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Friday, July 10th
, 2009 9:00 AM – 12:00 PM Registration 1:00 PM – 5:00 PM Registration 1:00 PM – 6:00 PM Workshop: “Sign and Space”
Professor Louis H. Kauffman University of Illinois at Chicago
Saturday, July 11th
, 2009 8:00 AM – 12:00 and 1:00 PM – 5:00 PM Registration 7:30 AM – 10:10 AM General Joint Plenary Session of all Collocated Conferences
(with Plated Breakfast)
7:55 AM – 8:40 AM Keynote Speaker: Professor Michael Savoie (The
University of Texas at Dallas, USA), Training and
Educating Millennials Using their Technology Platforms
8:40 AM – 9:25 AM Keynote Speaker: Professor Louis H. Kauffman (University of Illinois at Chicago, USA), Reflexivity
9:25 AM – 10:10 AM Keynote Speaker: Professor Ranulph Glanville (The
Royal College of Art, UK; RMIT University, Australia),
Darkening the Black Box
10:10 AM – 12:10 PM IMETI 2009 Plenary Session and Breakout Sessions of WMSCI 2009 and IMSCI 2009
Keynote Speakers: Dr. Susan Nash (Oklahoma University, USA), New Directions in E-Learning in Response to Global Environmental and Energy Issues
Eng. Gustav R. Grob, Dean em, SGS-REDWOOD (International
Petroleum Training Institute, Switzerland), Smart Grids and
Sustainable Energy
Prof. Dr. Karlheinz Blankenbach and Prof. Alfred Schaetter
(Pforzheim University, Germany), Interdisciplinary Overall IT
Education Concept and Implementation
12:10 PM – 1:10 PM Lunch (on your own) 1:10 PM – 3:40 PM Breakout Sessions 3:40 PM – 4:00 PM Coffee Break 4:00 PM – 6:30 PM Breakout Sessions 7:00 PM – 8:30 PM Welcome Reception
Sunday, July 12th
, 2009 8:00 AM – 12:00 and 1:00 PM – 5:00 PM Registration 7:30 AM – 10:10 AM General Joint Plenary Session of all Collocated Conferences
(with Plated Breakfast)
7:55 AM – 8:40 AM Keynote Speakers: Professor Ray Bareiss and Mr. Mel Rosso-Llapart (Carnegie Mellon, Silicon Valley, USA), Software Engineering Education at Carnegie Mellon University: One University; Programs Taught in Two Places
8:40 AM – 9:25 AM Keynote Speaker: Dr. W. Curtiss Priest (Principal
Research Associate Emeritus, MIT, USA), Reusability in
Knowledge and Pedagogical Objects: Digital Resource:
Reusability (as Objects) Only Occurs When Libraries are near
Isomorphic to the Structures that Pertain: From Math to
Bookkeeping; From Rigid Organizations to Unbounded Fluidity of
Social Organizations
9:25 AM – 10:10 AM Keynote Speaker: Professor Stuart Umpleby (The George
Washington University, USA), The Financial Crisis: Cybernetics Can Explain What Happened and How we Need to Change our Thinking
10:10 AM – 12:10 PM WMSCI 2009 Plenary Session and Breakout Sessions of
IMETI 2009 and IMSCI 2009 Keynote Speakers:
Dr. Susu Nousala (Spatial Information Architecture Laboratory:
SIAL, RMIT, Australia), Tacit Knowledge Networks and their
Implementation in Complex Organizations Dr. Béatrice Hasler (University of Zurich, Switzerland), "The
ShanghAI Lectures": A Mixed-reality Approach for Global
Teaching and International Student Collaboration.
Dr. Roberta Mugellesi Dow (European Space Agency, Germany), Bringing Knowledge Management to Space Operations: From Theory to Real World
12:10 PM – 1:10 PM Lunch (on your own) 1:10 PM – 3:40 PM Breakout Sessions 3:40 PM – 4:00 PM Coffee Break 4:00 PM – 6:30 PM Breakout Sessions
Monday, July 13
th, 2009
8:00 AM – 12:00 Registration 7:30 AM – 10:10 AM General Joint Plenary Session of all Collocated Conferences
(with Plated Breakfast)
7:55 AM – 8:40 AM Keynote Speaker: Dr. Michael Lissack (Institute for the
Study of Coherence and Emergence: ISCE, USA),
Complexity is more than a Label: A Look at Affordances
and Homologies
8:40 AM – 9:25 AM Keynote Speaker: Professor H. John Caulfield (Alabama
A&M University, USA), Artificial and Biological
Consciousness - The ABCs
9:25 AM – 10:10 AM Keynote Speaker: Dr. Karl H. Müller (University of
Vienna, Austria; University of Ljubljana, Slovenia), The
New Science of Cybernetics: Vision and Research
Designs
10:10 AM – 12:10 PM IMSCI 2009 Plenary Session and Breakout Sessions of IMETI 2009 and WMSCI 2009
Keynote Speakers:
Dr. Bill Tait (The Open University, UK), A Software Model of Teaching and Learning
Dr. Slava Kalyuga (University of New South Wales, Australia),
Evidence-based Instructional Design Principles for Multimedia
Learning Environments
Dr. Houman A. Sadri and Dr. Madelyn Flammia (University of
Central Florida, USA), Intercultural Communication from an
Interdisciplinary Perspective
12:10 PM – 1:10 PM Lunch (on your own) 1:10 PM – 3:40 PM Breakout Sessions 3:40 PM – 4:00 PM Coffee Break 4:00 PM – 6:30 PM Breakout Sessions 7:00 PM – 8:30 PM Awards Ceremony and Toast
Award Certificates will only be delivered at the Awards Ceremony. No exceptions will be made under any circumstances.
Saturday, July 11
th, 2009
7:55 AM – 8:40 AM Professor Michael Savoie (The University of Texas at Dallas,
USA), Training and Educating Millennials Using their
Technology Platforms 8:40 AM – 9:25 AM Professor Louis H. Kauffman (University of Illinois at
Chicago, USA), Reflexivity 9:25 AM – 10:10 AM Professor Ranulph Glanville (The Royal College of Art, UK;
RMIT University, Australia), Darkening the Black Box
Sunday, July 12th
, 2009 7:55 AM – 8:40 AM Professor Ray Bareiss and Mr. Mel Rosso-Llapart (Carnegie
Mellon, Silicon Valley, USA), Software Engineering Education at Carnegie Mellon University: One University; Programs Taught in Two Places
8:40 AM – 9:25 AM Dr. W. Curtiss Priest (Principal Research Associate Emeritus,
MIT, USA), Reusability in Knowledge and Pedagogical Objects: Digital Resource: Reusability (as Objects) Only Occurs When Libraries are
near Isomorphic to the Structures that Pertain: From Math to Bookkeeping;
From Rigid Organizations to Unbounded Fluidity of Social Organizations
9:25 AM – 10:10 AM Professor Stuart Umpleby (The George Washington University, USA), The Financial Crisis: Cybernetics Can Explain What Happened and How we Need to Change our Thinking
Monday, July 13th
, 2009 7:55 AM – 8:40 AM Dr. Michael Lissack (Institute for the Study of Coherence and
Emergence: ISCE, USA), Complexity is more than a Label: A
Look at Affordances and Homologies
8:40 AM – 9:25 AM Professor H. John Caulfield (Alabama A&M University,
USA), Artificial and Biological Consciousness - The ABCs
9:25 AM – 10:10 AM Dr. Karl H. Müller (University of Vienna, Austria; University
of Ljubljana, Slovenia), The New Science of Cybernetics: Vision
and Research Designs
Abstract
Millennials – students coming of age in the first decade of the 21st century – are the first
true digital natives. They have grown up with easy access to technology. To them
technology is not a separate component of their lives, it is simply part of their day-to-day
activities. (For us older “digital immigrants” think of the telephone). Millennials expect
technology to be used correctly and ubiquitously in all aspects of their lives. They have
very little patience for information that is delivered via sub-par technology platforms.
This presents a serious challenge to current employers and educators.
This presentation discusses what we as employers and educators need to do to optimize
the training and education of this new generation. What platforms we need to use now
and why, and how these platforms will evolve over the next several years. The speaker
will discuss how his Center at The University of Texas at Dallas is tackling these issues
and the current status of research in this field.
Dr. Michael J. Savoie
The University of Texas at Dallas
Director, Center for Information, Technology and Management
Director of of E-Business Initiatives
Keynote Address
Training and Educating Millennials
Using Their Technology Platforms
Short Bio
Dr. Michael J. Savoie, Ph.D. is Director of E-Business Initiatives, and Director of the
Center for Information Technology and Management (CITM) in the School of
Management at The University of Texas at Dallas.
