Peace Engineering Lab

The Carter School Peace Engineering Lab is a people-centered intellectual moonshot that aims for critical innovation within conflict resolution through the pursuit of inclusivity, partnerships, empowerment, and interdisciplinary initiatives in peace engineering. 

The Lab supports initiatives that answer practical questions in the field and in turn, contribute to a unified Carter School approach to Peace Engineering.

The Carter School Peace Engineering Lab is partnered with members of the Peace Engineering Consortium- Drexel University, the Peace Innovation Lab at Stanford University, the University of New Mexico (UNM)- which has defined peace engineering as “The application of science and engineering principles for transdisciplinary systemic-level thinking to directly promote and support conditions for peace, and the safe and ethical deployment of emerging technologies.” 

Mission

Develop a Carter School approach to Peace Engineering through experimental research on tools, spaces, and processes that focus on transformation, power dynamics, complexity,
accountability, governance, and narrative. 

Approach

1. Fast iteration
2. Public Engagement
3. Complexity-informed measures for complex times
4. Practice-informed theory

Project Streams

The Carter School Peace Engineering Lab is a student-led initiative supported by Dean Alpaslan Ozerdem, the Faculty Lead. Students are currently investigating the following project streams: 

• Complexity-informed Conflict Resolution

  Focuses on using SenseMaker, a complexity-informed approach to narrative research to harness the power of local story collection networks, develop weak signal detection and early warning for violence prevention and conflict transformation, and anticipatory innovation governance. This project stream is a collaboration with Visiting Researcher Dave Snowden. 

  Point Person: Keil Eggers

• TechPlomacy

  Focuses on public-private partnerships, digital diplomacy, data governance, and smart city development. 

  Point Person: Elana Sokol

• Conflicts emerging over urban change processes

  Focuses on the role of government officials and the general public in shaping policies, programs, and infrastructure investment at the local level, particularly in an era of continuing social injustice and increasing climate change.

  Point Person: Ashton Rohmer

Contact

To learn more or get involved with the Carter School Peace Engineering Lab, please contact our coordinator Keil Eggers.