Frictions and Possibilities: Doing Interdisciplinarity at RIT, the I3 Retreat
Theme: Frictions and Possibilities: Doing Interdisciplinarity at RIT
Goal: Surface real interdisciplinary work already happening, stress-test ideas in motion, and seed next-step collaborations and curriculum.
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SCHEDULE
9:00–9:30 a.m. | Arrival, Coffee, Informal Conversation
9:30–10:00 a.m. | Frictions & Possibilities: A Collective Conversation
Part 1: Setting the Frame (≈15 min)
- Structural overview of interdisciplinarity at RIT
- Where interdisciplinarity lives institutionally
- Where it breaks down
- What support structures exist (and which don’t)
- Naming common frictions: evaluation, workload, ownership, language, credit, time
Part 2: Roundtable Discussion (≈15 min)
- Collective conversation focused on lived experience:
- Where have you encountered friction in interdisciplinary work?
- What strategies, workarounds, or structures have actually helped?
- What “organic” interdisciplinary initiatives already exist that deserve visibility?
- What are growth areas you would like to see?
10:00-10:15 a.m. | Break
10:15-11:00 a.m. | Lightning Presentations: Ideas in Motion
11:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m. | Active Lunch: The Interdisciplinary Idea Forum (Antigua-style)
12:00-12:15 p.m. | Break & Pause for Synthesis:
- Hosts step away briefly to reflect
- Then return to distill:
- What surprised them
- What clarified next steps
- What support might be needed
12:15-1:00 p.m. | Walking Seminar and Debrief
1:00-3:00 p.m. | Humanist and Integrated Learning and Breing: Reflections on Being an Anthropologist among Engineers, Caitrin Lynch (Olin College, Robotics & AI Institute)
3:00-3:15 p.m. | Break
3:15–3:45 p.m. | Closing & Next Steps
4:00-5:00 p.m. | Reception
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Please submit interpreting requests to myAccess.rit.edu.
Event Snapshot
When and Where
Who
This is an RIT Only Event
Interpreter Requested?
No