Dr. Savoie brings to UTD fourteen years of university teaching experience at both the
graduate and undergraduate levels. He is the author of more than one hundred articles,
chapters, and books on information technology, electronic commerce, quality, and
operations management. His most recent book is Introduction to Quality Management
and Engineering. Current research interests include e-business and the role of information
technology in organizational transformation.
Prior to joining UTD, Dr. Savoie served as Program Director in Information Technology
and Electronic Commerce in the Graduate School of Management at the University of
Dallas. The Information Technology program focuses on the skills required to manage
and enhance an organization's information systems, strategies, and people. The E-
Commerce program, recognized as one of the top e-commerce programs in the world, is a
web-based program focusing on all aspects of doing business in the new economy. Dr.
Savoie also served as Director of the Center for Applied Information Technology, a non-
profit education and research think tank located in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex.
Professionally, Dr. Savoie is a senior consultant and facilitator with over 16 years of
experience in Executive Management, Electronic Commerce, Information Systems,
Engineering, Operations Management, Quality Control, Quality Management,
Continuous Improvement, and Training. He currently serves as President and CEO of
HyperGrowth Solutions, Inc. where he leads a group of senior consultants and facilitators
helping companies manage their corporate infrastructure and develop the skills necessary
to survive in a rapidly changing environment. Clients include Kaiser Aluminum &
Chemical Corporation, the U.S. Department of Energy, BellSouth Telecommunications
Company, and Chevron, U.S.A.
Abstract
In the creation of spaces of conversation for human beings, we partake of a reflexivity of
action and apparent object, where it is seen that every local manifestation of process,
every seemingly fixed entity in a moving world is an indicator of global transformation.
The local and the global intertwine in a reflexive and cybernetic unity. This talk will
discuss this basic reflective theme of second order cybernetics using simple mathematical
models, and this talk will raise questions of global responsibility that naturally arise from
these considerations.
Short Bio
Professor Kauffman was the President of the American Society for Cybernetics (1997-
1998). He is the 1993 recipient of the Warren McCulloch award of the American Society
for Cybernetics. He “is the founding editor and one of the managing editors of the
Journal of Knot Theory and its Ramifications, and editor of the World Scientific Book
Series OnKnots and Everything. He writes a column entitled Virtual Logic for the journal
Cybernetics and Human Knowing.” his “interests are in cybernetics, topology (knot
theory and its ramifications) and foundations of mathematics and physics. His work is
primarily in knot theory and connections with statistical mechanics, quantum theory,
algebra, combinatorics and foundations. These fields include representation and
exploration of topology, fractals and recursions using computers, logical and
Professor Louis H. Kauffman
University of Illinois at Chicago
Department of Mathematics, Statistics, and Computer Science
Past President of the American Society for Cybernetics
Keynote Address
Reflexivity
diagrammatic algebras, Hopf algebras, relations of topology with statistical mechanics
and quantum field theory, foundations of discrete physics, quantum computing. In
topology he introduced and developed the bracket polynomial and Kauffman
polynomial.”
He has worked at many places as a visiting professor and researcher, including the
University of Zaragoza in Spain, the University of Iowa in Iowa City, the Institute Hautes
Etudes Scientifiques in Bures Sur Yevette, France, the Institute Henri Poincaré in Paris,
France, the Univesidad de Pernambuco in Recife, Brasil, and the Newton Institute in
Cambridge England.
Professor Kauffman has been a prominent leader in Knot Theory, one of the most active
research areas in mathematics today. His discoveries include a state sum model for the
Alexander-Conway Polynomial, the bracket state sum model for the Jones polynomial,
the Kauffman polyomial and Virtual Knot Theory.
He is author of several monographs on knot theory and mathematical physics. His
publication list numbers over 170. Among his books are the followings:
1987, On Knots, Princeton University Press 498 pp.
1993, Quantum Topology (Series on Knots & Everything), with Randy A.
Baadhio, World Scientific Pub Co Inc, 394 pp.
1994, Temperley-Lieb Recoupling Theory and Invariants of 3-Manifolds, with
Sostenes Lins, Princeton University Press, 312 pp.
1995, Knots and Applications (Series on Knots and Everything, Vol 6)
1995, The Interface of Knots and Physics: American Mathematical Society Short
Course January 2-3, 1995 San Francisco, California (Proceedings of Symposia in
Applied Mathematics), with the American Mathematical Society.
1998, Knots at Hellas 98: Proceedings of the International Conference on Knot
Theory and Its Ramifications, with Cameron Gordon, Vaughan F. R. Jones and
Sofia Lambropoulou,
1999, Ideal Knots, with Andrzej Stasiak and Vsevolod Katritch, World Scientific
Publishing Company, 414 pp.
2001, Knots and Physics (Series on Knots and Everything, Vol. 1), World
Scientific Publishing Company, 788 pp.
2002, Hypercomplex Iterations: Distance Estimation and Higher Dimensional
Fractals (Series on Knots and Everything , Vol 17), with Yumei Dang and Daniel
Sandin.
2006, Formal Knot Theory, Dover Publications, 272 pp.
2007, Intelligence of Low Dimensional Topology 2006, with J. Scott Carter and
Seiichi Kamada.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louis_H._Kauffman)
Abstract
The Black Box concept was introduced as a gedankenexperiment by James Clerk
Maxwell It is a phantasm introduced to bring order (pattern) to a situation by creating
input and output, assumed to be linked in the Black Box in a pattern that the observer
ascertains. It was given its prominent place in cybernetics by W Ross Ashby.
The Black Box cannot be opened. The test for the correctness of the pattern created is
viability, not truth. It is thus a radical constructivist machine, in which the observer is
always involved: the pattern discerned is a consequence of the interaction of the observer
and the Black Box, as described by the observer. The Black Box and the observer act
together to constitute a (new) whole, which itself is a Black Box to its observer, and so
on. These observers might be the same, transcending boundaries: which may be a source
of human consciousness.
Knowledge gained from examining a Black Box is based on a profound ignorance: each
Black Box is potentially made up of a recursion of Black Boxes (and observers).
Although it may be helpful to refer to a Black Box that repeats behaviour as whitened,
this whitening is illusory; consistent behaviour does not predicate continuation of this
consistency in the future.
Finally, following the Law of Mutual Reciprocity, since the Box is
Black to the observer, the observer may be Black to the Box.
Professor Ranulph Glanville
President of The American Society for Cybernetics
The Royal College of Art, UK; RMIT University, Australia
Keynote address
Darkening the Black Box
Short Bio
Ranulph Glanville is professor of Architecture and Cybernetics at the Bartlett, UCL; of
Research Design at St Lucas, Brussels and Ghent; of Research in Industrial Design
Engineering, The Royal College of ARt, London; and Adjunct professor of design
research at RMIT University, Melbourne. He has published more than 300 works, and
has an art and design practice. He is on the editorial board of 7 journals and is an officer
of 5 societies, including fellow, vice president and president elect of the American
Society for Cybernetics. He has 2 PhDs and a DSc: his 1975 cybernetics PhD has
been selected by the British Library as one of 6000 key predigital PhDs, to be digitized.
He has published extensively in all four fields. He has taught in universities around the
world. Although he took early retirement from a full time post in the UK he currently
holds posts at UCL, London, UK, where he is a Professor of Architecture and
Cybernetics, Sint Lucas Brussels and Gent, where he is Professor of Architectural
Research, and Professor and senior visiting Research Fellow at the Royal Melbourne
Institute of Technology University, Melbourne, Australia. He travels the world advising
universities as a professor of odd jobs. He has consulted in a variety of areas from a
mental health hospital to a bank and from universities to the creation of CAD systems for
designers. He was awarded a DSc, recognising his research in cybernetics and design.
Abstract
Teaching Software Engineering to professional master‟s students is a challenging
endeavor, and arguably for the past 20 years, Carnegie Mellon University has been quite
successful. Although CMU teaches Software Engineering at sites world-wide and uses
different pedagogies, the goal of the curriculum -- to produce world-class software
engineers -- remains constant. This presentation will discuss two of the most mature
versions of Carnegie Mellon‟s Software Engineering program – the main campus
program and its “daughter program” at the Silicon Valley Campus. We discuss the
programs with respect to the dimensions of curriculum, how students work and learn,
how faculty teach, curricular materials, and how students are assessed to provide insight
into how Carnegie Mellon continues to keep its programs fresh, to adapt them to local
needs, and to meet its goal of excellence after 20 years.
