Source: Alberta Smith Elementary
Why is communicating science to the public so difficult? At least that is a major perception by the science community. There is a 'disconnect' between the public and science community when any topic of science is raised in a public forum. Regardless, science communication to the public seems rather difficult. I believe that should not be the case. In fact, inside each of us is a scientist at heart. But the world does not revolve around my belief's now does it. Thank goodness for that.
With that being said, scientists much continually reach out to the community and demystify science for the public. I have tried through writing on this blog to do my part. Recently, I read about another distinct avenue by which science is being disseminated -- through art. I was fascinated by the scope of the project and want to introduce this avenue to you (the reader). Enjoy!
Science and Art Merge?
Over the last few years, the fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics have been seen expanding to incorporate the Arts too. Meaning that the recent acronym "STEM" is changing to "STEAM" to include the arts. Why? According to a recent article from the website 'ScienceMagazine' titled "Tuning into the channel" the addition of the arts is becoming more prominent and is in the experimental phase already. Last December, graduate student Kelsey Bisson (at University of California at Santa Barbara), received a grant to document the daily rhythm of the plankton life in the Santa Barbara channel -- which is rich with marine life.
The only caveat with the award of the grant was to incorporate the findings with four artists who will join the trip to contribute to an interdisciplinary project called -- ROAM: Rendering Ocean in Artistic Mediums. While on the exploration, the four artists will have the following goal:
Four artists — a creative writer, a videographer, an illustrator and a musician — will join the expedition to collaborate with one other and the scientists aboard. The goal? To translate scientific efforts in ways that are compelling and relatable, including the production of a documentary, an illustrated novella and a public art science installation.
Remember, these four artists will be working along side scientists collecting data to publish in research journals. The original intent of the ROAM project is:
"ROAM was designed to leverage the strengths of art and science to motivate a love for the deep ocean across a range of communities," Bisson said. "By translating the science experience through art, ROAM will build empathy and wonder for our ocean — and ultimately spark a commitment to marine stewardship."
Huynh and Bisson will be joined by 14 students and five faculty members from three universities, including UCSB biogeochemist David Valentine. The team will characterize how marine microbes influence and are influenced by their geochemical environment on hourly time scales by employing a wide range of oceanographic methodologies and technologies from water incubations to autonomous underwater vehicle surveys to remote sensing.
"We will look at processes such as rates of photosynthesis, herbivory, decomposition and infection, zooplankton migration up and down the water column and water mass circulation," Bisson explained.
The scientists plan to make their data publicly available after publishing their results in peer-reviewed journals. All members of the expedition will blog about their experiences during the voyage. The online efforts, according to Bisson, will make the ocean more accessible to people who live far from it, which in turn will breed concern for ocean health, stimulate interest in the deep ocean and perhaps inspire careers in oceanography.
Aside from a deep love of the ocean emerging from this exploration, the participants on the journey will be able to express their work in terms of creativity. This is a major avenue through which we can connect distinctly different disciplines together in a project. That is right -- through the shared love for 'creativity' -- which is an underlying factor in any endeavor. Some might argue against this realization, but I would counter by asking them to take time to think deeply about 'creativity' and the educational process. Especially here in the United States of America.
International Students Learn U.S. Students are very creative?
Creativity is the distinct quality of United States students compared to students from other countries. I have mentioned this briefly in previous posts -- talking about the benefits of integrating graduate students from different countries.
Through numerous hours of discussion during my graduate and post-doctoral years with international students, one overarching quality which students from the United States express freely is their creative energy. Students have told me this time and time again from other countries -- which to me is disappointing to say the least.
With this being said, the merging of two seemingly different fields through a common project as described above will come rather naturally. At first sight, this might not be the predicted conclusion from either participants. Just wait. The blog posts along with the documentary will reveal a fruitful learning adventure from both sides. Especially, through the communication channel which is formed between scientists and artists who must work together to achieve a common goal -- track the beauty and rhythm of the marine life in the Santa Barbara channel.
The study results will be sought after along with the documentary, blog posts, and other documentation. This could be a start to a new way of conducting science -- that is -- humanizing science. Which is much needed at this time in our history. Additionally, the outcome will inevitably be artists with a much richer understanding and respect for science and scientists with a much deeper respect for visual instruction along with different perspectives from which to view science and the world around themselves. Overall, the expedition is a win win for society. Stay tuned for the results.
Conclusion....
Art is not separate but intertwined with science. They are indistinguishable. Even though there exists two different fields of study, the love for each is a love for one and the same -- the inner workings of the world around us. How do we view the world around us? How do we study the world around us? More often than not, scientists are thought of a 'rigid people' in lab coats. When in reality, scientists are creative and curious people. Adding art will only enlighten the scientists more and make society a better place as a result.
Related Blog Posts:
Science Topics, Thoughts, and Parameters Regarding Science, Politics, And The Environment!
No comments:
Post a Comment