- 26 Nov 2024
- Artificial Intelligence Education
Welcome Suzanne Kern, Director of Education
We are excited to welcome new Director of Education Suzanne Kern!
Suzanne holds a Ph.D. in biology from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and brings two decades of experience in pedagogy, teaching, and administration at a variety of institutions. She joins the education team most recently from Minerva University, an innovative undergraduate program which utilizes synchronous virtual seminars as the primary mode of instruction. We asked her to answer some questions in a few short sentences to introduce herself.
What is your favorite thing about SFI?
I think it’s amazing that curiosity is both a driving force in the broadest sense and also present in the moment-to-moment reality around SFI.
What is your favorite thing in complex systems?
I am fascinated by the occasions when viewing a phenomenon or system through the lenses of complexity results in a sense of simplicity. I also love the inverse, when something that at first seems simple turns out to be much richer upon more careful inquiry.
What do you love the most about Complexity Explorer?
Complexity Explorer’s exceptional content and choose-your-own-adventure structure makes the perspectives and insights from SFI researchers accessible to a much wider set of audiences.
What makes you passionate about the future of education at SFI?
As the Director of Education at SFI, I look forward to leveraging my experience in innovative educational spaces, especially those that create a sense of immersion in a topic and interconnection with a learning community, both in-person and virtually.
Do you have a favorite artist or musician?
I love James Turrell’s art, it makes me notice and call into question my everyday experience of light and color. I recently took in a sunset show in one of his Skyspaces, in Phoenix (pictured below). It was totally mesmerizing.
(image: Suzanne Kern)
New Season of the Complexity Podcast: Nature of Intelligence
with SFI Professor and Complexity Explorer co-founder Melanie Mitchell
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Right now, AI is having a moment — and it’s not the first time grand predictions about the potential of machines are being made. But, what does it really mean to say something like ChatGPT is “intelligent”? What exactly is intelligence?In this season of the Complexity podcast, The Nature of Intelligence, we'll explore this question through conversations with cognitive and neuroscientists, animal cognition researchers, and AI experts in six episodes. Together, we'll investigate the complexities of human intelligence, how it compares to that of other species, and where AI fits in. We'll dive into the relationship between language and thought, examine AI's limitations, and ask: Could machines ever truly be like us?
The first 5 episodes are currently available to stream. Listen and subscribe on Apple Podcasts • Spotify • Deezer • Overcast • Pocket Casts • Radio Public • iHeartRadio
Complex Systems Summer School Journalism Fellowship
Applications due February 17, 2025
For more information & to apply
This residential fellowship offers a unique opportunity for established national or international journalists with a demonstrated interest in complex systems to attend SFI's four-week Complex Systems Summer School (CSSS) alongside graduate students, postdoctoral scientists, and professionals. CSSS offers an intensive four-week introduction to complex behavior in mathematical, physical, living, and social systems and takes place at the Institute of American Indian Arts (June 8-July 4, 2025).
