GMU:Different Worlds

Werkmodul Fachmodul
Lecturer(s): Mindaugas Gapševičius
Credits: 6 ECTS, 4 SWS
Date: Wednesdays, 17:00-20:30
Venue: Online-Seminar, https://meeting.uni-weimar.de/b/min-url-f0n-xns
First meeting: 14.04.2020

Description

The way I understand the world is probably different from the world understood by you, flagellates or slime molds. While referring to Jakob von Uexküll, Andrew Pickering thinks of bubbles around each creature that trap them in their world. And then, while polemicizing with himself, he suggests whether we should just burst them.

The course Different Worlds is an attempt to question worlds as they would be seen by other organisms. How much is my world in their world? How does my presence affect the world of an organism? And how does the organism affect my world? How the interaction between the different worlds unfolds? The questioning of different worlds will unfold by trying to experience the world together with them.

During the first half of the semester, students will be expected to take care of the organisms, research related art projects and science papers, cook medium, and report weekly on the results. The second half of the semester is reserved for the implementation of the individual idea. We will use the GMU wiki to document our projects.

Students taking part in the Shared Habitats project module are encouraged to join this class. No special skills are required. Participation at the Big Blue Button Online-Seminar, and, if possible, the DIY biolab of the university.

Students

Syllabus

14.04.2021 /Introduction
21.04.2021 /Taking care of Physarum polycephalum
28.04.2021 /Further ideas for experimentation with P. polycephalum
05.05.2021 /Experiments with Euglena Gracilis
12.05.2021 /Comparisons and Multi-channel video
19.05.2021 /Revisiting interaction between "bubbles"
02.06.2021 /Maker culture and DIYbio
16.06.2021 /Assignment

Organisms

Euglena gracilis

“Euglena are found in fresh and salt waters. They are often abundant in quiet inland waters where they may bloom in numbers sufficient to color the surface of ponds and ditches green (E. viridis) or red (E. sanguinea).” (wikipedia)

“Most species of Euglena have photosynthesizing chloroplasts within the body of the cell, which enable them to feed by autotrophy, like plants. However, they can also take nourishment heterotrophically, like animals.” (wikipedia)

Euglena. Source: wikimedia.org]]

Physarum polycephalum

Is unicellular, multinucleated plasmodium "Physarum polycephalum, literally the "many-headed slime", is a slime mold that inhabits shady, cool, moist areas, such as decaying leaves and logs. Like slime molds in general, it is sensitive to light; in particular, light can repel the slime mold and be a factor in triggering spore growth."(wikipedia)

References

Grading

The outcome of the course is an interactive setting between humans and organisms. The successful completion of the course is regular participation in the BBB Online-Seminar and a project documented in the GMU wiki. The documentation may contain text, video, images, sketches, sound, and other digital formats.

20 % Theory 50 % Individual project 30 % Documentation including 20% of updates in Wiki