Penn Alumni and Penn Faculty: Engaging Minds

WHEN IT COMES TO MAKING A DECISION, DON'T BE GUIDED BY AN EXPERT'S CERTAINTY.

So goes the levelheaded wisdom of world-renowned scholars Barbara Mellers and Philip Tetlock, Penn’s 11th and 12th Penn Integrates Knowledge (PIK) professors, each with a dual appointment in the Wharton School and the School of Arts and Sciences.

In a world of uncertainty — How will the Dow close at year’s end? Will Egypt transition to democracy? Is global warming a hoax? — they are building a new science of good judgment, one that integrates the rigors of decision theory with the nuances of human behavior to more accurately predict critical events and trends, potentially saving millions of dollars and lives.

Every day in classrooms at Penn, PIK professors challenge students with today’s most complex questions, from health care costs and Internet privacy to advances in stem cell research and nanotechnology. And thanks to the Engaging Minds on-the-road lecture series, Penn alumni in cities here and abroad have the chance to participate as well — to engage minds with the University and to experience Penn again.

     > watch Mellers and Tetlock present their research

photo:
Barbara Mellers, the I. George Heyman University Professor, and her husband Philip Tetlock, the Leonore Annenberg University Professor, take questions from an enthused audience during their Engaging Minds lecture in New York City. 

The impact of integrated knowledge is far-reaching, in the classroom and beyond, and today’s Penn alumni are more involved than ever with the life of the University. Support for eminent faculty is a critical Campaign priority, made richer by your engagement with Penn.