A Rhetorical Genealogy of Bacterial Psychology

This dissertation traces the historical trajectory of an idea: that we can learn about human perception and sensation by studying how microorganisms make decisions. Alfred Binet—experimental psychologist and master hypnotist—first put forward this idea in The Psychic Life of Microorganisms (1888). To investigate how Binet’s claim came to life eighty years later, I focus on research that I call “bacterial psychology.” This research studies microbial relations to, and influence upon, humans. To engage this research I approach rhetorical theory in two primary ways. First, I practice rhetoric of science in the traditional sense when I analyze scientists’ metaphors about microbes, which lean towards anthropomorphism. I engage rhetorical theory differently when I suggest we can use microbiome research to enhance theories of the body, to see suasive agency at the material and bodily level. In doing this, I step outside the established bounds of rhetoric of science—but with the intention of broadening the field and fostering dialogue between rhetoric and microbiome research. As the biological sciences explore the terra incognita of our non-discursive interactions, the exigence increases for humanities scholars to join conversations that are redefining the human. Our bodies and minds are being framed as distributed and composed of a multiplicity of agents, challenging assumptions about autonomy, individuality, and genetic determinism. Additionally, I argue that understanding ourselves as enmeshed with our environs enables us to be more responsive, and responsible, to our environs and to each other. To this end I synthesize research on microbial ecology with philosophies and worldviews that faded as the sciences developed, such as indigenous ecological knowledge, ancient Buddhism, and panpsychism—the idea that mind is derived from feeling and exists even in primitive life forms. In cross-pollinating these ideas with rhetorical theory and microbial ecology, I contribute to conversations in animal studies, ecological, and cultural rhetorics that question the locus of self. I conclude by synthesizing rhetorical theory on group identification, hypnosis, and suggestibility with microbiome research that echoes Binet’s suggestion—that microbes make decisions and we can learn about ourselves by studying them

Discovery processes & the organization of innovation

The thesis comprises four key papers, which provide fresh perspectives pertaining to the key factors in the management of innovation: new ideas, people, transactions and institutions. First, a model of discovery is proposed, highlighting the importance of problem reshaping and shifting in addition to usual problem solving approach. To illustrate how they can be incorporated within existing models, the conventional NK model is adapted in a novel way that not necessarily constrains agents to local optima nearby. The extended model is then used to study effects of curiosity and conditions under which analogy, recombination or local search would be effective. Building on this model, we show how satisficing behaviour of agents can be described by using cognitive constructs such as attention and stimulus, which moderate the gap between local (agent) and non-local (real-world) information. Second, Innovation entails the interfacing of communities with different traditions and aspirations, in particular, the science and business domains. Through a quasi-experimental design, we explore the micro-foundations of the contact and conflict which define the science-business divide, strategies for mitigating discordance and exploit synergies are discussed. Third, the attempt to understand innovation as intra-firm or inter-firm process from a consistent perspective within the existing theories of the firm has provoked a reconceptualization of the 'firm'. A reductionist approach at the level of actions and assets of the firm is found to achieve this reconciliation and also helps introduce the concepts of quasi-boundary to appreciate interaction of firms with the market and the institutions. Third, the innovation process occasionally faces institutional impediments. One of the preeminent changes has been the involvement of the universities in innovation system, where its full commercial potential was realized over a century. The historical observation of how multiple institutions were reformed provides new insights into the mechanism of institutional entrepreneurship. Finally, consolidation of each of the factors requires acknowledgment that the innovation process exists in the context of each other, and are subject to evolution and extraneous influences. The conclusion is an attempt at synthesizing the four factors towards understanding the overarching dynamics in the innovation ecosystem. To leverage on the independent developments at each level, a proposal to build a consistent multi-level coherent framework for innovation is suggested

Making Sense of Uncertainty in the Science Classroom:A Bayesian Approach

Uncertainty is ubiquitous in science, but scientific knowledge is often represented to the public and in educational contexts as certain and immutable. This contrast can foster distrust when scientific knowledge develops in a way that people perceive as a reversals, as we have observed during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Drawing on research in statistics, child development, and several studies in science education, we argue that a Bayesian approach can support science learners to make sense of uncertainty. We provide a brief primer on Bayes’ theorem and then describe three ways to make Bayesian reasoning practical in K-12 science education contexts. There are a) using principles informed by Bayes’ theorem that relate to the nature of knowing and knowledge, b) interacting with a web-based application (or widget—Confidence Updater) that makes the calculations needed to apply Bayes’ theorem more practical, and c) adopting strategies for supporting even young learners to engage in Bayesian reasoning. We conclude with directions for future research and sum up how viewing science and scientific knowledge from a Bayesian perspective can build trust in science. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s11191-022-00341-3

Program and Abstracts of the Annual Meeting of the Georgia Academy of Science, 2011

The annual meeting of the Georgia Academy of Science took place March 23–24, 2011, at Gainesville State College, Oakwood, Georgia. Presentations were provided by members of the Academy who represented the following sections: I. Biological Sciences, II. Chemistry, III. Earth & Atmospheric Sciences, IV. Physics, Mathematics, Computer Science, Engineering & Technology, V. Biomedical Sciences, VI. Philosophy & History of Science, VII. Science Education, and VIII. Anthropology

New Foundation in the Sciences: Physics without sweeping infinities under the rug

It is widely known among the Frontiers of physics, that “sweeping under the rug” practice has been quite the norm rather than exception. In other words, the leading paradigms have strong tendency to be hailed as the only game in town. For example, renormalization group theory was hailed as cure in order to solve infinity problem in QED theory. For instance, a quote from Richard Feynman goes as follows: “What the three Nobel Prize winners did, in the words of Feynman, was to get rid of the infinities in the calculations. The infinities are still there, but now they can be skirted around . . . We have designed a method for sweeping them under the rug. [1] And Paul Dirac himself also wrote with similar tune: “Hence most physicists are very satisfied with the situation. They say: Quantum electrodynamics is a good theory, and we do not have to worry about it any more. I must say that I am very dissatisfied with the situation, because this so-called good theory does involve neglecting infinities which appear in its equations, neglecting them in an arbitrary way. This is just not sensible mathematics. Sensible mathematics involves neglecting a quantity when it turns out to be small—not neglecting it just because it is infinitely great and you do not want it!”[2] Similarly, dark matter and dark energy were elevated as plausible way to solve the crisis in prevalent Big Bang cosmology. That is why we choose a theme here: New Foundations in the Sciences, in order to emphasize the necessity to introduce a new set of approaches in the Sciences, be it Physics, Cosmology, Consciousness etc

UMSL Bulletin 2019-2020

The University Bulletin/Course Catalog 2019-2020 Edition.https://irl.umsl.edu/bulletin/1083/thumbnail.jp

UTB/TSC Legacy Degree Programs and Courses 2010 – 2011

https://scholarworks.utrgv.edu/brownsvillelegacycatalogs/1026/thumbnail.jp

Integrating Cognitive Science with Innovative Teaching in STEM Disciplines

This volume collects the ideas and insights discussed at a novel conference, the Integrating Cognitive Science with Innovative Teaching in STEM Disciplines Conference, which was held September 27-28, 2012 at Washington University in St. Louis. With funding from the James S. McDonnell Foundation, the conference was hosted by Washington University’s Center for Integrative Research on Cognition, Learning, and Education (CIRCLE), a center established in 2011. Available for download as a PDF. Titles of individual chapters can be found at http://openscholarship.wustl.edu/circle_book/.https://openscholarship.wustl.edu/books/1009/thumbnail.jp