Upload
others
View
0
Download
0
Embed Size (px)
Citation preview
Human-Centered Futures: The Critical Role of the Social Sciences
Daniel SuiVice Chancellor for Research & Innovation
University of Arkansas https://research.uark.edu/
O'Reilly Lecture TheatreOxford
Three Key Points
• Social scientists need to work with industry closely;
• Businesses/industries need to embrace social science fully;
• To accelerate social science-industry engagement/partnership, there are multiple things that need to be done on both sides.
The only possible
conclusion the social
sciences can draw is:
some do, some don't
Earnest Rutherford
But Social Sciences Are Changing!
• From studying problems to solving them;
• From small number of sparse data sets to analyzing large, heterogeneous data science with fine spatial-temporal granularity;
• From isolated/lone scholars toiling away on their own to larger scale, collaborative, interdisciplinary, lab-style research teams;
• From a purely academic pursuit focused inward to aiming for major impacts on policies, industry/business, and major problems at both individual and collective levels.
More Than Ever Social Scientists Need Industry
• Industry sponsored R&D funding: $365 Billion in 2016, far exceeds all government R&D funding combined in the U.S.;
• University-Industry partnership to develop new educational programs: Starbucks-ASU model;
• Student placement: both graduate and undergraduate students in social sciences can now find jobs and develop careers in industry
• Access to the massive data industry controls;
A New Industry-academic Partnership Model for Data Access
Source: King and Persily, 2019
The Business World is also Changing
• The new digital economy serving different human needs
Changing Business Models
• Sharing (platform) economy:
– Out-sourcing;
– Temporary workers;
– Jobs without benefits;
– Lean management.
More Than Ever Businesses/industries Need Social Sciences
• Social science-driven new businesses;
• Using social science to enhance/improve traditional business practices:
– Precision business;
– Team dynamics;
– Human motivation and behavior
1. The End of Power by Moisés Naím2. The Better Angels of Our Nature by
Steven Pinker3. Gang Leader for a Day by Sudhir Venkatesh4. On Immunity by Eula Biss5. Creativity, Inc. by Ed Catmull6. The Structure of Scientific Revolutions
by Thomas Kuhn7. Rational Ritual by Michael Chwe8. Dealing With China by Hank Paulson9. Orwell's Revenge by Peter W. Huber10. The New Jim Crow by Michelle
Alexander11. The Muqaddimah by Ibn Khaldun12. Sapiens by Yuval Harari
13. The Player of Games by Iain Banks14. Energy: A Beginner's Guide by Vaclav Smil15. Genome by Matt Ridley16. The Varieties of Religious Experience by William
James17. Portfolios of the Poor by Daryl Collins, Jonathan
Morduch, and Stuart Rutherford18. Why Nations Fail by Daron Acemolu and
James A. Robinson19. The Rational Optimist by Matt Ridley20. The Three-Body Problem by Liu Cixin21. The Idea Factory by Jon Gertner22. World Order by Henry Kissinger23. The Beginning of Infinity by David Deutsch
23 Books Mark Zuckerberg Thinks You Should Read
19 out of the 23 Books are social science/humanities type of books! Not a single computer science or tech book!
To Accelerate Social Science-industry Partnership
• Cultural change for higher education: esp. the T&P process, new models for universities;
• Redefining the future of work & industry: reorient future businesses towards fulfilling human social, aesthetic, intellectual, and spiritual needs;
• The role of government funding agencies: Promoting convergence research vs. discipline-based inquiries; funding for innovation and industrial partnership at NSF;
• The role of professional organizations: develop new strategies to more systematically involve industry partners in their activities etc.
Two dimensions of convergent research
Technology Translation: A Long Road…
SB
IR
ST
TRR
eso
urc
es
Investe
d
ST
C, M
RS
EC
, C
CI
PF
I
I-C
orp
s
Private
Funds
NS
F F
undam
enta
l P
rog
ram
s
Ivory Tower to Market:
NSF Funding Programs
Government
InvestmentE
RC
IUC
RC
GO
AL
I
Research Proof-of-ConceptEarly Stage
Technology
Development
Product
DevelopmentCommercial
-ization
NSF Fundamental Programs
STC: Science and Technology Centers
MRSEC: Materials Research Science
and Engineering Centers
CCI: Centers for Chemical Innovation
GOALI: Grant Opportunities for
Academic Liaison with Industry
ERC: Engineering Research Centers
IUCRC: Industry University
Cooperative Research Centers
PFI: Partnerships for Innovation
I-Corps: Innovation Corps (Startups)
SBIR/STTR: Small Business Research
Program
Translational
Research
Valley of
Death
Industry Partners
IUCRC
The only possible
conclusion the social
sciences can draw is:
some do, some don't
The only possible
conclusion the social
sciences can draw is:
some do, some don't
Earnest Rutherford