PROGRESS THROUGH POLICY
UPCOMING EVENTS
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PURDUE POLICY RESEARCH INSTITUTE
CONTENTS 03 Director's Message 04 Facing Wicked Problems 06 Policy Brief Workshops 08 Feature Story: Multidisciplinary Solutions to Grand Global Challenges
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10 Goalkeepers Event 12 Meet the People of PPRI 20 PPRI Awards & Honors 22 Contemporary Matters & PPRI Events
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DESIGN & EDITING TEAM Krista Kelley L. Allison Roberts Emily Temple
12 VISIT US ONLINE purdue.edu/dp/ppri facebook.com/PurduePolicy twitter.com/PurduePPRI linkedin.com/in/PurduePPRI
A MESSAGE FROM PPRI DIRECTOR
LAUREL WELDON
Welcome to Wicked, our effort to share our most recent thinking about solutions to wicked problems. When technology and society are so inextricably intertwined, and central to every global challenge, we need research teams with expertise in both technological and social dimensions- and we have them, here at PPRI. We have lots of new ideas to share about ideas we’ve come across in our travels both across disciplines and across the country. Look inside for news about regulating drones, S. Laurel Weldon, Ph.D., housing developments that tread more lightly on the earth Director of PPRI and Distinguished (Netzero housing), and the westernization of diets. You also Professor of Political Science might be interested to hear about our crack team of researchers- fellows and faculty invited to speak on everything from the sustainable development goals (such as food security and gender equality) to artificial intelligence and national security. I am finding that Discovery Park is an amazingly exciting community of which to be a part, with initiatives like Discovery Park’s Big Idea Challenge sparking ambitious new interdisciplinary projects on everything from sustainable agriculture to helping policymakers make connections between food, energy, and water systems. It’s a great ecosystem for PPRI to be a part of- and with our expertise in the ethical, legal, and social dimensions of so many of the grand challenges that people want to explore, we are finding that we bring new perspectives to the conversations. It’s no wonder our fellows are winning awards- like Undergraduate Policy Fellow Mikaela Meyer, who is the first ever Purdue Undergraduate to win the Truman Award, or Tyler Spence, who won the award for best Postdoctoral research poster at a University-wide competition, or Summer Forester, a new Postdoctoral Fellow just back from a tour as a Fulbright Fellow in Jordan. We are thinking about issues everyone is talking about- like autonomous vehicles and drones- and issues everyone should be talking about- like noise issues at airports or how to address climate change in ways that respect the rights of indigenous peoples. So turn the page to learn more about the exciting interdisciplinary research on grand challenges that is taking off at Purdue, and how bringing in the ethical, legal, and social dimensions of these issues helps us develop a deeper understanding of these issues. A list of some of the things happening with PPRI are listed on page 22. Be sure to also sign up for email updates and notifications! You can do this from our website. Follow the PPRI blog or find us on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn to stay connected for opportunities and innovative discoveries that have the potential to affect policy. And if you are ever down in Discovery Park, drop by and see us. We are keen to learn about extant research on campus, and to help build or support new interdisciplinary collaborations. Photo Credit: Brian Powell
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FACING WICKED PROBLEMS Wicked problems are complex issues that involve a myriad of facets, calling on an array of fields of expertise, and are extremely difficult to solve. These grand challenges are exactly what PPRI aims to face and provide viable alternatives. Of particular interest to PRRI are those grand challenges that fall into the strategic focus areas of Discovery Park. PPRI’s holistic approach is precisely what is needed to help the world face wicked problems. Drawing from Purdue’s strengths in the STEM, humanities, and social science disciplines, PPRI builds and strengthens interdisciplinary teams. Zeroing in on what matters most to stakeholders, ideally in the beginning of a project, is key to getting at the heart of all the parts of complex issues and aiming research questions at uncovering the facts that inform policy to make real impact. PPRI offers a variety of options to achieve multiple levels of communication in a range of ways and opportunities for experts, stakeholders, and policymakers to connect. The next few pages discuss some of them.
SCIENCE NEEDS AN ELEVATOR PITCH! Why Those First Moments Are Crucial
There is a human element to science that often gets overlooked when a presentation is prepared. A short attention span can derail a proposal just as fast, if not faster, than bad science. Robert Sadler of Sadler Consulting explains how scientists can better prepare for a strong showing and why they should. Journalists know they have to hold the reader within the first seven lines of a column inch. Film makers know they have to hold the viewers’ attention very fast as well. Advertisers make a living on messages that are less than 90 seconds and they know the drivers. Neuroscientists also know that decisions to fund, buy, subscribe, vote for, and support are made within a couple of minutes of a presentation. In those first 90 seconds an audience is moved to support or not support by the presenter’s physical appearance (about 40%), authenticity/likability (about 30%), narrative (about 20%), and a strong scientific idea (10%).
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In my experience, most (not all) scientists and engineers ignore that reality. They would prefer to prepare a proposal as if decisions were driven by strong scientific ideas alone. So, they’ll spend 100% of their time building a slide deck and a paper that lays out the scientific case. They end up using the slide deck as a teleprompter because they haven’t rehearsed the delivery. There’s no thought given to the story that makes the new idea move decision makers to fund an idea. There’s no thought given to making sure that the person making the pitch comes off as authentic and likable. There’s no thought given to the physical appearance of the presenter. You probably think you don’t have time to develop a 90 second elevator pitch, but having a good pitch is just plain good discipline. In 90 seconds we need to tell a story, present the idea, say it in a way that draws the listener in… through appearance, authenticity and likability, and triggers a “yes”. It’s hard work, but it’s critical to winning proposals.
