📺 "NEXUS TIME" — Episode 1: Why Nexus Thinking Matters
Setting:
A classroom in 1975 with funky decor (lava lamp, globe, chalkboard). Students of all ages sit in desks. TH walks in, wearing retro clothes.
SCRIPT:
IT'S NEXUS TIME, Episode 1:
IT'S NEXUS TIME, Episode 1:
An Earth Day era TH walks into a 1975 classroom dressed to look like something out of Welcome Back Kotter. Next to him is a 70s era Dr. Joseph Dorsey in a lab coat, holding a box filled with what look like lab goggles and an orb on a pedestal)
Good morning Envisioneers! Boy have we got a great class for you today, with some brand new technology to try out… but before we start, as ever, I gotta ask, “Have you got any questions?” That way we’ll know how to frame the discussion!
Kid #1 (curious):
"Okay, yeah, Professor Culhane, I got a question: my dad says, contrary to what Sophie over there presented in class last week, that everything’s actually fine, what with the Vietnam war ending and all, and regarding the environment, he says Earth Day and the creation of the Environmental Protection Agency five years ago did enough. But I told him that Sophie says we’re still running out of clean water, and lots of animals are in danger of going extinct and even that the climate may be changing . Who’s right?"
TH:
"Excellent question, Dorian ! And to help answer it, today we have a guest speaker, the esteemed Dr. Joseph Dorsey, a science educator from the USF Innovation Lab working on the top secret Nexus Portal, or, more technically, the NTHARP aka the “Nexus Thinking Augmented Reality Portal!"
"Excellent question, Dorian ! And to help answer it, today we have a guest speaker, the esteemed Dr. Joseph Dorsey, a science educator from the USF Innovation Lab working on the top secret Nexus Portal, or, more technically, the NTHARP aka the “Nexus Thinking Augmented Reality Portal!"
(He gestures to the Dr. Dorsey in a lab coat, holding an orb on a pedestal which flickers with glowing energy...)
Kid #2 (amazed).
“Woa! Where’d that come from?”
Kid #3
“It looks like something from the future!
Dorsey (stepping into the center of the room as Culhane moves chairs away to make space):
It might as well be – it’s actually a super advanced experimental technology being developed by the USF Innovative Education Research Laboratory as a way of VISUALIZING the future. It comes from a science fiction concept turned into reality about 7 years ago, in 1968, just before we landed on the moon. It was developed by Harvard Professor Ivan Sutherland with the help of his student Bob Sproull and others, first as a head-mounted display system for use in immersive simulation applications. It was called “The Sword of Damcoles” at the time. But this is next level…
T.H. (as Dorsey places the orb in the middle of the room.)
Dorsey’s team team at USF, working with NASA, took it a step further and made it holographic so you can experience it without a TV screen! All you need is to… um put on these “nexus goggles” (Culhane and Dorsey hand goggles out to the students) and, as I understand it… look toward the … thingamajiggy. It was being used for Mars landing simulations.
(https://www.vrs.org.uk/virtual-reality/history.html)
Kid #2 (amazed).
“Woa! Where’d that come from?”
Kid #3
“It looks like something from the future!
Dorsey (stepping into the center of the room as Culhane moves chairs away to make space):
It might as well be – it’s actually a super advanced experimental technology being developed by the USF Innovative Education Research Laboratory as a way of VISUALIZING the future. It comes from a science fiction concept turned into reality about 7 years ago, in 1968, just before we landed on the moon. It was developed by Harvard Professor Ivan Sutherland with the help of his student Bob Sproull and others, first as a head-mounted display system for use in immersive simulation applications. It was called “The Sword of Damcoles” at the time. But this is next level…
T.H. (as Dorsey places the orb in the middle of the room.)
Dorsey’s team team at USF, working with NASA, took it a step further and made it holographic so you can experience it without a TV screen! All you need is to… um put on these “nexus goggles” (Culhane and Dorsey hand goggles out to the students) and, as I understand it… look toward the … thingamajiggy. It was being used for Mars landing simulations.
(https://www.vrs.org.uk/virtual-reality/history.html)
Kid #1:
So it’s kind of like the cyclorama at the Civil War Museum at Gettysburg you took us to on the field trip last year?
Kid #2:
Oh, that was so cool. Being surrounded by a massive 360 degree kind of movie set with an enormous circular painted backdrop with music and lighting and special effects that made you feel like we really were in the middle of the battle! Amazing that they had that technology all over the place as far back as 1888! That impressed me!
