Constructing Sustainability Science - PSU Social Sustainability Colloquium

Presenter and Facilitator: Thaddeus Miller, Ph.D.

Friday, Feb 3, 2-4pm
New/old location: ASRC 660 (PSU Rec Center Building) map (Quadrant E-F/8)
This is on the first (6th Ave) or last (5th Ave) stop of the Max Yellow and Green Line

How can science and technology inform and foster social action for sustainability?

Current research is too focused on the production of knowledge about the problem space, or a “knowledge-first approach.”

To address these limitations, the research agenda for sustainability must be expanded and re-focused to meet a new set of objectives based on sustainable solutions and the fostering of public reasoning and deliberation over the goals of sustainability.

Thad Miller, PhD, is an Assistant Professor of Urban Civic Ecology at Portland State University’s Nohad A. Toulan School of Urban Studies and Planning.

From Thad: My research explores themes related to sustainability science and social action, the role of values in science and policy, urban sustainability, and interdisciplinary research and education. My work is motivated by a desire to more closely align the objectives of scientific research to address problems (and solutions) that might generate more beneficial societal outcomes. Prior to joining PSU, I received my Ph.D. in Sustainability from Arizona State University (where I was also a Senior Fellow in the National Science Foundation IGERT in Urban Ecology program), MPA in Environmental Science and Policy from Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs, and BA in Economics and Environmental Studies from Bucknell University.