Originally posted on the PPRI blog and written by blog contributors Robert Sandler and Emily Temple WHY IS A 90 SECOND PITCH CRITICAL?
It may be needed to win the opportunity to get a longer meeting with the right decision makers. It becomes the outline for the 20-minute pitch you need to make to win the work. It’s a sanity check. If you can’t write and deliver a great 90 second elevator pitch, you may want to reconsider making a proposal until you have a stronger idea or the timing is better.
Mark Twain said it best… “I didn’t have time to write a short letter, so I wrote a long one instead.”
FACING WICKED PROBLEMS Drone Use on the Rise; You Better Regulate Drones are growing in popularity, developing in capability, and varying in their use at a faster rate than safety and security regulations can develop. A more robust and in-depth understanding of critical issues is needed to develop fresh approaches and alternative policy solutions to address these problems as they arise. The Purdue Policy Research Institute (PPRI) has created the Drone Regulatory Research Initiative (DRRI), a public-private, interdisciplinary partnership, to deepen our understanding of these issues and to develop fresh approaches and alternative solutions to these problems.
UAS Considerations for Local Transportation Agencies and Other Local Agencies A survey was sent to town, city, and county government officials in Indiana to obtain their thoughts and perceptions about regulating drone use in their communities, and the extent to which these government agencies are using drones for their own purposes. This research completed by Tyler Spence (PPRI), Sarah Hubbard (School of Aviation and Transportation Technology), and Bryan Hubbard (Building and Construction Management) was accepted for presentation at the 2017 Mid-Continent Transportation Research Symposium.
Education and Outreach Drone Regulation Policy Brief Series Course development for community drone users Participation in community events Participation in the UAS subcommittee of the University Aviation Association for education and policy analysis Contributing to federal regulations and policy implementation of drones
Autonomous Vehicles: Ethical, Legal, and Societal Implications Stepping into this initiative, Discovery Park with PPRI and the Center for Connected and Automated Vehicles (CCAT), are focused on the human dimension of transportation, our built environment (legacy infrastructure, sensors, materials, environmental issues, and land use), and the vehicles themselves. PPRI in particular is focused on the human dimension, including behavioral issues, public policy, privacy, societal implications, and ethics. On January 25, 2018, PPRI hosted a roundtable discussion in Washington DC to engage policymakers and industry leaders on a national level. Issues rising to the top of the list of policy interest are safety (including infrastructure concerns), workforce/labor, and ethics in algorithms. On the global stage, PPRI Postdoctoral Fellow, Caitlin Surakitbanharn, engaged with international leaders in the autonomous vehicle realm in a conference in Dubai December 2017. Interdisciplinary teams will be the key to assessing the policy related issues necessary to enable a more connected and mobile society. Over the next year, PPRI will connect with faculty on the topics uncovered in the discussions with national leaders. 5 | WICKED
FACING WICKED PROBLEMS POLICY LAB – HONORS STUDENTS DEVELOPING FRESH IDEAS The PPRI Policy Lab is a team of faculty, students, and staff focused on producing interdisciplinary, policy-relevant research. In the 2016-2017 Academic year, the Policy Lab is focused on producing “Leading Indicators” in the areas of energy efficiency policy in the states, ocean pollution, policies to counter marginalization in education, and policies relating to refugees. Policy briefs and videos from each of these areas can be found on the PPRI website.
INTERSECTIONAL EDUCATION Education leads to greater future success, freedom, autonomy over one’s lifestyle, and an overall better quality of life. Unfortunately, women make up seventy percent of the world’s out-of-school youth, and minority groups are suffering from lack of access to educational resources (Intel 2012). Not only are both groups suffering separately, but the intersection of female and minority groups are not achieving the same educational outcomes as majority or male groups.
OCEAN POLLUTION The problem of ocean pollution requires a two-part solution: cleaning up the existing mass of pollution, and reducing current and future inputs of waste into the ocean. But who is responsible for doing so? This team developed a nine-point indicator which points to eleven wealthy, industrialized nations which are among the direst polluters.
EXTREME VETTING OF REFUGEES In the current political climate and push for “extreme vetting” of refugees, common rhetoric implies that more extreme vetting would decrease refugee intake numbers. Yet, given the recent refugee crisis and the large number of refugees actively seeking resettlement, such a decrease seems neither wise nor likely. The Policy Lab is headed by Laurel Weldon, and includes Faculty Fellows, Postdoctoral Students, Graduate Policy Fellows, and Undergraduate Policy Fellows. The 2016-2017 Policy Lab included Honors College Professor Jengelley (specialist in terrorism and the media), PPRI Postdoctoral Fellow, Tyler Spence, PPRI Undergraduate Policy Fellows, and Honors College Students from the Leading Indicators class.
POLICY BRIEF WORKSHOPS PPRI’s Policy Brief Workshop is an excellent tool for faculty and students in various disciplines to enhance the impact of their research by adding policy brief writing skills to their toolbox of effectiveness. Participants can learn the how-tos on policy brief writing and dissemination to broaden the audience and use of your discoveries. PPRI’s skilled members and their affiliates present tips and explain how to best write a policy brief to gain attention to your research. Examples of PPRI’s policy brief library are available during the workshop as well as in digital form on PPRI’s website. A quick reference guide on policy brief writing and clips of previous workshops are also available online. 6 | WICKED
Dr. Tyler Spence
Dr. Caitlin Surakitbanharn
FACING WICKED PROBLEMS WHAT’S THE BIG IDEA?
PPRI Participates in the Discovery Park Big Idea Challenge
In the Fall of 2016, Discovery Park issued a challenge to Purdue faculty in an effort to spark additional interdisciplinary research on global challenges. This new program, called “The Discovery Park Big Idea Challenge,” provides resources to interdisciplinary teams at Purdue pursuing bold proposals.
