Interdisciplinary at Carnegie Mellon University
Assistant Professor Michael L. DeKay is featured in the current issue of Observer, a monthly publication of the American Psychological Society.
His essay, "Interdisciplinary is the Norm at Carnegie Mellon" discusses his joint appointment with the H. John Heinz III School of Public Policy and Management and the Department of Engineering and Public Policy and the lack of artificial boundaries between disciplines at Carnegie Mellon. He states "This purposeful elimination of disciplinary boundaries in EPP, Heinz, and elsewhere at Carnegie Mellon has led to a remarkably vibrant community in which interdisciplinary collaboration is the norm."
DeKay is currently working with four other faculty members to develop and evaluate a deliberative method for ranking risk. "Almost all of the important decisions in this project - from categorizing and describing the risks to developing multiple strategies for measuring individuals' and groups' concerns about those risks - have benefited from interactions between the psychologists and the other members of the research team."
Interdisciplinary work also extends to education. Project courses involve students and faculty from both EPP and the Heinz School, as well as review panels composed of experts outside the university, and clients from local or national agencies. Students from different academic backgrounds have the opportunity to work together on important and challenging problems, such as organ transplantation and the transition to hydrogen based energy systems.
DeKay concludes "Carnegie Mellon is one of the very best places in the country to research judgment and decision making, and Heinz and EPP both provide excellent avenues for applying this research to important policy matters. With lower barriers to interdisciplinary research at Carnegie Mellon than at any other top-tier university in the nation, it is hard to imagine being anywhere else."