Kid #3:
And even cooler that from 1910 to the 1940s, when my Dad was a kid, they used to bring these experiences on the road to your own town, like the circus, so you didn’t have to leave your own city to see them like we did. Dad thought that was the best way to learn history.
Dorsey:
Well here we can now do it electronically, so we don’t have to travel anywhere. Or so the inventors claim. It’s all completely experimental, and you’ve been selected to test it out.
T.H.
So our classroom becomes a daily field trip. And we won’t just use it to learn past history, but to explore possible FUTURE HISTORIES as well.
Dorsey:
This version uses something called “Nexus Logic 3”, based on a blending of modern and indigenous wisdoms, to simulate what our world could be like 50 years from now.
Kid#1:
Maybe then we won’t be doomed to repeat the mistakes of the past!
Dorsey
That’s the hope!
So it’s kind of like the cyclorama at the Civil War Museum at Gettysburg you took us to on the field trip last year?
Kid #2:
Oh, that was so cool. Being surrounded by a massive 360 degree kind of movie set with an enormous circular painted backdrop with music and lighting and special effects that made you feel like we really were in the middle of the battle! Amazing that they had that technology all over the place as far back as 1888! That impressed me!
Kid #3:
And even cooler that from 1910 to the 1940s, when my Dad was a kid, they used to bring these experiences on the road to your own town, like the circus, so you didn’t have to leave your own city to see them like we did. Dad thought that was the best way to learn history.
Dorsey:
Well here we can now do it electronically, so we don’t have to travel anywhere. Or so the inventors claim. It’s all completely experimental, and you’ve been selected to test it out.
T.H.
So our classroom becomes a daily field trip. And we won’t just use it to learn past history, but to explore possible FUTURE HISTORIES as well.
Dorsey:
This version uses something called “Nexus Logic 3”, based on a blending of modern and indigenous wisdoms, to simulate what our world could be like 50 years from now.
Kid#1:
Maybe then we won’t be doomed to repeat the mistakes of the past!
Dorsey
That’s the hope!
Kid #1
If any of us are still alive, given all the pollution we’re spewing. If we survive, I’ll be, like, 64 by then… I shudder to think what I’ll look like…
Kid#1:(sings)
“Will you still need me, will you still feed me… “
Kid#3:(looking through the glasses)
If any of us are still alive, given all the pollution we’re spewing. If we survive, I’ll be, like, 64 by then… I shudder to think what I’ll look like…
Kid#1:(sings)
“Will you still need me, will you still feed me… “
Kid#3:(looking through the glasses)
I don’t see anything…
Dorsey:
That’s because it needs real nexus thinking to activate it!
Kid #3: Nexus what?
That’s because it needs real nexus thinking to activate it!
Kid #3: Nexus what?
Culhane:
The nexus is where everything comes together. In education it means interdisciplinary systems thinking, learning with all parts of your brain and all aspects of human personality and capacities – Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, Math and Music.
Kid #1:
Music? Art? In a science class?
Dorsey:
At our University’s Innovative Education lab, like many institutions of higher learning across the country, we are calling it STEAMM education. (The definition “STEAMM = Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, Math and Music” crackles to life as a blue hologram over the orb. The kids say “Ooh, that’s cool”)
It may seem “avant guard” or “hip” right now, but once you experience our simulated future in the nexus, you’ll see why we expect it to be used everywhere. Especially, we hope, in a half a century! But for now… well, let’s activate the portal, shall we…
(He throws Culhane a guitar)
I keyed the ignition to specific sonic frequencies, a sequence of triads – a IV major, V dominant tonic major 7th tonality scheme.
Kid #1:
Music? Art? In a science class?
Dorsey:
At our University’s Innovative Education lab, like many institutions of higher learning across the country, we are calling it STEAMM education. (The definition “STEAMM = Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, Math and Music” crackles to life as a blue hologram over the orb. The kids say “Ooh, that’s cool”)
It may seem “avant guard” or “hip” right now, but once you experience our simulated future in the nexus, you’ll see why we expect it to be used everywhere. Especially, we hope, in a half a century! But for now… well, let’s activate the portal, shall we…
(He throws Culhane a guitar)
I keyed the ignition to specific sonic frequencies, a sequence of triads – a IV major, V dominant tonic major 7th tonality scheme.
