Calendar

This week I will open the zoom session for an open-ended discussion. Bring your most pressing questions. We can do breakout rooms if we want.

Abstract:  My approach to environmental learning emphasizes that the major challenges of our time—migration, race, inequity, climate justice and democracy ultimately connect to the biosphere. I explore the relationship between ecological and social networks, the ecological and cultural dimensions of migration, how electronic communication alters how we perceive the biosphere, how cosmopolitan bioregionalism is a path for understanding local/global and urban/rural dynamics, why improvisational excellence enhances adaptive learning, and how perceptual reciprocity expands our awareness of natural history and the biosphere.  

 

Short Bio:  Mitchell Thomashow is the author of four books—Ecological Identity, Bringing the Biosphere Home, The Nine Elements of a Sustainable Campus, and To Know the World, all published by The MIT Press. He was Chair of the Antioch New England Environmental Studies Department from 1976-2006, the President of Unity College from 2006-2011, and served fellowships at Second Nature and Philanthropy Northwest. He lives in the hill country of southwest New Hampshire. Now that he works independently (mainly teaching and mentoring), he has time to pursue his passions and interests—playing guitar, piano, and keyboards; following professional basketball, observing the natural world, roaming the local landscape, reading, playing board games, and cultivating friendships.  

Abstract:  My approach to environmental learning emphasizes that the major challenges of our time—migration, race, inequity, climate justice and democracy ultimately connect to the biosphere. I explore the relationship between ecological and social networks, the ecological and cultural dimensions of migration, how electronic communication alters how we perceive the biosphere, how cosmopolitan bioregionalism is a path for understanding local/global and urban/rural dynamics, why improvisational excellence enhances adaptive learning, and how perceptual reciprocity expands our awareness of natural history and the biosphere.  

 

Short Bio:  Mitchell Thomashow is the author of four books—Ecological Identity, Bringing the Biosphere Home, The Nine Elements of a Sustainable Campus, and To Know the World, all published by The MIT Press. He was Chair of the Antioch New England Environmental Studies Department from 1976-2006, the President of Unity College from 2006-2011, and served fellowships at Second Nature and Philanthropy Northwest. He lives in the hill country of southwest New Hampshire. Now that he works independently (mainly teaching and mentoring), he has time to pursue his passions and interests—playing guitar, piano, and keyboards; following professional basketball, observing the natural world, roaming the local landscape, reading, playing board games, and cultivating friendships.  

Peter Tuddenham (President, 2018) has been promoting the concept of Systems Literacy and addressing the educational means for achieving it. Let's revisit this concept and explore the definition as well as what the goals of literacy might be and how to achieve it. [Note that the Wed/Thursday session is set back one hour so that our Eastern Hemisphere colleagues don't have to get up so early!]

Peter Tuddenham (President, 2018) has been promoting the concept of Systems Literacy and addressing the educational means for achieving it. Let's revisit this concept and explore the definition as well as what the goals of literacy might be and how to achieve it. [Note that the Wed/Thursday session is set back one hour so that our Eastern Hemisphere colleagues don't have to get up so early!]

The purpose of the book club is to explore the systems science literature in depth, so books are read over several months, with monthly reading assignments of approximately 50-100 pages. Check the book club's webpage for the current reading assignments.

I have recently been writing about the importance of systems theories to governance of projects and its role in promoting the achievement of UN SDGs for a Handbook on governance of projects. I am happy to share my thoughts and get some feedback.

 

Bio: Shankar Sankaran is the Professor of Organisational Project Management at the School of the Built Environment. He is a Member of the Centre for Informatics Research and Innovation at UTS and a core researcher of Megaproject Management in its Industry Transformation Cluster.

The DEI SIG is currently meeting monthly on the fourth Monday of the month.

I have recently been writing about the importance of systems theories to governance of projects and its role in promoting the achievement of UN SDGs for a Handbook on governance of projects. I am happy to share my thoughts and get some feedback.

 

Bio: Shankar Sankaran is the Professor of Organisational Project Management at the School of the Built Environment. He is a Member of the Centre for Informatics Research and Innovation at UTS and a core researcher of Megaproject Management in its Industry Transformation Cluster.

Abstract:

 

The 1998 ISSS Atlanta meeting, led by G.A. Swanson, is cited by David Ing as the single best educational experience of his life.  The meeting featured Russell Ackoff, James Grier Miller, Anatol Rapoport, Eugene Odum, Howard Odum, Len Troncale, Robert Flood, Michael C. Jackson and Timothy F.H. Allen.  David contributed text digests of that meeting to the website, and gradually deepened his involvement with the society as webmaster and then vice-president roles.

 

As president for the 2012 ISSS San Jose meeting, the theme was set as "Service Systems, Natural Systems".  These ideas evolved to be published in the 2013 special issue of Systems Research & Behavioral Science as "Rethinking Systems Thinking: Learning and coevolving with the world".  From 2014 to 2018, David took a detour into appreciating the legacy of 1970s Berkeley, with the inquiring systems of C. West Churchman, wicked problems of Horst Rittel, and pattern language of Christopher Alexander.

 

Since 2019, David has been working locally in Toronto with a group focused on Systems Changes Learning.  This is an espoused journey of 10 years, focused on rethinking systems thinking.  The core group has recently converged on the central ideas of rhythmic shifts, contextural dyadic thinking and propensity.  The philosophical foundations include the ecological anthropology of Tim Ingold, the philosophy of science underlying Classical Chinese Medicine described by Keekok Lee, and the efficacy in disposition outlined by Francois Jullien.

 

Biography:

 

David Ing is a past president (2011-2012) of the ISSS.  In a 28-year career at IBM, he was assigned to roles including management consulting, market development, industry solutions and headquarters planning.  In 2017-2018, he released "Open Innovation Learning:  Theory-building on open sourcing while private sourcing" as an open access publication.  A longtime resident of Toronto, Canada, he is a cofounder of Systems Thinking Ontario, with a legacy of 100 monthly meetings.  In recent years, David has been active mostly with OCAD University, the Centre for Social Innovation, and the Creative Systemic Research Platform Institute.