Rod MacDonald » Directory Climate Ambassadors

“I use En-ROADS in several different classes I teach with students at James Madison University, and I often get students who mention how there is no single solution and that everything is connected to everything else. These comments are before my debriefing or teaching about En-ROADS or systems thinking. This is an insight they gain from using the En-Roads simulator. It is experiential learning at its best.”

Rod MacDonald has over 20 years of experience developing system dynamics models and delivering workshops to entities in the public and private sectors. When developing formal simulation models, he uses group model building techniques that allow for stakeholder engagement and the rapid collection of data and information for use in the models. This approach also increases learning and ownership of the model on the part of stakeholders providing confidence and justification when decision-makers implement insightsor policies in the real world. Rod also delivered systems thinking workshops and was part of a team that put together a case study, using En-ROADS, for NASPAA’s 2016 Student Competition on Climate Change. Rod is currently an assistant professor in the School of Integrated Sciences at James Madison University, where he teaches courses in system dynamics modeling, holistic problem solving, and environmental modeling courses. He uses simulators to teach students about content and system dynamics modeling concepts. Rod earned his Ph.D. in Public Administration at the University at Albany and specialized in system dynamics modeling as a decision support tool for policymakers.