New students start strong with “Wicked Problems, Wolfpack Solutions”

“Wicked Problems, Wolfpack Solutions” is an online summer course for incoming first-year and transfer students—and their families. A “wicked” problem is one that impacts the world in a way that transcends the expertise of any one person or field—a global challenge. This year the course considers the causes, and increasing rate, of changing conditions and climates on Earth, with an eye toward developing sustainable solutions.

“Wicked Problems, Wolfpack Solutions: Global Change,” runs for five weeks over Summer Session II from June 28 to July 30 and offers more than the chance for incoming students to earn two credit hours at no cost. It’s also an introduction to NC State’s emphasis on interdisciplinarity as the key to meeting large-scale current and future challenges.

“Engineers alone can’t solve the problem. Nor can writers. Nor can biologists. Nor even can the cleverest of physicists,” applied ecology professor Rob Dunn, one of the faculty members for the course, told NC State News. “Instead, we need to work together across disciplines to find solutions, solutions that are apparent only through interdisciplinarity.”

The course also offers a common experience for new students, helping them get a sense of what being at NC State means even before they arrive on campus for coursework in the fall.

The Libraries is proud to be one of many supporters of “Wicked Problems.” The Innovation Studio team is offering a “futures thinking” game designed to help students think creatively and critically about possible future outcomes. Libraries programming connecting to the course theme of global change is planned for the fall semester, including a series on the Libraries’ Twitch channel that addresses climate change issues through games. Lead Librarian for Public Engagement Karen Ciccone is working with the “Wicked Problems” team to help create further opportunities for student and public engagement with the course theme and materials.

For more information and updates about “Wicked Problems, Wolfpack Solutions,” visit its website and FAQ page.