Browsing by Author "Goss, Sarah"

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    Reimagining the River: An Outdoor Vision of the Anthropocene and the White River through the Lens of Place
    (Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research, 2016-04-08) Boyle, Elliot; Catt, Braden; Goss, Sarah; Harrah, Peter; Smith, Rebekah; Walker, Whitney
    In 2016, the International Union of Geological Sciences will decide whether or not human impact on the Earth constitutes a new geologic epoch – the Anthropocene. If agreed upon, this epoch will acknowledge the effects human agency has upon the stratigraphic record, and the implications of a human-driven world. Reimagining the River takes the global Anthropocene to the City of Indianapolis by creating an outdoor museum of the White River. This museum exhibit will display the past, present, and future of the White River, showcasing the historical narrative of the human-river relationship. Exploring the Anthropocene through the story of the White River will engage the citizens of Indianapolis to develop a sense of ownership for the intertwined state of the River and Indianapolis. The intention of this engagement is to build a community that reimagines what the river was, is, and can become. Reimagining the River will be located on the White River State Park Bridge, and will feature audiovisual elements that relate current scenes surrounding the River to the past. Historical photographs complemented with a brief historical narrative will be juxtaposed with the areas surrounding the installation, framing Indianapolis’ urban environment as the exhibit. The installation will be accessible to all demographics, including children and individuals with disability. The exhibit will also include resources to encourage further audience participation, including podcasts, geocaching, and a website. Ongoing research pathways will be created to encourage the tracking and measurement of audience engagement and understanding of how human agency has affected the White River, its tributaries, and the City of Indianapolis.
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    What Makes Us Human?
    (Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research, 2016-04-08) Goss, Sarah; King, Justin; Smith, Rebekah; Walker, Whitney; Whitman, Priya
    What makes us human? Is it something innate within us, perhaps in our souls, if we even have them? Or are we determined by biology and genetics? It is increasingly clear that we cannot simply reduce humanity to the false dichotomies illustrated in antiquated arguments such as nature vs. nurture. Throughout history, the Cartesian mind-body divide has fueled a schism between understandings of what makes us human. Our infographic dispels these false dichotomies, indicating that humans are shaped myriad elements including genetics, socio-cultural constructs, the environment, and consciousness. This infographic shows the audience some of the greatest thinkers’ philosophies and ideas regarding areas such as human biology, consciousness, and evolution. We explain three prominent thought pathways, their roots, connotations, and interdependencies on a web of human thought, mapping out genetic foundations, theories of consciousness and human nature, and socio-cultural constructs. This web of humanity shows how the many theories of what makes us human coexist and interconnect; further indicating that humanity cannot be reduced to either the biological or the intellectual. What was once viewed as a dichotomy has become an open space for examination of human nature through the many lenses that are required for our complex nature. Perhaps the historic division of science and the humanities has provided the arena for deep thought on all sides. But now, there is a space to bridge the divide, and this bridge shows us that we are niche creators founded in biology and genetics and extant in our socio-cultural constructs. We exist in intentional space unintentionally. We are human, and perpetually evolving to be.