Abstract: This document proposes to establish the ‘Society for Symbolic Systems, Interaction, and Intelligence’ (SYINT), an interdisciplinary student-led community. It pictures a new framework to bridge diverse disciplines and foster innovative insights, which is expected to be an innovative approach for contributing to the frontiers. It specifies the society's purposes, designs of activity, architecture, and administrative details. Several additional sections also address ethical and practical considerations. This document serves as a blueprint for SYINT's formation and future development.
Introduction
The Society for Symbolic Systems, Interaction, and Intelligence (SYINT) at UCL is a dynamic interdisciplinary community where students from multi-discipline backgrounds across technical, social science, and humanities, etc. converge to explore the connections between diverse academic fields. Using the framework inspired by symbolic systems — how information is structured, represented, and interpreted across different domains — we shall investigate and make use of the hidden patterns that link disciplines like philosophy, psychology, computer science, linguistics, cognitive science, and more.
As the very first student organisation in the UK to do what we do, SYINT creates a space where the boundaries between disciplines become permeable, allowing members to develop the unique ability to interpret knowledge and ideas across different knowledge domains. Through boldly structured and carefully designed forms of activity schemes, we bring out and tackle emerging questions at the intersection of human experience and technology, from AI ethics to the future of digital media to cognitive enhancement, for instance.
Our community welcomes students of all academic backgrounds who are curious about how different fields can illuminate each other. Whether you're a computer science major curious about philosophical perspectives, a psychology student interested in computational models, or a humanities scholar fascinated by technological development, SYINT strives to offer a platform to expand your intellectual horizons while developing valuable conceptual tools that complement your studies, careers, and everything beyond.
Purpose – Reasons for our Existence.
To revolutionise how academic knowledge is shared and understood across disciplines by creating an intellectual ecosystem where the boundaries between technical and humanistic fields become permeable. We want to address a fundamental challenge in modern education: while our education systems naturally have reasons to emphasise specialisation, emerging problems of our more automated world require more interdisciplinary understanding. Through the framework of symbolic systems—the study of how meaning is created, represented, and transmitted across different domains—we aim to develop new pathways for deep cross-disciplinary understanding that allow students to engage with core ideas from various fields without necessarily mastering all their technical details.
The Society stands as a living laboratory where students can experiment with new modes of intellectual engagement that extend beyond traditional academic structures. We recognize that the symbolic patterns underlying computer science, linguistics, psychology, philosophy, and other fields share profound connections that deserve focused exploration. By illuminating these connections, we seek to explore and nurture ourselves to the next-generation thinkers who can move fluidly between different knowledge systems, translating insights from one domain to another while maintaining intellectual rigor and depth.
Our ultimate purpose is to cultivate a new kind of intellectual versatility—not to replace specialized expertise, but rather to develop new mindsets and innovative thinkers who can see the hidden symmetries between seemingly disparate fields and leverage these connections to generate novel insights that specialised approaches might miss, which addresses an increasingly broader need for integrative thinking in a more automated world where significant opportunities emerge at the intersections of established disciplines.
Missions – Core Functions
Our mission is to build an active community that transforms how students engage with cross-disciplinary knowledge through innovative frameworks, collaborative exploration, and creative application. We accomplish this by:
Creating structured methods for interpreting knowledge and ideas across disciplinary boundaries, making technical concepts accessible without oversimplification and bringing humanistic insights into technical discussions in meaningful ways. Which focuses on preserving the essential insights of each field while rendering them comprehensible and useful to those with different backgrounds.
Developing practical toolkit for conceptual interpretation — the systematic examination, clarification, and refinement of the concepts we use to understand complex systems. These components help members extract the core principles from specialised domains and recognise patterns that transcend conventional boundaries.
Facilitating environments where students can apply interdisciplinary thinking to emerging questions surrounding technology, society, and human experience. Rather than theoretical discussions alone, we value the feedback from practical application of integrated knowledge to real challenges and insightful experiences.
Modelling new approaches to student-led intellectual communities — ones that balance structure with spontaneity, depth with accessibility, and specialised knowledge with integrative thinking. We embrace both rigorous academic exploration and engaging, enjoyable interaction.
Our mission addresses the space between specialised understanding by creating contexts where both can meaningfully inform each other, inspiring people that share our values and scopes, producing insights for and advancing to innovative contributions.
