Leonardo Network News

The Newsletter of the International Society for the Arts, Sciences and Technology and of L'Observatoire Leonardo des Arts et Technosciences

Martin Sweeting Awarded the Frank J. Malina Astronautics Medal

Adding to a succession of tributes this year, Sir Martin Sweeting, Surrey Space Center's CEO, has been awarded the Frank J. Malina Astronautics Medal in recognition of his valuable contributions in the fields of space and education.

The award was presented to Sweeting on 18 October 2002 at the banquet ceremony of the IAF World Space Congress in Houston, TX. The medal is presented annually to an educator who has demonstrated excellence in taking the fullest advantage of available resources to promote the study of astronautics and related space sciences. The medal was first awarded, posthumously, to space shuttle astronaut Krista McAuliffe, in 1986.

The Frank J. Malina Award consists of a commemorative medal and a certificate of citation. Administered by the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA), the award is funded by the Aerojet-General Corporation.

Further information: Audrey Nice, Press & Publicity, Surrey Space Centre, University of Surrey, Guildford, GU2 7XH, U.K. E-mail: <a.nice@sstl.co.uk>. Photos available at <http://www.sstl.co.uk/primages/MNS_EoY.jpg> and <http://www.sstl.co.uk/primages/MNS_Knighthood.jpg>.

Leonardo/ISAST Receives Funding for ArtsLab Study

Artists working with new technologies are often required to innovate and invent as a means of achieving completion. These inventions are often unintentional, and their potential value in the commercial world is largely unrealized. Ironically, high-tech industry invests a great deal of time and money in trying to create such inventions itself.

Leonardo/ISAST has recently received a grant from the Rockefeller Foundation to study the feasibility of an "arts lab" that could identify, protect and market artist-driven invention.

ArtsLab would be structured as a not-for-profit corporation and managed with the discipline of a commercial enterprise, with the goal of financial sustainability with minimum compromise of artistic or research values. Veteran media artist and researcher Michael Naimark, who was a founding member of several media-based research labs, including Interval Research Corporation, will direct the ArtsLab study.

For more information: <http://www.artslab.net/>.

Richard Clar Elected Corresponding Member of IAA

Artist Richard Clar has been elected as a Corresponding Member of the International Academy of Astronautics (IAA). Clar is a member of the Leonardo Space Arts Working Group. He organized the 2001 and 2002 Leonardo Space Arts Workshops in Paris.

Clar has created a number of works of Space Art, including Collision, an orbital debris constellation sculpture. Created in 1995 in collaboration with the Naval Research Laboratory, the orbital debris sculpture resides in low-earth orbit.

The IAA is the leading international academy for space sciences and astronautics. For more information: <http://www.iaanet.org>. Richard Clar: <rclar@arttechnologies.com>.

Leonardo Strategic Planning Report

Artists and scientists in the Leonardo network have been among the earliest adopters and champions of new technologies, and, indeed, that community has changed significantly since the late 1960s when the journal was formed. Today, we are at an inflection point. We believe that by undertaking a strategic investigation of the network, we will be able to renew our focus and impact and thus prepare to serve the community long into the future. Toward that end, we are launching a strategic planning initiative to study, understand, refine and document Leonardo's strategic focus. While this activity is critical for Leonardo, the results of the investigation will be widely applicable to many organizations working at the intersection of art, science and technology. We are excited about the impact of this project, and we welcome the participation of the community.

For more information: Mark Resch: <resch@onomy.com>.

Leonardo Digital Reviews 2002 Report

During 2002, Leonardo Digital Reviews published in excess of 120 reviews of substantial quality, covering a wide range of topics in art history, consciousness studies, scientific visualization, philosophy and visual culture. The reviews were the product of a standing panel of around 65 members distributed over five continents.

Exceptionally, this year Leonardo Digital Reviews provided the copy for two complete editions of Leonard Electronic Almanac. As part...