Chimeric Practices - Art/Science and Hybrid Ways of Understanding  

Many forms of contemporary art and design blur the disciplinary boundaries between the "two cultures" of Art and Science, bringing about innovative & hybrid forms of creative practice. We will critically examine various models for such practices within "bio-art," emergence, and other mutable - often controversial - approaches to speculative research. Discussions with a wide range of hybrid practitioners working at these intersections of art/science/technology throughout the semester will provide the theoretical foundation for students to propose their own hybrid approaches to a creative work based on a scientific topic.                

The living world is defined by systems of interaction on multiple scales. From the division of cells up through global ecological processes, all biological systems function by mechanisms that support both equilibrium as well as transformation over time. How do fundamental processes of feedback, homeostasis, natural selection, and energetics connect across various levels of biological organization? Drawing on topics in ecology, evolution, epidemiology, and agriculture we will explore the processes and the dynamics that characterize organisms in their environments.

The Insect World

This course explores the biology of the most numerous form of life known on the planet: insects. We study insect form and function in relation to ecology in a hands-on manner, learning basic collection and identification techniques that enable the creation of individual insect collections by the end of the course. Biological topics include reproduction, evolution, development, communication, as well as a variety of social behaviors.

Visualizing Biological Phenomena  

The explanation of complex biological concepts, testing of predictions, and the presentation data all often rely on visual representations of phenomena. In this course students examine how scientists use graphs, models, and imaging technologies to both assist scientific research as well as communicate their ideas clearly as part of  'scientific method.'   Students enter the process by picking a biological concept or question, analyzing its methods and representation, and developing their own independent project.               

Daily there is the discovery of a new 'gene for' something, such as obesity, cancer, or intelligence. But without a clear understanding of what genes are, it is hard to make sense of these claims. This course is 'critical' in aiming to provide a working knowledge of important genetic concepts, and also critical in our examination of the ethical and social implications of genetic discoveries and technologies, including the representation of the science in the media. Through various readings and lab demonstrations we explore the relationship between organisms' DNA and the characteristic traits they exhibit to better understand exactly what kind of roles genes play as a biological cause.

Biomimicry and Design explores how biological systems can inform the creation of better design possibilities. Students will examine how organisms structurally adapt themselves and their environments, and how these biological systems can be applied as models for design and architecture.  The history of biomimicry in design, beginning with early aerodynamic experiments to today's innovations, will inform students on how new design strategies are created by using examples from nature.  This dual examination of biology and the history of biomimicry will aid students in developing their own conceptual designs.  Students will learn to work in teams on a final project that demonstrates both innovative design and biological principles through research, writing, and oral presentation.

It is estimated that more kinds of creatures are alive right now than at any other time in the earth's 4.5 billion-year history. What accounts for the remarkable array of forms and habits we see in organisms, and how did it come about? This is an introduction to how mutation, environmental variation, natural selection, and extinction work to generate incredible bio-diversity (e.g. tulips, kangaroos, bacteria, blue whales) in the context of life's shared evolutionary history. The role of various cooperative and competitive interactions in evolution is a key theme, as is the ongoing debate over 'Intelligent Design.'

Contexts in Contrast: Japan Study Trip [with Stanley Murashige, S07]     

for some photos, click HERE

Contemporary urban Japan is a place marked by converging histories and identities of many kinds. This is evident in the Shinto shrines and Buddhist temples that act as standard-bearers of Japanese traditional cultural identity among the dense and ever-growing urban centers of Tokyo and Osaka/Kyoto. The traditional self-identification of Japanese culture as strongly tied to nature and the environment contrasts sharply with the modern industrial and technological society it is now. This identity is made further complex by the fact that while technological advancement propelled Japanese military aspirations in World War II, such new technologies like the atomic bomb also terribly and irrevocably altered national identity as well as Japanese conceptions of science, humanity, and the relation to the natural environment. 

This trip examines these cultural and historical intersections.  It involves study of major Buddhist and Shinto sites, an art historical perspective that is contrasted and integrated with visits to the Hiroshima Peace memorial and museum, as well as a visit the nationalistic and controversial Yasukuni Shrine and its associated war technology museum. The trip also includes visits to a number of sites the trace Japan's historical development, including the The Tokyo War Damage Archive and the Tokyo-Edo Museum, which provide a general context for understanding perspectives on science & technology in Japanese culture.

Visits and and one-day seminars with the faculty and students at the Tokyo National University of Fine Arts (Geidai) and the Tokyo University's 'Gakkan' Information Studies program (Todai) were part of this trip.

Caminacule 'Exquisite Corpse' (click for more)

A project using the principles of the Surealist game Exquisite Corpse to simulate the process of evolutionary transformation to create a phylogenetic tree of relations.

Biology Zines - the small science collective (click for more)

A project interested in students communicating scietific understanding in public and informal spaces through the creation and distribution of mini-zines.