RSD12 Georgetown Update

RSD12 organising institution announced—Georgetown University, USA. This year, the RSD12 hub model invites multiple hosts to submit interest in presenting their chosen themes.

Georgetown University is a top-ranking academic and research institution comprised of 11 undergraduate and graduate schools and degrees in more than 40 disciplines. RSD12 chair, Evan Barba, is an associate professor in the Communication, Culture and Technology Program and co-director of the Iteration Lab, a multidisciplinary laboratory for the design and analysis of socio-technical systems. Evan is an SDA founding member, a consistent contributor to RSD symposia, and joined the SDA board in 2019.

If you plan to join the culminating in-person three-day event at Georgetown University, it’s worth planning to stay the weekend. RSD12 is situated near Washington DC museums, which number more than 75 and include the Smithsonian Institution’s 17 museums, many galleries and a zoo. (Bonus: many of the museums are free of charge.)

How RSD symposia are organised

SDA offers a framework for compelling, engaging, and consistent RSD symposia according to the well-established RSD framework. Each RSD builds on the rich, collected experience from former symposia; however, the unique learnings from each RSD sparks new and novel approaches for programming future symposiums.

An RSD program is formed by the host’s vision for the event and chosen themes. Then the tracks are developed from the abstracts selected from reviewed submissions. Papers are reviewed by 2-3 experienced peers, with feedback to all authors who submit. The host team is responsible for collecting and editing working papers for the proceedings that follow the symposium. SDA board members participate in the scientific committee lending a hand to manage the review and selection process. SDA board members and the prior year’s chair also act as an advisory group to the event.

The RSD symposium is an important annual event for students, academics, researchers, and practitioners. Special attention is given to early career researchers, practitioners, case studies, and project reporting.

The host organisation sets the programme and organises contributions, which form the annual proceedings. Formats include keynotes, plenary speakers and panels, workshops, interactive sessions, papers, and an exhibition featuring systemic design maps.

Logistics