Dr. Leigh Raymond; Dr. David Ebert
Of the seven teams ultimately selected, PPRI advises four and is part of two projects. The projects in which PPRI is contributing a policy piece, are (1) Affordable Net Zero Housing and Transportation Solutions led by Leigh Raymond, and (2) Resilient and Sustainable Food-Water Balance under Evolving Environmental Conditions led by David Ebert.
Affordable Net Zero Housing and Transportation Solutions:
Current housing and transportation options create environmental and social challenges and, in particular, impose high costs on low-income families. Drawing on expertise from multiple departments and colleges, this project aims to transform the affordable housing sector so that onsite renewable energy and smart home and transportation technologies are the rule rather than the exception.
Resilient and Sustainable Food-Water Balance under Evolving Environmental Conditions: By the year 2030, food production must be increased by 70 percent in order to feed a larger world population. Today, almost 80 percent of the world’s fresh water withdrawals from rivers, lakes, and aquifers go to agriculture. This project will develop a human-computer collaborative decision-making system for sustainable agriculture that takes into account the complex relationships between real-world data, the sociopolitical environment, and on-the-ground practices. The system will provide planners and policy- and decisionmakers with more accurate information than previously possible, helping growers to optimize crop yields and minimize use of water and other resources. 7 | WICKED
FEATURE STORY
How multiple Purdue research teams are finding solutions to WICKED problems
Q: What is Breaking Through?
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A: In June 2016, Purdue was awarded a grant by The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation entitled, “Breaking Through: Developing Multidisciplinary Solutions to Global Grand Challenges.” We held a conference to celebrate the success of the pilot grant and advertise our new grant, featuring experts in the field of communication, Dr. Barbara Kline Pope and Dr. Dietram Scheufele. Building off of the success of the pilot grant (2014-2016), this current effort once again achieves the integration of humanistic expertise into the teams and project design, and will enhance the ability to effectively communicate new knowledge. Breaking Through research involves librarians, publishers, and policy experts in the research process. NOMADIC
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FEATURE STORY Q: Why-or how- is our process academically innovative? A: We are glad you asked! Our approach is unique in two ways: 1) it catalyzes collaboration between STEM researchers and scholars in the Humanities and Social Sciences; and 2.) it integrates communication planning into projects from the start in order to prioritize reaching communities of interest such as policymakers, expert communities, not-forprofit and advocacy organizations, entrepreneurs, and other stakeholders. The initiative supports and challenges scholars to better craft communications strategies aimed at policy makers and communities of interest. Q: What else did you do? A: Once the teams were chosen (see the four teams listed right), we held a Toolbox Dialogue Workshop. The Toolbox Initiative is a project that involves having teams come together and learning about each other. Types of communication were addressed, as well as understanding what one’s role is within the research team. The four teams spent time with each other learning how to better improve their styles of communication with each other and how to address the disciplinary vernacular in order to be effective at communicating across – and outside—of the academic disciplines.
Co-Principal Investigators Rosalee A. Clawson Department Head and Professor of Political Science Abhijit Deshmukh James J. Solberg Head and Professor of Industrial Engineering James L. (Jim) Mullins Dean of Libraries, Professor of Library Science, Purdue University Libraries Melissa Remis Professor of Anthropology Tomás Díaz de la Rubia Chief Scientist and Executive Director of Discovery Park Megan Sapp Nelson Professor of Library Sciences, Engineering Librarian, Purdue University Libraries
Projects Funded Through the 2016-2019 Mellon Grant: Big Data Ethics Detecting Bias in Data Collection, Algorithmic Discrimination, and "Informed Refusal": Led by Chris Clifton, Professor of Computer Science, this research team is addressing grand challenges through a multidisciplinary study of the ethical issues involved in the use of big data and predictive algorithms to make decisions affecting individuals.
From Global to Local to Global: Attaining Long Run Sustainability in US Agriculture: Led by Thomas Hertel, Distinguished Professor of Agricultural Economics, this research team is leveraging existing knowledge, models, and data to understand and communicate the interplay between global change and local sustainability of U.S. agriculture in the context of alternative national, state, and local policies affecting agricultural productivity and environmental quality.
Global Temperature Goals to Avoid Climate Tipping Points: A Serious Game to Support Serious Decisions: Led by Manjana Milkoreit, Assistant Professor of Political Science, this research team is engaging in a first-of-its-kind project that merges a creative knowledge co-production process between scientists and decision makers on urgent questions in global climate change governance and a scientific assessment of the effectiveness of this science-policy interaction.
Decision Support for Flood Risk Mitigation: Automated Data Collection and Visualization Tools: Led by David R. Johnson, Assistant Professor of Industrial Engineering and Political Science, this research team is developing automated data collection tools and interactive decision support systems to tackle the grand challenge of increasing coastal flood risks and address the need for better risk communication.
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PPRI DIRECTOR WELDON RECENTLY SERVED AS AN INVITED PANELIST AT GOALKEEPERS 2017
Bill and Melinda Gates pose with Dr. Laurel Weldon and other Goalkeepers. Photo by Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images for Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
On September 20th and 21st, world leaders, scholars, Nobel Laureates, artists, and many more gathered in New York City for the first ever Goalkeepers event hosted by the Gates Foundation. The focus of the event was to bring together great minds to share ideas on how to tackle some of the world’s greatest problems. Speakers and panelists included former U.S. President Barack Obama, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Nobel Peace Laureate and Pakistani activist Malala Yousafzai, philanthropists and hosts Bill and Melinda Gates, Queen Rania of Jordan, H. M. Queen Maxima of the Netherlands, and many more including PPRI Director and Distinguished Professor of Political Science at Purdue Dr. Laurel Weldon. Director Weldon served on a panel entitled "Still I Rise: The Power of Women's Movements” moderated by Melinda Gates. 10 | WICKED
Director Weldon (with Melinda Gates) speaking at Goalkeepers 2017. PHOTO CREDITS: GETTY IMAGES
The panel’s discussion included two-time Pulitizer Prize winner and foreign correspondent for "The New York Times" Nicholas Kristof and Nobel Peace Laureate and Liberian activist Leymah Gbowee. Their discussion focused on women’s movements and in particular, Director Weldon spoke about how women’s movements are defined and what is known about their impact on women and girls.
