COS Discover Science Lecture Series—October 12: Scott E. Page—The Diversity Bonus
2017-2018 Discover Science Lecture Series
https://www.unr.edu/dsls
The Diversity Bonus:
The value of an integrated society, the desire for social justice, and a belief in equity
Thursday, October 12 (7 PM)
DMSC Redfield Auditorium
Scott E. Page is the Leonid Hurwicz Collegiate Professor of Complex Systems, Political Science, and Economics at the University of Michigan, where he also directs the Center for the Study of Complex Systems. His research focuses on the myriad roles that diversity plays in complex systems. In 2011, he was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. He is an external faculty member at the Santa Fe Institute.
A message from Jeffrey S. Thompson, Dean, College of Science: The next speaker in the Discover Science Lecture Series will be Dr. Scott Page. His talk will be at 7:00 PM on Thursday, October 12 at the Redfield Auditorium in the Davidson Mathematics and Science Center. Scott Page researches how diversity improves performance and decision making, when ‘diversity’ means not what we look like on the outside, rather than what we look like within—the tools and abilities that make each of us unique. He is the author of The Difference: How the Power of Diversity Creates Better Groups, Firms, Schools, and Societies, about how we think in groups and why collective wisdom works. Scott’s most recent book, Diversity and Complexity provides an introduction to the role of diversity in complex adaptive systems. He explains how diversity underpins system level robustness, allowing for multiple responses to external shocks and internal adaptations. His next book, The Diversity Bonus: How Great Teams Pay Off in the Knowledge Economy, will be published in September 2017. He presents overwhelming evidence that teams that include different kinds of thinkers outperform homogenous groups on complex tasks, producing what he calls “diversity bonuses.” The book draws on research in economics, psychology, computer science and other fields.
Scott also studies complex systems. He is the author of Complex Adaptive Systems and is on the external faculty of the Santa Fe Institute, the world-renowned research center dedicated to using complexity science to solve human problems. Scott Page is director of the Center for the Study of Complex Systems at the University of Michigan where he serves as Leonid Hurwicz Collegiate Professor of Complex Systems, Economics, and Political Science. He consults with corporations and nonprofits on market performance and organizational performance. He is currently teaching two online courses, Understanding Complexity and The Hidden Factor: Why Thinking Differently Is Your Greatest Asset. Scott received a 2013 Guggenheim Fellowship in Social Sciences/Political Science.
Immediately following the lecture, Scott will be available for signing his new book THE DIVERSITY BONUS. ASUN Bookstore will have books for sale on site.
How to Attend the 2017-2018 Discover Science Lecture Series
Each Discover Science lecture begins at 7 PM. in the Davidson Mathematics and Science Center’s Redfield Auditorium in Room 110. Seating for all Discover Science lectures is available on a first come, first served basis, and all lectures are free of charge. Free parking is available on the first floor of the Brian J. Whalen Parking Complex located on North Virginia Street.