Grand Challenge Seminars Current Faculty
Current faculty in the Grand Challenge Seminar Program include prize-winning scholars and teachers from across Dietrich College and the CMU community.
A distinct feature of the Grand Challenge Seminar Program is that seminars are proposed by the faculty who deliver the courses. These experts attend to the seminar themes in their own research and bring these findings and ongoing inquiries to the classroom. Students have an opportunity to choose a seminar on a topic that sparks their curiosity. They learn from faculty who are driven, focused and passionate about the course topics. Each seminar includes the application of theoretical research to the real world, inquiry-based learning and collaboration with thinkers from a variety of disciplines.
Fall 2025
Reasoning with Evidence: Using Data to Inform Scientific Discovery and Public Policy
Joel Greenhouse
Statistics & Data Science
Jessica Benner
CMU Libraries
Culture, Sports, and Conflict in/and VR
Korryn Mozisek
English
Sébastien Dubreil
Languages, Cultures & Applied Linguistics
Becoming Resilient in Challenging Times
Felipe Gómez
Languages, Cultures & Applied Linguistics
Emma Fries
English
Appalachia: Development, Decline, and Identity in America
Timothy Haggery
History
From Pandemics to Politics: Modeling Complex Social System
Kevin Zollman
Philosophy
John Miller
Social and Decision Sciences
Equity and the Environment: Exploring Global Challenges and Local Solutions
Nuria Ballesteros Soria
Languages, Cultures & Applied Linguistics
Barbara George
English
Spring 2026
We're Not Beyond Race: Race and Identity in America
Kody Manke-Miller
Psychology
Kevin Jarbo
Social and Decision Sciences
Realizing Human Rights: The Challenge of Achieving Justice, Equity, and Freedom in a Complex World
Jay Aronson
History
AI, Humanity, and the Future of Knowledge and Creativity
Gang Liu
Languages, Cultures & Applied Linguistics
Raja Sooriamurthi
Information Systems
Sports Betting, Highs and Lows: Your Brain in Stats
Linda Moya
Social and Decision Sciences
Ron Yurko
Statistics & Data Science