Immersive Visualization Institute

EXPORING THE “ECOSYSTEM” OF DATA VISUALIZATION TECHNOLOGIES AT MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY

Abrams Planetarium, MSU Libraries, and the MSU Museum have collaborated to foster an “ecosystem” of immersive visualization technologies for teaching, learning, and research at Michigan State University. Since 2019, the annual “Immersive Visualization Institute (IVI)” has brought together diverse groups of graduate students and faculty centered around data visualization. Program participants investigate innovative and interdisciplinary ideas for capitalizing on one or more of the platforms within the ecosystem and produce a participation outcome using the technologies. Read more on the MSU Museum website.

Arts/Science Collaborations in the STEM Teaching & Learning Facility: Two Fellows Programs for STEAMpower

Through the MSU Arts Initiative, the new STEM Teaching & Learning Facility is offering two unique opportunities for faculty, staff, and graduate students to learn and work together to build interdisciplinary collaborations across arts, humanities, and STEM.

STEAMpower Faculty/Staff Fellows. We seek four staff or faculty in any discipline (arts, sciences, social sciences, etc.) with a demonstrated interest in the intersections between STEM, humanities, and arts. Faculty/Staff Fellows will interact with other STEAMpower Faculty/Staff Fellows and Graduate Students as well as artists-in-residence from across MSU; create a deliverable on an art/science/culture project of their own design; and develop a curriculum that bridges the STEM-Arts divide. Fellows are also expected to present their work at an end of year symposium. Funds up to $10,000 are available per Fellow. The fellowship will run from Fall 2022 through Spring 2023. Application is live and available here – deadline is Aug. 25, 2022. Application questions are provided below for your convenience. 

STEAMpower Graduate Fellows. We seek four to eight graduate students in any discipline (arts, sciences, social sciences, etc.) with a demonstrated interest in the intersections between STEM, humanities, and arts. Graduate students will interact with and assist artists-in-residence and Faculty/Staff Fellows, create a deliverable on an art/science/culture project of their own design, and present your deliverable to the MSU community at the end of the academic year in whatever format makes sense to you! Graduate Fellows will also collaborate with Faculty/Staff Fellows to develop interdisciplinary teaching-related products. A stipend of $3000 per graduate student for the year is available. Click here for more information on this graduate fellowship. It will run from Fall 2022 through Spring 2023. Application is live and available here – deadline is Aug. 25, 2022. Application questions are provided below for your convenience. 

Qualtrics applications and questions from the applications to help you prepare.

STEAMpower Faculty/Staff Fellows: https://msu.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_5ourrhs9Dd2rKiG 

Name:

Email:

Statement of availability: I have discussed this opportunity with my supervisor, as needed, AND am eligible to receive overload pay, course buyout, or similar types of compensation.

  1. Why are you interested in becoming a STEAMpower Faculty/Staff Fellow? 250 words
  2. Describe what you believe you will get out of working with an interdisciplinary team on Arts-STEM interaction. 500 words
  3. What strengths or experiences in STEM, humanities, and/or arts intersections do you bring to this opportunity? 250 words
  4. In one sentence, describe what you believe will be most challenging for you in the role as a STEAMpower Faculty/Staff Fellow.

STEAMpower Graduate Fellows

https://msu.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_bKEpGUGnfQB2FDg

Name:

Email:

  1. Why are you interested in becoming a STEAMpower Graduate Fellow? 250 words
  2. Describe what you believe you will get out of working with an interdisciplinary team on Arts-STEM interaction. 500 words
  3. What strengths or experiences in STEM, humanities, and/or arts intersections do you bring to this opportunity? 250 words
  4. In one sentence, describe what you believe will be most challenging for you in the role as a STEAMpower Graduate Fellow.
Art students incorporating science practices.

New Course Offering in Art and Science

Course Title: Art and Science in the Laboratory
STA 491L
Giltner Hall, RM 255
TTH 3-5:30

‘Bacteria perform processes. Scientists perform experiments. Algorithms perform actions. Humans perform gender and sex. The question is who or what nowadays doesn’t perform?’

– Chris Salter
Adam Brown leading artists in scientific endeavors.

Why is this course Needed? The integration of arts into science practice has resulted in a newly emerging, integrative discipline often called STEAM (Science Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics). What is largely missing from the STEAM movement, is recognition that a cadre of scientifically literate practicing artists will be needed to make it possible. Even more importantly, the STEAM movement generally overlooks the existence of a vibrant and growing practice of scientifically based artistic practices among artists themselves, variously falling under the rubrics of Bioarts, Transmedia Arts, etc. These novel art practices promise to feed back into science practices just
as science practices are feeding into the arts. Due to the critical nature of the arts, these artistic endeavors can push forward the sciences upon which they are based as well as providing needed social, cultural, ethical, and intellectual commentary about the meaning of those shared practices.

Who should take this course? The course will be targeted at seniors majoring in the arts and graduate students in the arts and humanities as well as curious biology and ecology related graduate students and 3rd and 4th year
undergraduates. The aim of Art and Science in the Laboratory is to attract a diverse set of thinkers and practitioners based in the arts, the humanities, and the sciences. If you are an artist who wants to explore the sciences, a scientist who wants to peer into the arts or a humanist who wants to explore the material and the theoretical world firsthand,
then this course is for you! The course will be a one semester introduction to laboratory science through a set of conceptual, technical and analytical experiments, tools and research practices geared to enable novel artistic practices. The value of the course
will be four-fold: 1) to demonstrate ways in which current art practices have emerged from appropriation and transformation of scientific methods and materials; 2) to open new artistic possibilities; 3) to create through shared practices, a common ground between sciences and arts that benefits both disciplines; 4) to motivate the next
generation of artists to explore, exploit, and expand this common ground.
Art and Science in the Laboratory will be a radically interdisciplinary, hands on, and use experiential-based learning modalities. To accomplish these goals the course begins with a series of reenactments of a few pivotal scientific experiments. Students will repeat versions of these experiments to learn bench practices of modern science that are
currently employed by cutting edge artists. Later in the course, students will be encouraged to rethink and reconceptualize these experiments using critical artistic practice to explore new possibilities.


For more information, inquiries or enrollment please contact Professor Adam Brown: brown293@msu.edu
http://AdamWBrown.net