#ISSS2016 Boulder

Systemic Sustainability and Systems Literacy ultimately involve transformative changes at the personal and social level. What individual competencies are needed and how will student researchers navigate the treacherous waters ahead for ‘out-of-the-box’ thinkers? We emphasize the importance of integrated personal skills and effective collaborative and innovative networking to build transformative communities.

We live in a world that is increasingly networked technologically, with a growing diversity in methods and media of communication and connection, providing an ever increasing level of complexity.  This network of complexity and diversity is presenting both opportunities in terms of innovation and community, and threats in terms of uncertainty, risks and unforeseen disruptive events.  Yet is this network, or ecology of networks, a system?  When does a network become a system and what is our role within the system to harness the potential of the networks for systemic purposes and systemic action?   Exploring critical systems thinking, in particular the boundary, cybernetics and design thinking, can we build effective systemic capacity for collaboration and purposeful action to educate, inform and inspire engagement with systems literacy within and beyond the systems community?Keywords: Critical Systems Thinking, Boundary, Boundaries, Cybernetics, Networks, Collaboration, Connection, Leadership, Systemic

The Vickers award encourages contributions to areas of consideration where systems approaches stand to enrich the social sciences, humanities and the arts.

More about Sir Geoffrey Vickers: http://www.isss2016usa-india.com/#!sir-geoffrey-vickers/hapzs

More about the Awards:  Student Awards

The Rapoport award recognizes works in the domains of the physical sciences, the life sciences, mathematics and engineering.

More about Anatol Rapoport: http://www.isss2016usa-india.com/#!anatol-rapaport/mhvum

More about the Awards:  Student Awards

The Mead award considers contributions across the domains considered by both the Vickers and the Rapoport awards, but distinguishes those that place special emphases on feminist, collectivist, and culturally pluralistic perspectives

More about Margaret Mead: http://www.isss2016usa-india.com/#!margaret-mead/hp4p3

More about the Awards:  Student Awards