Federica Raia
Assistant Professor in Residence
Moore Hall 2335405 Hilgard Avenue
Los Angeles , California 90095-1521
Education
- Ph.D., Geophysics and Volcanology, University Naples ‘Federico II’, Naples, Italy, 1997
- Laurea (B.Sc./M.Sc.) in Geological Sciences, University of Naples ‘Federico II’ Naples, Italy, 1991
Teaching and Research Interests
As a Complex systems researcher I work on developing a theoretical framework for studying and analyzing 1) how we come to understand complexity, and mechanisms underlying processes such self-organization, adaptation, emergence; 2) the explanation we accept and the role concepts of causality play in understandings complex systems. As an educator, I am interested in these finding for the purpose of creating learning environments for middle and high school students and teachers that showed some likeness with the way in which science is done.
As a Critical Complex researcher I am concerned with the role of the self, of relationships and of multiple perspectives in the context of encounters that traditionally promote disempowerment and detachment such as the one of a patient with a health professional. In the context of this work, I am the co-founded with Dr. Mario Deng of The Relational Medicine Foundation, a no-profit organization in support of the on-going collaboration among different stakeholders: patients caregivers, healthcare providers, education researchers and theater professionals to improve the understanding and practice of high-tech modern medicine http://relationalmedicinefoundation.org/
Select Publications
Raia, F. (2012), Emergence of a Learning Community: a Transforming experience at the boundaries. Cultural Studies of Science Education. DOI 10.1007/s11422-012-9434-y
Raia, F. (2012), Mechanisms, causality, and explanations in complex geodynamic systems, in Kastens, K.A., and Manduca, C.A., eds., Earth and Mind II: A Synthesis of Research on Thinking and Learning in the Geosciences: Geological Society of America Special Paper 486, doi:10.1130/2012.2486(20).
Raia, F. & Deng, C. M., (2011),. Playful and mindful interactions in the recursive adaptations of the zone of proximal development: a critical complexity science approach. Cultural Studies of Science Education, 6(4), 903-914.
Deng M.C., Raia F. (2011).The Relational Act - A Model to improve the Practice of Medicine. In: Health, Illness, Disease – 9th Global Conference - Making Sense of: Health, Illness and Disease (Eds Vaccarella M, Deng M.C.). The Inter-Disciplinary Press Oxford 2010 .
Raia, F. Causality in Complex Dynamic Systems: A Challenge in Earth Systems Science Education.Journal of Geoscience Education – 56, 81-94, 2008.
