Tuesday, May 5, 2015

5th Design Science Symposium: Save The Date: Apr 15-17 2016

SAVE THE DATE: April 15 – 17, 2016

STEAM Intelligence: The 5th Biennial Design Science Symposium

The Chace Center, Rhode Island School of Design
Providence, RI, USA

Featuring Keynote + Plenary Speakers, Hands-on Making Workshops, Share + Tell Presentations, Exhibition, The Edna Lawrence Nature Lab, + The Arthur Loeb Design Science Teaching Collection

STEAM Intelligence stands for multidisciplinary thinking that relies on actively integrating and applying Science, Technology, Engineering, Art (+Design), and Math.

The Design Science Symposium is an interactive meeting of makers, thinkers, practitioners, and educators.

Themes for the 2016 Symposium include Whole Systems Thinking, Bio Design, and Looking to and Learning from Nature (biomimicry).

Co-hosted by The Edna Lawrence Nature Lab and The Synergetics Collaborative

Visit http://designscience.risd.edu for a look at the 2014 event. The site will be updated with specific information for the 2016 event in September.

Please share this announcement with your friends and colleagues. They can subscribe to our announcements-only mailing list at http://synergeticscollaborative.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/snec

Follow the RISD Design Science Symposium on Twitter: @designxscience

Sunday, October 20, 2013

Save the dates: Fourth Biennial Design Science Symposium at RISD: 31 Jan 2014 – 2 Feb 2014:

Save the dates of 31 January 2014 – 2 February 2014 for the Fourth Biennial Design Science Symposium at RISD. The theme will be STEM to STEAM thru Synergy: Bridging Morphology, Biomimicry, Sustainability, and Synergetics.

Click here to visit the event homepage for the Fourth Biennial Design Science Symposium at RISD on "STEM to STEAM thru Synergy: Bridging Morphology, Biomimicry, Sustainability, and Synergetics". Save the URL: http://synergeticscollaborative.org/snec.announce.meeting.2014.01.html

Confirmed Presenters:

  • John Maeda, President, Rhode Island School of Design
  • Dennis Bartels, Executive Director, San Francisco Exploratorium
  • Chris Zelov, Filmmaker and Project Director, Knossus Project
  • Richard Bresnahan, Artist in Residence, St. Johns University
  • Eric Goetz, CTO, Goetz Composites
  • Thomas T. K. Zung, Architect, Buckminster Fuller, Sadao, and Zung

For an introduction to Synergetics, watch this clip from Joe Clinton about Synergetics 101 from our first Symposium at RISD in 2007.

Friday, November 12, 2010

Save the dates 10-13 November 2011: 3rd Design Science Symposium

Please save the dates 10-13 November 2011 for the

2011 Biennial Design Science Symposium at RISD

The Synergetics Collaborative and The Edna Lawrence Nature Lab at Rhode Island School of Design (RISD) are organizing a symposium on

Nature, Geometry, and the Symmetry of Space: Tetrahedron Discovers Itself and Universe

in Providence, RI on 10-13 Nov 2011. We are again planning to have an art show in the Waterman Gallery (the opening for the art show will be on Thursday 10 November 2011). More details to follow.

The home page for the 2011 Biennial Design Science Symposium at RISD is http://SynergeticsCollaborative.org/snec.announce.meeting.2011.11.html

The Biennial Design Science Symposia at RISD
The Synergetics Collaborative and The Edna Lawrence Nature Lab at Rhode Island School of Design (RISD) have organized Biennial Design Science Symposia at RISD since 2007. These symposia explore the field of Design Science and provide an interactive meeting of makers, thinkers, practitioners and educators. We strive to keep the work of R. Buckminster Fuller current, relevant, and applied. Fuller's design approach as "comprehensive anticipatory design science" combines an emphasis on individual initiative and integrity with whole systems thinking, scientific rigor and faithful reliance on nature's underlying principles. The first event in 2007 was on the theme of "Synergetics and Morphology: Explorations into the Shapes of Nature". In 2009 the theme was "Design Science: Nature's Problem Solving Method". This year the tradition continues with an event focusing on the theme of "Nature, Geometry, and the Symmetry of Space".

Remember to save the dates 10-13 November 2011 to attend the Symposium!


