CSI Skill Tree: Sid Meier’s Alpha Centauri with Bodhisattva Chattopadhyay and Arkady Martine Center for Science and the Imagination 2024-10-20 | CSI Skill Tree: Sid Meier’s Alpha Centauri with Bodhisattva Chattopadhyay and Arkady Martine
Unnatural Disasters Book Launch, featuring Victor LaValle, Carmen Maria Machado, and Christopher Cox Center for Science and the Imagination 2024-10-09 | Orion Magazine and Arizona State University’s Center for Science and the Imagination present a conversation between two leading authors of speculative writing—Victor LaValle and Carmen Maria Machado—to celebrate the launch of Orion’s most recent anthology, "Unnatural Disasters: Tales of Enchantment, Danger, and Survival from Orion Magazine.""Unnatural Disasters" collects the scariest stories published in the pages of Orion. Featuring work by writers including Jesse Ball, Samantha Hunt, and Lauren Groff, as well as LaValle and Machado, the anthology explores nature’s dark side: strange phenomena, unforgiving and unwelcoming environments, peril and risk, decay and collapse.To learn more about "Unnatural Disasters" and order a copy, visit orionmagazine.org/product/unnatural-disasters-tales-of-enchantment-danger-and-survival-from-orion-magazine. About the Speakers:Victor LaValle is the author of the short story collection "Slapboxing with Jesus," five novels, including "The Ecstatic" and "Big Machine," and two novellas, "Lucretia and the Kroons" and "The Ballad of Black Tom." He is also the creator and writer of two comic books, "Victor LaValle’s Destroyer" and "Eve." In 2023, his novel "The Changeling" was adapted into a series starring LaKeith Stanfield for Apple TV+. He has been the winner of the World Fantasy Award, Bram Stoker Award, and Shirley Jackson Award.Carmen Maria Machado is the author of the bestselling memoir "In the Dream House," the graphic novel "The Low, Low Woods," and the short story collection "Her Body and Other Parties." She has been a finalist for the National Book Award and the winner of the Bard Fiction Prize and the Lambda Literary Awards for Lesbian Fiction and LGBTQ Nonfiction. Her essays, fiction, and criticism have appeared in the New Yorker, the New York Times, Granta, Vogue, This American Life, The Believer, Guernica, and elsewhere.Christopher Cox is the co-editor of "Unnatural Disasters" and editor-at-large at Orion Magazine. He is the former editor of Harper’s Magazine and a former senior editor of The Paris Review. Work that he has edited has won the National Magazine Award, the PEN Literary Award for Journalism, an Overseas Press Club award, and has been included in several Best American collections.The event is introduced by Joey Eschrich, managing editor at the Center for Science and the Imagination.About Orion Magazine:Orion Magazine invites readers into a community of caring for the planet. Through writing and art that explore the connection between nature and culture, Orion inspires new thinking about how humanity might live on Earth justly, sustainably, and joyously. Learn more at https://orionmagazine.org.About the Center for Science and the Imagination:The Center for Science and the Imagination at Arizona State University engages in research, outreach and radical collaborations to reinvent our relationship with the future. From writers, artists, and teachers to scientists, engineers, and technologists, we bring diverse intellectual practices together to create visions of the future that are inspiring, inclusive, and imaginative. Learn more at https://csi.asu.edu.
Science Fiction Sparkle Salon: Episode 4 Center for Science and the Imagination 2024-09-13 | What happens when six brilliant scientists and writers gather for a chill chat? A Science Fiction Sparkle Salon!In this episode, Malka Older (The Mimicking of Known Successes), Arkady Martine (A Memory Called Empire), Karen Lord (the Cygnus Beta Novels and The Blue, Beautiful World), and Katie Mack (The End of Everything) discuss what it means to foster culture and community as a writer and a number of other intriguing topics!***The Science Fiction Sparkle Salon is hosted by Dr. Malka Older and presented by ASU's Center for Science and the Imagination. The show is edited and produced by Om Gawali. Title and graphics by Meg Frank.
CSI Skill Tree: Signs of the Sojourner with Leigh Alexander and Mia Armstrong-López Center for Science and the Imagination 2024-08-09 | CSI Skill Tree is a series that examines and celebrates how video games envision possible futures, build rich and thought-provoking worlds, and engage people as active participants in unfolding and interpreting stories. In this episode, we discuss “Signs of the Sojourner” (2020), a deck-building game about the aftermath of calamity, definitions of community, the dynamics of infrastructure and commerce, and how dialogue can serve as a foundation for building trust and forging meaningful relationships. It was developed by Echodog Games, directed by Dyala Kattan-Wright, with collaborators including Holly Rothrock, Zach Vinless, and Kevin Snow. About our special guests: Leigh Alexander is an award-winning writer working at the intersection of technology and storytelling. She is a narrative designer for video games, a fiction author, an acclaimed critic of play, media, and culture, and a consultant for how to tell stories through design and interactive media. She has written for games including "Reigns: Her Majesty," "Reigns: Game of Thrones," "Love Island," "Neo Cab," and "Where the Water Tastes Like Wine." Her fiction has appeared in Slate and the anthology "RESIST: Tales from a Future Worth Fighting Against," and her journalism and criticism have appeared in the BBC’s Radio 4, Slate, Gizmodo, The Guardian, and New York Magazine. Learn more at https://leighalexander.net. Mia Armstrong-López is a managing editor at Arizona State University, where she coordinates editorial projects focused on health, science, and justice. She also collaborates with researchers to translate their work into essays and articles that are accessible to the general public. Her writing has been featured in national and international outlets including the New York Times, Slate, the Marshall Project, Letras Libres, Nexos, and Reforma. She has taught journalism, English, and writing at universities in Mexico and the U.S. and prisons in Arizona. She holds degrees in journalism and international relations from ASU and is a Fulbright García Robles grantee. Learn more at https://miaaarmstrong.com. The Center for Science and the Imagination at Arizona State University engages in research, outreach and radical collaborations to reinvent our relationship with the future. From writers, artists, and teachers to scientists, engineers, and technologists, we bring diverse intellectual practices together to create visions of the future that are inspiring, inclusive, and imaginative. Learn more and sign up for email updates about publications, events, and projects at https://csi.asu.edu.Thanks to Om Gawali for expert editing and postproduction.
The Arizona STEM Acceleration Project: Building Tomorrows STEM Workforce Center for Science and the Imagination 2024-06-12 | The Arizona STEM Acceleration Project (ASAP) at Arizona State University (https://stemteachers.asu.edu) empowers teachers across the state of Arizona to impart high-quality STEM education to their students. Arizona is poised to be a hotspot for technological development over the next decade, with significant investments from leading global tech companies. However, Arizona's students are underprepared to take advantage of these opportunities, and that is linked to a shortage of STEM educators in the state. ASAP bridges that gap by supporting teachers: providing funding to purchase classroom supplies, offering professional development opportunities, building a free online lesson plan database, and creating a strong statewide community of teachers.
ASAP Year Two End Of Year & Milestone #3 Webinar (May 1st, 2024) Center for Science and the Imagination 2024-05-13 | Featuring our co-PI speakers Mike Vargas and Amanda Whitehurst, this video contains everything you need to know about completing the third milestone and End Of Year Report for the Arizona STEM Acceleration Project!If you're interested in learning more about The Arizona STEM Acceleration Project feel free to connect with us on our socials!⭐ASAP Website: https://stemteachers.asu.edu/⭐ASAP Facebook: facebook.com/groups/azstemaccelerationproject⭐ASAP Instagram: instagram.com/azstemacceleration
CSI Skill Tree: Mass Effect: Andromeda with Souvik Mukherjee and Bodhisattva Chattopadhyay Center for Science and the Imagination 2024-05-02 | CSI Skill Tree is a series that examines and celebrates how video games envision possible futures, build rich and thought-provoking worlds, and engage people as active participants in unfolding and interpreting stories. In this episode, we consider themes and dynamics of colonialism in video games, focusing on “Mass Effect: Andromeda” (2017), an interplanetary space opera developed by Bioware and published by Electronic Arts. Watch other CSI Skill Tree episodes: youtube.com/playlist?list=PLN5muqvLAASr3XmjnUyXUnnShIPzlTfkpAbout our special guests: Souvik Mukherjee is an assistant professor in Cultural Studies at the Centre for Studies in Social Sciences, in Calcutta, India. Souvik is the author of three books: “Videogames and Storytelling: Reading Games and Playing Books”; “Videogames and Postcolonialism: Empire Plays Back,” and most recently, “Videogames in the Indian Subcontinent: Development, Culture(s) and Representations.” He is currently working on a book project on Indian board games and colonialism. In 2019, he was named a distinguished scholar by the Digital Games Research Association, or DiGRA, and was a Higher Education Video Game Alliance Fellow in 2022. Learn more at cssscal.org/faculty_souvik.php. Bodhisattva Chattopadhyay is an associate professor in the Department of Culture Studies and Oriental Languages at the University of Oslo, and the principal investigator and lead for CoFUTURES, an international research group on global futures funded by the European Research Council. He runs the Holodeck games research lab at the University of Oslo, and he co-founded the research collective Theory from the Margins. He is the co-editor of the books “Indian Genre Fiction: Pasts and Future Histories” and “The Routledge Handbook of CoFuturisms,” which explores visions of possible futures arising from non-Western cultures and histories. He joined us on a previous episode of CSI Skill Tree to discuss “Sid Meier’s Alpha Centauri”: youtu.be/OhAiz4t3gEc. Learn more at https://cofutures.org. The Center for Science and the Imagination at Arizona State University engages in research, outreach and radical collaborations to reinvent our relationship with the future. From writers, artists, and teachers to scientists, engineers, and technologists, we bring diverse intellectual practices together to create visions of the future that are inspiring, inclusive, and imaginative. Learn more and sign up for email updates about publications, events, and projects at https://csi.asu.edu.
