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Solving Complex Problems is a 9-unit course offered at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology that provides students with the opportunity to work in teams to develop practical solutions to interdisciplinary problems. The problem posed to Mission 2006 students in the fall term is:

"Develop a way to characterize and monitor the well-being of one of the last true frontiers on Earth – the Amazon Basin rainforest – and devise a set of practical strategies to ensure its preservation."

More information about Mission 2006 can be found on its main website: http://web.mit.edu/12.000/www/m2006/kvh/

Questions or comments can be directed to Professor Kip Hodges at kvhodges@mit.edu.



As part of Mission 2006's general goal to develop ways to characterize and monitor the well-being of the Amazon Basin rainforest and devise methods of preservation, the Fauna Group will first categorize fauna and develop exemplary case studies. Within each of these studies we will define basic requirements for healthy fauna populations by identifying appropriate indicators of population health. We will then proceed to identify threats to the fauna of the rainforest and attempt to develop strategies that will lessen these threats while also developing strategies to monitor fauna population health.