As human ecologists, we’re always asking, what if…
“It’s our responsibility to apply science to improve the lives of everyone.”
— Dean Soyeon Shim
Building on a legacy of bold ideas, relentless optimism, and the courage to challenge the status quo, Human Ecology is relevant to life as we know it today — and how we imagine it could be tomorrow.
UW–Madison’s School of Human Ecology has grown into a position of strength and leadership.
Now with a world-class learning environment, a cadre of passionate learners and teachers, philanthropic supporters and renewed purpose, we’re ready to accelerate transformation.
The stakes have never been higher, making a human ecological approach more essential than ever.
The challenges our society is facing are complex and cannot be fully understood — or solved — through the lens of just one academic discipline. And there’s not a single discipline that doesn’t pair well with human ecology in developing multidimensional approaches to meeting any challenge with human-centered solutions.
The next frontier (is here):
human-centered AI
Never shying away from the next big challenge, Human Ecology is a key leader in addressing the unprecedented challenges of artificial intelligence (AI), which holds the potential for both great risk and great opportunity for humanity.
“The future of AI is here, and with it comes an urgency to deploy human-centered design to understand how people adapt to and leverage these technologies.”
— Dean Soyeon Shim
As the campus leader in human-centered design, Human Ecology is poised to lead in this important realm. We are partnering with the Colleges of Engineering and Letters & Science to grow UW–Madison’s investment and capacity in AI innovation through the Wisconsin RISE-AI initiative. Our involvement will ensure that the human implications of AI are top-of-mind in the university’s multidisciplinary approach to one of the great challenges of our time.
A universal truth about being human is that so much of our well-being is tied to the quality of our relationships.
That’s why we are keenly focused on studying and understanding the key relationships in our lives – with our children, our families, our finances, our environments and our communities.
We believe that by improving these fundamental relationships, we can make our lives more meaningful and more fulfilling – and that the positive changes in our individual lives and homes can ripple into positive changes across our communities and society as well.
At Human Ecology, we’re leading the way in many influential spheres.
Consumers & Marketplace
Helping more people become financially savvy and finding ways to make financial security more accessible to all.
Design & Innovation
Designing spaces for better health and well-being, such as technology-aided modifications that allow seniors to ‘age in place’ in their homes.
Children & Families
Understanding how to make it easier and safer for people of all cultural backgrounds to live a healthy life.
Communities & Organizations
Engaging individuals and organizations at the community level to strengthen civic health and advance positive change in society.
The science of everyday life
Where else can you find experts on school lunch policy and policing in schools under the same roof as scholars in personal finance, consumer behavior, aging in place and early relational health?
That’s the beauty of Human Ecology, where we believe the human experience reflected in everything we touch and everything that touches us. It’s how we live, who we are, why we hope. It’s finding what works, working for change, and believing anything is possible.
“Here in Human Ecology, we are applying science to everyday life — and science, every day, to life.
When human ecologists come together to tackle pressing issues like AI, financial security, and healthy parenting, we are unstoppable.”
— Dean Soyeon Shim