Director Weldon was inspired by many of the speakers and their passion and dedication to tackling some of the world’s greatest challenges, but she was also reminded of how each of the Gates Foundation Global Goals is a wicked problem and how much expertise there is at Purdue that would be useful for achieving these goals, whether it's achieving sustainable communities, or quality education, life on land and life on water, climate action, or meaningful work or gender equality. To learn more about Goalkeepers 2017 visit globalgoals.org
As part of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the 2017-2018 research project, "Movements, Markets and Transnational Networks," aims to deepen our understanding of women’s movement impact and women’s economic empowerment in the developing world and should assist development agencies, human rights groups, and other international funders in deciding how best to allocate resources to advance women’s economic rights.
"THIS PROJECT IS THE FIRST SYSTEMATIC GLOBAL ANALYSIS OF THE DETERMINANTS OF WOMEN’S ECONOMIC RIGHTS, ESPECIALLY IN TERMS OF ACCESS TO LAND, LABOR, AND FINANCIAL MARKETS." ~DR. LAUREL WELDON Women’s movements significantly advance women’s human rights in every region of the world and across a wide variety of issues, including violence against women, family law, reproductive rights, and women’s legal status at work. There is evidence of women’s movement impact both in the Global North and the Global South.
Feminist Protest and Women’s Economic Empowerment Worldwide
MOVEMENTS, MARKETS AND TRANSNATIONAL NETWORKS Why are these movements so important for change? Feminist movements- especially autonomous ones- place women’s rights issues on public agendas and articulate women’s distinctive perspectives; they resist rollbacks in women’s rights. Such movements also have indirect effects, catalyzing the development of international norms and the establishment of women’s policy machineries, strengthening the impact of movements in later years.
"TAKING A COMPREHENSIVE, GLOBAL PERSPECTIVE, THE RESEARCH PROJECT WILL PROVIDE FRESH INSIGHT INTO WOMEN’S HUMAN RIGHTS." ~DR. LAUREL WELDON PPRI will investigate the relationship between women’s movements and economic empowerment worldwide, expanding the evidentiary base to allow a greater focus on the Global South, especially sub-Saharan Africa and the poorer parts of Asia. The project explores the role of feminist movements in sparking change in new policy areas such as market access, financial inclusion, and land rights.
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PPRI PEOPLE
TOGETHER WE CAN DO MORE
Photos Credit: Brian Powell
PPRI is a research community lead by faculty fellows and affiliates and also includes staff, post-doctoral fellows, graduate, and undergraduate students who generate and communicate policy ideas and research.
PPRI Director Dr. S. Laurel Weldon Dr. Weldon (University of Pittsburgh, 1999) is Distinguished Professor of Political Science and Director PPRI at Purdue University. Professor Weldon’s award-winning work focuses on: women’s human rights; the role of social movements in influencing public policy; on violence against women; representation; women, work and poverty; and diversity and inclusion.
PPRI Operations Manager Krista Kelley Krista Kelley has nearly two decades of experience in office administration in the airline industry, property management, and in academia. At Purdue University, she served in the Graduate School’s Office of the Dean, and in the Office of the Provost in Faculty Affairs. Krista was also part of the steering committee which began the Clerical and Administrative Assistant Mentoring Program (CAAMP) at Purdue, and served on the CAAMP leadership team with a focus on technology. She has presented and served on panel discussions with CAAMP and mentored a handful of Purdue support staff members. 12 | WICKED
PPRI STAFF L. Allison Roberts, M.A., Bement Senior Policy Fellow Allison plays an integral role in many facets of PPRI operations, including her work with our Mellon grant project and policy briefs. Additionally, she is in the late stages of her Ph.D. titled, “Life after Traumatic Injury: Embodiment and Identity of UK Ex Service Personnel.” Prior to PPRI, Allison worked with Dr. Weldon on the interdisciplinary Diversity and Inclusion Research Project from 2013-2016. She has also worked for the Center for Research on Diversity and Inclusion, on the collaborative multiinstitutional INSuRE project (Information Security Research and Education), and at the Military Family Research Institute. Allison was also a Postgraduate Visiting Scholar at Newcastle University in the United Kingdom and served as the Deputy Administrator's intern at NASA Headquarters.
Summer Forester, Postdoctoral Research Fellow Summer’s focus in PPRI is on the project, "Movements, Markets and Transnational Networks," an initiative funded by the Gates Foundation. Summer recently earned her Ph.D. and her research focuses on how security threats affect government action on women's rights in the Middle East. She is particularly interested in this phenomenon in Jordan, where she conducted sixteen months of fieldwork during 2015-2016. While in Jordan in 2016, Summer served as part of the Fulbright leadership working with running a camp for girls.
Soraida Garcia, Graduate Assistant Soraida is a graduate student in Forestry and Natural Resources and is part of the team working on "Breaking Through: Developing Interdisciplinary Solutions to Global Grand Challenges," our Mellon Grant project. Her Master's research focuses on ecosystems in Chicago cemeteries: harmful chemicals and toxins used in the embalming process and in coffins are released into the soil of graveyards as decomposition takes place. Her research aims to identify a redesign of cemetery management that would remedy the issue of natural resources depletion and additional toxins in the air.
