Challenges, Opportunities, and Impacts at the Intersection of Art and Science
Tuesday, October 8, 2:30pm – 5:30pm
Organized by Bill O’Brien, Senior Advisor for Program Innovation, National Endowment for the Arts.
Moderated by Roger Malina, Professor of Art and Technology and of Physics, University of Texas at Dallas. Presented by Katherine Moriwaki, Assistant Professor of Media Design and Director, MFA Design + Technology, Parsons the New School for Design, and Andrea Polli, Mesa Del Sol Endowed Chair of Digital Media and Director of the Social Media Workgroup, University of New Mexico.
The great American Scientist E.O. Wilson wrote that neither the arts nor science can be complete without combining their separate strengths. A growing number of researchers and practitioners working at the intersection of these fields are attempting to address this challenge by crossing traditional disciplinary boundaries so they can draw upon multiple domains of knowledge, methodologies, and expertise. This session, co-organized by the National Science Foundation-funded SEAD network (Science, Engineering, Arts & Design) and the NEA Office of Program Innovation, will lead participants on an art-science odyssey through Drexel's new centers of multi-disciplinary investigation, with presentations, activities and clues embedded along the way. The quest will end with a workshop in which the group will brainstorm around barriers and opportunities facing this vibrant new creative community.
Session Location:
Drexel University’s URBN and ExCITe Centers, both opened in 2012, are the access points for faculty, students, and the community to connect arts, design, and technology. The URBN Center consolidates programs in the Westphal College of Media Arts & Design in a Robert Venturi building transformed into modern spaces for research and education with an annex for presentation and performance. The Expressive and Creative Interaction Technologies (ExCITe) Center is a University-wide collaborative hub for highly-multidisciplinary activities, including partnerships with other institutions. ExCITe emphasizes an arts-integrated approach (STEAM vs. traditional STEM) for all levels of learning.