The Wisconsin Institutes for Discovery will be welcoming a new director this November with lofty aims for the institute’s future.
David Krakauer, a professor from the Sant? Fe Institute in New Mexico, is slated to be the institute’s director, according to a statement from the University of Wisconsin.
Krakauer will be taking the place of current Interim Director John Wiley, the statement said.
Krakauer said he is currently running a science program functioning as a smaller scale of the WID, as the program focuses on applying reasoning to physics outside of the department.
He said he would pursue the three main goals of WID, the first of which was to bring different groups of people in the same space.
He said this is something he is excited to be part of, adding having a large research base to draw from would only elevate this excitement.
“[This is a] new direction for the university to attempt to bring many different people together under one roof and collaborate with new experiences,” he said.
The second goal, Krakauer said, is to increase interdisciplinary science and create university-wide programs to join the two different cultures of art and science together.
Krakauer has a non-traditional approach to solving problems, the statement said.
When someone has a problem, Krakauer said, he has them present it “naked,” without a PowerPoint or other aid, before a group of people from several disciplines.
This allows people to present ideas when they are still in the development process and allows for the best possible outcome, he said.
By allowing many people to contribute to the solving of an idea contributes to the third goal of vertical integration of the research process – as the WID works to foster all aspects of the research process.
Krakauer said he will strive to make WID a place where everyone can feel comfortable to share their ideas and hopes for people to engage in a “coffee shop talk” culture.
Krakauer said he does not have a problem failing, as he sees the WID as a giant experiment itself.
WID is moving in many new directions, according to the statement. Krakeur emphasized this program is an important step for the university’s future.