ASAP Year Two Lesson Plan Enhancement Webinar! (April 16th, 2024) Center for Science and the Imagination 2024-04-18 | Featuring speaker & lesson plan expert Jonathan Perrone, this video contains everything you need to know about creating quality Year Two Lesson Plans for the Arizona STEM Acceleration Project, and also methods to further enhance them, increasing the chances of your lesson being used in our Lesson Plan Archive!The ASAP Lesson Plan Archive is a free, permanent resource accessible to all STEM teachers in Arizona and beyond, consisting of the best STEM lesson plans submitted by our Fellows, as we work to provide all teachers with high quality lessons to enhance STEM curriculum and STEM Education Ecosystems for years to come!🌎The FREE ASAP Lesson Plan Archive: https://stemteachers.asu.edu/stem-lesson-plansIf you're interested in learning more about The Arizona STEM Acceleration Project feel free to connect with us on our socials!⭐ASAP Website: https://stemteachers.asu.edu/⭐ASAP Facebook: facebook.com/groups/azstemaccelerationproject⭐ASAP Instagram: instagram.com/azstemacceleration
STEMteachersPHX: For Teachers, By Teachers, About Teaching Center for Science and the Imagination 2024-04-10 | STEMteachersPHX (stemteachersphx.org) welcomes PreK-20 educators in any field who want to learn more about science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM)—either to explore their own interests or to find new ways to inspire their students. Our workshops and activities are organized and led by practicing teachers from Arizona who are also members of our group. We volunteer our time to facilitate collaboration and spread best practices in STEM education throughout our community. The focus of all of our events is to share ideas and activities that have proven effective in our classrooms. We strive to find the best educational practices currently being used in our state and make them accessible for local educators.Programs like the ones provided by STEMteachersPHX are accelerating Arizona’s STEM education ecosystem and providing innovative learning and training opportunities for teachers statewide. Learn more about the Arizona STEM Acceleration Project (ASAP) at https://stemteachers.asu.edu.
Air and Space Forces Association of Arizona Hosts the Southwest Teacher Air Camp Center for Science and the Imagination 2024-04-09 | The Air and Space Forces Association of Arizona hosted the inaugural Southwest Teacher Air Camp at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base in Tucson, Arizona. Air & Space Forces Association (AFA) national and state Teachers of the Year Nancy Para Quinlan and Ty White led a weekend of all things air and space, as teachers from across the U.S. Southwest assembled to study the physics of flight, meet base leadership, and engage with pilots and air crews during the annual Davis-Monthan Air Force Base Heritage Flight. Members of the Air Force and Space Force also spoke with teachers and shared their experiences.ASAP would like to thank AFA Tucson President Col. Wally Saeger and all of our volunteers and partners, including Starbase Arizona, Civil Air Patrol, DoD STEM, Boeing, and the Air Force Office of Scientific Research (AFOSR), for participating in this two-day event.Collaborations such as these are accelerating Arizona’s STEM education ecosystem and providing innovative learning and training opportunities for teachers statewide. Learn more about the Arizona STEM Acceleration Project at https://stemteachers.asu.edu.
ASAP, Economics, and STEM Education at the Phoenix Zoo Center for Science and the Imagination 2024-04-01 | The Arizona STEM Acceleration Project (ASAP) at Arizona State University (https://stemteachers.asu.edu) is building a robust STEM education ecosystem throughout the State of Arizona. In 2024, ASAP fellows participated in the Arizona Council on Economic Education (ACEE) workshop on Economics and STEM at the Phoenix Zoo. These educators learned about the intersection of applied mathematics and everyday economics, and had the chance to explore and play with zoo residents.
Welcome to the Center for Science and the Imagination Center for Science and the Imagination 2024-02-29 | Hi! You've found the Center for Science and the Imagination on YouTube. As a research center based at Arizona State University, we create inspiring, inclusive, technically grounded visions of the future by bringing together artists, authors, and educators with scientists, technologists, policy thinkers, and community members. We publish collections of science fiction, nonfiction, and art; lead informal and formal education initiatives around science, technology, culture, and society; host public events and forums and create podcasts and videos about science fiction, media arts, and possible futures; conduct interdisciplinary research and much, much more. Catch up with our many projects here and learn more at https://csi.asu.edu
ASAP and the Arizona Education Foundation Collaborate on the “teachSTEM” Program Center for Science and the Imagination 2024-02-16 | The Arizona STEM Acceleration Project (ASAP) and the Arizona Education Foundation (AEF) are working to improve STEM Education statewide through the “teachSTEM” program. This program trains educators to teach high school students about the benefits of pursuing careers as STEM teachers. ASAP and AEF have been training Arizona teachers in project-based learning techniques. Nancy Para Quinlan, Arizona Teacher of the Year, and STEM specialist Jonathon Perrone hosted teachers from across the Valley of the Sun to work on projects about bridge-building and conducting a Lego-powered mission to Mars. Collaborations such as these are accelerating Arizona’s STEM education ecosystem and providing innovative learning and training opportunities for teachers statewide. Learn more about ASAP at https://stemteachers.asu.edu.
ASAP Year Two Final Milestone & End Of Year Report Webinar! (February 12th, 2024) Center for Science and the Imagination 2024-02-14 | Featuring speakers Tiffany Farr, Mike Vargas, & Amanda Whitehurst, this video contains everything you need to know about completing the third milestone for the Arizona STEM Acceleration Project!If you're interested in learning more about The Arizona STEM Acceleration Project feel free to connect with us on our socials!⭐ASAP Website: https://stemteachers.asu.edu/⭐ASAP Facebook: facebook.com/groups/azstemaccelerationproject⭐ASAP Instagram: instagram.com/azstemacceleration
CSI Skill Tree: Game Localization with Siyang Gao and Emily Xueni Jin Center for Science and the Imagination 2024-02-02 | CSI Skill Tree is a series that examines and celebrates how video games envision possible futures, build rich and thought-provoking worlds, and engage people as active participants in unfolding and interpreting stories. In this episode, we discuss video game localization and translation. Localization usually involves translating from a game’s original language into another language, but it can also involve deeper work, even up to adapting the game’s mechanics, cultural references and allusions, and more to better resonate with players who encounter the game outside of its initial linguistic and cultural context. About our special guests:Siyang Gao is a writer, translator, and video game localizer who specializes in narrative-heavy video games. He runs a one-man localization studio from his home in Pennsylvania.Emily Xueni Jin is an essayist and translator who translates both from Chinese to English and the other way around. She is a PhD candidate in East Asian Languages and Literature at Yale University, where her research focuses on Chinese science fiction, translation, language, and technology.The Center for Science and the Imagination at Arizona State University engages in research, outreach and radical collaborations to reinvent our relationship with the future. From writers, artists, and teachers to scientists, engineers, and technologists, we bring diverse intellectual practices together to create visions of the future that are inspiring, inclusive, and imaginative. Learn more and sign up for email updates about publications, events, and projects at https://csi.asu.edu.Special thanks to Devan Hakkal for editing this video.
ASAP Investment Taking Arizona Teachers to New Heights Center for Science and the Imagination 2024-01-29 | The ASAP program at Arizona State University (https://stemteachers.asu.edu) is accelerating STEM activities across the State of Arizona. In collaboration with local organizations, we are building capacity and creating resources for teachers statewide. By giving teachers the chance to engage and learn new STEM skills with partner organizations, we are strengthening Arizona's STEM education networks and taking teachers to new heights. A new collaboration between ASAP and the organization STEM + C (stemplusc.org) is educating teachers about the basics of aviation and training them to teach students how to fly introductory RC airplanes. Aviation is an important industry for Arizona, and currently the state needs more pilots than it can produce!