Can you play it? (Culhane nods and gestures to some of his students who have instruments with them and they take them out of their cases. )
Culhane: (to the students):
You guys are in the school band, right?
Dr. Dorsey says NASA believes music will be one of the ways we communicate with extraterrestrial civilizations… seriously! He says Hollywood is even working on a movie about it, to be directed by the Jaws director Steven Spielberg!
Dorsey: (puts his fingers to his lips conspiratorially)
That’s supposed to be… top secret. Anyway… let’s play the song…Come on everybody… It’s NEXUS TIME!
“G G A7 A7 DM7 G G A7 A7 F#m C B
(As the chords play the orb’s energy envelopes the room and surrounds the group with a 360 degree immersive environment. With each chord students take up instruments and add to band)
“G G A7 A7 DM7 G G A7 A7 F#m C B
(As the chords play the orb’s energy envelopes the room and surrounds the group with a 360 degree immersive environment. With each chord students take up instruments and add to band)
Em Bb A7 D D/C# D/C D/B D/A
Culhane:(strumming the guitar and waltzing through the digitally appearing world showing interconnected systems of food, energy and water in a beautiful urban ecology ecosystem)
In the Nexus... you find... it all just comes together
In the Nexus... you find... it all just comes together
G6 A6 D D/C# D/C D#dim
What connects us... in time... is our quest to last forever...
Em Bb A7 D D/C# D/C D/B D/A
Dorsey:
What sustains us... in life... is the best of us together
What sustains us... in life... is the best of us together
G6 A6 DM7 Db7 C7 B7#5
In the Nexus... defined... as where the sum becomes the lever...
G A7 DM7 B7#5
Culhane, Dorsey and students:
Everybody come it's nexus time
Everybody come it's nexus time
G A7 F#m C B B/A
Together put the reason to the rhyme
G A7 C7 B7#5
Every being, earthly or sublime
(we see digital hummingbirds and dragonflies and butterflies land on the students’ fingertips, to their delight).
(we see digital hummingbirds and dragonflies and butterflies land on the students’ fingertips, to their delight).
G A7 D D/C# D/C
Nexus thinking helps our goals align
G G A A D
Now it's Nexus Time
G G A A
It's "Be the Nexus" Time...
Bm 9 Bm 7 Bbm7b5 Am9 Am7 G#m7b5 Gm 9 G7#5
Dorsey Spoken: The nexus is where disciplines converge, science, art, engineering, culture, all connected in service of LIFE, it’s where we move beyond profit to a purpose driven well-being economy for ALL beings…
Culhane Spoken:
Logic 3 is the natural consequence of Nexus Thinking, a framework that aligns innovation with compassion and prosperity with planetary health. In the Nexus, our sum becomes the lever…
Dorsey Spoken: The nexus is where disciplines converge, science, art, engineering, culture, all connected in service of LIFE, it’s where we move beyond profit to a purpose driven well-being economy for ALL beings…
Culhane Spoken:
Logic 3 is the natural consequence of Nexus Thinking, a framework that aligns innovation with compassion and prosperity with planetary health. In the Nexus, our sum becomes the lever…
Am D7b9 GM7
Logic 3 defines the space in which we all align
Am D79 GM7
Helps us see the ways that we can make our world more kind
Bm E7b9 AMaj9
Nexus thinking's systems thinking, helping us to thrive
Bm E7 A7
Nexus thinking helps us think through science that's applied
G G A7 A7 DM7 G G A7 A7 Bm9
Now It's Nexus Time Be the Nexus Time
Now it's Nexus, Be the Nexus, In this Nexus Time
, Bm7 -- Bbm7b5 Am9 G#m7b5 Gmaj7 Gm G7#5 CMaj7
Dorsey:
This is your invitation to step into the nexus, to learn, imagine and build a collective vision for a future worth living.
Culhane:
Join us in this course, join us in the conversation and join us in the work of creating SUSTAINABILITY BY DESIGN. Be the bridge between vision and action, between hope and reality. Don’t just study the nexus… Culhane and Dorsey:
Dorsey:
This is your invitation to step into the nexus, to learn, imagine and build a collective vision for a future worth living.
Culhane:
Join us in this course, join us in the conversation and join us in the work of creating SUSTAINABILITY BY DESIGN. Be the bridge between vision and action, between hope and reality. Don’t just study the nexus… Culhane and Dorsey:
BE THE NEXUS.