Professor Ray Bareiss,
Carnegie Mellon University, Silicon Valley
Director of Educational Programs
and
Associate Teaching Professor Mel Rosso-Llopart
Carnegie Mellon University
Director for the Distance Education program
Keynote Address
Software Engineering Education at Carnegie Mellon University: One
University; Programs Taught in Two Places
Short Bios
Ray Bareiss is Director of Educational Programs and Professor of the Practice of
Software Engineering and Software Management at Carnegie Mellon‟s Silicon Valley
Campus, where he oversees and teaches in two unique, learning-by-doing, professional
master‟s programs. He was a founder of Cognitive Arts Corporation and served as
executive vice president for strategic projects, such as virtual university collaborations
and large-scale corporate eLearning initiatives. Prior to joining Cognitive Arts, Dr.
Bareiss was Assistant Director of the Institute for the Learning Sciences at Northwestern
University, as well as an Associate Professor of Computer Science and Education. Dr.
Bareiss specializes in pedagogy for professional education, computer-based learning
environments, organizational memory and computer-based performance support, human-
computer interaction, and cased-based reasoning. He is also the author of a number of
books and articles. Dr. Bareiss holds a Ph.D. in Computer Sciences and a B.S. in
Communication from the University of Texas at Austin.
Mel Rosso-Llopart is currently the Assistant Director of the Masters of Software
Engineering program, the Director for the Distance Education program, and an Associate
Teaching Professor at Carnegie Mellon University. He has experience in research and
development, managing project communications, and fiscal project management for large
and small projects. He is also well versed in a variety of computing environments, has
developed large network configurations, and developed large database applications. Mr.
Rosso-Llopart earned Bachelor's degrees in Physics, Biology, and Computer Science at
the University of California, and holds a Masters of Software Engineering from the
School of Computer Science at Carnegie Mellon University.
Abstract
There is a false notion that the world is complex. Rather the world, with appropriate
definitions at appropriate levels of granularity, is a lot simpler than believed. One
shorthand of granularity is the popular DIKW (data, information, knowledge, wisdom)
division, however, even that shortcut is misleading because it implies a static universe of
these entities, as if the distinctions between data and information, for example, always
pertains in all situations and environments. Rather, within a dynamic universe of
knowledge, a wit of knowledge pertaining to one situation, might not even be information
or data, but simply noise to a system at hand.
To counter the notion of an ever more complex world it is important to look from both
the perspective of those perceivers of complexity and the perspective of significant
knowledge, say as knowledge objects, which can simple and effectively capture model-
related processes in, say, a single-sentenced operational definition as advanced by
Cowan, Churchman, Ackoff and myself. From the perceiver side it is necessary to ignore
apparent variety – variety that will shroud a situation from its underlying brevity and
clarity. As the aim of many designers and systems analysts is to provide requisite variety
in response to forceful and conducive variety pertaining to a situation, only through an
approach of knowledge conciseness or knowledge consilience can we attain guidance
(a.k.a cybernetic regulators) of fluid social situations (and out of this focus have also
defined behavioral science resulting from these near-isomorphic forms).
Dr. W. Curtiss Priest
Principal Research Associate Emeritus, MIT
Director, Center for Information, Technology & Society (Formerly the Center for Information, Technology & Society at MIT)
Cyber-Educator of the Year, Newsweek
Keynote Address
Reusability in Knowledge and Pedagogical Objects: Digital Resource Reusability (as Objects) Only Occurs When Libraries are near-
Isomorphic to the Structures that Pertain: From Math to Bookkeeping; From Rigid
Organizations to Unbounded, Fluid Social Organizations and Societies
Further, as a generous benefit of investing in both content knowledge objects and
pedagogical knowledge objects, via the netting of these Net-based objects, often as true
‘learning objects,‟ with well-defined properties and methods, we will attain the oft-
missed goal of object reusability as well as the formation of a World Brain (Wells, 1938)
which will serve to enable the human mind to learn, an investment in human capital
(Becker, 1964), a continuous process of adding to the netting, often appearing as welfare-
increasing technological innovations, and a civilizing force in man‟s “race between
education and catastrophe (Wells, 1919).”
Through citing example models and example knowledge objects, the listener is
encouraged to consider the veracity and importance of making this Kuhnian
paradigmatic shift (1962) before society loses all hope of re-establishing a vision of the
Enlightenment.
Short Bio
Dr. W. Curtiss Priest is Director of the Center for Information, Technology & Society,
Principal Research Associate Emeritus, MIT, Cyber-Educator of the Year, Newsweek
Magazine, December 1997 and former Faculty, MIT Media Laboratory; Director, Center
for Information, Technology, and Society.
Dr. Priest places the capabilities of Computer Science in the context of learning,
government decision-making, and patient-health provider interactions. As these contexts
often require one-on-one learning, he has designed and implemented various P2P (peer-
to- peer) communication systems.
Dr. Priest holds several patents in P2P technologies, and licensees have included
Microsoft, Qualcomm, and Novell. With regard to patient health and human values, Dr.
Priest was Co-Principal Investigator in an NSF funded grant at MIT to better understand
how communications users often pioneer the development of useful IT tools at MIT.
Recently, Dr. Priest has pioneered the use of P2P for matching the interests of students
with the abilities of online mentors to help teach these students. And, recognizing that
there have been many duplicative, parallel efforts in IT, and educational technology, Dr.
Priest recently spoke to the members of the Association for the Advancement of
Computers in Education (AACE), about how various "object oriented" activities have
some things in common, such as the use of metadata, but, lack the ability to build objects
in the fuller sense where objects can be created and additional objects can be created
based on inheritance. While the principals of inheritance, methods, and properties are
common within a given computer language, these principals have yet to be translated to
World Wide Web objects that can assure that each effort builds on the efforts of others.
His basic research areas are Learning objects, instructional applications development,
social implications, and distributed learning systems.
Abstract
Why the financial crisis happened is explained using causal influence diagrams. The
paper shows how several factors combined to transform a credit cycle into a “super
bubble.” Financial innovations, which were initially thought to decrease risk, actually
increased risk. A desire for commissions replaced a concern for the welfare of
customers. An underlying cause was the prevailing economic theory which assumes that
markets are either in equilibrium or quickly return to equilibrium. An alternative theory
is reflexivity theory, which assumes that human beings, the elements of social systems,
are both observers and participants. Human beings are prone to periods of optimism and
pessimism, of trust and distrust. The result is boom and bust cycles. This alternative
theory has not been widely accepted by economists because it emphasizes human
judgment rather than mathematical modeling. Also, it requires a change in the
philosophy of science. However, reflexivity in social systems is quite compatible with
cybernetics and with an expanded view of the philosophy of science.
Professor Stuart A. Umpleby
The George Washington University
Former President of The American Society of Cybernetics
Keynote Address
The Financial Crisis: Cybernetics Can Explain What Happened and How we Need to Change our Thinking
Short Bio
Stuart Umpleby is a professor of management at The George Washington University in
Washington, DC and Former President of the American Society for Cybernetics.
Stuart Umpleby is a professor in the Department of Management Science and Director of
the Center for Social and Organizational Learning at George Washington University. He
teaches courses in cybernetics and systems theory, the philosophy of science, cross-
cultural management, and computer simulation. Other interests include total quality
management, interactive planning methods, and computer conferencing.
As a graduate student in the early 1970s he was associated with Heinz von Foerster and
Ross Ashby at the Biological Computer Laboratory at the University of Illinois in
Urbana-Champaign. He received degrees in engineering, political science, and
communications from the University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign. While at the
University of Illinois he worked in the Biological Computer Laboratory and the
Computer-based Education Research Laboratory (the PLATO system).
He has been using and designing computer conferencing systems since 1970. Between
1977 and 1980 he was the moderator of a computer conference on general systems theory
which was supported by the National Science Foundation. This project was one of nine
"experimental trials of electronic information exchange for small research communities."
About sixty scientists in the United States, Canada, and Europe interacted for a period of
two and a half years using the Electronic Information Exchange System (EIES) located at
New Jersey Institute of Technology.
Umpleby teaches a course in system dynamics modeling. He constructed a system
dynamics model of national development for the US Agency for International
Development, and he was an instructor for several years in the AID Development Studies
Program.
Since 1981 he has been arranging scientific meetings involving American and Russian
scientists in the area of cybernetics and systems theory. In 1984 he spent part of a
sabbatical year at the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis, an East-West
research institute located near Vienna, Austria. In the spring of 1990 he was a guest
professor at the University of Vienna, of Medical Cybernetics and Artificial Intelligence.