The Assignment – The Climate Action Almanac Trailer Center for Science and the Imagination 2024-01-26 | “The Assignment” is a production of Scirens, in association with the Center for Science and the Imagination at Arizona State University.This film is a trailer for The Climate Action Almanac. To read the book, visit https://www.climatealmanac.org.Partial Credits (see 05:40 for full credits):Director: Taryn O’NeillScreenwriters: Tamara Krinsky and Taryn O’NeillProducers: Tamara Krinsky and Taryn O’NeillExecutive Producers: Ed Finn and Joey EschrichLine Producer: Tamara KrinskyAssociate Producer / ASU Faculty Advisor: Jason Davids ScottCinematographer: Josh BelvealEditor: Josh BelvealProduction Sound: Daniel ReddickVFX Artist: Elizabeth LeungMusic and stock footage licensed through Motion Array.To learn more about Scirens, visit https://scirens.com.To learn more about the Center for Science and the Imagination, visit https://csi.asu.edu.
Science Fiction Sparkle Salon: Episode 3 Center for Science and the Imagination 2024-01-23 | What happens when six brilliant scientists and writers gather for a chill chat? A Science Fiction Sparkle Salon!In this episode, Malka Older (The Mimicking of Known Successes), Annalee Newitz (Four Lost Cities), Arkady Martine (A Memory Called Empire), Karen Lord (the Cygnus Beta Novels and The Blue, Beautiful World), and Katie Mack (The End of Everything) discuss populism and democracy and whatever else they feel like talking about. ***The Science Fiction Sparkle Salon is hosted by Dr. Malka Older and presented by ASU's Center for Science and the Imagination. The show is edited and produced by Devan Hakkal. Title and graphics by Meg Frank.
ASAP Year Two Lesson Plan Content Webinar! (January 17th, 2024) Center for Science and the Imagination 2024-01-23 | Featuring speakers Jonathan Perrone & Amanda Whitehurst, this video contains everything you need to know about your Year 2 Lesson Plan content for the Arizona STEM Acceleration Project!The Lesson Plans submitted by our Fellows enter into the ASAP Lesson Plan archive, a free resource accessible to all STEM teachers in Arizona and beyond, as we work to provide all teachers with free lessons to enhance their STEM curriculum!🌎The FREE ASAP Lesson Plan Archive: https://stemteachers.asu.edu/stem-lesson-plansIf you're interested in learning more about The Arizona STEM Acceleration Project feel free to connect with us on our socials!⭐ASAP Website: https://stemteachers.asu.edu/⭐ASAP Facebook: facebook.com/groups/azstemaccelerationproject⭐ASAP Instagram: instagram.com/azstemacceleration
ASAP End of Year Report Overview & FAQs Center for Science and the Imagination 2023-12-13 | Featuring speaker Tiffany Farr, this video contains everything you need to know about submitting an ASAP End of Year Report! If you're interested in learning more about The Arizona STEM Acceleration Project feel free to connect with us on our socials!⭐ASAP Website: https://stemteachers.asu.edu/⭐ASAP Facebook: facebook.com/groups/azstemaccelerationproject⭐ASAP Instagram: instagram.com/azstemacceleration
CSI Skill Tree: Hypnospace Outlaw with Ranjodh Singh Dhaliwal and Katherine Buse Center for Science and the Imagination 2023-12-04 | CSI Skill Tree is a series that examines and celebrates how video games envision possible futures, build rich and thought-provoking worlds, and engage people as active participants in unfolding and interpreting stories. In this episode, we take a close look at “Hypnospace Outlaw” (2019), a game that plunges you into an alternate-history version of the 1990s internet, published by No More Robots and developed by Tendershoot. We discuss how the game examines issues of nostalgia, health, labor, community, and online safety, and ponder whether playing it has left us hopeful or gloomy about the potential of digital spaces to connect people and support self-expression.To read a short essay on "Hypnospace Outlaw" coauthored by our guests, Katherine Buse and Ranjodh Singh Dhaliwal, visit https://mailchi.mp/asu.edu/imaginarypapers16-dec2023.About our special guests:Katherine Buse is assistant professor of Cinema and Media Studies and a researcher at the Committee on Environment, Geography and Urbanization at the University of Chicago. She writes and teaches about digital media, technoscience, science fiction, and environmental issues. Learn more at https://www.katherinebuse.com.Ranjodh Singh Dhaliwal is Ruth and Paul Idzik Collegiate Chair in Digital Scholarship and assistant professor of English and Film, Television, and Theatre at the University of Notre Dame. He researches the politicoeconomic and sociocultural entanglements of our technological worlds. Learn more at https://www.ranjodhdhaliwal.com.The Center for Science and the Imagination at Arizona State University engages in research, outreach and radical collaborations to reinvent our relationship with the future. From writers, artists, and teachers to scientists, engineers, and technologists, we bring diverse intellectual practices together to create visions of the future that are inspiring, inclusive, and imaginative. Learn more and sign up for email updates about publications, events, and projects at https://csi.asu.edu.
ASAP Year Two Lesson Plan Creation Webinar! (November 13th, 2023) Center for Science and the Imagination 2023-11-18 | Featuring speaker Jonathan Perrone, this video contains everything you need to know about submitting your Year 2 Lesson Plans for the Arizona STEM Acceleration Project!The Lesson Plans submitted by our Fellows enter into the ASAP Lesson Plan archive, a free resource accessible to all STEM teachers in Arizona and beyond, as we work to provide all teachers with free lessons to enhance their STEM curriculum!🌎The FREE ASAP Lesson Plan Archive: https://stemteachers.asu.edu/stem-lesson-plansIf you're interested in learning more about The Arizona STEM Acceleration Project feel free to connect with us on our socials!⭐ASAP Website: https://stemteachers.asu.edu/⭐ASAP Facebook: facebook.com/groups/azstemaccelerationproject⭐ASAP Instagram: instagram.com/azstemacceleration
ASAP Year Two Informational Webinar w/ PD Partners! (October 3rd, 2023) Center for Science and the Imagination 2023-10-11 | Here's our second webinar of the year as we enter forwards into ASAP Year 2! Outlined in this are some of the specifics of our program to help answer any questions you or other Fellows may have, along with some opportunities from our professional development partners!If you're interested in learning more about The Arizona STEM Acceleration Project feel free to connect with us on our socials!⭐ASAP Website: https://stemteachers.asu.edu/⭐ASAP Facebook: facebook.com/groups/azstemaccelerationproject⭐ASAP Instagram: instagram.com/azstemacceleration
The Arizona STEM Acceleration Project: A Sustainable STEM Future (Part 3 of 3) Center for Science and the Imagination 2023-09-01 | Join Ruth Wylie, principal investigator for the Arizona STEM Acceleration Project (ASAP), to discuss our partnership with ASU’s Center for Science and the Imagination (https://csi.asu.edu), and how we’re collaborating together to build a sustainable future for education across Arizona. In this video, Part 3 of 3 of our informational shorts, we’ll also talk about some of the accomplishments and highlights of our project thus far, and the impact our Fellows have had on their students! Learn more about ASAP at https://stemteachers.asu.edu.
The Arizona STEM Acceleration Project: Our Impact on Teachers (Part 2 of 3) Center for Science and the Imagination 2023-09-01 | Join Amanda Whitehurst, co-PI and convergence lead for the Arizona STEM Acceleration Project (ASAP), as we discuss the teacher shortage in Arizona, especially in STEM subjects and rural areas, and how ASAP works to support teachers across the state. We provide educators with materials, support, and a community, and in this video, Part 2 of 3 of our informational shorts, we’ll provide several examples of teachers who have been positively affected by our program! Learn more about ASAP at https://stemteachers.asu.edu.
The Arizona STEM Acceleration Project: Deficiencies in AZ STEM Education (Part 1 of 3) Center for Science and the Imagination 2023-09-01 | Join Mike Vargas, co-PI and convergence lead for the Arizona STEM Acceleration Project (ASAP), to discuss the state of STEM Education in Arizona in Part 1 of 3 of our informational shorts! We also explore Arizona’s changing economic shift from hospitality to STEM fields and consider the components that make ASAP crucial to bolstering STEM across the state. Via funding, professional development opportunities, and a free lesson plan archive, we’re working to raise Arizona’s education standards and make a significant difference in providing teachers the opportunities they need, which in turn will benefit Arizona citizens for years to come. Learn more about ASAP at https://stemteachers.asu.edu.