Emily R. Temple, J.D., Administrative Assistant Emily Temple is an alumna of Krannert School of Management at Purdue University and a graduate of Indiana University McKinney School of Law with a J.D. and a Certificate in International and Comparative Law. After obtaining her Juris Doctorate, she went on to the University of Miami to complete a Legal Masters in the White and Case International Arbitration program. Ms. Temple is a member of the Indiana Bar.
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PPRI POSTDOCTORAL POLICY FELLOWS PAST & PRESENT Dr. Tyler Spence Assistant Professor at San Jose University, PPRI Consultant Dr. Tyler Spence served as the first PPRI Postdoctoral Policy Fellow in the 2016-17 academic year. In his one year tenure, Tyler started the Drones Regulatory Research Initiative (DRRI) among other significant contributions leading to the growth and success of PPRI in its inaugural year. Tyler collaborated with Sarah Hubbard (Aviation and Transportation Technology) and Brian Hubbard (Building and Construction Management) on a survey sent to town, city, and county government officials in Indiana to obtain their thoughts and perceptions about regulating drone use in their communities and the extent to which these government agencies are using drones for their own purposes. This research was accepted for presentation at the 2017 Mid-Continent Transportation Research Symposium. Tyler accepted an offer for a tenure-track faculty position at San Jose University and PPRI and our affiliates who had the opportunity to work with him send him our congratulations! PPRI remains in contact with Tyler when projects arise that can benefit from his specific expertise.
Dr. Caitlin Surakitbanharn PPRI Postdoctoral Policy Fellow Dr. Surakitbanharn joined PPRI as a new Postdoctoral Research Fellow in August 2017. Her research focuses on human function design within autonomous systems, particularly in the transportation sector, such as autonomous vehicles and air traffic control. Her past work has also included an evaluation on cultural differences and their effect on human performance. After spending five years doing research abroad, Caitlin brings an international perspective on science and engineering to PPRI, and is working with Discovery Park’s initiative to lead the conversation about ethical, legal and social implications of autonomous vehicles in society. Caitlin also works to promote an education and career in STEM for young women with Purdue’s Women in Engineering Program and leads PPRI’s Undergraduate Fellows students in their research pursuits. In November 2017, Caitlin represented Purdue and PPRI as a speaker at the Center for New American Security’s summit on AI and National Security. She received her Ph.D. in Industrial Engineering in 2017 from Purdue University under Dr. Steven Landry.
Dr. Dustin Souders PPRI Postdoctoral Policy Fellow Dr. Souders is a researcher working in the area of human factors, aging, and transportation safety. He received his bachelor’s degree in psychology from Florida State University, and under the tutelage of Dr. Neil Charness, continued there to earn his master’s and doctoral degrees in cognitive psychology. Dustin’s graduate work focused on leveraging advanced vehicle technologies, from advanced driver assistance systems to fully autonomous vehicles, to safely maintain older adults’ mobility, and his work in the transportation area has been published in both the Transportation Research Record and Accident Analysis & Prevention. He has been a standing member of the Transportation Research Board’s committee on Safe Mobility of Older Drivers (ANB60) since 2015. Dustin has a joint appointment working with Dr. Srinivas Peeta at the United States Department of Transportation (USDOT) Center for Connected and Automated Vehicles (CCAT) and Dr. Laurel Weldon at the Purdue Policy Research Institute (PPRI) and will be conducting interdisciplinary research to provide objectively backed policy recommendations to in the area of autonomous vehicles.
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AT WORK WITH PPRI
PPRI Faculty Policy Fellows PPRI UG Student Policy Fellows
Policy Fellows from an array of disciplinary backgrounds come together to help PPRI leverage extant research and stimulate new research to increase the impact of Purdue researchers. See our website for a full list of PPRI Faculty Affiliates and Advisory Committee Members. purdue.edu/dp/ppri Engage with PPRI's people on the blog. purdue.edu/dp/ppri/blog
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The Spring of 2017 hosted the inaugural year of our Faculty Policy Fellows program and we accepted three exceptional candidates: Dr. Laura Zanotti, Dr. Mangala Subramaniam and Dr. Gerald Shively.
PPRI FACULTY POLICY FELLOWS
Dr. Laura Zanotti Associate Professor in Anthropology
2017
Dr. Zanotti is an environmental anthropologist and interdisciplinary social scientist whose research program partners with communities to better understand how local, mostly rural, livelihoods and well-being can be sustained for future generations. Additionally, she finds kinship with decolonizing approaches to research inquiry. She has partnered with the Kayapó, an indigenous community in Brazil, and is currently working on projects around the United States and in Latin America on "media sovereignty" and digital landscapes, environmental justice, and community resilience and healing. Her work has resulted in over ten published articles, an edited volume with Routledge, and several book chapters. Her project as a PPRI Fellow was to develop a model of influence by identifying and examining the pathways through and conditions under which marginalized and underrepresented groups effectively pursue representation and affect governance processes that directly impact their ways of living.
Dr. Mangala Subramaniam, Professor of Sociology and Chair of the Susan Berkeley Butler Center
Dr. Subramaniam's research is in the broad areas of gender (and its intersections with caste, race, and class) and social movements. Her projects focus on gender politics and development, which examine the dynamics between state power and collective action by the severely disadvantaged for rights to basic needs, such as water, food, and health. She has recently authored and co-authored articles in journals such as Contemporary Perspectives in Family Research, Current Sociology, International Sociology, Sociological Perspectives, and Research in Social Movements, Conflicts, and Change. In addition, she has published three gender-related books. Mangala’s project while a PPRI Fellow was entitled Intimate Partner Violence and Risks to HIV: Using Empirical Evidence for Policy Making. She is also authoring a blog series on the PPRI blog.
