Innovative Convergence Approaches to Solving Energy and Agricultural Issues

Tackling compelling global and social issues -- such as minimizing energy disruptions, feeding growing populations, and ensuring sufficient and safe water supplies -- is increasingly beyond the ability of a single discipline to address. Researchers and policymakers are often approaching food, energy, and water not in isolation but as part of interacting systems with complex tradeoffs. “Convergence” -- the integration of knowledge, tools, and ways of thinking from multiple fields to overcome challenges that exist at their interfaces -- provides an enabling framework to achieve these goals. The scientific advances that will inform new policy options around food, energy, and water are likely to build on insights from the life sciences, informatics, computer science, engineering, chemistry, and the physical sciences. Social sciences, humanities, and economics will play significant roles in these solutions as well. This session features leaders in the use of a convergence approach to address food, energy, and water challenges through both research and policy.