Leonardo Network News

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

Pamela Grant-Ryan Celebrates 20th Anniversary

In Fall 2003 Managing Editor Pamela Grant-Ryan celebrated 20 years working with the Leonardo network. Under Pamela's leadership, the Leonardo publication landscape has been transformed. When she started at the journal, Leonardo was a small academic quarterly published by Pergamon Press. Today the Leonardo publications encompass the now bi-monthly Leonardo, including the Leonardo Music Journal and CD Series, Leonardo on-line publications and the Leonardo Book Series, all published by MIT Press. Pamela oversaw the transition from traditional typesetting to desktop publishing, and now to full hybrid on-line and print publication. Every issue of the journals appear simultaneously in print and electronic format, reaching a diverse international audience. This growth reflects the explosion of interest in the intersection of the arts, sciences and technology, but the success reflects Pamela's broad experience, thirst for change, curiosity and community building. She has worked with thousands of Leonardo authors, helping shape texts into statements that can be understood by readers from a variety of cultural backgrounds.

Many people do not realize that the Leonardo "empire" is piloted by a small group of five part-time staff in collaboration with hundreds of international volunteers. Leonardo, like all small visionary activities, is financially unstable; the Leonardo office has been in more than nine different locations during Pamela's tenure, reflecting the continuous struggle to survive. Yet over 20 years and 100 issues, Leonardo has always appeared on time.

Through all this turmoil, Pamela has insisted on rigor, originality and clarity, as well as ethical honesty. Our community is the beneficiary of her dedication and professionalism. We look forward to working with her in the years to come to help Leonardo mutate yet again, as we adjust to changes in the world around us. Pamela is now working on a "Leonardo Experimental Issue" project to pioneer ways to bring new ideas and innovative work, especially from younger scholars and artists, to the attention of a growing planetary community seeking to build a sustainable culture that contributes to human development. If you wish to join us in thanking Pamela for her dedication to the Leonardo network, please send her an e-mail at <pgr@sfsu.edu>.

—Roger Malina, Executive Editor

Robert Root-Bernstein

Robert Root-Bernstein has recently been appointed to the Leonardo Editorial Board. Root-Bernstein obtained his B.A. in Biochemistry from Princeton University and his Ph.D. in the History of Science, with Thomas Kuhn, at the same institution. He then did post-doctoral work with Jonas Salk at the Salk Institute in La Jolla, California, where he was awarded one of the first MacArthur Fellowships. Root-Bernstein is currently Professor of Physiology at Michigan State University, where he studies the evolution of metabolic control systems, autoimmune diseases, drug development, scientific creativity and arts-sciences interactions. He is an amateur artist and photographer who believes that understanding can be achieved only by active participation in a discipline and integration through understanding. He can be reached at <rootbern@msu.edu>.

Marc Battier Elected President of Leonardo/OLATS

Marc Battier has taken up duty as President of the Leonardo/OLATS Scientific Committee. Battier has been composing computer music for over 30 years (live and recorded). His latest CD, Nine Pieces on Works by Matta, with poems by Zeno Bieanu, will be released in the fall of 2003. As an author, Battier has written books and numerous articles on electronic and computer music. His research interests include the history of electrical and electronic musical instruments and audio technology and their interaction with other arts, the use of audio in literature and poetry, the development of electronic and computer music, and analysis methods for electronic music. As a professor at the University of Paris Sorbonne, Battier heads the MINT research group (Musicologie, Informatique et Nouvelles Technologies). He is also Vice-President of the Electronic Music Foundation.

Battier has been deeply involved in the Leonardo network on many levels. He has published in Leonardo and Leonardo Music Journal...