ASAP Year Two Introduction Webinar! (August 7th, 2023) Center for Science and the Imagination 2023-08-08 | Our hour long webinar outlining The Arizona STEM Acceleration Project's goals for Year 2 of our program, along with the process of becoming a Fellow, what being a STEM Fellow entails, and how we're working to enhance STEM education across AZ!Featuring speakers Mike Vargas and Amanda Whitehurst, our project Convergence Leads, this webinar has everything you need to know about Year 2!If you're interested in learning more about The Arizona STEM Acceleration Project feel free to connect with us on our socials!⭐ASAP Website: https://stemteachers.asu.edu/⭐ASAP Facebook: facebook.com/groups/azstemaccelerationproject⭐ASAP Instagram: instagram.com/azstemacceleration
The Future is Fungi: The Rise and Rhizomes of Mushroom Culture Center for Science and the Imagination 2023-07-18 | Mushrooms aren’t just in your garden anymore–they’re everywhere, making star appearances in books, movies, TV, graphic novels, video games. More scientific experts than ever before are examining how mushrooms affect human physiology. Social media is awash with mushroom hunters teaching followers how to find and safely eat fungi. Yes, mushrooms are everywhere, but why? What is it about mushrooms that spark our imaginations? Why do they inspire both wonder and terror? And what might their future look like on our ever-changing planet?On July 11, 2023 Orion Magazine and ASU’s Center for Science and the Imagination joined forces to probe these mycological mysteries with biologist and author Merlin Sheldrake, scholar and naturalist Kaitlin Smith, best-selling novelist Jeff VanderMeer and author and lecturer Corey Pressman. Together they discussed the fascinating and sometimes contradictory ways in which mushrooms are shaping our cultures and our world.About the panelists:Merlin Sheldrake is a biologist and author of Entangled Life, a New York Times and Sunday Times bestseller, and winner of the Royal Society Book Prize and the Wainwright Prize. Merlin is a research associate of the Vrije University Amsterdam and works with the Society for the Protection of Underground Networks and the Fungi Foundation.Kaitlin Smith is a writer, scholar, naturalist, and founder of Storied Grounds—a Boston-based venture that delivers outdoor learning experiences and virtual tools that foster connection to place through folk knowledge and humanistic ideas. Kaitlin is also a Ph.D student in History of Science at Harvard and lives in Somerville, Massachusetts.Called “the weird Thoreau” by the New Yorker, Jeff VanderMeer has written many bestselling and award-winning works of fiction, including the Southern Reach trilogy. His nonfiction on the environment has appeared in Orion, The Nation, Current Affairs, the Los Angeles Times, Esquire, and more.Corey Pressman is an artist, author, and teacher at the school of integrative health and wellness at the University of Portland. His work at the university focuses on finding ways, through imagination, to manage stress and compassion fatigue for caregivers.About Orion Magazine:Orion magazine invites readers into a community of caring for the planet. Through writing and art that explore the connection between nature and culture, Orion inspires new thinking about how humanity might live on Earth justly, sustainably, and joyously. Learn more at orionmagazine.orgAbout the Center for Science and the Imagination:The Center for Science and the Imagination at Arizona State University engages in research, outreach and radical collaborations to reinvent our relationship with the future. From writers, artists, and teachers to scientists, engineers, and technologists, we bring diverse intellectual practices together to create visions of the future that are inspiring, inclusive, and imaginative. Learn more at https://csi.asu.edu.
CSI Skill Tree: Citizen Sleeper with Gareth Damian Martin and Phoebe Wagner Center for Science and the Imagination 2023-06-29 | CSI Skill Tree is a series that examines and celebrates how video games envision possible futures, build rich and thought-provoking worlds, and engage people as active participants in unfolding and interpreting stories. In this episode, we take a close look at “Citizen Sleeper” (2022), a roleplaying game set in the ruins of interplanetary capitalism that challenges you to survive, build relationships, investigate mysteries, and secure a liveable life for yourself. The game was developed by Jump Over the Age and published by Fellow Traveler. A sequel, “Citizen Sleeper 2: Starboard Vector,” was announced in June 2023. Watch all CSI Skill Tree episodes: youtube.com/playlist?list=PLN5muqvLAASr3XmjnUyXUnnShIPzlTfkpAbout our special guests: Gareth Damian Martin is the developer of “Citizen Sleeper” and the game “In Other Waters,” both developed through their one-person studio, Jump Over the Age. They are the founding editor of Heterotopias, a zine covering video games and architecture. They hold a PhD in experimental literature from Royal Holloway, University of London. Learn more at jumpovertheage.com and https://citizensleeper.com. Phoebe Wagner is a writer, academic, and editor of three solarpunk anthologies, including “Sunvault: Stories of Solarpunk & Eco-Speculation” and “Almanac for the Anthropocene: A Compendium of Solarpunk Futures.” She holds a PhD in literature and teaches creative writing at Lycoming College. Learn more at https://phoebe-wagner.com.CSI Skill Tree is hosted by Joey Eschrich, managing editor at the Center for Science and the Imagination.The Center for Science and the Imagination at Arizona State University engages in research, outreach and radical collaborations to reinvent our relationship with the future. From writers, artists, and teachers to scientists, engineers, and technologists, we bring diverse intellectual practices together to create visions of the future that are inspiring, inclusive, and imaginative. Learn more at https://csi.asu.edu.
Applied Sci-Fi | Ep. 4: Reimagining the Future of [X] Center for Science and the Imagination 2023-06-28 | The Applied Sci-Fi Project at Arizona State University’s Center for Science and the Imagination is an event series and research project that brings together science fiction writers, futurists, scholars, and technologists to survey how science fiction narratives can shape the development of real-world technologies.In this fourth panel in the series, held on June 14, 2023, we discuss “Future of [X]” projects, a growing trend of efforts from think tanks, companies, academics, and activists that use collections of science-fictional short stories, artwork, and essays to help policymakers and the public better imagine a variety of potential futures on a particular topic. What makes for an effective “Future of [X]” project, broadening our thinking and supporting decision-making about our shared technological future?To learn more about the Applied Sci-Fi Project, visit https://csi.asu.edu/applied-sci-fi.Our panelists:Annalee Newitz writes science fiction and nonfiction. They are the author of three novels including “Autonomous,” which won the Lambda Literary Award, and two books of science journalism including “Scatter, Adapt and Remember,” a finalist for the LA Times Book Prize in science. They have a monthly column in New Scientist and they co-host the Hugo Award–winning podcast Our Opinions Are Correct.Tobias S. Buckell is a New York Times–bestselling and World Fantasy Award–winning author. His novels and almost one hundred stories have been translated into nineteen different languages. He has been nominated for the Hugo Award, Nebula Award, World Fantasy Award, and Astounding Award for Best New Science Fiction Author. Born in the Caribbean, he currently lives in Ohio.August Cole is the author of the novels “Ghost Fleet” and “Burn In,” both with Peter W. Singer. He is a managing partner at Useful Fiction, a consultancy that works on futures projects. He is a nonresident fellow at the Brute Krulak Center for Innovation and Creativity, and a nonresident senior fellow at the Scowcroft Center on Strategy and Security at the Atlantic Council.Amy Johnson is a visiting research fellow at MIT’s Language & Technology Lab and a research affiliate at the Berkman Klein Center for Internet & Society at Harvard, where she explores speculative approaches to technology and social change. She holds a PhD from MIT and is a member of SFWA and Codex; her stories and poetry have appeared in Lightspeed, Diabolical Plots, Escape Pod, and Fantasy Magazine, among others, and she edited the “Drones & Dreams” and “Stories from (Un)Identified Worlds” anthologies.Tory Stephens creates opportunities that transform organizations and shift culture. He is a resource generator and community builder for social justice issues, people, and movements. He currently works at Grist Magazine as their climate fiction creative manager, and uses storytelling to champion climate justice and imagine green, clean, and just futures. In another life he owned a kick-butt streetwear company, and he would have gotten away with eating the last cookie too, if it weren’t for his three meddling kids.Moderator:Joey Eschrich is the managing editor for the Center for Science and the Imagination at Arizona State University, and an assistant director of Future Tense, a partnership of Slate, ASU, and New America that explores emerging technologies, policy, and society. He coedited the collection “Visions, Ventures, Escape Velocities,” supported by a grant from NASA, and “Cities of Light,” created in collaboration with the U.S. National Renewable Energy Laboratory.
