Interdisciplinary, evidence-based, and actionable information from experts

The Tippie College of Business Social Impact Community and the University of Iowa Center for Social Science Innovation are hosting a workshop connecting researchers and professionals interested in using communication and engagement strategies to shift beliefs and behaviors, driving positive change in a variety of contexts.

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Friday, February 14, 2025
Hosted at the University of Iowa, Tippie College of Business
From 1:00-4:30 pm in S401 Pappajohn Business Building (PBB)

Research has made significant progress in developing solutions to address societal challenges, including climate change, sustainable growth, public health, and resilient communities. However, these solutions will only have a positive impact on society if people and organizations are willing to implement them. In this workshop, we will discuss the challenges that prevent the implementation of socially-impactful solutions.

We will also hear from researchers and professionals about strategies they use to communicate solutions and engage others in the development of solutions in ways that increase the implementation of practices that promote environmental, social, and economic sustainability. Finally, we will identify unanswered questions about how to encourage the adoption of solutions and discuss how and how future research might answer these questions.

The key objectives of this workshop are to:

  • Identify key challenges and unanswered questions regarding how to change beliefs and behaviors for social good 
  • Learn engagement and communication strategies to increase implementation of positive social practices from across disciplines and contexts
  • Create a community of researchers from multiple disciplines and professionals from multiple contexts who are interested in this topic
  • Create interdisciplinary working groups to collaborate on research projects or grant opportunities related to using social science to design and communicate solutions to increase adoption
Register to attend

Potential grant opportunities

  • NSF: Social Psychology – July 15, 2025
    Proposed research should carry strong potential for creating transformative advances in the basic understanding of human social behavior. Among the many research topics supported are social cognition, attitudes, social and cultural influence, stereotypes, motivation, decision making, group dynamics, aggression, close relationships, social and affective neuroscience, social psychophysiology, emotions, prosocial behavior, health-related behavior, and personality and individual differences.
     
  • NSF: Science of Science: Discovery, Communication and Impact (SoS:DCI) – September 9, 2025
    The Science of Science: Discovery, Communication and Impact (SoS:DCI) program is designed to advance theory and knowledge about increasing the public value of scientific activity. Science of Science draws from multiple disciplinary and field perspectives to advance theory and research about scientific discovery, communication and impact.
     
  • NSF: Accountable Institutions and Behavior (AIB) – August 15, 2025
    Supports theoretically motivated research on governance-related attitudes, behavior and institutions in democratic and non-democratic settings, in areas such as preference formation and expression, voting and elections, and decision making and public policy.
     
  • The Accountable Institutions and Behavior (AIB) Program supports basic scientific research that advances knowledge and understanding of issues broadly related to attitudes, behavior, and institutions connected to public policy and the provision of public services.
     
  • Russell Sage Foundation: Behavioral Science and Decision Making in Context - July 16, 2025
    The Russell Sage Foundation’s (RSF) core program on Behavioral Science and Decision Making in Context merges its long-standing program on Behavioral Economics and its special initiative on Decision Making and Human Behavior in Context. This program encourages perspectives from multiple disciplines, including economics, psychology, political science, sociology, law, public policy, and other social sciences, to further our understanding of economic, social, political, and psychological decision-making processes, attitudes, behaviors, and institutional practices in public and private contexts such as policing/criminal legal systems, employment, housing, politics, racial/ethnic relations, and immigration.

Register to Attend

  • Friday, February 14, 2025, University of Iowa, Tippie College of Business
  • 1:00-4:30 pm in S401 Pappajohn Business Building (PBB)

Contact us

Amy Colbert

Amy Colbert

Faculty Director, Social Impact Community
amy-colbert@uiowa.edu

Mae McDonough

Mae McDonough

Program Coordinator, Social Impact Community
mae-mcdonough@uiowa.edu