Ethical Considerations
Bias, Generalisation, and Stereotyping
Identifying, defining, and more involves creating explicit characterisation for certain concepts, objects, and subjects. Whilst these definitions should only apply to specific contexts, it is still important to note that these processes can wrongly bias or create stereotypes. It is important to reflect regularly on the existence of such phenomena. This society should also have and will have agendas to keep under review and assess the potential impact when such work is undertaken.
Equal Opportunity and Fairness
In our pursuit of advancing knowledge and skills, we must remain vigilant against creating or reinforcing unequal access to resources, opportunities, or recognition. Activities, events, and learning materials should be designed with accessibility in mind, ensuring that all members can participate regardless of their background, prior knowledge, or personal circumstances. We will regularly review our practices to identify and address any barriers to equal participation.
Neglecting Individual Differences
While establishing frameworks and methodologies is essential, we must guard against approaches that fail to acknowledge individual differences in learning styles, cultural backgrounds, and personal experiences. Our society recognizes that standardized approaches may inadvertently marginalize some members. We commit to incorporating flexibility in our activities and being responsive to diverse needs and perspectives.
Misinformation and Manipulation
Symbolic systems and interaction designs are powerful tools that can be used to influence perceptions and behaviours. We acknowledge the responsibility that comes with this power and commit to transparent practices that avoid misleading representations or manipulative techniques. All content shared through our society will be fact-checked and we will encourage critical thinking among members to recognize and resist potentially manipulative design patterns.
Community and Communication
Sexual Violences and Harassment
We commit a zero-tolerance stance to any kind of sexual harassment and will do everything we can to support our members and students affected by sexual violence.
If you have experienced sexual violence, it is your choice whether you want to take any further action, which you have every right to do so. If you decided to take on further action, there is lots of support available to you. We will also work with every regarding party to provide our best support.
Active Bystander
We recognize that harmful behaviours may occur within our community. All members are encouraged to be active bystanders who speak up against discriminatory, harassing, or otherwise harmful actions. We will provide training on effective bystander intervention techniques and create clear reporting mechanisms for concerns. No member should fear reprisal for reporting problems in good faith.
Ethnicity
Our society acknowledges the risk of cultural insensitivity or appropriation in our activities. We commit to respectful engagement with cultural symbols, practices, and knowledge from diverse ethnic backgrounds. We will seek appropriate consultation when incorporating elements from specific cultural traditions and avoid superficial or stereotypical representations. Regular feedback from members of different ethnic backgrounds will be actively sought and valued.
Language
Communication within our society may inadvertently exclude or alienate some members through specialized jargon, culturally specific references, or language that reinforces stereotypes. We commit to mindful communication that balances precision with accessibility. When technical terminology is necessary, we will provide explanations. We will regularly review our communications for unintentional bias or exclusionary language.
Cognitive Risks
Misinterpretation and Manipulation
We recognize that symbolic systems can be misinterpreted or deliberately manipulated to convey unintended or deceptive meanings. Our society will promote transparency about the intended purpose and limitations of any frameworks or systems we develop. We will educate members about the potential for manipulation and encourage ethical applications that respect user autonomy and informed consent.
Neglecting In-Depth Study
In our pursuit of practical applications, we risk overlooking the importance of deep theoretical understanding. We acknowledge that superficial knowledge can lead to misapplications with potentially harmful consequences. Our society commits to balancing practical skills with thorough conceptual grounding and will encourage members to develop both breadth and depth in their learning.
Over-Simplification
We recognize the danger of reducing complex phenomena to overly simplified models that fail to capture important nuances or exceptions. While simplification is sometimes necessary for understanding, our society will encourage awareness of the limitations of any model or framework we employ. We will promote critical thinking that questions generalizations and seeks out counterexamples or alternative interpretations.
Over-Complication
Conversely, we acknowledge the risk of introducing unnecessary complexity that obscures rather than clarifies. Our society will strive for elegant solutions that balance complexity with accessibility, avoiding jargon or elaborate frameworks when simpler approaches would suffice. We will regularly review our materials and methods to ensure they remain as straightforward as possible while still accomplishing their intended purpose.
Legals
Regulatory Compliance
Our society acknowledges the importance of compliance with relevant regulations, including but not limited to data protection laws, intellectual property regulations, and institutional policies. We will regularly review applicable regulations and adapt our practices accordingly. Members will be informed about key regulatory considerations relevant to our activities.
Liability and Accountability
We recognize that our activities may create various forms of liability. Our society will clearly define responsibilities and establish accountability mechanisms for all positions and activities. We will obtain appropriate insurance coverage where necessary and maintain transparent documentation of decisions and actions that could have significant consequences.