Abstract
Complexity involves a multi-dimensional ecology of world and consciousness, objects and
perception, opportunities and language. One key to understanding that ecology is the concept
of 'affordances' --- the assumed mechanism(s) whereby complexity presents itself as (weak)
signal(s) to consciousness. The "World", in the form of affordances, invites response by
subjects. Affordances act as attractors drawing humans into action. Humans are not in a
universe of dead material (hyle), but live in a world of active subject-world inter-
relationship(s). The world acts, makes occur and initiates possibilities. 'Affordance' is a word
for this activity.
Affordances are about opportunities, dangers, and possibilities that call organism,
consciousness and environment, to activity and sense-making. Affordances are what points to
the adjacent possible. Getting the balance right of the 'something out there' and the
'consciousness of the actant' may be a philosophical nightmare, but we do it every day.
Opportunities for action only exist if there is an actant to whom they appear.
Affordances occur when self and other, perceiver and perceived, objects and persons meet in
actionable combinations. Affordances invite participation, action and response. When
circumstance invites reaction, context demands a response, or the situation offers
opportunity, something is afforded. In affordance, perception, information, and activity are
related in a manner that seems to beg for action. Affordances are not just labels --- i.e. the
product of a subject's naming something. Nor are affordances retrospective --- i.e. a quality of
Dr. Michael Lissack
Institute for the Study of Coherence and
Emergence: ISCE, USA
Keynote Address
Complexity is more than a Label: A look at
Affordances and Homologies
reality identified after-the-fact. Affordances are prospective --- context invites action,
environment points to activity. In affordances, world, situation and location, point to action,
shout for response and offer opportunities for attainment.
Affordances are emergent. The whole happens --- but it can be unpredictable, dynamic and
creative. Organization is emergent; it is not a mere collection of pre-defined components. In
organizing, the parts of the organization develop in relationship to one another. These parts
only take on their identity through their relationship(s) to the whole --- the parts and whole
are mutually one another's causes and effects. Development of the parts depends on the
development of the whole, and vice versa. Obviously the parts do not add up to the whole;
the organization or organism is more than the sum of its parts. The organized whole --- at
whatever complexity or aggregation level --- is semi-autonomous. Start-up ventures and
entrepreneurs are afforded the opportunity for reward and failure by their (investors') belief in
the prospects for success. But profits can depend on labor markets, exchange rates, taxation
& regulation, technology, the economic climate, competitors' behavior, etcetera ---
organizational success of failure occurs in very complex ecologies, however simple the
affordances may appear to be at any given moment.
The environment can make all the difference in the organism's or organization's development.
The living actant can make a big difference to its environment. The general law determines
the specific instance, and the specific instance determines the general law. Actions and
actants are linked in complex interacting systems.
The financial crisis of 2008 to the present is illustrative of the working of affordances.
According to most observers it was the all-pervasive belief that housing prices could only rise
that afforded easy lending and lax regulation, which in turn allowed the housing bubble to
inflate. The belief in always-rising prices allowed lenders - supposedly rationally - to look
only to the value of the underlying asset (which the belief set asserted could only rise), rather
than to the ability of the borrower to make payments. The same beliefs allowed regulators to
be unconcerned when stories arose in the media regarding "liars' loans" (loans made to
people who blatantly could not afford them and who lied on their mortgage applications).
The belief in rising prices afforded the bullish lack of unease or of controls. Beliefs and
stories provided a context that afforded resulting actions.
Affordances are thus a matter of mind and circumstance, and of the resonance between them.
Relationships between world and consciousness manifest themselves in concrete networks of
activity. There is no single determining logic to these dynamic and emergent relationships.
Possibilities, dangers, and spiritual beliefs all resonate with circumstances, others, and
innovative actions. The effort to reduce all affordances to a few causal combinations,
amounts to reduction ad absurdum. Affordances and their import demand an attention to
underlying homologies rather than to labels.
Homologies are the sameness of a model which is perceived by an observer to be “behind”
two or more situations. Homologies allow the observer to mentally interact with multiple
affordances and where possible to “elect” the context for the next action. Homology assumes
that context is variable. Labels assume that context is given. Complexity recognizes that both
assumptions apply in the world.
There are critical lessons here for the ways in which we train managers to act. The use of rule
based checklists, and of Demming inspired statistical controls, asserts a stasis to the world,
which we do not find. Such a stasis would allow for the affordances to be predictable, the
context to be controllable, and emergence to non-existent. Instead, we find that emergence is
pervasive, context is seldom controllable, ecologies are emergent, and few affordances are
predictable, other than in the abstract world of theory (or of a management school case
study).
The absence of stasis means that one cannot predict and control affordances. One affordance
will be violent and destructive, and another creative and fulfilling; the one can open up a field
of fear and aggression, and the other an opportunity-space for generativity. When we tell
stories and share languaging, the changing context can bring us from raw experience to the
possibilities and limits of shared consciousness. Such sharing is the exploration of homology.
Affordances can bring us from a possibility space to an activity. In the relationships between
persons and situations, the move from activity to consciousness and back again, can be co-
shared and co-experienced. Affordances are what Scott Kelso calls 'complementary relating
contrarieties', providing the non-dualist logic needed in social complexity studies. One will
be drawn out by affordances, feel compelled to do things by affordances, and confronted by
possibilities by affordances. The logic of affordances is a logic of relationship and possibility.
Affordances are about the could be and not the IS.
That could be is the realm of homology. Management studies are geared around the
retrospective reduction of what was to a set of rules and labels. By contrast, a complexity
inspired organizational studies would develop a language to describe multifaceted
possibilities, or affordances --- that is, to map the potential, resonating, inter-relating, and
interacting events of relationship. Affordances are about possible maps of relationship and
where they might lead one. Rationalization after-the-fact of the path already taken is what
organizational and management studies now focus on. Such studies have an infamous
inability to be predictive, because they are analyzing retrospectively, avoiding the complexity
of affordances. Affordance and homology analysis allows for complexity recognition,
description and some (critical) reflection. Affordances and homologies are perhaps the next
frontier for organization studies and a critical arena for management education.
Short Bio
Michael Lissack is the director of the Institute for the Study of Coherence and Emergence
(ISCE) and an Internet entrepreneur. From 1999 to 2004, Dr. Lissack served as the editor ]in
]chief of Emergence: A Journal of Complexity Issues in Organizations and Management
(which is now known as E:CO). Most recently he lectured on business and public policy at
the Central European University in Budapest. Dr. Lissack is also the founder and chairman of
Knowledge Ventures (an educational software and search company) and Market2Buyers.com
(a real estate broker software company).Dr. Lissack was a candidate for county commissioner
in Collier County, Florida in 2002 and in 2006. Worth magazine recognized Dr. Lissack in
1999 as one of "Wall Street's 25 Smartest Players" and again in 2001 as on of the 100
Americans who have most influenced “how we think about money.”
Abstract
From pet dog robots to the deranged HAL of 2001 fame, Artificial Consciousness seems
likely to come whether we wish it to or not. Some philosophically inclined
mathematicians and physicists appear to apply the following “sillygism”: Consciousness
is beyond our understanding (not a valid assessment). Quantum mechanics is also beyond
human understanding (A valid statement). So somehow consciousness is quantum
mechanical. Many so-called philosophers of consciousness love the mystery of
consciousness and seek to keep it mysterious. Yet the way they frame the problem almost
guarantees failure, as they seek to show that consciousness, as we know it cannot arise
from dirt and pond scum. I agree, but the problem becomes easier if we are able to show
why and how evolution could have built human consciousness. I outline a probable and
valid way for evolution to accomplish that. The study Biological Consciousness points
the way. That is, once we know what consciousness means, what it is good for, and how
it arose, the path to Artificial Consciousness is no longer barred by lovers of mystery.
Our machines must have at least primitive consciousness for a variety of reasons. I will
show that we have already made machines that have primitive consciousness and how to
move as far as possible toward the goal of human-like consciousness. I will also
show three things about conscious robots:
1. How we must relate to our conscious machines.
2. Why we need them
3. How to build them.
Dr. H. John Caulfield
Chief Scientist, Alabama A&M University Research Institute
Distinguished Research Professor at Fisk University.
"One of America's 10 Top Scientists"- Business Week. “One of
the Most Influential People in the World in Minicomputers" -
Byte, "A Pioneer on Optical Processing"- Fortune.
