“Bound to fail.” “Impossible.” “Can’t be done.”
Nadya Bliss has been hearing these phrases since she was a 5-year-old trying out for ballet in the former Soviet Union. These same phrases are used to describe many of the current seemingly unsolvable “wicked” problems, ranging from information security to the spread of infectious disease.
As the director of Arizona State University’s Global Security Initiative and professor of practice at ASU’s Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering, Bliss is not deterred by personal discouragement, or the claim that complex problems are impossible to solve. Instead, she embraces complexity and integrates expertise from a broad range of fields and disciplines.
Here, she speaks on solving the unsolvable problem, and how that's not as much of a contradiction as it might appear.
Bliss’ talk is part of the ASU KEDtalks series. Short for Knowledge Enterprise Development talks, KEDtalks aim to spark ideas, indulge curiosity, and inspire action by highlighting ASU scientists, humanists, social scientists and artists who are driven to find solutions to the universe’s grandest challenges. Tune in monthly to research.asu.edu/kedtalks to discover why space is the next economic frontier, how the next educational revolution will come about, and more.
More Science and technology
Newly identified viruses found in dolphins
In a new study, researchers from Arizona State University together with national and international collaborators have identified anelloviruses in dolphins for the first time. Anelloviruses are a…
ASU Interplanetary Lab celebrates 5 years of success
Five years ago, an Arizona State University student came up with the idea of creating a special satellite in what was then the newly built Interplanetary Laboratory. The idea was to design…
ASU secures NSF grant to advance data science literacy as demand soars
In an era where data permeates every facet of our lives, the importance of data literacy cannot be overstated. Recognizing this critical need, Jennifer Broatch, a professor at Arizona State…