Frederick Steier

Department of Communication at the University of South Florida

Email: fsteier@gmail.com

Biographical Info: Frederick Steier is currently on the faculty of the Department of Communication at the University of South Florida, where he previously served as Director of Interdisciplinary Studies Programs. He is also a Scientist in Residence at the Museum of Science and Industry (MOSI) in Tampa, Florida. A Past-President of the American Society of Cybernetics (ASC) he has also served on Board of the ASC. He is also on the Editorial Board of the journal Cybernetics and Human Knowing, and has recently been named to the Advisory Board of the International Bateson Institute. His research focuses on systemic approaches to the understanding of, and transformation of, social systems of diverse kinds, with special attention to issues of communication and design, learning, and quality of life. He has also focused on participatory methodologies, including action research and use of World Café processes for collaborative learning in and design of social systems. His publications include the edited volume, Gregory Bateson: Essays for an ecology of ideas (2005), in celebration of the Gregory Bateson centennial, and the edited volume Research and Reflexivity (1991),

Dr. Steier received his Ph.D. from the University of Pennsylvania in Social Systems Sciences, in 1983. In 1985, he had the honor of being named King Olav V Fellow, by the American-Scandinavian Foundation. This fellowship created an opportunity to do research and teach at the University of Oslo, and also allowed for the establishment of a collaborative relationships with researchers at the Work Research Institutes, in Oslo, and the University of Oslo. Prior to coming to the University of South Florida, Dr. Steier has held appointments in a variety of academic and research settings. These have included the Philadelphia Child Guidance Clinic, where he served as a program Research Director, the University of Pennsylvania, the University of Oslo, and Old Dominion University (where he also served as Director of the Center for Cybernetic Studies in Complex Systems).

Dr. Steier has directed or been involved in cybernetics and systems research programs in a wide variety of settings, ranging from government institutions, including NASA, to family therapy based organizations, to science centers, such as the Museum of Science and Industry (Tampa), where he has led programs exploring the relationship between institutions of informal learning and communities.