Keynote Address
Artificial and Biological Consciousness - The ABCs
Short Bio
Education
BA, Physics, Rice, 1958 and PhD, Physics, Iowa State, 1962
Publications
14 books, 41 book chapters, 252 refereed journal papers, numerous popular articles,
including the most popular of them all – the 1984 National Geographic cover story on
holography read by more than 25,000,000 people, and 29 US patents
Major Awards
The Dennis Gabor Award – Highest award in holography
The Gold Medal – Highest award of SPIE
Other Accolades
Erdős Number: 4
Vavilov Medal
Mentioned in many newsstand journals including these:
“One of America‟s 10 Top Scientists”- Business Week
“One of the Most Influential people in the World in Minicomputers”- Byte
“A Pioneer on Optical Processing”- Fortune
Journals
Currently (Editor Advances in Optical Technologies, Journal of Holography and Speckle,
and editorial board of 6)
Past (Editor, Optical Engineering and editorial board of several others)
Technical Conferences Chaired for IEEE, Gordon Research Conferences, SPIE, OSA,.
Engineering Foundation
Invited Talks at many conferences around the world, i.e. USA, Mexico, Canada, Belarus,
France, England, Wales, Switzerland, Italy, Russia, Ukraine, South Africa, China, Korea,
Japan
Abstract
The lecture will be focused on a series of three books which are being published right
now under the heading of a new science of cybernetics. (The New Science of Cybernetics.
The Evolution of Living Research Designs, Vol. I: Methodology, two more books on
Theory and Explorations are due by November 2009 and November 2010)
The first part of the lecture will try to give an overview of the differences between the
new science of cybernetics and cybernetics as we knew it from the 1960s or 1970s. The
new science of cybernetics is based on a vision which has been put forward by Heinz von
Foerster under the name of “second order cybernetics” although von Foerster was never
able to present a comprehensive outline of this novel way of inter- or trans-disciplinary
research. Thus, the first half of the presentation will be devoted to this subject and to the
general structure or to the great vision of a new science of cybernetics.
The second half of the talk will show some examples how research designs under the new
science of cybernetics differ significantly from the conventional ways of cybernetics. The
main focus of these examples will lie in the field of the social sciences and of complex
social systems.
Short Bio
Karl H. Müller is head of WISDOM, Austria's infra-structural centre for the social
sciences and humanities, president of the International Heinz von Foerster Society and
Dr. Karl H. Müller
University of Vienna, Austria
University of Ljubljana, Slovenia
Director of the
Wiener Institute for Social Science Documentation (WISDOM)
Keynote Address
The New Science of Cybernetics: Vision and Research Designs
scientific advisor of a new research program RISC (Rare Incidents, Strong
Consequences) at the University of Ljubljana, Slovenia. Karl H. Müller was the former
head of the Departments of Political Science and of Sociology at the Institute for
Advanced Studies in Vienna.
He is the Austrian member of the European Strategy Forum on Research Infrastructures
(ESFRI)-Working Group for the social sciences and humanities. Moreover, he is member
of an international working group on research infrastructures in the social sciences and
humanities, appointed by the German Science Council.
His main research interests range from issues in complex modelling within the social
sciences and from interdisciplinary analyses of innovation processes in science,
technology and economy to the history and the current potential of inter- and
transdisciplinary research, to the frontiers of second order cybernetics and radical
constructivism and, finally, to the newly emerging risk-potentials for contemporary
societies in general.
In the field of research infrastructures for the social sciences and humanities his main
emphasis lies in the visualization of national and international data sets, including the
visualization of complex, multidimensional data.
He has conducted and organized more than seventy national and international research
projects and has published more than 200 scientific articles and books in international as
well as national journals or publishing houses.
WISDOM (Wiener Institute for Social Science Documentation and Methodology) is
Austria‟s center in the domain of research infrastructures for the social sciences.
WISDOM has been established in 1985 and is organized as a private non-profit research
institute. Currently, WISDOM employs roughly 20 scientists mainly from the field of
social sciences.
WISDOM is the Austrian member of CESSDA (Council of European Social Science
Data Archives). In the future, WISDOM will be the Austrian node in two emerging
European research infrastructures (ERI). First, WISDOM will become full member of
CESSDA-ERI, the new European data archive for the social sciences. Second, WISDOM
will act as the national co-ordinator for the European Social Survey. Additionally,
WISDOM hosts the Austrian research documentation for the social sciences and provides
the electronic support for the international project management of the Austrian Ministry
of Labour, Social Affairs and Consumer Protection in the field of labour market policy
and human resources.
Additionally, WISDOM is engaged in a number of relevant research fields, especially in
labour market research, in information systems on professional qualifications, in the field
of “Science, Technology and Society” or in cybernetics and the cybernetics of space.
WISDOM edits a book-series under the title “Complexity, Design, Society” which places
a strong emphasis on the new frontiers in the fields of complexity research, second-order
cybernetics and the application of complex methods and models in the social sciences.
PLENARY KEYNOTE SPEAKERS
Dr. Susan Nash (Oklahoma University, USA), New Directions in E-Learning in Response to Global Environmental and Energy Issues
Eng. Gustav R. Grob, Dean em, SGS-REDWOOD (International Petroleum
Training Institute, Switzerland), Smart Grids and Sustainable Energy
Prof. Dr. Karlheinz Blankenbach and Prof. Alfred Schaetter (Pforzheim
University, Germany), Interdisciplinary Overall IT Education Concept and
Implementation
PLENARY KEYNOTE SPEAKERS
Dr. Susu Nousala (Spatial Information Architecture Laboratory: SIAL, RMIT,
Australia), Tacit Knowledge Networks and their Implementation in Complex
Organizations
Dr. Béatrice Hasler (University of Zurich, Switzerland), "The ShanghAI Lectures":
A Mixed-reality Approach for Global Teaching and International Student
Collaboration.
Dr. Roberta Mugellesi Dow (European Space Agency, Germany), Bringing Knowledge Management to Space Operations: From Theory to Real World
PLENARY KEYNOTE SPEAKERS
Dr. Bill Tait (The Open University, UK), A Software Model of Teaching and Learning
Dr. Slava Kalyuga (University of New South Wales, Australia), Evidence-based
Instructional Design Principles for Multimedia Learning Environments
Dr. Houman A. Sadri and Dr. Madelyn Flammia (University of Central Florida,
USA), Intercultural Communication from an Interdisciplinary Perspective
Abstract
Climate change, spikes in oil prices, and environmental degradation have resulted in an
increased demand for education and training in "green jobs" that emphasize sustainable
business development, renewable energy, environmental protection, carbon capture and
sequestration, and "cleantech" innovations. This presentation discusses new "green" e-
learning, with a review of the curriculum, programs, and courses. It discusses the
outcomes and learning objectives of the programs, and how new combinations of
synchronous and asynchronous deliveries are being used. Mobile learning and elearning
instructional strategies incorporate static content (graphics, maps, diagrams, videos) as
well as continuous interaction (Twitter, messaging, feeds, facebook, linkedin) to create
learning environments that are responsive to changing needs and skill sets.
Short Bio
Dr. Susan Smith Nash is author of several books and many articles. Involved in the
development and administration of innovative distance courses and programs since the
early 1990s, Nash has made a point to share her experience as well as her research
through her websites, weblogs and podcasts. She is currently Director of Education and
Professional Development at the AAPG, a global geoscience organization with offices in
London, Bahrain, Singapore, Tulsa, having more than 33,000 members. She is also
principle investigator at the Petroleum Technology Transfer Council, an energy
technology transfer network of regional lead organizations (primarily major research
universities) and private / public companies. Previously, she was Associate Dean,
Dr. Susan S. Nash
University of Oklahoma, USA
Director, Education and Professional Development
American Association of Petroleum Geologists
Keynote Address
New Directions in E-Learning in Response to Global
Environmental and Energy Issues
Graduate Liberal Arts at the Excelsior College, Albany, New York, and she directed
various programs in online, outreach, and distance education at the University of
Oklahoma.
Her background is interdisciplinary, with a Ph.D. in English, M.A. in English, post-
graduate courses in economics and instructional design, B.S. in Geology.
In addition to developing and teaching courses in writing, leadership, and literature,
Susan has developed content for writing courses for web-based and mobile delivery. The
writing courses and content span multiple learning styles, levels, and rhetorical situations,
ranging from technical writing, first-year composition, advanced composition, graduate
research and writing, professional writing, as well as memoirs and autobiography, and
materials for English language learners. Currently, she is involved in developing
programs and conducting research in the comparative efficacy of new synchronous web-
based and mobile courses, and asynchronous online and mobile courses.
The recipient of collaboration and innovation awards for her work in developing
innovative and high-quality online and hybrid programs that take advantage of the latest
technologies, Nash has been involved with organizations and educational institutions
involved in online education and training. Ground-floor online program development for
the University of Oklahoma and has developed curriculum and programs for elearning
(including mobile learning) for Florida Community College Jacksonville, the Literature
Institute, the American Association of Petroleum Geologists, Excelsior College.
