Chancellor Fran Ulmer presents the September 2008 edition of Fran Answers Questions.

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Fran Answers Questions

Chancellor Fran Ulmer

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The UAA Complex Systems Group presents Dr. Ron Eglash. 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?

Dr. Eglash, Associate Professor of Science and Technology Studies at Rensselaer Polytechnic University, holds a B.S. in Cybernetics, an M.S. in Systems Engineering and a Ph.D. 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.”

Recorded: Friday, September 19, 2008

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The UAA Complex Systems Group presents Dr. Ron Eglash: “Complexity in Indigenous Knowledge.” 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.

Dr. Eglash, Associate Professor of Science and Technology Studies at Rensselaer Polytechnic University, holds a B.S. in Cybernetics, an M.S. in Systems Engineering and a Ph.D. 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.”

Recorded: Thursday, September 18, 2008

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LitSite is bringing Native language and stories to life using IBM cutting-edge speech technology. Over 1,000 pages of text have been enhanced with audio files, using IBM WebSphere Voice Server text-to-speech software. These audio files even include uncommon pronunciations of Alaska Native names and words such as KwaashKiKwaan, Tlingit and Inupiaq.

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Chancellor Fran Ulmer speaks on progress at UAA in the 2007-2008 year and ways UAA is looking toward the future in 2008-2009. Click link below to download a 2-page PDF with facts and figures on the accomplishments and future planning at UAA.

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PDF with facts and figures on the progress and planning at UAA

Visit Chancellor Ulmer's Web site