Mark Ciotola is a Lecturer in the School of Design since 2001. He has also taught at Monash University, U. of New Hampshire, Swinburne University of Technology and Singularity University. He brings together design, technology, business and law to advance innovative endeavors. He has worked in technical roles (as an employee or contactor) at NASA, Genentech, Applied Biosystems, and Intuit. He has worked in design/market service groups at Monster Cable Products, Levi-Strauss and the Kessler Group. He has been a founder/team member of start-ups including ePeople Technologies (augmented reality), Course.Cafe (e-publishing), Sustainspace (aerospace/agriculture) and a mentor/advisor for many others including HyperCubes, Emerge and Reach & Match. Education: B.A. in Economics (U. Wisconsin), B.A. in Physics/Astronomy and MBA (SFSU), Juris Doctor (U. New Hampshire) and Graduate Certificate in Space Studies (U. of South Australia).

H1st0ry

Sustainspace

Other Web Pages

Design Experience

I have developed user interfaces to information systems at firms including Levi-Strauss, Genentech, Applied Biosystems, NASA, Navis, Kaiser Permanente and other firms. I have also performed business development for design products such as augmented reality software by ePeople Solutions. I have designed software such as the Course.Cafe online and PDF book publishing plarform.

Design Philosophy

I love it when systems I design actually get used, rather than just looking good on my resume. My design philosophy enables use by elevating the knowledge, existing practices and expectations of users.

I believe that user interfaces for existing organizations should be easy to use and involve a small learning footprint, at the expense of impressing people who don't use the platform. Redesign should not involve unnecessary changes, unless the benefit is high.

Design should involve extensive interviews with and observation of users. If users operate the prototype incorrectly, the designer's first inclination should be to change the design to be consistent with user interpretations rather than trying to retrain users. If users tend to enter bad data, revise the system or improve automated data processing to overcome the reasons why users enter the bad data.

Finally, the user interface should appear comfortable and familiar to users rather than strange and formidable. Matching user interface colors with office and facility design colors (furniture, natural building materials, landscaping, company theme colors) makes interfaces more inviting.

Digital History and Humanities

I also perform some work in the digital humanities and history. Plase see my "Society, Modeling and Industry" tab above.

• B.A. in Economics, University of Wisconsin-Madison
• B.A. in Physics (w/ concentration in Astronomy) at San Francisco State University
• M.B.A. at San Francisco State University
• J.D., University of New Hampshire School of Law
• U.S. Particle Accelerator School, Stanford University
• S.S.P., International Space University
• Grad. Cert. in Applied Science: Space Studies, University of South Australia

I have been involved in several areas of aerospace. As a physics and astronomy student, I had the opportunity to work in my school's observatory and planetarium. Beyond school, I have had the opportunity to work at NASA in technical, legal and technology transfer roles. I have advised several aerpspace start-ups, and I presently run my own start-up called Sustainspace, whch investigates astroculture in terms of both research and as an industry.

Teaching

• Phys 101 Conceptual Physics, San Francisco State University
• Phys 102 Conceptual Physics Laboratory, San Francisco State University
• Introductory Astronomy Laboratory, Monash University
• Astronomy Masters Project Supervisor, Swinburn University of Technology
• Workshops: Introduction to Cubesats, SETI. International Space University
• Adjunct Faculty, Physical & Space Sciences, Sngularity University

Professional Experience

• Summar Associate, NASA Hastings Legal Research Project
• Legal Associate, Joint Enterprise for Easospace Research and Technology Transfer
• Commercial Technology Office, NASA Ames Research Center (employed via San Jose State University Foundation)
• Summer Associate, Wind Tunnel Instrumentation branch, NASA Ames Research Center
• Volunteer, Exoplanet Atmospheres modeling group, NASA Ames Research Center
• Co-founder & CEO, Sustainspace