Over the last 15 years, Nash has developed instructional content for textbooks, audio
books (educational mp3 downloads), simulations and serious games, video
(downloadable educational video clips). Content includes Spanish and English language
materials.
Very strong in international training, Nash led private sector strengthening missions to
Azerbaijan, Paraguay, developed programs for Paraguayan private and public sector
entitites. In addition, she has managed programs to provide training and development for
professionals and projects in Central Asia, South America, and Africa.
She has published numerous articles in peer-reviewed journals and has made
presentations at prominent national and international conferences. Susan is involved with
research into the best ways to use new techniques and technologies (Web 2.0, etc), for
effective e-learning (and training).
Her book, Excellence in College Teaching and Learning: Classroom and Online
Instruction, was co-authored with George Henderson and published in 2007. Leadership
and the e-Learning Organization, was published in 2006. E-Learner Survival Guide is
forthcoming. Nash is managing editor of Texture Press, also an editor with JELLO -
Journal of E-Learning and Learning Objects. Her edublog, e-Learning Queen
(http://www.elearningqueen.com) has been nominated for several awards. Her most
recent book, Good Deeds Society (2008), was translated into Slovenian (Klub Dobrih
Dejanj) and received recognition in Ljubljana and in schools in Slovenia.
Abstract
Transportation is facing fundamental change due to the rapid depletion of fossil fuels,
environmental and health problems, the growing world population, rising standards of
living with more individual mobility and the globalization of trade with its increasing
international transport volume.
To cope with these serious problems benign, renewable energy systems and much more
efficient drives must be multiplied as rapidly as possible to replace the polluting
combustion engines with their much too low efficiency and high fuel logistics cost.
Consequently the vehicles of the future must be non-polluting and super-efficient, i.e.
electric. The energy supply must come via smart grids from clean energy sources not
affecting the health, climate and biosphere. It is shown how this transition to the clean,
sustainable energy age is possible, feasible and why it is urgent.
The important role of international ISO, IEC and ITU standards and the need for better
legislation by means of the Global Energy Charter for Sustainable Development are also
highlighted.
Eng. Gustav R. Grob
Dean em, SGS-REDWOOD
International Petroleum Training Institute, Switzerland
Executive Secretary ISEO, Geneva
President International Clean Energy Consortium ICEC
Chairman ISO Committee on Energy Systems Analyses and Statistics
Founder-Chairman of ISO/TC197 on Hydrogen Energy Technologies
Keynote Address
Smart Grids and Sustainable Energy
Short Bio
Graduate Electromechanical and Industrial Engineer; BROWN BOVERI (now ABB);
GEBAUER (formerly OTIS, now SCHINDLER); DU PONT International; APPLIED
POWER-ENERPAC; JET AGE SYSTEMS; SGS-REDWOOD; International Clean
Energy Consortium ICEC (co-founder). Dean em. SGS-REDWOOD International
Petroleum Training School. Chief editor of Blueprint for the Clean, Sustainable Energy
Age, The CODE and ISEO News. Fellow, Institute of Petroleum (now Energy Institute
F.EI); Swiss Institute of Automation & Control SGA; Swiss Electrical Association SEV
(hon.member); Instrument Society of America ISA; International Association for
Hydrogen Energy IAHE; Former Chairman ISO TC30/SC1 (Dynamic Mass Flow
Measurement); ISO/TC28/SC3/WG1 (Tank Calibration), WG4 (Static Liquid Mass
Measurement); Co-founder and Chairman of ISO/TC 197 Hydrogen Energy and
ISO/TC203 (Technical Energy Systems); Chairman TC 203/WG3 Energy Systems
Analyses; Founder VP of CMDC-SPOC / former President of the World Sustainable
Energy Coalition WSEC; Executive Secretary ISEO International Sustainable Energy
Organization, Geneva; Board Member of the International Energy Foundation IEF;
former Board Member of World Renewable Energy Network WREN.
Speaker at International Energy Economics Conference, New Delhi; Energy Research
Conference , Florence; CMDC/UNDP Seminar on Renewable Energy , Beijing; World
Hydrogen Energy Conferences , Moscow, Hawaii, Miami, Zurich. Paris, Stuttgart;
Renewable Energy Congress , Reading; UN Minister-Level Conference on Energy &
Environment , Bangkok; 2nd World Climate Conference , Geneva; World Clean Energy
Congress , Zurich; Asian-Pacific Clean Energy Development Plan, Energy Planning
Conference , Kuala Lumpur; Global Energy Efficiency Mechanism , Geneva; Electricity
& Environment Conference , Helsinki; UNCED PrepComs for Rio Summit; World
Sustainable Energy Coalition WSEC / World Clean Energy Conferences in Geneva;
United Nations Conference on Environment & Development UNCED, Rio proclaiming
the Global Energy Charter , WREN Renewable Energy Congresses ; ENERGEX
conferences , Seoul, Bahrain, Stavanger, Beijing, Krakow; New Energy Conference ,
Yokahama; AIT Energy & Climate Symposium , Bangkok; UN Commission on
Sustainable Development sessions CSD in New York; UN Climate Conferences ; IEA-
IIASA Energy Modeling , Paris and Stanford; United Nations World Summit on
Sustainable Development WSSD , Johannesburg 2002; Energy & Environment
Conference , Changsa, China, UN-ECE Energy Conference ; World Geothermal
Conference; REAsia Beijing, World Biomass Energy Conference, Rome;
RENEWABLES Summit at Bonn, ENVIRONMENT 2005 and FUTURE ENERGY 2008
at Abu Dhabi; Asian Pacific Sustainable Transport Conference, Xi'an; SLOBIOM
Renewable Energy Conferences for South East Europe ; ENER Conferences, Monaco,
Energy Technology Transfer conference, Muscat, HOPE, Mumbai, ICLEI in Edmonton
etc.
Abstract
Business IT and embedded systems have been separated for long time. New network
trends have glued them together for mutual benefits. Prominent keywords in this area are
factory automation, machine-to-machine communication (M2M). An example is a
production machine which is integrated in ERP systems for production and resources
planning, quality assurance systems and last but not least failure analysis and
maintenance. Another example in daily business life are printers and photocopiers which
order spare parts automatically.
However such machines and systems are built with embedded systems (microcontrollers
including industrial PCs) which have to be connected to mainframe systems. Depending
on the different requirements on technical software and business software the software
development is different in both. Specialists for embedded systems concentrate on the
technical environment of the software, business software developers focus on business
processes and data modeling. But in order to get an optimized overall system technical
operations have to be integrated in business workflows. For integrating the systems these
specialists from different background have to work closely together and a knowledge of
both embedded systems and business IT is essential . As a consequence, this modern
approach of combining systems should already be learned during studies.
Prof. Dr. Karlheinz Blankenbach
Pforzheim University, Germany
Department of Electronics and Computer Engineering
and
Prof. Alfred Schaetter
Pforzheim University, Germany
Department of Industrial Engineering
Keynote Address
Interdisciplinary Overall IT Education Concept and
Implementation
Pforzheim University has multidisciplinary schools (design, business and engineering),
where the latter are closely connected via Computer Science. At Bachelor level common
courses were introduced bringing those programs together of which people will work
together on the jobs in industry. A graduate example is the „Master of Science in
Information Systems‟ where students from Business Informatics and
Electronics/Computer Engineering will learn fundamentals of the other discipline. So the
students will have enough knowledge of „both‟ worlds to engineer and handle complex
hard- and software projects like airport information systems. Beside theoretical classes
we offer a lot of joint projects, where students will learn to handle larger scaled software
and information system including shipment and evaluation. Examples will be presented.
Short Bios
Prof. Dr. Karlheinz Blankenbach
Educational Background:
1978 – 1984: Study of Physics at University of Ulm (Germany), Degree: Diploma (Master)
1985 - 1987: PhD at University of Ulm (Germany)
Professional Experience:
1988 - 1995: R&D engineer and project leader at DAIMLER subsidiary AEG, Ulm:
software engineering, electronic displays
Since 1995 Professor in the department "Electroncis and Computer Engineering"
at Pforzheim University (Germany), School of Engineering
lectures: software, electronic displays, mulitmedia, GUI design
R&D grants on Embedded Systems (displays, software, system design, ...)
Many publications and talks at (international) conferences etc.
