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For Love and Science: Reclaiming Science through Ancestral and Intuitive Practices

Teachers
Kendra Krueger, Zahra Hassan
Date
January 31, 2023 to April 4, 2023 (10 classes)
Time
Tuesdays, 6-9pm ET
Location
Hybrid - online (Zoom) with 3 optional in-person field trips in NYC
Cost
$1200 Scholarships available learn more...
Deadline
Applications closed on December 2, 2022

Apply Now

Description

Join us in ‘For Love and Science: Reclaiming Science through ancestral and intuitive practices’ for a tender exploration of experimentation and research! Learn about matter, energy and information outside the classical western worldview. We’ll explore fundamentals of motion, electricity, astronomy, nuclear energy and quantum physics through an embodied and intuitive lens. Together, we will create new tools for research and experimentation, collect and analyze data through movement, meditation, and improvisation. Grounding ourselves in ancestral wisdoms, we will create our own cosmologies about the complex and elegant universe. We’ll ask how we can be transformed by learning about the patterns of nature and positively transform the wounded systems around us (can we also have wave-particle duality, be at times discreet and other times amorphous in aspects of our identity?). How can we do science differently when we dare to use our senses, follow a flow, a beat, a wave, and collectively work on different practices, tools, and technologies to engage with our environment? We’ll unpack the limitations bound up in our current colonial reductionist scientific methodology, disentangle ourselves from dominant science, and seek ancestral and intuitive practices that could unlock the next wave of liberation sciences.

Images courtesy of teachers, participants and class documentarians.

Outcomes

Course of Study

Participants will understand science through the lens of storytelling and science as storytelling. By the end of the class, participants have a good grasp of Western traditional science as one way of shaping the world into a narrative and have encountered different types of storytelling.

After an introduction to foundational science practice from different perspectives, participants will engage in creating their own scientific story through building DIY sensors, engaging in theater games, and practicing rituals based on indigenous practice.

They will develop their own methods of gathering data through the body and the senses by engaging with the world around them and tracking patterns in nature, culture, and psyche through intuitive and embodied practice.

Expectations

Time & Workload

Participants will be expected to invest time outside of class (2-3 hours/week) for personal data collection, observation, experimentation, light readings per week.

For participants for whom the NYC area is accessible:

Participants will vote on and schedule up to 3 in-person field trips to museums, outdoor spaces, and the CUNY ASRC Community Sensor Lab. At the Community Sensor Lab, participants will tinker in the lab, learn about sensors, and other cutting edge research happening in the facility. Online participants will have access to a virtual tour of the space.

Materials

Required:

  • Reading material will be provided.
  • Material for experiments will be provided in the lab.

Is this class for me?

This class is for you if…

  • You are excited about doing science collectively by drawing on ancestral knowledge and developing our own intuitive practices
  • You are excited about using the registers of the body and the senses to learn about science and the environment differently
  • You are excited about experimenting with an intersectional approach to physics, biology, environmental science
  • You are excited about collecting your own data for your environmental practice/activism
  • You are excited about bringing ritual/s and the lab together
  • You love physics and/or arts and want to learn just how much they have in common
  • You were a STEM kid and lost your passion for science the way it is taught in the Western tradition
  • You are fascinated by the patterns that ebb and flow across cosmic, human, and quantum scales

Covid-19 Safety and Precautions

Participants who attend the in-person field trips will be required to provide proof of up-to-date vaccination status (including boosters) and negative PCR tests before the start of class. Participants, teachers and staff are expected to be masked during field trips.

Meet the Teachers

teacher

Kendra Krueger

Kendra is an intersectional scientist, educator, artist and woman of color on many edges. Raised by artists, educated as an electrical engineer (BS Renssaeler Polytechnic Institute, MS CU Boulder) she is also trained in anti-oppression facilitation, theater, mindfulness and permaculture/social ecology. Her work and research is a convergence of these many waters. She founded 4LoveandScience in 2014 as a platform to teach transformative science throughout the country. She frequently collaborates with artist to curate and produce multi-media installations and immersive performances around themes of psyche and science. She currently works as a science educator at CUNY's Advanced Science Research Center where she has founded The Community Sensor Lab as a space for DIY community science and advocacy.

She/Her · website · twitter · instagram

teacher

Zahra Hassan

Zahra is an interdisciplinary scholar from Vienna with roots in Iraq. With a background in journalism and media, they are now dedicated to environmental studies and creative writing within NYU’s Experimental Humanities and Social Engagement program. Recently, their work has been revolving around Iraqi orange trees, and what it means to come into their senses when conducting research. They are currently writing a piece of speculative fiction about environmental disaster. It looks at sandstorms, droughts, floods, and how we can move closer together to create alliances beyond disciplines, borders, and species.

they/them/no pronouns · website · twitter · instagram

How do I apply?

Apply Now

Applications open until Applications closed on December 2, 2022.

You can expect to hear back from us about the status of your application on December 16, 2022. Please email us at admissions@sfpc.study with any questions you have.

How much does it cost to attend?

For 10 classes, it costs $1200 + $39.24 in processing fees, for a one-time payment. We also offer payment plans. Participants can schedule weekly or monthly payments of the same amount. First and last payments must be made before the start and end of class. *Processing fees apply for each payment.

SFPC processes all payments via Withfriends and Stripe. Please email admissions@sfpc.study if these payment options don't work for you.

Applicant FAQ

For more information about what we look for in applicants, scholarships, and other frequently asked questions, please visit our applicant FAQ.

Interested in more learning opportunities at the School for Poetic Computation? Join our newsletter to stay up to date on future sessions and events, and follow us on Instagram and Twitter. Support our programming through scholarships. Get in touch over email.