All:
It’s nexus time!”
The song ends.
The students take off their Nexus goggles, the room returns to normal except for a glowing split image in the center of the room, hovering over the orb and they fall onto the floor laughing.
Student #1:
That was AWESOME!
Student #2:
Oh my gosh… it’s like visiting Tomorrowland, only for real - and without sitting in traffic!!
Dorsey (pleased, smiling):
"Well, it worked! That’s the Nexus, used to Envision Sustainability. In each future world we create from YOUR INPUT, from your visions of what you are learning, we can see how things are connected — how decisions in water affect food, how energy choices reshape ecosystems, and what the consequences of all our actions could be on our lives in the future…."
TH back in classroom, the orb flickering off:
"That’s why Nexus Thinking matters, you guys. The choices we make today will shape the world you’ll grow up in."
Dorsey (pressing a button on a remote control)
Check this out.
All:
It’s nexus time!”
The song ends.
The students take off their Nexus goggles, the room returns to normal except for a glowing split image in the center of the room, hovering over the orb and they fall onto the floor laughing.
Student #1:
That was AWESOME!
Student #2:
Oh my gosh… it’s like visiting Tomorrowland, only for real - and without sitting in traffic!!
Dorsey (pleased, smiling):
"Well, it worked! That’s the Nexus, used to Envision Sustainability. In each future world we create from YOUR INPUT, from your visions of what you are learning, we can see how things are connected — how decisions in water affect food, how energy choices reshape ecosystems, and what the consequences of all our actions could be on our lives in the future…."
TH back in classroom, the orb flickering off:
"That’s why Nexus Thinking matters, you guys. The choices we make today will shape the world you’ll grow up in."
Dorsey (pressing a button on a remote control)
Check this out.
[The image persisting over the orb shows two futures side by side — a dry, food-scarce future vs. a green, clean, equitable one.]
A computer voice intones:
In one version of 2025, you ignored the nexus. Crops failed, cities dried up.
In the other — you listened, you acted, and we aligned our goals toward environmental and social sustainability..
You get to choose.
Simulation ended. Metaverse Multiverse options recorded.
In one version of 2025, you ignored the nexus. Crops failed, cities dried up.
In the other — you listened, you acted, and we aligned our goals toward environmental and social sustainability..
You get to choose.
Simulation ended. Metaverse Multiverse options recorded.
Kid #1:
My dad has to see this!
My dad has to see this!
Kid #2 (grinning):
"Can we go into the Nexus again tomorrow?"
"Can we go into the Nexus again tomorrow?"
TH:
Absolutely. Every week, new questions, new answers.
Dorsey: (geeking out)
New speculations, better simulations, better predictions, better options, better choices… This going to be fun.
T.H.
Let’s do it. Let’s be the Nexus!"
FADE OUT with overlay: “Join us in the Nexus, same PCGS channel, same PCGS time… It’s Nexus Time”.
Here is the draft/scratch version of the song:
Absolutely. Every week, new questions, new answers.
Dorsey: (geeking out)
New speculations, better simulations, better predictions, better options, better choices… This going to be fun.
T.H.
Let’s do it. Let’s be the Nexus!"
FADE OUT with overlay: “Join us in the Nexus, same PCGS channel, same PCGS time… It’s Nexus Time”.
Here is the draft/scratch version of the song:
Student Learning Outcomes (SLOs) for Nexus Intrigo Episode 1
By the end of this episode, students will be able to:
-
Explain the concept of Nexus Thinking as an integrative, interdisciplinary approach that connects science, technology, engineering, art, math, and music (STEAMM).
-
Describe historical and technological precedents (e.g., cycloramas, Sword of Damocles VR, early immersive simulations) that illustrate humanity’s long-standing efforts to visualize complex realities.
-
Compare and contrast alternative future scenarios (sustainable vs. unsustainable worlds) and evaluate how present-day decisions shape these futures.
-
Demonstrate collaborative learning through creative expression (e.g., song, music, role play) as a method of engaging with sustainability challenges.
-
Reflect critically on the role of values, wisdom, and systems thinking in shaping responses to environmental and social crises.
Objectives for Episode 1
During and after participation in this episode, students will be able to:
-
Identify key drivers of sustainability challenges highlighted in the narrative (climate change, biodiversity loss, water scarcity, pollution).
-
Recognize the role of interdisciplinary methods by linking science and technology with arts and culture in understanding and addressing complex problems.
