Thinking Outside the Palin - Complexity in Indigenous Knowledge

Need a break from Palinmania? Need some serious brain nourishment?

UAA's Complexity Group is offering some talks that promise to rehabilitate parts of the brain that politics are destroying.

Tonight - Thursday September 19 -

"Complexity in Indigenous Knowledge"

Wendy Williamson Auditorium, 7:00 PM
(free parking in lot behind auditorium after 6pm)

Dr. Ron Eglash, Rensselaer Polytechnic University, holds a B.S. in Cybernetics, an M.S. in Systems Engineering, and PhD in History of Consciousness, all from the University of California. A Fulbright postdoctoral fellowship enabled his field research on African ethnomathematics, which was published by Rutgers University Press in 1999 as African Fractals: modern computing and indigenous design. He is now an associate professor of Science and Technology Studies at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, where he teaches a studio class on the design of educational technologies as well as graduate seminars in social studies of science and technology. Recent essay titles include ""Culturally Situated Design Tools: Ethnocomputing from Field Site to Classroom" (American Anthropologist), and "Race, Sex and Nerds: from Black Geeks to Asian-American Hipsters" (Social Text).


Dr. Eglash will give two talks this week, and the information follows. I've also included a link to a presentation he gave at TED--Ideas Worth Spreading, which I think you'll find of interest.

http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/ron_eglash_on_african_fractals.html

September 18, 2008
"Complexity in Indigenous Knowledge"
Wendy Williamson Auditorium, 7:00 PM
Abstract: Indigenous knowledge is often associated with simple tasks-counting to 100 or making a box-but such stereotypes ignore the rich conceptual and material structures that have resulted from the co-evolution of native cultures and their environment. African fractals, Native American cybernetics, and indigenous nanotechnology are just some of the complex hybrids that emerge when we open up the space for more sophisticated models.


Tomorrow - Friday September 20, 2008:

September 19, 2008 12 Noon
"Self Organization in Science and Society"
UAA/APU Consortium Library Room 307

Abstract: Self-organization has become an increasingly important phenomenon in both the natural sciences and engineering. Self-assembly of carbon "bucky balls" are critical to nanotechnology; self-organizing swarms of insects are modeled in biology and robotics, and so on. But recursive loops in which things govern themselves are also foundational to society: democracy is the people governing the people; social networks in both physical life and internet domains arise by self-assembly, and some decentralized indigenous societies build self-similar architecture. Can self-organization lead us to a more just and sustainable future?

Two additional opportunities exist for you next week. Although neither event is sponsored directly by UAA's Complex Systems Group, I think you may find them to be of interest.

Sept 24-26: Agent-based modeling workshops at UAA taught by visiting faculty from Argonne National Laboratory, the University of Chicago, and Arizona State University. Registration is required; participants may register for one or multiple days of the workshop. Sponsored by Alaska EPSCoR and UAA's Resilience and Adaptive Management Group. Please contact Melia Knecht (907.786.7765 or anmmk@uaa.alaska.edu) for general workshop questions or Mark Altaweel (907.786.1676 or maltaweel@anl.gov) for technical workshop questions.

Sept 24-27: 5th Open Assembly of the Northern Research Forum, an international gathering of researchers, policy makers, and interested members of the public representing the northern tier countries. Registration is required; participants may register for one or multiple days of the Forum. Please review the program of events and website at www.uaa.alaska.edu/nrf. Sponsored by UAA, the University of Alaska Statewide Offices, U.S. Arctic Research Commission, North Pacific Research Board, Iceland America Energy, First Alaskans Institute, and the Alaska SeaLife Center. Please let me know if you would like additional information about this opportunity as I am also assisting with this endeavor.