Arizona STEM Acceleration Project Lesson Plan Submission Help & FAQs Center for Science and the Imagination 2023-06-15 | Featuring speaker Jonathan Perrone, this video contains everything you need to know about submitting your Lesson Plans for the Arizona STEM Acceleration Project!The Lesson Plans submitted by our Fellows enter into the ASAP Lesson Plan archive, a free resource accessible to all STEM teachers in Arizona and beyond, as we work to provide all teachers with free lessons to enhance their STEM curriculum!🌎The FREE ASAP Lesson Plan Archive: https://stemteachers.asu.edu/stem-lesson-plansIf you're interested in learning more about The Arizona STEM Acceleration Project feel free to connect with us on our socials!⭐ASAP Website: https://stemteachers.asu.edu/⭐ASAP Facebook: facebook.com/groups/azstemaccelerationproject⭐ASAP Instagram: instagram.com/azstemacceleration
CSI Skill Tree: Mutazione with Pamela Carralero and Matthew Derby Center for Science and the Imagination 2023-04-14 | CSI Skill Tree is a series that examines and celebrates how video games envision possible futures, build rich and thought-provoking worlds, and engage people as active participants in unfolding and interpreting stories. In this episode, we take a close look at “Mutazione” (2019), a mutant soap opera and magical gardening game about living through environmental catastrophe, the healing power of music, the connections between social relations and gardens, the politics of knowledge production, and the simultaneous fragility and resilience of our communities and ecosystems. The game was developed by the Copenhagen-based studio Die Gute Fabrik and published by Akupara Games.About our special guests:Pamela Carralero is an Assistant Professor of Environmental Humanities at Kettering University and a climate resilience practitioner. Her practice-based research focuses on building climate change resilience at the community level; her scholarship investigates how ecocriticism informs the communication and experience of climate risk. Learn more at https://www.pcarralero.com.Matthew Derby is a writer and designer whose credits include the scripted podcast “Harley Quinn and The Joker: Sound Mind,” the feature film “Gone in the Night,” and “The Silent History,” an interactive novel designed and written for iOS devices. He has served as an editor at The Believer and is a game designer at Harmonix/Epic Games. Learn more at https://matthewderby.com.About the Center for Science and the Imagination: The Center for Science and the Imagination at Arizona State University engages in research, outreach and radical collaborations to reinvent our relationship with the future. From writers, artists, and teachers to scientists, engineers, and technologists, we bring diverse intellectual practices together to create visions of the future that are inspiring, inclusive, and imaginative. Learn more at https://csi.asu.edu and follow the Center on Twitter at @imaginationASU.
Applied Sci-Fi | Ep. 3: Science Fictional Scenarios and Strategic Foresight Center for Science and the Imagination 2022-12-13 | The Applied Sci-Fi Project at Arizona State University’s Center for Science and the Imagination is an event series and research project that brings together science fiction writers, futurists, scholars, and technologists to survey how science fiction narratives can shape the development of real-world technologies.In this third panel in the series, held on December 8, 2022, we explore the past, present, and future of strategic foresight practice, map the similarities and differences between strategic foresight and science fiction, and consider how to leverage both fields to help us collaboratively design a better tomorrow. To learn more about the Applied Sci-Fi Project, visit https://csi.asu.edu/applied-sci-fi.Our panelists:Jane McGonigal (@avantgame) is the New York Times bestselling author of “Reality is Broken,” “SuperBetter,” and “Imaginable: How to See the Future Coming and Feel Ready for Anything, Even Things That Seem Impossible Today.” She directs social simulations, Future Scenario Club, Storytime for Futurists, monthly signals of hope scavenger hunts, and more futures fun at Institute for the Future in Palo Alto, California.Madeline Ashby (@madelineashby) is a science fiction writer, futurist, speaker, teacher, and immigrant living in Toronto. She has worked with Intel Labs, the Institute for the Future, SciFutures, Nesta, Data & Society, The Atlantic Council, the Center for Science and the Imagination, Changeist, and others. She is the author of the Machine Dynasty series, and her novel “Company Town” was a Canada Reads finalist. She is also a contributor to “How To Future: Leading and Sense-making in an Age of Hyperchange,” with Scott Smith.Steven Weber (@bw_strat) is a partner at Breakwater Strategy and a professor at the University of California, Berkeley. He focuses on the political economy of knowledge-intensive industries, with special attention to information technology, finance, health care, and global political economy issues relating to competitiveness. He is a frequent contributor to scholarly and public policy debates on international politics and U.S. foreign policy. One of the world’s most expert practitioners of scenario planning, Weber has worked with more than 50 companies and organizations to develop this discipline as a strategy planning tool in for-profit, non-profit, and government settings.Leah Zaidi (@Leah_Zaidi) is a strategic worldbuilding and foresight expert, and executive director at Multiverse Design. She has worked with prestigious organizations such as the United Nations, Stanford University, and various Fortune 100 companies. Her research on strategic worldbuilding has won awards and is taught in universities around the world. As a strategist, she has tackled complex challenges such as the futures of democracy, refugee crises, and the metaverse. Leah is an advisor to the foresight divisions of Canada and Finland. She has also done developmental editing on five published novels.Kevin Bankston (@kevinbankston) is a fellow at ASU’s Center for Science and the Imagination, where he researches the relationship between science fiction and real-world innovation. Kevin is also an accomplished executive leader in the arena of technology law and policy, having spent nearly 20 years working in the public interest sector as an attorney and advocate at organizations like the American Civil Liberties Union, the Electronic Frontier Foundation, the Center for Democracy & Technology, and New America’s Open Technology Institute. He is now AI Policy Director at Meta, developing policies and processes for ensuring responsible AI development.
ASAP Year One Informational Webinar! (November 17th, 2022) Center for Science and the Imagination 2022-12-09 | The Arizona Stem Acceleration Project (ASAP) is a grass roots effort to enhance and accelerate STEM activities in schools across Arizona. This project is teaming up with educators, professional development organizations, and funding partners to build a more collaborative, more imaginative foundation for the development and distribution of STEM resources and training opportunities for educators throughout Arizona.This webinar was an opportunity for fellows to receive more detailed information about the requirements of the fellowship, connect with the professional development partners, and have their questions about the program answered.The strength of our Arizona STEM Education ecosystem relies on the ability of our educators to dream big, set goals and ultimately achieve them. ASAP is designed to support educators looking to accelerate activities, enrich lessons, and provide materials for students. If you're interested in learning more about The Arizona STEM Acceleration Project feel free to connect with us on our socials!⭐ASAP Website: https://stemteachers.asu.edu/⭐ASAP Facebook: facebook.com/groups/azstemaccelerationproject⭐ASAP Instagram: instagram.com/azstemacceleration
Us In Flux: Conversations - Accessibility and Adaptability with Elsa Sjunneson and Laura Cechanowicz Center for Science and the Imagination 2022-11-08 | In the uncertain and roiling spring and summer of 2020, we published Us in Flux, a series of stories and events about community, collaboration, and collective imagination in the face of transformative change.Two years later, in another moment of anxiety and possibility, we’re presenting a second cycle of Us in Flux stories and events, inviting authors and experts to provide glimpses of better futures shaped by new social arrangements, communities, and forms of governance, with a focus on bottom-up creativity and problem-solving at the local level.From June to October 2022, we published a new, original piece of flash fiction followed by a virtual chat with the author and their special guests.In this episode, we chat with author Elsa Sjunneson and Laura Cechanowicz, an expert on worldbuilding and assistant professor jointly appointed in the School of Arts, Media and Engineering and the Graphic Information Technology program in the Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering at Arizona State University. Together, they discuss "The Island," Elsa's story exploring ability and disability, journalism, and the choices involved in creating truly adaptable communities.Read "The Island": https://csi.asu.edu/projects/usinflux/sjunneson-uif/Keep up with the Us in Flux series: https://csi.asu.edu/usinfluxFollow our panelists:Elsa Sjunneson: snarkbat.comLaura Cechanowicz: https://search.asu.edu/profile/4004946Follow us on Twitter: twitter.com/imaginationASU and Instagram: instagram.com/imaginationasu
Applied Sci-Fi | Ep. 2: Designing the Future with Applied Sci-Fi Center for Science and the Imagination 2022-10-03 | The Applied Sci-Fi Project at Arizona State University's Center for Science and the Imagination is an event series and research project that brings together science fiction writers, futurists, scholars, and technologists to survey how science fiction narratives can shape the development of real-world technologies. In this second panel in the series, held on September 29, 2022, we explore how the tools of sci-fi narrative are used in the field of design to better imagine, experience, and shape possible futures. Whether these emerging design practices are categorized as design fiction, sci-fi prototyping, useful fiction, experiential futures, or worldbuilding, there is a growing field of futurists and design professionals applying these science-fictional techniques to advise companies, governments, and nonprofits on how to prepare for the opportunities and challenges that the future will bring. To learn more about the Applied Sci-Fi Project, visit https://csi.asu.edu/applied-sci-fi.Our panelists: Bruce Sterling (@bruces) is an internationally bestselling author, journalist, editor, columnist, and critic. He is perhaps best known for his ten visionary science fiction novels, as a founder of the cyberpunk movement, and as the editor of the quintessential cyberpunk anthology “Mirrorshades.” His much-heralded nonfiction includes “The Hacker Crackdown: Law and Disorder on the Electronic Frontier” and “The Epic Struggle of the Internet of Things.”Julian Bleecker (@darthjulian) is the co-founder of Near Future Laboratory and CEO of OMATA. He is a multidisciplinary engineer, product designer, creative technologist, and strategy-oriented futurist. He looks at the world a bit sideways, seeking opportunities to create digital products that are unanticipated, unexpected, and beautiful alternatives to the status quo.Anab Jain (@anabjain) is a filmmaker, designer, and futurist. She is co-founder of Superflux, a pioneering speculative design and experiential futures studio, working for clients and commissioners such as V&A, Google, Red Cross, UNDP, IKEA, and Deepmind. She has delivered keynotes at TED, Skoll, House of Lords and House of Commons UK, and shown work at MoMA New York, V&A London, National Museum of China, and Museum of the Future Dubai. She serves as professor for design investigations at the University of Applied Arts, Vienna.Alex McDowell (@worldbldg) is a narrative designer. He served as a production designer for more than 30 years of feature films by David Fincher, Terry Gilliam, Tim Burton, Steven Spielberg, and others, and he is the originator of world building as a disruptive design system. He is now creative director at Experimental Design Studio, designing storytelling for change in media, education, industry, and institutions. He is a professor at USC Media Arts + Practice, and director of the World Building Media Lab and Institute.Radha Mistry (@radha_mistry) has a background in architecture, narrative environments, and strategic foresight. She leads the Americas Region Foresight business at Arup, teaches speculative design at the MFA Transdisciplinary Design program at The New School (Parsons), and strategic foresight at the Design MBA program at the California College of the Arts. She spends most of her time exploring the impact of emerging signals of change and how they’ll change the way we design and make things in the future. Her foresight career also includes time at organizations such as Autodesk and Steelcase.Brian David Johnson (@BDJFuturist) has made the future his business. From 2009 to 2016, he was Intel Corporation’s first-ever futurist. Currently, he is a professor at Arizona State University’s Global Futures Laboratory and School for the Future of Innovation in Society. He also works in a private practice with a broad range of groups, including governments, militaries, corporations, nonprofits, and start-ups, to help them envision their future. He holds more than 40 patents and is the bestselling author of books of science fiction and fact (“Threatcasting,” “The Future You,” “WaR: Wizards and Robots,” and “21st Century Robot”).Kevin Bankston (@KevinBankston) is a fellow at ASU’s Center for Science and the Imagination, where he researches the relationship between sci-fi and real-world innovation. Kevin is also an accomplished executive leader in the arena of technology law and policy, having spent nearly 20 years working in the public interest sector as an attorney and advocate at organizations like the ACLU, the Electronic Frontier Foundation, and the Center for Democracy & Technology, most recently serving as the Director of the Open Technology Institute at New America. He is now a Director of Privacy Policy at Meta Platforms, Inc., where he leads Meta’s AI Policy Team in developing policies and processes for ensuring responsible AI development.