Dr. Gerald Shively, Associate Department Head and Professor of Agricultural Economics Dr. Shively conducts nationally and internationally recognized research on agricultural development and the environment. His research focuses on the links among poverty, land and labor use, and natural resource management in developing regions of the world. His interests also include the environmental and distributional implications of sectoral and macroeconomic policies and dynamic household models incorporating risk. Gerald’s international experience includes research in numerous African and Asian countries. Gerald has responded to environmental and social critiques of the Green Revolution, as well as neo-Malthusian concerns regarding humankind’s ability to sustainably feed a growing population. His project while a PPRI Fellow was focused on how to extend and promote the Institute’s global work on the environment and cross-cutting issues related to policy and human decision making.
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UNDERGRADUATE POLICY FELLOWS 2017 PPRI’s first class of Undergraduate Policy Fellows were nothing short of outstanding. As a group, they constitute a dream team. These students researched and wrote policy briefs on drones, Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs), and Netzero housing. They represented us at our open house and helped usher ambassadors and generals as the only undergraduate attendees at the Discovery Park Security Symposium that launched the Institute for Global Security and Defense. They attended lectures on the global city, science, ethics, and policy, among others.
PPRI Staff with 2016-2017 Undergraduate Student Policy Fellows are from left to right: Mikaela Meyer, Laurel Weldon, Allison Roberts, Ally Wong, Abby Lemert, Tyler Spence, Krista Kelley, Rider Mills, and Jordan Paine
ABBY LEMERT majored in a selfdesigned, multi-disciplinary engineering program with a concentration in Foreign Policy Engineering and minoring in Mechanical Engineering, Political Science, Global Studies, Arabic, and Spanish. Abby’s ultimate goal is to serve as an advisor to U.S. foreign policymakers. MIKAELA MEYER is majoring in mathematical statistics and minoring in political science, and has returned to serve as a fellow again this year. Coming to Purdue, Mikaela hoped to become a math professor, but her aspirations shifted due to multiple factors, including her experience working on a policy-related problem with an interdisciplinary team. With guidance from several faculty mentors from various fields, Mikaela achieved combining her skill in statistics with her passion for political science. Most recently, Mikaela has been named a Truman Scholar. RIDER MILLS majored in political science and minored in history, military science, and organizational leadership and supervision. He has an interest in International Relations. While at Purdue, Rider participated in the Army ROTC and was a member of the Indiana National Guard. He plans to pursue a career as a Foreign Service Officer for the US State Department.
JORDAN PAINE majored in Agricultural Education and Political Science. She is most interested in the implications of GMO Policy on United States producers. Jordan studied abroad in New Zealand, and is currently student teaching on an Indian Reservation in Montana. She is teaching a variety of agricultural classes for 7-12 grade students, and working as a Future Farmers of America adviser.
ALLY WONG majored in history and philosophy, and has an interest in the intersectionality between race and policy. Ally is passionate about working in policy to strengthen her community and plans to pursue a law degree. Witnessing how an idea becomes policy during her research funded by Purdue Wilke Research Scholarship, she was excited about making an impact on this process, which is so meaningful to her.
"THE 2017 UNDERGRADUATE POLICY FELLOWS EXCEEDED ALL EXPECTATIONS, HIGHLIGHTING THE POTENTIAL OF OUR FUTURE LEADERS, AND WE KNOW THEY WILL USE THE EXPERIENCES GAINED AT PPRI AS ANOTHER STEPPING STONE TOWARD SUCCESSFUL FUTURES." ~DR. TYLER SPENCE, PPRI POSTDOCTORAL POLICY FELLOW, COORDINATOR OF THE 2016-2017 STUDENT FELLOWS PROGRAM 17 | WICKED
PPRI has a Faculty Fellowship Program for exceptional faculty who have an interest in and demonstrate potential for interdisciplinary, policy relevant, high-impact research.
PPRI FACULTY POLICY FELLOWS 2018
Dr. Zhao Ma, Associate Professor in Forestry & Natural Resources Dr. Ma's research focuses on understanding how individuals and institutions make decisions with respect to natural resource management and conservation. Her current projects include a study of smallholder farmer perception of and adaptation to climate change in semi-arid and arid regions of China, an assessment of forest resilience and climate change adaptation among forest agencies in the Intermountain West, a study of institutional adaptive water management decision making in the context of rapid environmental and social changes in the Wasatch Front Metropolitan Area, an assessment of the dynamics of coupled human and large carnivore systems in the western United States, and studies of non-industrial private forest management and conservation policies in Indiana and beyond. Her project while she is a Fellow with PPRI will be centered around coproducing environmental conservation and social equity: is conditionality in payments for ecosystem services a necessity or impediment?
Dr. Leigh Raymond, Professor of Political Science & Former Director of Purdue Center for the Environment Dr. Raymond teaches and does research on environmental policy, with a focus on market-based policies, property rights, and emissions trading issues. He is also on the board of directors for the Lafayette, Indiana-based NICHES (Northern Indiana Citizens Helping Ecosystems Survive) land trust. His most recent projects deal with market-based approaches to environmental protection, endangered species conservation, and the precautionary principle. His project while a Fellow with PPRI will be focused on researching state and local energy policies affecting net zero housing design and construction.
