The Network to support Science, Engineering, Arts and Design (NSEAD) will support transformative research and pedagogy that are only possible through the combined expertise of diverse knowledge domains and disciplines. For example, as physicists and engineers developed new imaging techniques, visual artists experimented with the new expressive potentials they enabled, often influencing development of the technologies. Visual artists and musicians have created and continue to create computer languages and algorithms while pushing technologies for composing and recording in fields of software engineering, artificial intelligence, graphics and visualization. Students who are involved in the arts have higher math, verbal, and composite SAT scores than students who are not involved in the arts. (Vaughn and Winner, 2000). There is a growing movement by higher education academic institutions in the United States to integrate the Arts and STEM disciplines to educate the whole student while leveraging creative cognitive skills for solving complex problems in science and technology disciplines. And finally, diverse ecosystem of academic programs in pre-K to gray formal and informal STEM learning; scientific research conferences; exhibitions, and cultural institution programs continues to emerge as new information technologies, creativity support and social networking tools become pervasive in our society. This project envisions a network that addresses fundamental challenges including the need to align academic pedagogies with 21st century thinking skills; to promote diversity of perspectives, approaches, and people in the creative information technology economy; and to benchmark best practices that create critical thinkers and leaders for the ever-changing technology-driven job market. The development of such a network will provide a platform to disseminate and generate public dialogue about the intellectual, cultural, and economic potential of intersections of science, technology and creativity.
NSEAD will be a platform to support the burgeoning research community of Computer Scientists, Engineers, Artists and Designers engaged in integrative research and pedagogy across these disciplines. NSEAD will provide a bridge for academic institutions, non-profit organizations, industry liaisons, and resource providers to collaborate, share best practices in research and pedagogy, and build stronger affinities. It will serve as a junction for elements such as: 1) research community development; 2) collaboration and project matchmaking opportunities; 3) skills expertise referrals; 4) inter-institutional collaborations; 5) forums to share best practices in pre-K to gray STEM learning and creative enrichment; and 6) strategies for network leadership and resource sustainability.
The University of North Carolina's Center for Design Innovation (CDI) hosted a workshop convening interdisciplinary researchers from across the United States. Working with a facilitator who reflected the discussions through ongoing development of large graphical displays, the group built on themes developed through three preceding workshops funded by NSF: 1. Re/Search: Art, Science, and Information Technology / co-sponsoredwith the National Endowment for the Arts / held at NSF headquarters, September 20102. Bridging STEM to STEAM: Developing New Frameworks for Art-Science-Design Pedagogy / held at the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD), January 20113. Establishing a Network of Excellence for Art + Science + Technology / held at the Experimental Media and Performing Arts Center at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute(RPI), March 2011 4. Award 1142663 supported the workshop at CDI (Winston-Salem State University with UNC School of the Arts), September/October 20115. A fifth workshop at Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA), November 2011, completed preparatory discussions for hand-off to:6. Texas A&M University, the base for further development of the SEAD (Sciences, Engineering, Arts & Design) network:http://sead.viz.tamu.edu/ Intellectual Merit: The SEAD network's goals are to advocate for conditions leading to high-quality research and creative work, learning and education, partnerships, and economic and cultural development related to broadly cross-cutting collaborations. The importance of these goals, particularly in the realm of education, is reflected in House Resolution 319 of the 112th Congress, "Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that adding art and design into Federal programs that target the Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) fields encourages innovation and economic growth in the United States." The SEAD White Papers working group is developing a report to address opportunities and roadblocks in sustaining collaborations between science and engineering and arts and design. An open call to the international community has invited submission of White Papers, now in progress. The culminating report will summarize suggested actions from these papers, along with similar third-party reports issued internationally over the last ten years. Ultimately the SEAD White Papers report will present trends and suggested actions for addressing the network's advocacy goals. Broader Impacts: Abstracts of the SEAD White Papers are already posted on the network website:http://seadnetwork.wordpress.com/white-paper-abstracts/abstracts/ When completed, the report will be posted as well. The working group will also seek a publisher for further dissemination. SEAD will be referenced in keynote talks by Award 1142663 PI Carol Strohecker at the 2012 Symposium of the Association of Independent Colleges of Art and Design (AICAD, November 2012) and the Innovation Forum of the University of Washington, Bothell (February 2013).