Publications

• "Thermodynamic Approach to Modeling Complexity of Regional Hewett-Hubbert Resource Bubbles and Large Dynasties", Journal of Big History, Vol VIII Issue 1, 2025.
• "A Thermodynamic Interpretation of the Progression of Historical Processes", Journal of World-Systems Research, Vol. 29 No. 1 (2023): Winter/Spring 2023.
• "Modeling historical dynasties as emergent, dissipative mechanisms", Proceedings of the T2022 International Conference on Thermodynamics 2.0 July 18-20, 2022
• "A Simulation and Critique of Asimov's Foundation Series: What Works and Fails", Social Science History Association, Novermber 11-14, 2021. Download the paper from Academia.edu
• Emergy and Efficiency Analysis of Historical Bubbles, 2019, Emergy Synthesis 10 Conference Proceedings.
• "Navigating the Currents of History", World History Connected (University of Illinois Press, Feb. 2018)
• A Colorful Demonstration of Thermal Refraction, 2014
• Efficiency Discounted Exponential Growth (EDEG) Approach to Modeling the Power Progression of a Historical Dynasty, 2014
• Energy of the State 2008, February, 2008.
• Energy Input Labeling for Consumer Products, October, 2007.
• Thermodynamic Perspective on Profits, North American Technocrat, October, 2006.
• Space Technologies for the Research of Effective Water Management, August, 2004.
• "Social Design via Energy Consumption and Entropy Production", North American Technocrat, Vol. 2, Is. 6, p. 6, Fall, 2003.
• "Factors Affecting Calculation of L ", Kingsley, S., R.Bhathal, ed.s, Conference Proceedings, International Society for Optical Engineering (SPIE), Vol. 4273, 2001

Presentations

• "The Interplay Between A World of Currents And The Currents of Humanity”, World History Association Annual Conference, 27–29 June 2024.
• Panel Co-Chaur, "Special Joint Panel Session with the International Big History Association (IBHA), Perspectives on Flows from Big History", World History Association Annual Conference, 27–29 June 2024.
  Chairs: Mark Ciotola, San Francisco State University
• Panel Chair, World History Association, June 2023.
• “The Whole Shebang: A History of Leaders and Movements Concerning Governance Via Energy Accounting and Distribution,” World History Association Annual Conference, 22 June 2023.
• "Turning the Valley of Death Into The Valley of Life: Challenges and Funding for Commercial Astroculture", UND Space Ag Conference, April 4, 2023. Video of presentation (Youtube).
• "A Comparison of Emergy, Exergy, Entropy and Carbon Accounting: Histories, Definitions, Methodologies, Significance and Synergies", Emergy Synthesis 11, University of Florida, January 2023.
• “Panel: Unity of Sciences”, Chair, Thermodynamics 2.0 Conference, International Association for the Integration of Science and Engineering, Boone, North Carolina, July 20, 2022.
• “Modeling Historical Dynasties as Emergent, Dissipative Mechanisms”, Thermodynamics 2.0 Conference, International Association for the Integration of Science and Engineering, Boone, North Carolina, July 19, 2022.
• “Irreversible Processes in History”, World History Association Annual Conference, Remote, Bilbao, Spain, June 23-25, 2022.
• “Workshop: Feeding Empires—Quantitative, Digital & Graphic Simulations for History Using Food Cases”, World History Association Annual Conference, 22 – 23-25 June 2022.
• "Panel: Microgravity: The Commercial Case for R & D", SXSW, Austin, TX, March 13, 2022.
• “A Simulation and Critique of Asimov's Foundation Series: What Works and Fails”, Annual Meeting of the Social Science History Association, Philadelphia, November 14, 2021.
• “Teaching Workshop: World History Digital Lightning Talks”, World History Association Annual Conference, Remote, 22 - 24 June 2021.
• “Hype or Substance? Applying Artificial Intelligence to the Sustainability of Dynasties Over 3500 Years of World History”, World History Association Annual Conference, Remote, 22 - 24 June 2021.
• “Emergy and Efficiency Analysis of Historical Bubbles”, Emergy Synthesis 10 Conference Proceedings (University of Florida), Gainesville, 1 June 2019.
• “Roundtable: Organizing World History”, World History Association Annual Conference, Milwaukee, June 2018.
• “Workshop: Characterizing Historical Macro-Material Utilizing Satellite Imagery, Remote Sensing and GIS, World History Association Annual Conference, Milwaukee, June 2018.
• Co-facilitator: Big Sustainability and Overcoming Polarization workshops at Stanford, California and Cambridge, Massachusetts (June 2017).
• “Workshop: Feeding Empires—Quantitative, Digital & Graphic Simulations for History Using Food Cases”, World History Association Annual Conference, 22 - 24 June 2017.
• “Lessons About Historical, Economic and Resource Bubbles from the Rise and Fall of Spain’s Golden New World”, World History Association Annual Conference, 22 - 24 June 2017.
• Co-facilitator: Overcoming Polarization workshops (February to May, 2017) at Stanford University
• Panel Chair: Corruption, Judicial Proceedings, and Legal Processes over Time, Annual Meeting of the Social Science History Association, 2016.
• “The Colossus History Grid: integrating network and spatial models of world history”, Annual Meeting of the Social Science History Association—Beyond Social Science History: Knowledge in an Interdisciplinary World, Chicago, Illinois, 17-20 November, 2016.
• “Using thermodynamic potentials as the prime driver of historical processes”, International Big History Association Conference—Building Big History, University of Amsterdam, Netherlands, 14-17 July 2016.
• “Workshop: Generating and Displaying Quantitative and Graphic Simulations for History”, World History Association Annual Conference, July, 2016.
• “Dueling Dynasties: Colossus Simulator Searches for Patterns of Major Conflict Outcomes”, World History Association Annual Conference—Global Conflict and Transformation of the Global Countryside, Ghent, Belgium, 2 - 5 July, 2016.
• "Effects Upon the Progression of a Society and Its Business Structures Due to Dependency Upon a Nonrenewable Resource: The San Juan Mining Region”, Richard Robinson Business History Workshop 2016—Business and Environment in History: Dealing in Nature and Ecology, Pasts and Futures Portland State University 28-30 April 2016
• Developing Ruby Simulations and Using R for Visualization (using the efficiency-discounted exponential growth methodology to model dynasties), American History Association–January 2015, New York, USA
• Escaping the Matrix: A Presentation and Critique of the Colossus Model of World History, World History Association–July 2015, Savannah, USA