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UNDERGRADUATE POLICY FELLOWS 2018 This highly interdisciplinary team is working alongside PPRI to engage with and research solutions for wicked problems pressing our local and global community. The Undergraduate Policy Fellows began the academic year with a comprehensive literature review on ethical, legal, and social issues that are plaguing the implementation of autonomous vehicles. They researched the insurance and liability issues, workforce disruption, economic impact, safety, security and privacy concerns, and environmental impact that autonomous vehicles would have on society. They made recommendations as to the size and likelihood of impact of these issues.
PPRI Staff with 2017-2018 Undergraduate Student Policy Fellows are from left to right: Laurel Weldon, Krista Kelley, Caitlin Surakitbanharn, Christina Dantam, Mikaela Meyer, Emily Temple, Jack Ball, Roshini Mudunuru, and Baylee Bunce
Read more about current Undergraduate Fellows on our website
MIKAELA MEYERS
JACK BALL
Mathematical Statistics
Nuclear Engineering
ROSHINI MUDUNURU
BAYLEE BUNCE
Neurology & Physiology and Nutrition Science
Anthropology
CHRISTINA DANTAM Behavioral Neuroscience and Political Science
Additionally, working under Professor David Johnson of Political Science and Industrial Engineering, the PPRI Fellows are aiding in the development of new statistical models aimed to better predict flood risk along the Louisiana coast, taking sea level rise and increased storm and weather intensity into account. This project allows for better insurance models and city planning for a safer coastline in the face of climate change.
PPRI UNDERGRADUATE POLICY FELLOWSHIP The PPRI Undergraduate Policy Fellowship is an excellent opportunity for top students interested in the interdisciplinary study of public policy. Students may apply directly. The Director aims to assemble a diverse, collaborative, and inclusive team whose members meet the following criteria:
1
be enrolled in an undergraduate degree program at the Purdue West Lafayette campus,
2
have completed the coursework for their freshman and sophomore years, and
3
have a CGPA of at least 3.33.
To apply, students must send the following to ppri@purdue.edu with “UG Policy Fellow Application” in the subject line:
1 2
copy of your most recent transcript, resume,
3
statement describing your interest in interdisciplinary policy research (maximum one page),
4
copy of a paper you have written in a course related to the subject, and
5
the name and email address of a Purdue professor who is willing to act as a reference for you.
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EXTERNAL AWARDS & HONORS PPRI PEOPLE DOING FANTASTIC THINGS 2016-2017 Undergraduate Policy Fellow Abby Lemert was in the U.S. Presidential Scholars program, one of two Indiana students chosen for the program's 50th class. Abby also interned with Washington D.C.-based consulting firm, Booz Allen Hamilton. The company hires around 300 highly qualified multidisciplinary interns for the “Summer Games” internship program. Ally Wong was the first to receive the Klinker-Alting Family Advocacy Internship, a meritbased scholarship seeking to give hands-on public policy experience to qualified applicants
2017-2018 Undergraduate Policy Fellow Mikaela Meyer was named as a 2017 Truman Scholar by the The Harry S. Truman Foundation. She is the first Boilermaker to earn the highly competitive federal scholarship, which recognizes demonstrated leadership potential and a commitment to public service.
2016-2017 Faculty Policy Fellow Dr. Mangala Subramaniam was named YWCA Woman of Distinction at the 43rd annual Salute to Women dinner on March 1, 2017. Dr. Subramaniam was named Butler Chair and Director of the Susan Bulkeley Butler Center for Leadership Excellence. Dr. Laura Zanotti, along with Dr. Kimberly Marion Suiseeya, led a five-person Collaborative Event Ethnography research team at the 2015 Paris Climate Conference - United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.
2017-2018 Faculty Policy Fellow Dr. Leigh Raymond was the 2017 Lynton Keith Caldwell Prize Winner for his book, Reclaiming the Atmospheric Commons.
PPRI Staff Dr. Laurel Weldon, along with Dr. Mala Htun, is releasing a new book entitled, The Logics of Gender Justice: State Actions on Women's Rights Around the World, through Cambridge University Press. Dr. Tyler Spence received first place in Purdue University Sigma Xi's 2017 Postdoctoral Fellow Research Awards Competition for poster entitled, “Regional Variations in Noise Mitigation Policy Implementation at Large US Airports.” Allison Roberts, Ph.D. Candidate, has an approved National Health Service - England research project, entitled, "L.I.F.T: Limb Loss In Patients Following Traumatic Injury: Embodiment and Experience." This project will use qualitative methods to gather information about personal experiences following a critical life event, specifically an amputation or spinal cord injury.
