When you are working to solve regional environmental problems, as Dr. Joel Hoffman does through his work with
the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), you find yourself working with a wide range of expertise. Joel regularly
interacts with sociologists, economists, policy makers and educators, and has come to appreciate how
collaborating with them makes his research more powerful. He is also aware that his generation is at the
forefront of this shift, as science becomes more interdisciplinary and perspectives become more
network-based. Joel is also aware of the challenges inherent to these collaborations, as people from very
different realms strive to work together to solve commonly held problems. Among other positive outcomes
from these interactions is the potential for achieving more wide-ranging results for less money – a formula
that almost every funding agency would find attractive.