Representations
Our society acknowledges the legal implications of how we represent ourselves, our capabilities, and our activities to others. We commit to honest and accurate communication about what our society offers and what members can expect to gain from participation. We will avoid exaggerated claims or promises that we cannot reasonably fulfil.
Operation
We recognize the importance of proper operational procedures to minimize legal risks. Our society will establish clear protocols for financial management, event organization, and other operational aspects. We will maintain accurate records of our activities and ensure compliance with institutional requirements for student organizations.
Copyright
Our society respects intellectual property rights and acknowledges the legal and ethical importance of proper attribution. We will educate members about copyright considerations and establish clear guidelines for the use of external materials in our activities. When creating content as a society, we will develop explicit policies regarding ownership and licensing to prevent future disputes.
See Also
The followings in this section suggest external sources of information that may help with the understanding, insights, and inspirations on our ideas. However, it is important to understand that we do not have any formal connections, affiliations, joint initiatives or any form of relationship with them. This section should be only as a navigation to useful information, not endorsement.
Relevant Programs
Relevant Institutions
Visual Identity
‘SYINT’ as a short form
The Society for Symbolic Systems, Interaction, and Intelligence's acronym ‘SYINT’ consists of two parts, SY from the repetition of SY in the words Symbolic and Systems and INT from the repetition of INT in the words Interaction and Intelligence, and it is hoped that the combination of SY and INT will naturally evoke symbolic associations with the core elements of the organisation. We hope that the combination of SY and INT will naturally create associations with the core elements of the association from the language symbols.
Visual
The SYINT’s temporary banner shown at the front-page head, and the visual mark shown as the upper right header of every following page is the temporary measures to facilitate the communication in favour of prospects gathering. Forma DJR is used in creating these assets as part of the SYINT’s temporary visual identity. “SY” and “INT” may be separated from the full caption but used as a group, a different colour is used in practice for enhancing the visual identity. “SymSys” may be referred to use as short for Symbolic Systems unless further auditing says otherwise.
Typography
Forma DJR is a font family used for external and internal creative assets. It is a sans-serif typeface that is easy to read at large point sizes. As an alternative to Forma DJR where available, Helvetica can also be used and should be fallen back to. You may find Forma DJR being mostly used for banner. If using it in displaying dense text, spacing may need adjusting for readability and accessibility. This can be done by choosing ‘Expended’ for character spacing, ‘Forma DJR Text’ or ‘Forma DJR Micro’ as font style.
Forma DJR is a revival of Forma, the Italian type foundry Nebiolo’s answer to Helvetica, a widely used sans-serif typeface. Originally released in 1968 in metal over a decade after Helvetica, Forma never made the jump to phototypesetting and virtually disappeared after Nebiolo closed in 1978. Publications designer Roger Black asked David Jonathan Ross to bring it back in 2013, for his redesign of Hong Kong Tatler magazine. Working together with Roger Black and Indra Kupferschmid, DJR studied the original metal type and interpreted the design as a large family with optical sizes, rounded corners, and tapering stems. The weight range was later pushed further with contributions from Ruggero Magrì. Find more on the foundry page.
Richmond CC is a font family used for external and internal creative assets. It is a serif typeface that is easy to read at most sizes. As an alternative to Richmond CC where available, Palatino can also be used and should be fallen back to.
“Matthew Carter’s Richmond CC is a striking serif family made for setting text in all sizes. Initially commissioned for a major daily British newspaper redesign, it has been expanded into a complete family with contributions from Jill Pichotta and Richard Lipton of The Type Founders. The crisp quality of the sharp serifs and large x-height are perfect for invigorating typography. Richmond is available in Display and Text, matching Italics, and four variable fonts, offering endless possibilities.”
The licensing of Forma DJR for both personal and commercial use should be cleared via individual access to full Adobe Fonts library, including digital projects, website publishing (via certain service), PDFs, video and broadcast, and more. For mobile apps, self-hosting (websites), volume licensing, customization and modification services and more, additional licensing must be granted from DJR. The creative assets of SYINT are created by licensed subjects aligning these promises.
The licensing of Richmond CC for both personal and commercial use should be cleared via individual access to full Adobe Fonts library, including digital projects, website publishing (via certain service), PDFs, video and broadcast, and more. For mobile apps, self-hosting (websites), volume licensing, customization and modification services and more, additional licensing must be granted from Carter & Cone. The creative assets of SYINT are created by licensed subjects aligning these promises.