-
Illustrate the connection between past innovations and present learning tools, citing examples such as immersive history exhibits, early VR, and present-day holographic simulations.
-
Activate and engage with the Nexus Portal metaphorically by participating in a creative, multisensory learning experience that mirrors systems integration.
-
Articulate the importance of student voice and inquiry (“Have you got any questions?”) as central to framing the learning journey.
-
Differentiate between reductionist and systems-based perspectives, using the dialogue between “Sophie” (wisdom/left concern) and “Dorian” (traditional/right reassurance) as a model for constructive debate.
-
Envision alternative futures by analyzing how decisions in one sector (e.g., water or energy) ripple across food, ecosystems, and society.
-
Engage in collective meaning-making by participating in a shared performance (“It’s Nexus Time” song) and connecting the experience to sustainability learning.
Bloom’s Taxonomy Alignment for Nexus Intrigo Episode 1
|
Bloom’s Level |
Student Learning Outcome (SLO) |
Supporting Objectives |
Example Activities from Episode 1 |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Remember (Recall facts, concepts) |
Explain the concept of Nexus Thinking as an integrative approach. |
Identify key drivers of sustainability challenges (climate change, biodiversity loss, water scarcity, pollution). |
Students recall Sophie’s claim vs. Dorian’s skepticism; recall EPA/Earth Day history; define STEAMM. |
|
Understand (Explain, summarize, interpret) |
Describe historical and technological precedents for immersive learning. |
Recognize the role of interdisciplinary methods; Illustrate connections between past innovations and today’s Nexus Portal. |
Students connect cycloramas, Sword of Damocles, and early VR to current simulation technology. |
|
Apply (Use information in new contexts) |
Demonstrate collaborative learning through creative expression. |
Activate and engage with the Nexus Portal metaphorically by participating in music/song. |
Students sing “It’s Nexus Time,” play instruments, and “activate” the hologram. |
|
Analyze (Differentiate, organize, compare) |
Compare and contrast alternative future scenarios (sustainable vs. unsustainable). |
Differentiate between reductionist and systems-based perspectives (e.g., Sophie vs. Dorian dialogue). |
Students interpret dual future scenarios shown in the orb: drought/failure vs. clean/green sustainability. |
|
Evaluate (Critique, defend, judge) |
Reflect critically on the role of values, wisdom, and systems thinking in shaping responses. |
Articulate the importance of student voice and inquiry in framing learning. |
Students consider: “Who’s right? Sophie or Dorian?” and evaluate the importance of questions in shaping discussion. |
|
Create (Generate new ideas/products) |
Envision alternative futures through Nexus Thinking. |
Engage in collective meaning-making; imagine how today’s choices influence future systems. |
Students co-create visions of sustainable futures by “stepping into” the Nexus and performing music as a systems activation ritual. |
Assessment & Assignment Set – Nexus Intrigo Episode 1
|
Bloom’s Level |
Assessment / Assignment Idea |
Format |
Sample Prompt / Task |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Remember |
Quick recall quiz on Nexus Thinking and sustainability drivers. |
Short-answer or multiple choice. |
“List three sustainability challenges mentioned in Episode 1.” “What does STEAMM stand for?” |
|
Understand |
Reflection on historical precedents. |
One-paragraph written response. |
“In your own words, explain how cycloramas or the ‘Sword of Damocles’ relate to today’s Nexus Portal. Why do humans build these immersive tools?” |
|
Apply |
Participation in a creative activation. |
In-class or video submission. |
“Join your classmates (or record yourself) performing a short piece of music/art that represents how Nexus Thinking brings disciplines together.” |
|
Analyze |
Compare future scenarios. |
Graphic organizer or short essay. |
“Fill out a T-chart: Scenario A (ignoring the nexus) vs. Scenario B (acting on the nexus). Identify at least three key differences in water, food, and energy outcomes.” |
|
Evaluate |
Debate or critical reflection. |
Discussion board or live debate. |
“Who makes the stronger case — Sophie (concerned about climate/water/extinction) or Dorian (believing EPA/Earth Day was enough)? Defend your position with evidence.” |
|
Create |
Future vision project. |
1-page written vision statement OR short multimedia project. |
“Imagine yourself at age 64 in 2025 (like Kid #1). Write or create a short piece describing what your world looks like if Nexus Thinking guided society’s choices — and what it looks like if it didn’t.” |
