Rowan Valle

"The eyes are useless when the mind is blind..."

What's good fellow human?! I'm Rowan, but I schizophrenically write it Raudhan on occasion even though I still pronounce it Rowan. It has a cool look to it. But sometimes I spell my name Rowan. It's mood dependent. I'm a senior at the University of Rhode Island, studying Sustainable Agriculture and Food System for my bachelors, and simultaneously I'm working on a master's in environmental science and management. Earlier in my life I had studied philosophy, but decided I needed to do something more hands on with my life, though the philosophical outlook governs my life and work. I'm a former Agriculture and Food Systems fellow and a Social Science Institute for Research, Education, and Policy Fellow, where I conducted a blend of social and natural science research into the food networks of Black and Immigrant communities. We took garden catalogues, conducted interviews, I translated between Spanish and English and vice versa. It was a fun year!
Currently I'm conducting research on the use of fuzzy logic and Bayesian inference in measuring the health of a given ecosystem be they domesticated, wild or feral. I'm also interested in the scientific and philosophical analysis of what I call the biome-biont distinction. I don't think there really is one, it's more of a nested system of interconnected life, but I also think that any narrative can be made to fit any given set of evidences, and am skeptical of using grand narratives for anything other than as tools for enchanting and enriching our lives, but not for discerning truth. To wit, I'm also skeptical of what passes for science in academia, and the whole publishing-university-industrial complex, where corporate power launders its reputation through funding education and philanthropy.
If I had to give an overview of what it is I do, it would be thus: I study civilization as an ecological and biological phenomena using interdisciplinary tools to analyze the 20th century, navigate the 21st century, and prepare for the 22nd century.
Anyway, this is my page, check it out, I will upload blog posts, most likely to substack or some other such platform. We shall see. I have many things to say, and I finally have the knowledge and confidence in my own capabilities and as researcher and philosopher to say them.