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 2024
Beyond Earth: Reaching into the Cosmos through Science, Science Fiction, and Language
![Thomas Werner](images/faculty/thomas-werner.jpg)
Tom Werner
Philosophy
![Cheng Li](images/faculty/cheng-li-800x800-min.png)
Cheng Li
Languages, Cultures & Applied Linguistics
Health in Unhealthy Times
![Jason D'Antonio](images/faculty/jason-dantonio-800x800-min.jpg)
Jason D’Antonio
Biological Sciences
![Julie Downs](images/faculty/downs-julie.jpeg)
Julie Downs
Social and Decision Sciences
![Andreea Ritivoi](images/faculty/andreea-ritivoi-800x800-min.jpg)
Andreea Ritivoi
English
Native Americas: Facts and Fictions
![Anne Lambright](images/faculty/anne-lambright.jpeg)
Anne Lambright
Languages, Cultures & Applied Linguistics
![Paul Eiss](images/faculty/eiss_800x800.jpeg)
Paul Eiss
History
From Pandemics to Politics: Modeling Complex Social System
![Kevin Zollman](images/faculty/zollman-kevin-800x800-min.jpg)
Kevin Zollman
Philosophy
![John Miller](images/faculty/miller-john-800x800-min.jpg)
John Miller
Social and Decision Sciences
(Mis)Trust in Research
![Korryn Mozisek](images/faculty/korryn-mozisek.jpg)
Korryn Mozisek
English
![Richelle Bernazzoli](images/faculty/richelle-bernazzoli-headshot.jpeg)
Richelle Bernazzoli
Office of Undergraduate Research and Scholar Development
Equity and the Environment: Exploring Global Challenges and Local Solutions
![Nuria Ballesteros Soria](images/faculty/nuria-ballesteros-soria-800x800-min.png)
Nuria Ballesteros Soria
Languages, Cultures & Applied Linguistics
![Barbara George](images/faculty/barbara-george-800x800-min.jpg)
Barbara George
English
Spring 2025
Appalachia: Development, Decline, and Identity in America
![Timothy Haggerty](images/faculty/haggerty_800x800-min.jpeg)
Timothy Haggery
History
We're Not Beyond Race: Race and Identity in America
![Kody Manke-Miller](images/faculty/kody-manke.jpg)
Kody Manke-Miller
Psychology
![Kevin Jarbo](images/faculty/kevin-jarbo-800x800-min.jpeg)
Kevin Jarbo
Social and Decision Sciences
The Mirror of Technology: Exploring Biases in Computation and Cognition
![Wayne Wu](images/faculty/wayne-wu-min.jpg)
Wayne Wu
Philosophy
Equitable Access and Success in Higher Education: A CMU Case Study
![Nuria Ballesteros Soria](images/faculty/nuria-ballesteros-soria-800x800-min.png)
Nuria Ballesteros Soria
Languages, Cultures & Applied Linguistics
![Chloe Thompson](images/faculty/chloe-thompson.png)
Chloe Thompson
History
The Challenge of Achieving Justice, Equity, and Freedom in a Complex World
![Jay Aronson](images/faculty/aronson_800x800-min.jpg)
Jay Aronson
History