SCIENTIFIC PROGRAM

Symmetry in Art and Science Education

Interdisciplinary approach is a crucial issue of future education. Interdisciplinarity is already present in many schools, however its wider introduction at all levels and at a global range would be desirable. Schools must output alumni who are able to solve problems in everyday life, in science, in culture, and who are able to independently execute interdisciplinary tasks that do not fit into former schemes.

General holistic approaches, concepts, phenomena can play a central role in this process.
Symmetry is one of the most powerful means among them.

The key to introducing changes in education is teacher training. Teacher training is based on the pool of knowledge accumulated by traditional and recent research. Any new knowledge becomes effective when it is disseminated. The most effective way to reach this goal is education.

Therefore, the main target groups of the Symmetry Festival 2006 are:

- educators – at school and at university levels – in arts and sciences;
- researchers;
- artists, designers (theoreticians and practitioners);
- representatives of all media that transmit/convey new knowledge.


The science- and art-related questions are to be answered by the participants of the Festival:

- How does symmetry assist to implement the above principles/guidelines in the process of transmitting the latest research achievements to students?
- How can one re-evaluate, rearrange, reinterpret, and restructure earlier scientific knowledge in the light of more recent knowledge?
- How can symmetry be demonstrated to integrate knowledge of diverse disciplines?
- What have 20th century arts learned and implemented from the sciences?
- Did aesthetics play any role in 20th century scientific discoveries? If so, what were the most important issues?
- Education of both cerebral hemispheres: How can curricula draw both from the arts and the sciences, as far as possible, in a balanced proportion?


Call for papers: 

In accordance with the suggestions of the Program Committee of Symmetry Festival 2006, you are kindly invited to submit for presentation your significant new scientific results in any of the following or related topics. Research papers should be original contributions, not accepted or submitted elsewhere.

Instruction for Authors

Only electronic submissions can be accepted. 
Please submit your extended abstract, max. 12000 characters (four A4 pages) : HERE

Please, formulate your abstract by dividing it into two parts:

1) your opinion and/or experience, and
2) your response 
to any of the questions above.

Please note: 

Papers without at least one author registering by the early registration deadline will be automatically excluded from the conference program.

Planned special sessions:

- Symmetry in the history and philosophy of science
- Symmetry in the philosophy of physics
- Arts and the space research (application of symmetry considerations)
- Symmetry as a medium between the arts and the sciences
- Origami in science and art education
- Symmetries and visualisation in medical training
- Symmetry in bioinformatics
- Round table discussion: Nonlinear models and symmetry analysis in the theory of self-organising systems

Your proposals are welcome for additional special sessions!