U.S. higher education is under attack, in part because many do not see the sector’s value for addressing contemporary societal issues. One potential way to stem the tide of attacks is to conduct more—and share the benefits of—publicly engaged research. In this talk I will use examples from my research program to discuss conceptual, methodological, and practical ways of doing this work, as well as implications for the relationship between science and society.

Neil Lewis, Jr. (he/him) is a behavioral scientist who studies the motivational, behavioral, and equity implications of social interventions and policies. He is a Nancy and Peter Meinig Family Investigator in the Life Sciences at Cornell University and Weill Cornell Medicine, where he is an associate professor of communication, medicine, and public policy. He is also founding co-director of the Cornell Action Research Collaborative and associate director of the Cornell Center for Racial Justice and Equitable Futures.