JOPRO 2024 Year in Review
Reflecting on a year of challenges, collaborations, and new frontiers
As 2025 picks up steam, we at JOPRO want to take a moment to celebrate the strides we’ve made in interdisciplinary research, innovation, and community-building. From civic imagination initiatives to groundbreaking work in developmental biology, mental health paradigms, and embodied cognition, our teams have pursued a diverse range of projects united by a shared commitment to bridging present challenges with tomorrow’s possibilities. Here’s a look back at some of the highlights.
1. JOPRO a Winner at Fandom Forward Civic Imagination Challenge
Read the full announcement
One of our proudest moments of 2024 was being selected as a winner of the Fandom Forward Civic Imagination Challenge, recognizing our vision for uniting creativity, storytelling, and community engagement to drive positive change. This honor reaffirms JOPRO’s mission to imagine and implement more hopeful futures through collaborative research and mentorship.
2. OREL Participates in the Active Inference Institute’s 4th Symposium
Read more about OREL’s contributions
The Orthogonal Research & Education Lab (OREL) took part in the 4th Symposium hosted by the Active Inference Institute, sharing insights on developmental neurosimulation, open-source collaboration and mentoring & project management for innovators, and the role of active inference in interdisciplinary science. This event underscored our commitment to open knowledge-sharing, as team members showcased ongoing R&D efforts on embodied cognition and modeling.
3. Review of Braitenberg Vehicles and Dynamics
Alicea reviews “Open Dynamics of Braitenberg Vehicles”
In keeping with our focus on computational frameworks, Dr. Bradly Alicea offered a thoughtful review of Open Dynamics of Braitenberg Vehicles. The review explores the evolving theoretical perspectives on how simple agent-based models can illustrate complex developmental processes—an important stepping stone for future AI and cognitive research.
4. Embodied Neurophenomenology Project
Learn about the project
Seeking a holistic approach to understanding cognition, this initiative integrates phenomenological methods and neuroscientific data to probe subjective experience. By bridging philosophical inquiry with empirical measurement, the project aims to uncover new ways of mapping and enhancing human mental states.
5. Phasic Physical Intelligence & Complexity
Read about phasic PI
This exploratory effort examines how “phasic” shifts in physical and cognitive states might be harnessed for augmented intelligence. Combining complexity science with innovative hardware and software solutions, the team investigates new forms of synergy between biological organisms and their environments.
6. AI and Liability: New Thesis Publication
Schnake Publishes Thesis
Congratulations to the newest scholarship on AI liability, analyzing how legal frameworks address responsibility when autonomous systems cause harm or loss. An original founding member of the Society Ethics Technology (SET) team, Valeria Schnake, has published her thesis, which contributes to SET’s mission of highlighting ethical and social dimensions of emerging technologies, offering insights valuable for policymakers, developers, and researchers alike.
7. Inside-Out Film Series for Mental Health
Project Primer
As part of JOPRO’s Mental Health Paradigms and Practices working group, the team examined mental health relative to how the Inside-Out Film Series used cinematic narratives to spark conversations around well-being, emotional intelligence, and societal perspectives on mental health. This creative approach aligns with our strategy of merging education, media, and open dialogue to tackle complex human issues.
8. DevoGraph: Advancing Developmental Biology through Computation
Explore the D-GNNs Project
A highlight for our computational biology enthusiasts is the DevoGraph project, which leverages graph-based analysis and developmental neural networks to model organism growth and cellular interactions. It represents yet another frontier where data-driven approaches can shed light on the intricacies of life sciences.
9. Challenging Hegemonic Bias in Mental Health
Investigate Hegemonic Bias
This inquiry delves into cultural and systemic biases embedded in contemporary mental health paradigms, urging practitioners and researchers to reevaluate diagnostic and therapeutic standards. By identifying blind spots, we aim to foster more inclusive, equitable frameworks for understanding human well-being.
10. Plot Twisters at Oxford Internet Institute’s Inclusive Gaming Conference
In April 2024, partner group Plot Twisters presented at the Inclusive Gaming Conference hosted by the Oxford Internet Institute at the University of Oxford. As part of the Co-design Practices for Games panel, the team showcased their interdisciplinary approach to emotional literacy, narrative world-building, and edtech game development. Drawing from research in self-reflection and developmental design, the presentation reflected Plot Twisters’ mission to use interactive storytelling as a means of fostering emotional awareness, inclusive futures, and innovative educational tools.
11. Embodied Intelligence 2024
Check out the event
Finally, Orthogonal Research and Education Lab and Cognition Futures continued its tradition of hosting dialogues on embodied intelligence by returning to The International Conference on Embodied Intelligence. The event brings together neuroscientists, cognitive scientists, engineers, and philosophers. These cross-disciplinary gatherings are instrumental in shaping next-generation approaches to intelligence—human, artificial, or somewhere in between.
Looking Ahead
We’re excited to build on these accomplishments in 2025, with plans for more collaborative research, new mentoring cohorts, and initiatives that expand the conversation around human-centered AI, cognitive development, mental health, and beyond.
In particular, be sure to follow our latest publications for associated project updates and forthcoming internship opportunities:
Thank you for following our journey—stay tuned for fresh updates, event announcements, and collaborative opportunities in the coming months!
As always, if you’d like to get involved, have an idea to share, or simply want to learn more about JOPRO’s mission, feel free to reach out or check out our main website. We look forward to forging new paths together in the pursuit of a more innovative and connected future.
With gratitude,
The JOPRO Team