If you haven't watched all 14 of our videos on YouTube, check them out at http://www.youtube.com/SynergeticsCollab

Finally, some of you might be interested in a blog I started writing that talks about Bucky and Synergetics: http://blog.CJFearnley.com/

Wednesday, April 7, 2010

Revisit Bucky: Exploring Synergetics Special Event at American University and Arena Stage in Washington, DC, 11-13 June 2010

The Synergetics Collaborative, American University (AU) School of
International Service (SIS), and Arena Stage are proud to announce a
special event on 11-13 June 2010 in Washington, DC

Revisit Bucky: Exploring Synergetics

In these times of crisis, we need to reconnect with visionary leaders
like R. Buckminster Fuller (affectionately known as "Bucky") who can help us solve the critical issues of our time. The special event "Revisit Bucky: Exploring Synergetics" will provide hands-on workshops to introduce fundamental concepts from Bucky's Synergetics, watching the Arena Stage performance of D.W. Jacobs' play R. Buckminster Fuller: THE HISTORY (and Mystery) OF THE UNIVERSE, and a series of lectures and discussions to explore how we can build on Bucky's magnum opus, Synergetics.


For full details, visit the 'Revisit Bucky' event home page.

Briefly, the event consists of five parts:


  • Reception: Friday, 11 June 2010, 6:00PM - 7:30PM, American University, SIS (School of International Service) building


    • J. Marc Greuther, Chief Curator of Industry at The Henry Ford Museum (HFM), will deliver a keynote lecture

    • D.W. Jacobs, author and playwright of "R. Buckminster Fuller: THE HISTORY (and Mystery) OF THE UNIVERSE" at the Arena Stage will give a lecture

    • Join us in AU's new environmentally friendly building designed by William McDonough to launch the "Revisit Bucky" event

  • Workshops: Saturday 12 June 2010, 8:30AM - 5PM, American University, SIS building


    • Joe Clinton, Professor John Belt, Nick Tomlin, Jack Higgins, and Tim Havranek will present workshops on geodesics, the vector equilibrium and the closest packing of spheres / isotropic vector matrix

    • For more information, please visit the Workshop Descriptions page.

  • Performance of D.W. Jacobs' award winning play "R. Buckminster Fuller: THE HISTORY (and Mystery) OF THE UNIVERSE": Saturday 12 June 2010, 8 PM - 11 PM, Arena Stage in Crystal City

  • Symposium: Sunday 13 June 2010, 9AM - 5PM, American University, SIS building


    • Keynote Speaker: Amy Edmondson, Harvard University

    • Other Speakers: Thomas Zung, Shoji Sadao, SIS Dean Louis Goodman, SIS Assistant Dean Joseph Clapper, Stephen M. Levin, MD, Gus Jaccaci, and Martin Brennan

  • Closing Reception: Sunday 13 June 2010, 7 PM - 9 PM, Steve Levin's place



More details are available on the 'Revisit Bucky' event home page.


Pre-Registration is required.

Early registration fee is $150 if checks are received before 22 May 2010. Regular registration fee is $175; $75 for students. Special rates are available for AU students and for each part of the event.

To attend please fill out the on-line
Revisit Bucky Event registration form.

Monday, August 10, 2009

A Discussion on the 'Whole Truth' and Integrity at the 2009 Summer Workshop in Oswego

At the Synergetics Collaborative's Seventh annual Summer Workshop at John Belt's always stimulating Design Studio, we had a wide-ranging discussion on the "whole truth" and Integrity. I added some post-production commentary and thanks to the help of Victor Acevedo, there is now a video clip of it at YouTube: A Discussion on the "Whole Truth" and Integrity at Oswego 2009. I am eager for feedback to continue the discussion on-line.

Saturday, August 1, 2009

Monday, April 20, 2009

SynergeticsCollab Channel Now on YouTube

The Synergetics Collaborative has its own channel, SynergeticsCollab, on YouTube. You can watch our videos from our past events, watch our favorite Buckminster Fuller related videos or do any of the other YouTube functions like post your comments or subscribe to our channel.

Especially note the newly produced 7 minute video clip from Michael Burt's talk on the Polyhedral Universe at the November 2005 "Synergetics in the Arts" Symposium at the Noguchi Museum.

A big "Thank You" to Eric and Victor Acevedo who produced not only this most recent clip but also the two others from the Noguchi Museum event that are available from our YouTube channel.

Let me know of other YouTube videos that would be interesting to our Collaborative so I can add them to our "Favorites" or build a "Playlist".

Reminder: Save the dates Nov 14 & 15th for our next Symposium
"Design Science: Nature's Problem-Solving Methodology" which will be at the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD) in Providence, RI
.