Here is our team of amazing Meanderers. Hopefully, this group will expand over the coming months and years. I, Jeff, feel so incredibly fortunate to have such wonderful people join me in exploring, playing, inquiring, poking, prodding, pondering, and laughing.
See more on my Author's Page. I'm a retired professor (emeritus) and am currently involved with the International Bateson Institute as a researcher, warm data host, and advisory board member.
Although my “official” academic position was in science education, I have wide-ranging interests. From childhood passion for sharks and animals more generally — which is still a passion — I went on to work in an oceanography lab — my first full-time job. But, I got a “bug” to teach, which resulted in teaching middle school science in Brooklyn, NY. I then went on to teach in urban and rural South Carolina, then in Houston, Texas. From there I continued my graduate work, which then led to my academic career. However, my liberal arts college experiences have been highly influential to my wide ranging interests.
See more on my Author's Page. I am a mother, Nana, daughter, sister, gardener, educator and optimist, and I am currently a headteacher of 15 years based in the UK.
Together, with the whole school community, we have developed a school full of vitality and livingness in culture, structure, pedagogical philosophy and practice. Our approach to teaching and learning is inspired by the preschools of Reggio Emilia and the ecological ideas of Gregory Bateson; where children learn in groups and research the world and its complex systems through collaborative projects. In this approach logic and metaphor coexist, mutually informing and influencing the journey of learning in the school. I work collaboratively beyond the school with others perusing authentic and ecologically relevant education.
Writer, gardener, animal lover, and for livelihood… a nurse for over 40 years, many of which have been with high risk specialties… pediatric ICU, Obgyn critical care, and neurosurgery and stroke care. PHOTO: Not recent, but shortly before starting to write.
Ed Marston
Artist, photographer. My art is intentionally a form of conversation and doesn’t exist solely for itself. If my pictures can be used to further the conversation about the beauty and wonder of the World, then my work is successful.
My teacher, Alan Goldstein, said ‘the artist should create beauty”. This can be interpreted as rising above the mundane, to finding the wonder and beauty in everyday things. It isn’t necessary to travel to Venice, there’s picturesque scenes locally, and one can find exotic Nature outside one’s door. The writings of Ed Thom, especially in his book “An Immense World”, are a key to opening that door.
Man-made objects in the matrix of Time and weathering are fascinating studies for the artist. Common insects, birds, fish & plants present uncommon graphic patterns that parallel decorative human-made design and are the basic code of Nature’s universality. These sometimes astonishing things are available if one is open to looking at them; it’s my aim as an artist to put them down on the 2-dimensional surface for everyone to see.
It is important to learn as much as one can, through the study and writings of others and from personal direct observation. This is a life-long habit and conscious practice, and results in Art that is informed with knowledge while always being open to the reality that we really know very little of the World - and we only have a short time to learn it.
The give-back is to be able to make art that one can personally enjoy while tickling the mind and eye of others. My art is intentionally a form of conversation and doesn’t exist solely for itself. If my pictures can be used to further the conversation about the beauty and wonder of the World, then my work is successful.
John Horgan is a science journalist who has knocked many scientists over the course of his career and yet stubbornly thinks of himself as a nice guy. For a critical albeit weirdly selective take on Horgan’s work, check out his Wikipedia page, which harps on his 1993 article “The Death of Proof” and his attacks on racist pseudoscience.
*** NOTICE: Some features of our members-related pages are not completely functional. This is due to a "plugin" (a functional component) that has been identified as having a security vulnerability. So, we've disabled this plugin. We're hoping that the creators of the plugin will fix this issue. But, we are also looking for an alternative solution. Sorry for the inconvenience. ***
PARTICIPATE & SUPPORT fellow Passionate Meanderers
** All writing and expressions of ideas are those of the real, living, breathing, human authors. No AI (artificial ignorance) has been used, unless explicitly indicated by the author for the purposes of analytical comparison.
Ed -- yeah, I'd vastly prefer not paying close attention to politics. I've always liked to keep up just enough…