Prof. Alfred Schaetter
Educational Background:
1978 – 1984 Study of Computer Science at Karlsruhe University (Germany),
Degree: Diploma (Master)
Research and/or Professional Experience:
1984 – 1986 R&D assistant at institute of computer sciences, chair of operating systems at
Karlsruhe University (Germany),
1986 – 1990 System developer for organization and data processing, Daimler AG (Germany),
1990 – 1995 Professor in the department "Business Information Systems" at Pforzheim
University (Germany), Business School
Since 1995 Professor in the department "Industrial Engineering" at Pforzheim University
(Germany) School of Engineering lectures: programming, software
engineering, Internet technologies
Abstract
It is difficult for organizations to effectively manage personal knowledge so it can be
mobilized, shared, and rewarded to benefit the organization. These difficulties occur
particularly in large geographically dispersed, hierarchical organizations. The
management of developing, identifying successful practices, building up and maintaining
tacit knowledge, requires an understanding of how these ideas have emerged within the
organization through a Tacit Knowledge Exchange (TKE) process.
The TKE process requires an adoption of multiple methods and approaches employed
simultaneously. A series of cases study instances were used as a basis for the
methodology, each contributing specific aspects of the methodology. The initial three
case study instances, each yielded specific characteristics regarding tacit knowledge
exchange and networking. The findings from the initial three case study instances were
tested in a large hierarchical, complex engineering organization. This final case study
instance, prototyped a methodology to graphically codify, index and build up in-house
tacit knowledge abilities through mapping staff knowledge. The final case study instance
allowed for investigations into what characteristics a complex organization would utilize
in order.
The outcome of the research provided a graphical structure identifying who would be
likely to possess the kind of knowledge they need to find. The interview process was an
Dr. Susu Nousala
The Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology
RMIT University, Australia
Spatial Information Architecture Laboratory: SIAL
Keynote Address
Tacit Knowledge Networks and their Implementation in
Complex Organizations
important facilitator to precondition the knowledge bearers for sharing, thus locating key
“human attractors” within and between working groups and communities with experts
sharing the same issues and interests. The research also focused on the tacit knowledge
sharing which occurred as a transition period, prior the formation of Communities of
Practice (CoPs) evolving from Communities of Interest” (COI). Previous research and
case studies have focused primarily on the CoP phenomena within larger organizations
and not the areas of transition.
New strategies were adopted to highlight characteristics and previously unidentified
attributes that support sustainable, successful Tacit Knowledge Exchange (TKE) in
relation to explicit structures preventing any unnecessary re-invention through emerging
lessons learnt from previous experiences. Through mapping lessons of tacit knowledge
protocols and frameworks, the relation to current explicit knowledge management
strategies could be understood. These Tacit Knowledge Networking (TKN) strategies
were important as they ensured sustainable long-term success, through well-integrated
explicit and tacit knowledge management capabilities.
Future directions: Within the environment of project-based engineering, tacit knowledge
networks need to be based on well-structured ontology if there is to be successful
development of knowledge management capabilities that can truly deliver horizontal
activities cutting across a hierarchical organization. Knowledge management in project-
based engineering organizations is developing a real level of specialty in an area of ever-
increasing knowledge intensity, in a global society with increasing levels of complexity.
Short Bio
Currently, Dr. Nousala is a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at Spatial Information
Architecture Laboratory (SIAL), RMIT Design and Social Context, School of
Architecture and Design. She is also currently an honorary Research Fellow at GAMUT
(Australasian Centre for the Governance and Management of Urban Transport) Faculty
of Architecture, Building and Planning, University of Melbourne. Her areas of research
interest include embedded practice, tacit knowledge networks (social complex adaptive
systems) understanding the value and transference of tacit knowledge in socio-technical
networks and complex systems. She is also involved in the development and coordination
of a research group focusing on the theory, ontology and management of organizational
knowledge. To date she is the author and co-author of over 15 refereed journal and
conference papers, as well as book chapters. She has been successful in managing and
securing funding for several National and International grants and projects.
Abstract
"The ShanghAI Lectures" are a higher education initiative using a mixed-reality approach
for global teaching and international student collaboration. The lectures series on
embodied intelligence will be broadcast in fall term 2009 from Jiao Tong University in
Shanghai to different universities around the world to create a "global virtual lecture
hall". Students will collaborate in multicultural and interdisciplinary virtual teams on
projects and group assignments, view and annotate lectures, and meet with experts,
embodied as avatars in a virtual world. In order to comply with the requirements of large-
scale global collaboration, a 3D collaborative virtual environment named "UniWorld" is
currently being developed at the University of Zurich using Sun Microsystems' Project
Wonderland toolkit. Besides fostering intercultural learning, "The ShanghAI Lectures"
offer a unique opportunity to study virtual team behavior in a multi-cultural context. It
aims to generate practical guidelines on how to effectively support the work of globally
dispersed teams in 3D virtual environments. We will demonstrate the technical and
organizational setting of "The ShanghAI Lectures" project and present an overview of its
educational goals and research agenda at the "Academic Globalization" symposium.
Short Bio
Béatrice Hasler graduated from the University of Bern, Switzerland, in Media
Psychology and Computer Science in 2005 and completed her Master thesis on
instructional computer animation at University of New South Wales, Australia. She
received her Doctorate in Psychology on "virtual assessment centers" from the University
Dr. Béatrice Hasler
University of Zurich, Switzerland
Leads The international research team of a global higher
education initiative "The ShanghAI Lectures”
Keynote Address
“The ShanghAI Lectures": A Mixed-reality Approach for
Global Teaching and International Student Collaboration
of Zurich, Switzerland, in 2009. Currently she leads the international research team of a
global higher education initiative "The ShanghAI Lectures", which will be used as
platform for her post-doctoral research on intercultural collaboration in 3D virtual
environments.
ShanghAI Lectures Project ( Extracted from http://shanghailectures.org/)
The ShanghAI Lectures on embodied intelligence will be broadcast by videoconference
from Jiao Tong University in Shanghai to universities across the planet, complemented
by 3D collaborative virtual environments and other community-building activities to
promote interaction and cooperation among the participants.
Mission
The ShanghAI Lectures project is designed to contribute to the fundamental goal of
making education and knowledge on cutting-edge scientific topics accessible to everyone
on the planet. On the basis of state-of-the-art technology and novel methods of
knowledge transfer and community building, it attempts to overcome the complexity of a
multi-cultural and interdisciplinary learning context and bring global teaching to a new
level.
We, The ShanghAI Lectures project, believe that global teaching can be a fantastic tool to
create an intercultural discourse – to bring people from different backgrounds together,
who would not otherwise share common activities.
The ShanghAI Lectures will be about embodied intelligence because humans – from the
very beginning of their history – have always been fascinated by the topic and it is highly
valued by our society. Embodiment has implications not only for science and technology
– robotics, artificial intelligence, behavioral and neuroscience – but also for society at
large. It will also change the way we view ourselves and the world around us.
Abstract
The presentation starts describing what are the drivers for knowledge management in our
organization, the European Space Agency, and the objectives we want to achieve. Then
the presentation provides the concrete applications we have implemented as well the
Knowledge Management structure we have adopted.
Short Bio
R. Mugellesi Dow holds a degree in Mathematics from the University of Pisa, Italy,
followed by a degree in Automatic Calculus from the same University and an MBA with
major in International Business from the University of Heidelberg, Germany.
Since 1986, she is with the European Space Agency at the European Space Operations
Centre, Darmstadt, Germany. She got 20 years of experience as Flight Dynamics
Engineer in the Flight Dynamics Division where she was involved in the field of orbit
manoeuvre optimization techniques and mission planning for a number of ESA missions
like EURECA, INTEGRAL and XMM. In particular she was Flight Dynamics manager
for CLUSTER and MSG missions. Recently she has joined the Planning and
Management Support Office in ESOC where she is supporting the development of the
strategic objectives for the directorate as well as the supervision of major operational
processes including knowledge management, risk management, continuous improvement
and workforce management.
Dr. Roberta Mugellesi Dow
European Space Agency, Germany European Space Operations Centre
Keynote Address
Bringing Knowledge Management to Space Operations: From Theory to Real World
Abstract
One of the problems confronting practitioners in the expanding world of e-learning is the
lack of any model on which to base comparisons with new and traditional methods of
teaching and learning. It would be useful to have some standard framework that might
facilitate these comparisons and deal with the evolving relationships between content,
pedagogy and technology.
The model developed here is derived from the structure of a software object and extends
the concept of a reusable learning object. It is shown that this can be made more widely
applicable if it is redefined to admit greater coupling with its context then reinterpreted as
an interface object. In effect, it is a reusable learning interface. It is suggested that this
might provide a basis for comparisons between different teaching and learning events.
Short Bio
Centre for Open Learning of Mathematics, Science, Computing and Technology at The
Open University, UK.