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PPRI EXCELLENCE IN RESEARCH AWARDS 2017 AWARDEES DR. KAREN FOLI, FACULTY AWARDEE
DR. ERIN HENNES, FACULTY AWARDEE
JULIA WEINER, GRADUATE AWARDEE
XIN ZHAO, GRADUATE AWARDEE
GIOVANNI MALLOY, UNDERGRADUATE AWARDEE
In the spring of 2017, PPRI recognized the following people for our Excellence in Research Awards in the categories of Faculty, Graduate students, and Undergraduate students. These awards are for recognizing policy-related research that makes a significant contribution towards interdisciplinary understanding of a 21st Century problem. PPRI received many submissions for the 2016-2017 academic year awards. The Faculty recognized for their research were Dr. Karen Foli (Nursing) and Dr. Erin Hennes (Psychological Sciences). Dr. Foli was recognized for her article published in the Journal of Affective Disorders, “Post-adoption Depression: Parental Classes of Depressive Symptoms across Time.” Dr. Hennes was recognized for her article published in the Journal of Experimental Psychology entitled, “Motivated Recall in the Service of the Economic System: The Case of Anthropogenic Climate Change." PPRI awarded two awards in the Graduate Student Research Awards category. The first was to Ecological Sciences and Engineering graduate student, Julia Weiner, in recognition of her co-authored paper, “The Assessment of Water Use and Reuse through Reported Data: a US Case Study,” which was published in Science of The Total Environment. The second award was given to Agricultural Economics graduate student, Xin Zhao, for his co-authored paper, “Field to Flight: A Technoeconomic Analysis of the Corn Stover to Aviation Biofuels Supply Chain,” which was published in Biofuels, Bioproducts and Biorefining. Our 2017 Undergraduate Student Research Award went to Industrial Engineering student, Giovanni Malloy, for his paper entitled, “An Analysis of Disease Mitigation Policy Strategies for the 2014-2015 Ebola Outbreak in West Africa.” For information on how to nominate an undergraduate student, graduate student, or faculty member, or to self-nominate, please visit:
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CONTEMPORARY MATTERS & PPRI EVENTS
PPRI hosts a lunch series, “Contemporary Matters” where we invite a panel of experts across disciplines, from crosscutting STEM fields, humanities, and social sciences, to discuss a common topic or contemporary matter from the lens of their field. They each speak very briefly then the conversation is open to all participants in the room, bringing the strength of the collective disciplines to bear on a wicked problem. So far, the discussions – on drones, westernization of diets, and A.I. and us – have been very robust and engaging. PPRI provides lunch and an informal forum to ask questions, tease out issues, and talk about possible solutions. At the end of each discussion, a report highlighting what was discussed is produced and attendees are invited to keep the conversation going in their own Facebook group. Reports to date can be found on our website.
FACING WICKED PROBLEMS TOGETHER PPRI events are integral to our mission of enhancing the impact of Purdue’s policy-relevant research and fostering interdisciplinary teams and projects. We host a variety of offerings aimed at catalyzing new ideas & partnerships, communicating ongoing research, and equipping researchers with tools to insert their work into the policy realm. We host Contemporary Matters Lunches a couple of times a semester focusing on hot topics and wicked problems and inviting speakers and attendees from all disciplines for a robust discussion focusing on the issues, questions, and potential solutions. The highlights of this dialogue are captured in a report published by PPRI. PPRI hosts a Public Policy Workshop to bring together students and faculty members that would like to know more about the importance of a well written policy brief and tips on how to put one together. Our Innovator’s Reception is a fun way
to present projects and research across disciplines. Come mingle and learn what your colleagues are working on with flash presentations and possibly make new connections or find inspiration for your project. PPRI events are integral to our mission of enhancing the impact of Purdue’s policy-relevant research and fostering interdisciplinary teams and projects. We host a variety of offerings aimed at catalyzing new ideas & partnerships, communicating ongoing research, and equipping researchers with tools to insert their work into the policy realm. Signature events are held each semester to highlight work being done in strategic areas. These symposia bring together outside experts, exceptional Purdue faculty, and interested minds from all across the community to talk about the problems facing our generation.
For more information on PPRI Events, visit us at purdue.edu/dp/ppri/events. 22 | WICKED
PPRI LAUNCHES INDIANA CHAPTER OF
SCHOLARS STRATEGY NETWORK THE SSN The Scholars Strategy Network is a nationwide, voluntary, interdisciplinary membership organization for academics. The network is comprised of more than 800 scholars from more than 200 colleges, universities, and research institutions in 44 states.
Scholars organize in 31 regional chapters across the nation, including an active and growing chapter in Indiana, led by Purdue University’s Dr. Rosalee Clawson, Dr. Shelley MacDermid Wadsworth, Dr. Leigh Raymond, and Dr. S. Laurel Weldon.
MISSION STATEMENT The Scholars Strategy Network seeks to improve public policy and strengthen democracy by connecting scholars and their research to policymakers, citizens associations, and the media. SSN members spell out the implications of their research in ways that are broadly accessible. They engage in consultations with policymakers in Washington DC and state capitals. They make regular contributions to the media and share findings and ideas with journalists and bloggers. Many SSN scholars also work with advocates and civic organizations to address pressing public challenges at the national, state, and local levels. SSN members believe that university scholars should share their work with fellow citizens – and they endeavor to further good public policymaking and responsive democratic government. Beyond these shared values, members hold a variety of views – and SSN as a whole does not endorse any political party, candidate, or specific policy position. Each SSN scholar takes individual responsibility for signed contributions and choices about civic engagement. Pictures and Information: www.scholarsstrategynetwork.org
PARTNERSHIPS FOR POLICY WORKSHOP PPRI co-hosted an on-campus workshop, “Partnerships for Policy Workshop” on January 30, 2018. This training, developed by the Scholars Strategy Network, aimed to provide concrete tools to empower researchers to foster long-term, reciprocal relationships with policymakers. These relationships have the potential to address policy crises and opportunities when they arise, as well as to promote policy improvement over the long-run. In the pursuit of its mission to bridge the gap between American universities and the American policy process, the organization has identified the knowledge and skills researchers need to more effectively use their expertise in the policy realm. The centerpiece of this workshop was an approach that emphasizes relationships and researchpractice partnerships between academics and practitioners, rather than the traditional model of one-way information dissemination.
BECOMING AN SSN MEMBER Contact SSN’s Director of Research & Policy, Ben Miyamoto (ben@scholars.org), who will provide the profile form and a policy brief writing guide, necessary to submit before being admitted as a member. PPRI offers Policy Brief Workshops during the academic year, and is available to assist with policy briefs year-round. Visit the PPRI events page for workshop dates, or contact us at ppri@purdue.edu for assistance. 23 | WICKED
SPRING 2018
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PURDUE POLICY RESEARCH INSTITUTE Bringing Viable Alternatives to Wicked Problems