The Mereon Matrix: Unity, Perspective and Paradox (Elsevier Insights)

Mereon is an approach to the unification of knowledge that relies on whole systems modelling. It is a scientific framework that charts the sequential, emergent growth process of systems. A dynamic structure, Mereon provides insight and a new approach to General Systems Theory and non-linear science. Mereon evolved through a new approach to polyhedral geometry and topology that is related to the dynamics of the polyhedra. It is related to a large number of systems, physical, mathematical, and philosophical. In linking these systems, Mereon provides access to new relationships among them and combines geometric and process thinking. This book provides the fundamentals of such connections for an ongoing search for order, directionality, and diversity that is found in this unity. It is written in clear language that manages to connect diverse disciplines and in doing so, makes a complex system easily accessible and understandable. It will be of interest to mathematicians, geneticists, and all those interested in researching unity in science and astrobiology.

For more than twenty years Lynnclaire has worked with leading mathematicians and scientists the world over to identify the points and landshapes in common for living and life-like systems. With the heart of a visionary and the mind of a scientific pioneer, she has worked to understand, translate and apply the knowledge known as the Mereon Matrix. She has evolved the knowledge of this mathematical pattern that charts Nature’s sequential growth patterns, to the point where it can be used to organize social systems. Focusing on individuals and organizations, she has designed applications based on this whole system process for personal development and educational imperatives. The applications are helping adults and children discover how to intentionally grow and create flow while riding the never-ending wave of change. Participants report experiences that are meaningful and measurable, changes in attitude and action catalysing benefits that are tangible and enduring.

She has worked with renowned geometer Robert W. Gray since 1998 to build computer models of how geometry spins and ties two versions of a trefoil knot; years of work is now observable in a natural medium, water, using the newest cymatic technology, the CymaScope. The precision in the pattern match between the cymatics and the computer modelling is stunning.

Twenty years of experience catalysing a transdisciplinary scientific quest has developed her skill as a scientific thinker, honing a keen sense of perspective necessary to bring clarity and simplicity to play. Her sense of humour, curiosity, willingness to be vulnerable and use her mind and heart to keep an inclusive spirit allows familiars and strangers to quickly establish a shared context. However, it is her ability to help them find mutual values that sets a solid foundation, and makes progress exponential. This work reflects of Dennis’ personal motto and purpose; revealing why and how complex diversity is essential for unity; that cooperation is necessary for systems, individual and collective, to maximize success. Her long-time colleague and co-author Louis Kauffman, describing himself as a "mathematician and human being" writes, “I recommend Lynnclaire Dennis to you without reservation. As a transdisciplinary scientist, she is a gifted facilitator, able to cross disciplines and business domains like no one else. She is a natural resource to be treasured, and protected.”

Jytte Brender McNair has an R&D background of fifteen years in a university hospital, nine years as an industrial researcher, and fifteen years as full-time university researcher. Her expertise and experiences cross-fertilise an M.Sc. in biochemistry (Copenhagen University, 1973), an M.Sc. in computer science (Copenhagen University, 1991), and a European Doctorate & PhD in Medical Informatics (Aalborg University, Technology & Science Faculty, 1997). Her most recent position was as full-time researcher at the Department of Health Science and Technology, Aalborg University, Aalborg, Denmark, since October 1995.

Her research career had a scientific focus on the theoretical and practical aspects of Quality Management and Technology Assessment that included all aspects of evaluation and quality & risk management, with a range from constructive evaluation (dynamic, self-reflective, purpose-driven and corrective evaluation), to holistic analysis of organisational and behavioural aspects. Her expertise covers the breadth of organisational change and evolution, covers the theoretical aspects of the quality of semantic aspects of medical knowledge, and even further to modelling of the architectural logic of organisations. A computer scientist at the anthropocentric end of the ‘scale’, all things human-centred interest her as does the multifaceted realm of asymmetric abstraction.

Prior to the Mereon Matrix book, her major recent publication is a handbook of methods for constructive evaluation of IT-based solutions [Brender 2006], emphasising the hidden aspects of methods, assumptions for application, conjecture on epistemological nature, as well as potential pitfalls and perils leading to bias. It includes a framework for meta-analysis of evaluation studies that is dedicated to pinpointing the downside in such studies, while scrutinizing experimental biases.

In August 2011 she took early retirement, becoming a professor emeritus, to focus on applications of the Mereon Matrix as a template for modelling information; see more about the work related to the structure of Mereon on www.mereon.org. Jytte’s interest here is information modelling, striving to understand the internal workings of systems as systems, therein both social and biological systems. Her recent significant contribution is modelling human molecular genetics (including clinical genetics) using the Mereon Matrix as the template information model. In this, she has taken advantage of her original training as a biochemist together with her experience in computer science/health informatics to develop the explanatory model in [Dennis et al. 2013] together with her husband, Peter McNair, and others on the Mereon team.

Her professional experience includes project management and technical coordination, over global (project) quality and risk management, to task leader in large multinational, cross-disciplinary R&D projects involving multiple teams of highly skilled academics.

She is author/co-author of seven books, 68 publications in scientific peer-reviewed journals and books (about a third of them invited articles), more than 80 technical reports (almost all peer-reviewed) and 75 presentations with proceedings/abstracts (therein 34 invited and 3 keynote presentations). She is (co-)editor of 7 proceedings of international congresses and workshops, including an interactive CD-Rom and one special issue of a scientific journal.