Proposal: We are showing how a single-discipline approach in isolation is ineffective in solving

an issue through a TEDTalk presentation. The issue we have chosen to tackle is the water crisis
in Ghana with background given from the social science and human rights violation perspective.
Then, one representative per discipline will explain their strategy of solving the issue at a time.
In the end of the TEDTalk all of the disciplines will come together and share the stage to
comment on the intersection and complements of each respective strategy to create a complete
strategy. We will present a shorter, live version of the TEDTalk on the day of presentations and
submit a longer, and more in depth recording of our TEDTalk.

How this Connects to the Class

Howard Gardners Intelligences:
Our project relates to the Howard Gardners Intelligence paper that we read because it
shows how there are many different types of intelligences. We really emphasized in our Ted Talk
video that each discipline only engages one or two types of intelligences. For example, math
takes into account logical-mathematical intelligence and at times spatial intelligence. But, it does
not consider musical intelligence or linguistic intelligence. However, all types of intelligences
are important and valid. This is why all of the different types of disciplines need to be
interwoven to make the most of everything that we have to offer.

Facts Dont Unify Us

This article and subsequent conversations on the topic highlighted the need for
communicating research and information surrounding global issues. This got us thinking about
what a good medium would be for communicating and presenting this interdisciplinary approach
to a global issue, and because we all love Ted Talks, we tried to emulate this engaging
style. While this goal wasnt completely realized in this project, we learned more about using
and applying the interdisciplinary approach.

Timea Tihanyi:
Timeas talk inspired our group presentation because of how interdisciplinary her career
path was. From starting out as a doctor to then pursuing art, and her collaborations with
technology and math, Timeas work is influenced by so many different disciplines. This was
important to us because through Timeas cutting-edge work with technology she is creating
never before seen works of art and art styles. The goal of our presentation was to combine
different disciplines and use the resources and research from each of the specific disciplines,
combined together to create an interdisciplinary solution to solve a global challenge. Our overall
goal was to combine the disciplines to create a new holistic solution to this global crisis.

Kristin Laidre:
Throughout the duration of the course, the most far-reaching theme was that of benefits
of interdisciplinary thinking. Every speaker had ties to multiple disciplines and emphasized how
that has affected and influenced their work. The effect of this interdisciplinary approach to the
distribution of knowledge, discussed by Kristin Laidre, was of particular interest to us. Her
research itself was scientific in nature; however she emphasized how difficult it would be to
distribute this information in a scientific manner. This was emphasized in the sharp contrast of
her scientific report and the myths of the tusks comic. Though both communicated true
information regarding narwhals, the method that utilized an artistic means of communication was
able to reach a larger audience and more effectively distribute the information. Kristin said that
the best way to communicate is to break down the information into its simplest form, and try not
to let the message get lost in the technicalities of the scientific jargon. In our project we tried to
encompass this through breaking down a complex issue into its components and explaining each
component separately before discussing how they interact.

Artifact Wheel:
The Artifact Wheel activity that we used for analyzing complex articles allowed us to explore
deeper into the interdisciplinary issues surrounding the Ghana water crisis. By examining current
solutions to the water crisis through the Artifact wheel, we were better able to formulate our own
solution as a group. It was really important for us to know for example what the certain critics
say about our proposed solution, or the historical context surrounding the issue as a whole. Using
this Artifact Wheel to instigate our own interdisciplinary research helped to make our project
more rich and involved in the events happening in the world around us.

Michael Shapiro:
Michael Shapiros lecture helped to inspire this paper because he introduces how
connecting to different cultures through language adds to an interdisciplinary education. He
mentioned that when you only speak one language you are confined to a monolingual shell. He
went on to describe how every language decodes reality or perceives reality in a slightly different
way. Knowing multiple languages exposes you to multiple perspectives; perspectives that you
otherwise would not interact with or understand. This relates to our project because if you are
looking at the solution from only one lens than that solution is only applicable to that one field.
But when you view the problem from multiple perspectives that are multidisciplinary you can
come up with a well-rounded solution that has a greater impact.