Climate change presents growing risks to life on Earth, personal decisions take on increased significance in an age of emerging health threats and antiquated food systems impact millions of lives every day. 新澳门六合彩内幕信息 Davis is a model for universities around the world, and how we operate as a land grant university has never been more important 鈥 especially because of our ability to make positive change.
Broad and often nuanced solutions are needed for the host of complex problems facing the world. was initiated to help remove obstacles to transdisciplinary collaborations and to use the power of expertise in our campus community to find more holistic solutions to some of these daunting issues. The initiative is working rapidly to bring disciplines together in new ways to advance 新澳门六合彩内幕信息 Davis鈥 global impact.
鈥溞掳拿帕喜誓谀恍畔 Davis鈥 extraordinary diversity makes it well suited to show how transdisciplinary research can be put into practice to improve the lives of people in California, the United States and the world,鈥 said 新澳门六合彩内幕信息 Davis Chancellor Gary May. 鈥淕rand Challenges will help our community make critical connections across disciplines and elevate the impact of the work we do every day.鈥
During the past year, Grand Challenges has engaged campus stakeholders to explore areas of need and how we should focus our efforts. The initial focus areas have been chosen because of their significance, the relevant expertise 新澳门六合彩内幕信息 Davis has to offer, the opportunity for participation from the entire campus and the impact transdisciplinary collaboration may have on accelerating the world鈥檚 progress toward solutions. The first Grand Challenges are , , and .
鈥淭hese focus areas represent some of the most pressing issues we face today,鈥 said Provost and Executive Vice Chancellor Mary Croughan. 鈥淲e have people doing amazing work in each of these areas. Through their combined expertise and our ability to bring in additional disciplines from our campus community, we will see 新澳门六合彩内幕信息 Davis move to the front of generating solutions to the world鈥檚 most vexing problems.鈥
Nominations for additional Grand Challenge focus areas are welcome. Grand Challenges encourages participation so we can harness the knowledge and abilities of 新澳门六合彩内幕信息 Davis to help catalyze worldwide change. The includes information on our programs, additional information on the selection criteria for challenge areas, nominated challenge areas, and how people can get involved.
Advancing justice, equity, diversity and inclusion is key to Grand Challenges mission. The initiative will create spaces where championing diversity results in more holistic solutions and is putting those people most negatively impacted by these challenges first -- including them as critical partners in the work.
鈥淧eople are both causing and becoming the victims of the wicked problems being addressed in our Grand Challenges initiative. Unfortunately, the impacts are not equally distributed, and we must recognize and address how inequitable and extreme these impacts already are on underrepresented and marginalized communities,鈥 said Grand Challenges Vice Provost Jonna Mazet. 鈥淲e have the responsibility to keep these groups at the forefront while pursuing solutions to these vast problems.鈥
What鈥檚 next?
Work has begun on the initial focus areas, and Grand Challenges is moving forward quickly, facilitating transdisciplinary research collaboration and assisting in large-scale proposal development.
Grand Challenges has already secured $1 million in federal funding for the Institute for Pandemic Intelligence, which will continue to advance the university鈥檚 longstanding pandemic expertise, as well as move findings from discovery to implementation and train the next generation of leaders needed to combat future threats.
The program hosted a successful in May. The two-and-a-half-day workshop brought together a wide range of participants to share COVID-19 experiences and ensure lessons learned through the pandemic will not be forgotten. Grand Challenges is set to host a series of deep dive conversations to continue building this community of pandemic experts from all disciplines and outline concrete steps to improve pandemic prevention and response.
Grand Challenges also helped organize our campus community to submit a food systems innovation proposal, allowing 新澳门六合彩内幕信息 Davis to compete for a $160 million National Science Foundation Innovation Engine award. The application is in process and campus will convene this fall to discuss next steps for this work.
Planning for a multidisciplinary Grand Challenges building, known as the Solutions Hub, is ongoing. The building is envisioned as the future heart of transdisciplinary work at 新澳门六合彩内幕信息 Davis and will be the physical extension of the sweeping programmatic work currently underway.
鈥淕rand Challenges presents an incredible opportunity for the 新澳门六合彩内幕信息 Davis campus to cross disciplinary boundaries and use the incredible breadth of collective knowledge and different expertise in profound new ways,鈥 Mazet said. 鈥淲e want everyone who is willing to be a part of this world-changing work.鈥
Adam Jensen is communications manager for 新澳门六合彩内幕信息 Davis Grand Challenges.