Extra Credit Event 4: Roger F Malina Lecture- Emergent Phenomena

 The Zoom events that Professor Vesna has hosted throughout this quarter have each been eye-opening in different ways.


Here is my first screenshot at the start of Roger F. Malina's lecture! Dr. Malina is an extremely accomplished individual, and his unique background exemplifies that. He was born in Paris but educated in the US at MIT, where he was the executive director of Leonardo Publications, which is a leading international peer-reviewed journal on the use of contemporary science and technology in the arts and music, and the application and influence of the arts and humanities on science and technology. If that wasn't enough, he had already worked at NASA and many other universities. At NASA, he worked as an ultraviolet astronomer, where he powered model rockets and carved glass mirrors for telescopes. He mentioned his father touchingly as an inspiration for his pursuit of a career in astrophysics because his dad was a rocket scientist and painter! 
Dr. Malina

I loved how Dr. Malina referenced his career transitions and opportunities as swerves. His career had many swerves, including becoming a French bureaucrat dealing with French unionists while merging different disciplines, setting up the Mediterranean Institute for Advanced Research with artists and scientists. What was really fascinating and connected to the material we learned this quarter was when he mentioned nano fireworks! 


Career and other swerves of Dr Malina

To be quite honest, Dr. Malina covered a vast amount of work he has been involved in, but what resonated with me the most was the core tenet of DESMA, which is the collaboration of Art and Science. When the discussion turned to Emergent Studies, Dr Malina outlined his plans for the Off Center for Emergent Studies and his interest in the science of complexity. He shared his vision for transgenerational collaboration and the importance of combining different areas of expertise. This reflected the emphasis on integrating Art and science in research and education. Artists and scientists play a huge role in addressing global challenges and the potential for interdisciplinary collaboration. When Professor Vesna and Dr. Malina talked about departments, policies, and academia not having any such programs when they were undergraduates and pursuing research early on in their careers, it made me appreciate all the work in bridging this new paradigm of collaboration in science and Art. 

To wrap up this extensive, informative, and dynamic conversation that involved AI's role in enhancing human creativity and the potential for new forms of artistic expressions, Dr Malina reflected on his unconventional career and the importance of continuous learning and exploration. It is mainly represented in his project exploring new research areas and contributing to the Off-Center for Emergent Studies. 

References

emergentstudies.com. (n.d.). Emergentstudies.com. https://emergentstudies.com/

Leonardo | MIT Press. (1753, January 1). MIT Press. https://direct.mit.edu/leon

Pierre-Alain Hubert – L’HOMME D’ARTIFICE. (n.d.). https://www.pyrohubert.com/

Roger Malina. (n.d.). UT Dallas Profiles. https://profiles.utdallas.edu/roger.malina

Wikipedia contributors. (2024, February 13). Roger Malina. Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roger_Malina






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