Dr. Bill Tait, originally graduated as a Physicist then completed a master‟s degree and a
PhD in Nuclear Physics before spending most of his career as a university lecturer in
Computing. During this time, he published a number of papers on Radiation and Medical
Physics and one textbook. Later, he became involved in educational development and
changed his research interest to Internet Based Learning. He took early retirement from
this post and spent a few years developing software for a LearnDirect project and
delivering a range of short courses on Internet subjects. He also became an Associate
Lecturer at the Open University and since then has tutored on a number of courses in the
London and the East of England regions.
Dr. Bill Tait
The Open University, UK Centre for Open Learning of Mathematics,
Science, Computing and Technology
Keynote Address
A Software Model of Teaching and Learning
Abstract
The history of technological innovations in education has many examples of failed high
expectations. To avoid becoming another one, current multimedia ICT tools need to be
designed in accordance with how the human mind works. There are well established
characteristics of its architecture that should be taken into account when evaluating,
selecting, and using educational technology. This session will review the most important
features of human cognitive architecture and their implications for ICT-based learning.
The following questions will be discussed: Why learning with ICT could be difficult and
inefficient? What may cause this difficulty and how we can manage it? How to optimize
the use of on-screen text, visuals, and voice?
Short Bio
Dr Kalyuga is Associate Professor at the School of Education, the University of New
South Wales, where he received a Ph.D. and has worked since 1995. His research
interests are in cognitive processes in learning, cognitive load theory, and evidence-based
instructional design principles. His specific contributions include detailed experimental
studies of the role of learner prior knowledge in learning (expertise reversal effect); the
redundancy effect in multimedia learning; the development of rapid online diagnostic
assessment methods; and studies of the effectiveness of different adaptive procedures for
tailoring instruction to levels of learner expertise. He is the author of two books and
around 40 research articles and chapters.
Dr. Slava Kalyuga
University of New South Wales, Australia,
Keynote Address
Evidence-based Instructional Design Principles
for Multimedia Learning Environments
Abstract
Many events occur that bring together members of diverse cultures; some of these events
involve cooperation, some are competitive, and still others are situations of opposition
and conflict. We live in a global society. The need for effective communication among
the peoples of the world has never been more pressing than it is at the start of the 21st
Century in this post-911 world. Many factors have combined to increase the ease and
frequency of communication among members of different cultures; due to breakthroughs
in the fields of computing and telecommunications, many new media for communication
are available. Many recent developments in world politics have made the need for
meaningful communication among different peoples a necessity for the survival of
everyone on the planet.
This address will focus on the concept of mindful communication across cultures and
will examine the four contemporary approaches to the study of intercultural
communication: social science, critical, interpretive, and dialectical. Then, we will
discuss the role of technology in intercultural communication; we will also report on two
successful global virtual team projects. All of the material will be presented from an
interdisciplinary perspective. In addition to discussing issues relevant to the authors two
disciplines (international relations and technical communication), we will also present
examples drawn from other disciplines and explain how the virtual team projects could
be structured for students in many different fields.
Dr. Houman A. Sadri
University of Central Florida
Political Science Department
And
Dr. Madelyn Flammia
Associate Professor at University of Central Florida
Keynote Address
Intercultural Communication from an
Interdisciplinary Perspective
Short Bios
Dr. Houman A. Sadri completed is Ph. D. at University of Virginia (1993) then worked on
his post-Doctorate at Stanford University, The Hoover Institution, Palo Alto (CA), 1997. He has
been associate professor at the University of Central Florida since 2002.
Recent Consulting activities:
US Fulbright Scholars Program, 2003-Present.
US State Department, 2001-Present.
United Nations Foundation (New York, NY), 2003-Present
International Council of Central Florida (Sanford, FL), 2002-Present
United Nations Association of USA (Washington, DC), 2001-Present
BBC (UK), Farsi Program, London, UK, 2003-Present
Australian National Radio (Melbourne), Farsi Program, 2003-Present
ABC News Program, TV Station, Orlando, Florida, USA, 2002-Present.
Oxford University Press, London & New York, 2008-Present
McGraw-Hill Publishing Group, New York, 2004-Present
Prentice Hall Publishing Group, New York, 2000-Present.
Books
Intercultural Communication & International Relations, co-authored with Madelyn Flammia,
Continuum International Publishing Group, New York (USA), forthcoming December 2009.
Trends, Prospects, & Challenges of Globalization [in English], co-authored with Dmitri Katsy,
Saint Petersburg (Russia): St. Petersburg State University Press, 2008. (Reviewed in Journal of
Third World Studies, Fall 2009; AAASS, Fall 2009: & Review of Int’l Political Studies, Italy, Sp
2010).
Revolutionary States, Leaders, & Foreign Relations, New York: Praeger Publishers (USA), 1997
(Reviewed in APSR, Sept 1999; Journal of Third World Studies, Spr 1998; & Choice, Oct 1997).
Sample Recent Research Grants
“Project: Russian-Iranian Technical Cooperation,” Houman Sadri (PI), “Research & Travel
Grant,” Moscow State Institute of International Relations (MGIMO, Russia), September 2008.
“The Caspian Region & the Clash of Civilizations,” Travel Grant, Chicago (IL), March 2007.
“Non-State Actors & International Security in Eurasia,” co-PI with Greg Gleason, ISA, 2006
US Fulbright Program, “The Persian Gulf & Caspian Sea in the 21st Century," Summer 2005
Professional Memberships
Association of Third World Studies
Fulbright Scholars Association
International Studies Association
National Political Science Honor Society (Pi Sigma Alpha)
United Nations Association of the United States of America
Relevant Teaching & Training Grants
“Global Classroom,” Houman Sadri (PI), Miami EU Center Faculty Grant, Summer 2008.
U.S. State Department, Bureau of Educational & Cultural Affairs, Teaching & Training
Award, Spring 2006, for Teaching & Training International Visitors, about American Foreign
Policy.
Relevant Teaching & Training Publications
“Information Fluency, Technology Application, & Teaching a Middle East Politics Course,”
Middle East Studies Association Bulletin, Vol. 41, No 1, June 2007.
“WTO, Globalization, & Teaching,” UCF Global Linkages, FL, Vol. 7, Spring 2004.
“University-Community Partnership & Teaching,” The UNA Florida Division Newsletter,
FL, Vol. 49, No. 4, Winter 2004.
“Globalization & Technology Use in the Classroom,” co-authored with Madelyn Flammia, Hawaii
International Conference on Social Sciences, Honolulu, HI, 12-15 June 2003.
Dr. Houman A. Sadri published many articles in peer reviewed journals and conferences proceedings.
He received several teaching & training awards and grants
Madelyn Flammia is an associate professor at University of Central Florida since 1990. She
published books and many articles in peer-reviewers journals and conference proceedings.
Books:
Intercultural Communication and International Relations, forthcoming from
Continuum International Publishing; co-authored with Houman Sadri
Edited an anthology, Perspectives on the Profession of Technical Communication,
published by the Society for Technical Communication, published April 1995.
Articles: A sample from the last years are represented by the following publications
Madelyn Flammia and Carol Saunders. “A Subtle War of Words on the Internet.”
International Journal of Electronic Business. (2008), vol. 6, no.4, 342-353. Refereed;
International; ISI indexed.
Madelyn Flammia, Darina Slattery, and Yvonne Cleary, “Preparing Technical
Communication Students for their Role in the Information Economy: Client-Based Virtual
Team Collaboration between Irish and US Students.” in Proceedings of the IEEE
International Professional Communication Conference. Montreal, Canada, July 13-16, 2008.
Refereed; International.
Madelyn Flammia and Dan Voss. Ethical and Intercultural Challenges for Technical
Communicators and Managers in a Shrinking Global Marketplace. Technical
Communication. Volume 54 Number 1 February 2007, pp.72-87.
Madelyn Flammia and Carol Saunders. Language as Power on the Internet. Journal
of the American Society for Information Science and Technology. Volume 58
Number 12 October 2007, pp. 1-5.
Madelyn Flammia and Dan Voss, “The Extreme Ethical Makeover: Getting Rid of
Stereotypes, Tokens, and Ethnocentric Perspectives in Intercultural Technical
Communication,” Society for Technical Communication Annual Conference Proceedings,
Las Vegas, Nevada, May 2006; Refereed; International.
Madelyn Flammia, “Preparing Technical Communication Students to Play a Role on the
Translation Team,” IEEE Transactions on Professional Communication, Volume 48, Issue 4,
December 2005, pages 401-412. Refereed; International.
Madelyn Flammia, “Connecting to the Audience: Strategies for Teaching Students to Write
for Translation,” Proceedings of the International Professional Communication Conference,
July 2005, pages 379-389. Refereed; International.