Arizona STEM Acceleration Project Teacher Oriented Webinar (ASAP) Center for Science and the Imagination 2022-09-30 | ASAP project leaders Amanda Whitehurst and Mike Vargas walk teachers through the process of applying to become an ASAP STEM Fellow. Teachers will learn about the requirements and the logistics of the process, and how they can best submit an application. Teachers selected will receive a $4500 stipend and $2000 in supplies for their classrooms. Fellows commit to taking 30 hours of STEM professional development, turning in 4 STEM lesson plans, and working on an outward-facing project with their students. The ASAP team is looking for teachers mostly in grades 5-8, but will also consider including teachers in other grades, based on applications submitted. The initial first-round deadline for admission to Year One of our program is Saturday, October 8, 2022, at 11:59 pm Arizona time!If you're interested in learning more about The Arizona STEM Acceleration Project feel free to connect with us on our socials!⭐ASAP Website: https://stemteachers.asu.edu/⭐ASAP Facebook: facebook.com/groups/azstemaccelerationproject⭐ASAP Instagram: instagram.com/azstemacceleration
The Arizona STEM Acceleration Project Center for Science and the Imagination 2022-09-21 | The Arizona STEM Acceleration Project (ASAP) provides vital funding and guidance to schools and professional development organizations, enhancing their ability to foster engagement, update curricula, and acquire materials needed to improve STEM education for Arizona’s students.ASAP is a grassroots effort to enhance and accelerate STEM activities statewide in Arizona schools. The project is teaming up with educators, professional development organizations, and funding partners to build a more collaborative, imaginative foundation for the development and distribution of STEM resources and training opportunities for educators throughout Arizona.The strength of our Arizona STEM education ecosystem relies on the ability of our educators to dream big, set goals, and ultimately achieve them. ASAP is designed to support educators looking to accelerate activities, enrich lessons, and provide materials for students.Key benefits for educators include:· Funding for classroom STEM acceleration· A community of support· Professional development opportunities· Access to STEM curriculum and lesson materialsIf you're interested in learning more about The Arizona STEM Acceleration Project feel free to connect with us on our socials!⭐ASAP Website: https://stemteachers.asu.edu/⭐ASAP Facebook: facebook.com/groups/azstemaccelerationproject⭐ASAP Instagram: instagram.com/azstemacceleration
Us in Flux: Conversations – Child Care and Robotics with Suyi Davies Okungbowa and Lance Gharavi Center for Science and the Imagination 2022-08-26 | In the uncertain and roiling spring and summer of 2020, we published Us in Flux, a series of stories and events about community, collaboration, and collective imagination in the face of transformative change. Two years later, in another moment of anxiety and possibility, we’re presenting a second cycle of Us in Flux stories and events, inviting authors and experts to provide glimpses of better futures shaped by new social arrangements, communities, and forms of governance, with a focus on bottom-up creativity and problem-solving at the local level. From June to September 2022, we'll publish a new, original piece of flash fiction followed by a virtual chat with the author and their special guests. In this episode, we chat with author Suyi Davies Okungbowa and Lance Gharavi, professor of film, dance, and theatre and affiliate faculty at the Center for Human, Artificial Intelligence, and Robot Teaming at Arizona State University. They discuss "Sympathy," Suyi's story about robotics, child care, public policy, and the contested politics of child development. Read "Sympathy": https://csi.asu.edu/projects/usinflux/sympathy-by-suyi-davies-okungbowaKeep up with the Us in Flux series: https://csi.asu.edu/usinfluxFollow our panelists:Suyi Davies Okungbowa: suyidavies.comLance Gharavi: lancegharavi.comFollow us on Twitter: twitter.com/imaginationASU
Us In Flux: Conversations – Imagining the Future of Higher Ed with Phoebe Wagner and Punya Mishra Center for Science and the Imagination 2022-08-04 | In the uncertain and roiling spring and summer of 2020, we published Us in Flux, a series of stories and events about community, collaboration, and collective imagination in the face of transformative change. Two years later, in another moment of anxiety and possibility, we’re presenting a second cycle of Us in Flux stories and events, inviting authors and experts to provide glimpses of better futures shaped by new social arrangements, communities, and forms of governance, with a focus on bottom-up creativity and problem-solving at the local level. From June to September 2022, we'll publish a new, original piece of flash fiction followed by a virtual chat with the author and their special guests. In this episode, we chat with author Phoebe Wagner and Punya Mishra, associate dean of scholarship and innovation at the Mary Lou Fulton Teachers College at Arizona State University. Here, they discuss “University, Speaking,” Phoebe’s story about reimagining universities as radically open to their communities, and better attuned to addressing local challenges.Read "University, Speaking" here: https://csi.asu.edu/projects/usinflux/university-speaking/Keep up with the Us in Flux series here: https://csi.asu.edu/usinflux/Follow our panelists:Phoebe Wagner: phoebe-wagner.comPunya Mishra: punyamishra.com***Follow us on Twitter: twitter.com/imaginationASU
CSI Skill Tree: Sound and Worldbuilding in Video Games with Amos Roddy and Tochi Onyebuchi Center for Science and the Imagination 2022-07-19 | CSI Skill Tree is a series that examines and celebrates how video games envision possible futures, build rich and thought-provoking worlds, and engage people as active participants in unfolding and interpreting stories. In this episode, we consider how sound design and music in games contributes to worldbuilding, storytelling, and immersion. We look closely at "Inside" (2016), a moody adventure game with environmental puzzles and grim, industrial aesthetics, as well as "Sonic the Hedgehog 2" (1992), and discuss how sound shapes our experience of interactive, imaginary worlds, and helps them express emotion and feel immediate and viscerally thrilling.About our special guests:Amos Roddy (he/him) is a composer, sound designer, and producer primarily working in video games. His credits include the Kingdom series, "In Other Waters," "Cloud Gardens," and most recently "Citizen Sleeper." Learn more at https://www.amosroddy.com. Tochi Onyebuchi (he/him) is the author of the novel "Goliath." His previous fiction includes "Riot Baby," a finalist for the Hugo, Nebula, Locus, and NAACP Image Awards and winner of the New England Book Award for Fiction, the Ignyte Award for Best Novella, and the World Fantasy Award; the Beasts Made of Night series; and the War Girls series. His nonfiction has appeared in The New York Times and NPR, among other places. Learn more at https://www.tochionyebuchi.com.
