Embracing Complexity

Returning last summer to the American Southwest, MHS Director of Engineering & Technology/ STEAM Coordinator Dr. Christopher Himes was struck by the complexity of histories in the region.

Earlier in his career, Dr. Himes studied at the University of New Mexico and lived in Albuquerque, so he was familiar with those complexities, but this time around, the more he learned, the more questions he uncovered. Answers, in turn, led to more questions. It was the kind of professional development he wasn’t going to find at a conference.

“It was a really interesting exploration,” explains Dr. Himes, who shared his experience during a December 8 presentation to the MHS community. “It was the first time I had ever engaged in professional development where I was discovering what to do as we were there, and talking to people about the experience, and as I got more and more information, the experience became richer and richer.”

Dr. Himes and his family traveled in June to New Mexico as the recipient of the 2022-23 Paternotte Family Faculty Travel and Study Endowment Fund Grant. Established by Nancy Brewster Paternotte ’65 in 2015, the grant supports faculty professional development through travel; faculty share their experiences afterward in a community presentation.

The focus of Dr. Himes’ trip was two-fold. The first was exploring the Taos region’s “Earthships,” off-the-grid, nearly self-sufficient homes built from largely recycled materials and in a climate where water is scarce. The second was learning more about New Mexico’s rich weaving tradition, particularly the Chimayo style, one of several in a region influenced by the converging indigenous, Mexican, Spanish, and U.S. cultures.

Both aspects of the trip, Dr. Himes noted, have applications in the MHS classroom, whether as part of a unit examining sustainable housing or while thinking algorithmically about math and space, integral parts of the weaving process. There is also room to explore the intersection of history, art, and technology in a truly interdisciplinary fashion.

Sharing photos from the trip, Dr. Himes explained the Earthship concept. The homes use passive solar heating and radiational cooling and heating, while employing an intricate water collection and distribution system that provides potable water for drinking and recycled water for growing fruits and vegetables. Many recycled materials are also embedded into the homes’ structural elements, such as foundations and walls.

“We spent a lot of time looking at properties, and it’s a really exciting thing that they’ve come up with this idea,” said Dr. Himes, who made the trip with his family — MHS English Teacher Emily Pulfer-Terino ’97 and their son Lyric. “You can have a house that’s self-sustaining, that minimizes its impact on the environment, that uses materials that would otherwise be in a landfill, and that is benefiting the environment as well.”

While in Taos, the family visited the Taos Pueblo, an indigenous community identified by UNESCO as one of the oldest continuously inhabited places on earth, dating back nearly 1,000 years. Similarities among Earthship and Pueblo designs prompted discussion about how current technologies emerge from previous technologies.

“It does raise the question, ‘What is an invention, particularly when it’s based on ancient technology?” Dr. Himes posited, adding, “There’s also this fascinating tension — fascinating from an outsider’s perspective — about the vastly different histories that are going on, the indigenous history, the Spanish history, and the American history all clashing in remarkable ways that are challenging and exciting.”

A similar tension can be found in weaving, noted Dr. Himes, who has long knitted and crocheted, and wanted to learn more about weaving. He described several styles — Rio Grande, Saltillo, Vallero, Chimayo, and Navajo — and the influences of each as the next style emerged. Here, too, he discovered differing histories, based on who told the story.

“I know weaving is a complex process, but I didn’t know that it had such a complex history,” he said. “This is something that I am continuing to explore. How do we listen and how do we find out about stories that are not easily available?”

Reflecting on the trip, Dr. Himes noted that it reinforced important concepts for him. “First is this idea that fundamentally, new ideas are built on the back of old ideas” he said. “When we’re asked to create something new, sometimes that feels hard, because how do I create something new? You start by researching what already exists, and then you try to refine it into something unique for you.”

Second is the notion that science, technology, and engineering are not a-cultural, meaning they are human endeavors and, therefore, subject to human biases and interests. Finally, that technologies are not only digital. The loom is a technology. Weaving is a technology.

Ultimately, lessons from the trip will be shared with students and colleagues, formally and informally, explained Dr. Himes, who is grateful for the Paternotte grant.

“As teachers, we are lucky to be at Miss Hall’s for several reasons, one of which is our ability to engage in professional development that’s not available to a lot of teachers,” he said. “This particular type of professional development, where you can explore your own interests — I didn’t have to sit and listen about engineering for a week, but rather I could explore my interests and tie it back to my work — is a rare and precious thing.”

The Paternotte Family Faculty Travel and Study Endowment Fund was established in 2015 by Nancy Brewster Paternotte ’65 on the occasion of her 50th reunion, to support faculty professional development at MHS. Miss Hall’s faculty may apply for this annual grant to travel domestically or abroad during the summer or school vacation to further knowledge in their field, to explore new developments in teaching methods or instructional technology, to gain added expertise in their field, or to train in a new instructional area that will enrich the curriculum.

The recipient of the Paternotte Family Faculty Travel and Study grant is asked to embed learning from their travel experience into the classroom, to publicize this work through a formal presentation to the school community in the fall semester, and to share this experience in an article for school publications and web communications.

Previous Paternotte Grant Recipients

2019 Sue Lovell
2018 Rebecca Cook-Dubin
2017 Vicky Biancolo
2016 Ellie Kreischer