October 2012

On September 24, the Division of Behavioral and Social Sciences and Education (DBASSE) of the National Research Council hosted the symposium “Social and Behavioral Sciences in Action.” The symposium focused on research in public health, national security, and engineering that incorporates the social and behavioral sciences. AERA served as a collaborating organization for the event.

Researchers detailed how social and behavioral sciences informed their work. Rita Colwell, president and chairman of CosmosID and professor at Johns Hopkins University and the University of Maryland, described how sociologists recruited and trained Bangladeshi women to serve as extension agents in implementing a water filtration project to prevent cholera. John Lee of the University of Wisconsin–Madison explained how cognition is a necessary component of engineering.

Three prominent speakers emphasized the importance of the social and behavioral sciences in research: Ralph Cicerone, president of the National Academy of Sciences and chair of the National Research Council; Harvey Fineberg, president of the Institute of Medicine; and Charles Vest, president of the National Academy of Engineering.

The full webcast may be viewed here.