Us In Flux: Conversations – Connection, Chaos and Re-creation with Carter Meland and Grace Dillon Center for Science and the Imagination 2022-06-24 | In the uncertain and roiling spring and summer of 2020, we published Us in Flux, a series of stories and events about community, collaboration, and collective imagination in the face of transformative change. Two years later, in another moment of anxiety and possibility, we’re presenting a second cycle of Us in Flux stories and events, inviting authors and experts to provide glimpses of better futures shaped by new social arrangements, communities, and forms of governance, with a focus on bottom-up creativity and problem-solving at the local level. From June to September 2022, we'll publish a new, original piece of flash fiction followed by a virtual chat with the author and their special guests. In this episode, we chat with author Carter Meland and professor Grace Dillon about “Becoming Birch,” Carter's story about rock music, unexpected connections, and northern Minnesota forests.Read "Becoming Birch" here: https://csi.asu.edu/projects/usinflux/becoming-birch/Keep up with the Us in Flux series here: https://csi.asu.edu/usinflux/Follow our panelists:Carter Meland: https://cahss.d.umn.edu/faculty-staff/carter-melandGrace Dillon: https://www.pdx.edu/indigenous-nations-studies/our-faculty-and-staff***Follow us on Twitter: twitter.com/imaginationASU
Applied Sci-Fi | Ep. 1: The Sci-Fi Feedback Loop: Mapping Fiction’s Influence on Real-World Tech Center for Science and the Imagination 2022-05-23 | The Applied Sci-Fi Project at Arizona State University's Center for Science and the Imagination is an event series and research project that brings together science fiction writers, futurists, scholars, and technologists to survey how science fiction narratives can shape the development of real-world technologies.In this first panel in the series held on May 12, 2022, "The Sci-Fi Feedback Loop: Mapping Fiction’s Influence on Real-World Tech", we explore the past, present and future of sci-fi's influence with experts Michael Bennett, Tim Chang, Cory Doctorow, Malka Older and Sherryl Vint, moderated by Kevin Bankston.Our Speakers:Michael G. Bennett (@MGBennett) serves as Director of Student Experiential Learning Programs for the Discovery Partners Institute at the University of Illinois, where he is responsible for overseeing the institute’s growing portfolio of academic and informal learning programs, and leading a team that implements and manages them. He has extensive experience in curriculum development, with a particular emphasis on anticipatory governance, future scenarios, Afrofuturism, and science and technology policy.Tim Chang (@timechange) co-leads Mayfield’s Consumer investment practice and is an experienced investor and global executive. He has been twice named to the Forbes Midas list of Top Tech Investors and received the Gamification Summit award for Special Achievement. Tim’s venture capital experience includes leading investments at Norwest Venture Partners and Gabriel Venture Partners. His operational experience includes working in product management and engineering across Asia for Gateway, Inc., and General Motors. Tim holds an MBA with honors from the Stanford Graduate School of Business, and an MS and BS in Electrical Engineering/System Engineering from the University of Michigan. Tim is an accomplished musician, a reformed biohacker, and passionate about Body/Mind/Spirit wellness. He serves on the non-profit boards of Reimagine Death and Gray Area Arts.Cory Doctorow (@doctorow) is a science fiction author, activist and journalist. He is the author of many books, most recently Radicalized and Walkaway, science fiction for adults; How To Destroy Surveillance Capitalism, nonfiction about monopoly and conspiracy; In Real Life, a graphic novel; and the picture book Poesy the Monster Slayer. His latest book is Attack Surface, a standalone adult sequel to Little Brother; his next nonfiction book is Chokepoint Capitalism, with Rebecca Giblin, about monopoly and fairness in the creative arts labor market (Beacon Press, 2022). In 2020, he was inducted into the Canadian Science Fiction and Fantasy Hall of Fame.Malka Older (@m_older) is a writer, aid worker, and sociologist. Her science-fiction political thriller Infomocracy was named one of the best books of 2016 by Kirkus, Book Riot, and the Washington Post. The Centenal Cycle trilogy, which also includes Null States (2017) and State Tectonics (2018), was a finalist for the Hugo Best Series Award of 2018. She is also the creator of the serial Ninth Step Station and author of the short story collection …and Other Disasters (2019). Named Senior Fellow for Technology and Risk at the Carnegie Council for Ethics in International Affairs for 2015, she has more than a decade of field experience in humanitarian aid and development. Her doctoral work on the sociology of organizations at Sciences Po Paris explores the dynamics of post-disaster improvisation in governments. Malka is also a faculty associate at ASU's School for the Future of Innovation in Society.Sherryl Vint is Professor of Media and Cultural Studies and Chair of the Department of English at the University of California, Riverside, where she directs the Speculative Fictions and Cultures of Science program. She was a founding editor of Science Fiction Film and Television and is an editor for the journal Science Fiction Studies and the book series Science in Popular Culture. She has published widely on science fiction, including, most recently, Biopolitical Futures in Twenty-First Century Speculative Fiction (2021) and Programming the Future: Speculative Television and the End of Democracy (2022, co-authored with Jonathan Alexander).Kevin Bankston, @KevinBankstonKevin Bankston is a Fellow at ASU’s Center for Science and the Imagination, where he researches the relationship between sci-fi and real-world innovation. Kevin is also an accomplished executive leader in the arena of technology law and policy, having spent nearly 20 years working in the public interest sector as an attorney and advocate at organizations like the ACLU, the Electronic Frontier Foundation, and the Center for Democracy & Technology, most recently serving as the Director of the Open Technology Institute at New America. He is now a Director of Privacy Policy at Meta Platforms, Inc., where he leads Meta’s AI Policy Team in developing policies and processes for ensuring responsible AI development.
Science Fiction Sparkle Salon: Episode 2 Center for Science and the Imagination 2022-03-30 | What happens when six brilliant scientists and writers gather for a chill chat? A Science Fiction Sparkle Salon!In this episode, Malka Older (the Infomocracy trilogy), Annalee Newitz (Four Lost Cities), Arkady Martine (A Memory Called Empire), Amal El-Mohtar (This is How You Lose the Time War), Karen Lord (Unravelling), and Katie Mack (The End of Everything) discuss populism and democracy and whatever else they feel like talking about. Need more sparkling science fiction in your life? Stay tuned for Episode 3!***The Science Fiction Sparkle Salon is hosted by Dr. Malka Older and presented by ASU's Center for Science and the Imagination. The show is edited and produced by Aravind Hari Nair. Title and graphics by Meg Frank.
CSI Skill Tree: Cloud Gardens with Ken Liu and Liz Fiacco Center for Science and the Imagination 2022-03-28 | CSI Skill Tree is a series that examines and celebrates how video games envision possible futures, build rich and thought-provoking worlds, and engage people as active participants in unfolding and interpreting stories. In this episode, we take a close look at “Cloud Gardens,” a strangely soothing game about using plants to overgrow and transform abandoned post-industrial landscapes. The game was released in 2020, updated and expanded through 2021, and was developed by Noio Games.This episode of CSI Skill Tree is co-presented with Orion Magazine, an ad-free, quarterly print publication at the convergence of ecology, art, and social justice. Learn more about Orion at https://orionmagazine.org. About our special guests:Ken Liu (he/him) is the author of “The Dandelion Dynasty,” a silkpunk epic fantasy series (starting with “The Grace of Kings”), as well as “The Paper Menagerie and Other Stories.” He frequently speaks at conferences and universities on a variety of topics, including futurism, cryptocurrency, history of technology, bookmaking, narrative futures, and the mathematics of origami. Learn more at https://kenliu.name.Liz Fiacco (she/her) has worked on a number of commercial video games, such as “Kena: Bridge of Spirits,” “The Last of Us 2,” “Uncharted 4,” and “Pillars of Eternity,” in addition to developing use cases and tools for live machine learning in Unity. She is passionate about interactive narrative and building emotional connections to characters through game mechanics. Outside of work, she plays “Dungeons & Dragons,” goes camping, and hangs out with her big dog. Follow Liz on Twitter @lizfiacco.About the Center for Science and the Imagination: The Center for Science and the Imagination at Arizona State University engages in research, outreach and radical collaborations to reinvent our relationship with the future. From writers, artists, and teachers to scientists, engineers, and technologists, we bring diverse intellectual practices together to create visions of the future that are inspiring, inclusive, and imaginative. Learn more at https://csi.asu.edu and follow the Center on Twitter at @imaginationASU.