Recent Service:

• Reviewer, Association for Computers and the Humanities conference proposals.

Books:

• Big Sustainability.
• Physical History and Economics

Physical, Quantitative and Digital History

• h1st0ry.org digital history site
• Course.Cafe digital history course site
• Course.Cafe online textbook tool

Energy & Society Series

The Energy and Society series features a series of presentations by experts and leaders concerning the application of energy concepts and science to the progression of human history and human's place in the cosmos, as well as the governance of society and the management of industrial and economic processes.

• 3 October 2021—Dr. Fred Spier presents An underlying explanatory scheme for all of big history based on complexity, energy, and entropy.
• 24 October 2021—Parker Dubee presents Technocracy, Inc., an organization and approach for using energy accounting for scientific-based production and distribution of goods and services.
• 7 November 2021—Andrew Wallace presents Earth Organization for Sustainability.

Recent Video

• July 7–9, 2023, Resource-Based Predecessor, International Big History Association annual meeting. A discussion of historical movements to use energy analysis and accounting to improve governance and equity in human societies.

• Kennedy Fields, Ag Tech in Space is Taking Off with Grand Farm and UND, Grand Farm, March 31, 2023 (presentation profile)
• By Katherine MacGilvray, "Huntsville prepares to welcome Dream Chaser", Business Alabama, October 10, 2022 (photo; entioned competition we won and business opportunities for our start-up).
• Dawn Suiter, Huntsville Panel Talks Space Technology at SXSW, Huntsville Business Journal, March 23, 2022.
• Huntsville Talks Space Technology at SXSW, Huntsville Madison County Chamber of Commerce, March 20, 2022.
• Claire Aiello, SustainSpace Brings Research on Plant Growth in Space to Huntsville, Huntsville Madison County Chamber of Commerce, March 16, 2018.
• Afshin Khan & SustainSpace Win Overall Prize at ESA Contest, Blue Marble Space, November 20, 2017.
• European Space Agency / AZO,  Space Exploration Masters 2017 Results, 2017.
• Letter, "Wake-Up Call: Technologists' Take on History Is Cming to HBO", Perspectives on History, February 2015.
• Haley Brucato, "Professor creates a space for student inventions", XPRESS Newspaper, May 21, 2014
• Henry, G., Spitzer, V. G., Ciotola, M., & Waters, D. (2014). Letters. ABA Journal, 100(12), 6–6. http://www.jstor.org/stable/44653185