CSI Skill Tree: Outer Wilds with Randy Smith and Luc Riesbeck Center for Science and the Imagination 2021-12-08 | CSI Skill Tree is a series that examines and celebrates how video games envision possible futures, build rich and thought-provoking worlds, and engage people as active participants in unfolding and interpreting stories. In this episode, we take a close look at “Outer Wilds,” an award-winning immersive adventure game about unraveling the mysteries of a solar system caught in a time loop. The game was released in 2019, and was developed by Mobius Digital and published by Annapurna Interactive. About our special guests:Randy Smith (he/him) is a video game director and designer known for his work on the "Thief" series, the indie sci-fi gardening game "Waking Mars," and superbrother's "JETT: The Far Shore." He specializes in ways to use interactivity to create meaning and aesthetics for players. Follow Randy on Twitter at @wavesallday_.Luc Riesbeck (he/they) is a space policy and research analyst at Astroscale U.S., where he engages in cross-disciplinary collaboration to build comprehensive solutions to orbital sustainability challenges and enable the long-term stewardship of the space environment. He is a graduate of the Space Policy Institute master’s program at George Washington University. His research interests include ethics in science and technology, history, and applications for advanced robotics for rendezvous and proximity operations in space. He also holds a bachelor’s degree in social science and a minor in global China studies from New York University Shanghai. Follow Luc on Twitter at @LucRiesbeck.About the Center for Science and the Imagination: The Center for Science and the Imagination at Arizona State University engages in research, outreach and radical collaborations to reinvent our relationship with the future. From writers, artists, and teachers to scientists, engineers, and technologists, we bring diverse intellectual practices together to create visions of the future that are inspiring, inclusive, and imaginative. Learn more at https://csi.asu.edu and follow the Center on Twitter at @imaginationASU.
Crafting Climate Futures Center for Science and the Imagination 2021-11-12 | This virtual event was hosted on 8 November, 2021, during the UN Climate Change Conference, or COP26, in Glasgow, Scotland. This international convening presents an opportunity for decisive global action amidst escalating climate chaos. Now, more than ever, we need narratives of positive climate futures alongside coordinated interventions in order to ameliorate the crisis. In this session, an international panel of climate fiction authors explore the stories that might catalyze new understandings and connect narrative interventions to transformations in policy, governance, and culture. During the event, the panelists respond to questions and provocations posed by a global group of policy thinkers, researchers, and fiction authors."Crafting Climate Futures" is presented by the Olaf Stapledon Centre for Speculative Futures at the University of Liverpool, and the Center for Science and the Imagination at Arizona State University. About our speakers: Vandana Singh is an author of speculative fiction, a professor of physics at Framingham State University, and an interdisciplinary researcher on the climate crisis. She is the author of two short story collections, “The Women Who Thought She Was a Planet” and “Ambiguity Machines.” She was brought up in New Delhi and now lives near Boston. Hannah Onoguwe is a writer of fiction and nonfiction based in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State in southern Nigeria, a region famous for its oil industry. She is the author of the short story collection “Cupid’s Catapult,” and an award-winning poet. Her work has been published in the anthology Africa 500 and the periodicals Omenana and Brittle Paper. Xia Jia is a speculative fiction author and associate professor of Chinese literature at Xi’an Jiaotong University. Seven of her short stories have won the Galaxy Award, China’s most prestigious science fiction award. She is the author of the novel “Odyssey of China Fantasy: On the Road”, an academic volume, “Coordinates of the Future,” and four short fiction collections, most recently “A Summer Beyond Your Reach.”Kim Stanley Robinson is a New York Times bestselling novelist and winner of the Hugo, Nebula, and Locus Awards. He has published more than twenty books, including the Mars trilogy, “Green Earth,” “New York 2140,” and most recently “The Ministry for the Future.” He works with the Sierra Nevada Research Institute and the Clarion Writers’ Workshop. He lives in Davis, California. Adeline Johns-Putra is a professor of literature at Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University in Suzhou, China. Her books include “Climate Change and the Contemporary Novel” and “The History of the Epic.” She is an honorary professor at the University of Hong Kong and a fellow of the Royal Society of Arts. Born and raised in Malaysia, she has studied and worked in Australia, Finland, and the United Kingdom.
CSI Skill Tree: Kentucky Route Zero with Zoyander Street and Rachel Carr Center for Science and the Imagination 2021-08-11 | CSI Skill Tree is a series that examines and celebrates how video games envision possible futures, build rich and thought-provoking worlds, and engage people as active participants in unfolding and interpreting stories. In this episode, we take a close look at "Kentucky Route Zero," a magical realist adventure game about a secret, paranormal highway running through the caves beneath Kentucky. The game was released in five acts between 2013 and 2020. It was developed by Cardboard Computer and published by Annapurna Interactive. About our special guests: Zoyander Street is an artist-researcher and critic working at the fringes of indie video games for more than a decade. Their practice focuses on video games, but also involves other forms of media art and (mis)uses of technology. Led by ethnographic and historical research, they create lo-fi glitchy games and custom hardware for festivals, galleries, and museums, using interaction design to harness the expressive potential of audience participation. They are a neurodivergent, genderqueer trans man living in South Yorkshire, in the country currently known as the United Kingdom. They are on the boards of NEoN Digital Arts and Critical Distance, and are a PhD student in Sociology at Lancaster University. Learn more at https://zoyander.cc.Rachel Carr is an assistant professor of English and the program coordinator for Women's and Gender Studies at Lindsey Wilson College. She earned her Ph.D. in English and a graduate certificate in Women's and Gender Studies from the University of Kentucky in 2019. Before coming to Lindsey Wilson, she was an assistant writing program administrator at the University of Kentucky. Her current research project, “But What Has Helga Crane to Do with the West Indies? Plantation Afterlives in the Black Atlantic,” explores how Modernist Literature reckons with the plantation system’s impact on the natural world. About the Center for Science and the Imagination:The Center for Science and the Imagination at Arizona State University engages in research, outreach and radical collaborations to reinvent our relationship with the future. From writers, artists, and teachers to scientists, engineers, and technologists, we bring diverse intellectual practices together to create visions of the future that are inspiring, inclusive, and imaginative. Learn more at https://csi.asu.edu.
Science Fiction Sparkle Salon: Episode 1 Center for Science and the Imagination 2021-06-16 | What happens when six brilliant scientists and writers gather for a chill chat? A Science Fiction Sparkle Salon!In this episode Malka Older (the Infomocracy trilogy) invites Annalee Newitz (Four Lost Cities), Arkady Martine (A Memory Called Empire), Amal El-Mohtar (This is How You Lose the Time War), Karen Lord (Unravelling), and Katie Mack (The End of Everything) for a free-wheeling conversation about life, the universe, and everything.Need more Sparkle in your life? Episode 2 of the Science Fiction Sparkle Salon is currently in production!***The Science Fiction Sparkle Salon is hosted by Dr. Malka Older and presented by ASU's Center for Science and the Imagination. The show is edited and produced by Tyler Eglen. Title and graphics by Meg Frank.
Introducing the Applied Imagination Fellows Center for Science and the Imagination 2021-06-02 | Finding solutions for our greatest global challenges, from the climate crisis to systemic inequality, will require human communities to tap into perhaps our most powerful tool for cooperation and reinvention: the imagination.In the spring of 2021, ASU's Center for Science and the Imagination invited organizers, scholars, curators, scientists and innovators of all stripes to apply for its new Applied Imagination Fellowship program. The call for applications drew responses from around the world, in fields ranging from art and design to community advocacy, environmental studies, international development, economics, literature, astronomy, filmmaking, engineering, journalism and more.Today, we are proud to announce an inaugural class of five fellows who will work on projects to motivate transformative change and advance visions of inclusive futures. Learn more about the fellows and their projects at https://csi.asu.edu/fellows/applied-imagination/
Science Fiction TV Dinner: The Mailbox with Louis Yin and Diane Wong Center for Science and the Imagination 2021-05-28 | The Science Fiction TV Dinner series is a launch pad for imaginative, engaging conversations about science, technology, and society. We use science fiction as an inclusive meeting ground where people from diverse professional and intellectual backgrounds can bring their expertise and knowledge to the conversation. During the COVID-19 pandemic, we’ve shifted away from TV series and are instead screening short films by talented creators that invite us to explore a range of possible futures.This episode features “The Mailbox" a short science fiction film about time travel and Chinatowns co-written and directed by Louis Yin. We start by screening the film, and then have a conversation with Louis, a writer and filmmaker based in China, and Diane Wong, assistant professor in the Department of Political Science at Rutgers University and a researcher who studies the Asian diaspora and the urban immigrant experience.During the TV Dinner event, we screened "The Mailbox" in its entirety. In this video, you'll see a the trailer of the film instead. We would like to thank Storycom for their support and collaboration on this event. Storycom is the first professional story commercialization agency in China, and is dedicated to bringing excellent Chinese SF stories to domestic and global audiences in various formats. Storycom also presents The Shimmer Program to introduce new audiences to Chinese SF. Learn more at twitter.com/ShimmerProgram.***Check out an exclusive video created to accompany this event, featuring poet, artist, educator, and anthropologist Corey S. Pressman teaching about Martian civilization, quantum cooking, and the future of fermentation.youtu.be/W_xbM7FL09Y ***About the Center for Science and the Imagination:The Center for Science and the Imagination at Arizona State University engages in research, outreach and radical collaborations to reinvent our relationship with the future. From writers, artists, and teachers to scientists, engineers, and technologists, we bring diverse intellectual practices together to create visions of the future that are inspiring, inclusive, and imaginative. Learn more at https://csi.asu.edu.
