Getting "S.T.E.A.M.ed" Up: STEM, STEAM and a Sampling of Southern California Arts and Science/Technology
Programs and Initiatives
This first part of the summer 2014 essay series can be read as is, but as with past editions, it is also "interactive." Links to
both other websites as well as videos which expand upon the topics being presented are
embedded at various points in the article. By clicking the links viewers can
read or see more about the particular topic being discussed, then return to
the essay. Footnotes and a bibliography also are included at the end
for anyone wishing to learn more about the subject. The materials
represented here are only a small fraction of what is available on this
subject matter, but they are provided to help visitors learn more about STEM and STEAM.
Over the years, the essays appearing on the site have examined specific technologies, industries and issues of scientific/technological
relevance to a broad audience of readers in Southern California. With the "STEAM" engines chugging away on the concert and essay archives pages this summer, the 2014 essay section will begin wtih a brief introduction
to both "STEM" and "STEAM," plus provide a few illustrations of local programs and initiatives which in some way meet at the intersection of art and science/technology.
STEM and the America COMPETES Reauthorization Act of 2010
"Advances in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) have long been central to our nation's ability to manufacture
better and smarter products, improve health care, develop cleaner and more efficient domestic energy sources, preserve the environment, safeguard national security, and grow the economy. For the United States to maintain its preeminent
position in the world it will be essential that the nation continues to lead in STEM, but evidence indicates that current educational pathways are not leading to a sufficiently large and well-trained STEM workforce to
achieve this goal. Nor is the U.S. education system cultivating a culture of STEM necessary for a STEM-literate public. Thus it is essential that the United States enhance U.S. students' engagement in STEM disciplines and inspire and
equip many more students to excel in STEM."
Passage from the Executive Summary, Federal Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) Education 5-Year Strategic Plan, a report from the
Committee on STEM Education, National Science and Technology Council (n1)
Scientific advancement and technological innovation are important engines of economic growth in the U.S. economy. Some estimate that "about half of [the] economic growth in the United
States since World War II has been the result of technological innovation." (n2) In 2005, however, a report from the National Academies entitled Rising Above the Gathering Storm: Energizing and Employing America for a Brighter Economic Future was
published. The report (discussed at greater length in the August 2007 and September 2007 essays) detailed concerns about what was referred to as a "disturbing mosaic" revealing a "recurring
pattern of abundant short-term thinking and insufficient long-term investment" (n3) which "threaten the foundation of U.S. technological strength" (n4) and the country's ability to complete in the global economy.
The report made several recommendations for specific actions to be taken, including improving K-12 science and mathematics education, strengthening a commitment to basic research, making the U.S. the most
attractive setting for study and conducting research, and ensuring that the U.S. is the premier place in the world to innovate. (n5) In August 2007 Congress passed the America COMPETES (Creating Opportunities to Meaningfully Promote
Excellence in Technology, Education and Science) Act which implemented many of the recommendations in the report, including increased investment for STEM education.
As the 2007 bill came up for reauthorization in 2010, a Gathering Storm Revisited report was published evaluating the progress which had been made since the original 2005 report was published. (This second
report was discussed at greater length in the September 2011 essay.) In hurricane forecasting terminology, a category five storm is the strongest possible one, a devastating one certain to cause significant destruction. The 2010 report evaluated
the situation by saying:
"The unanimous view of the committee members participating in the preparation of this report is that our nation's outlook has worsened. While progress has been made in certain areas . . . the latitude to fix the problems being confronted has
been severely diminished by the growth of the national debt over this period from $8 trillion to $13 trillion. Further, in spite of sometimes heroic efforts and occasional very bright spots, our overall public school system - or more accurately 14,000 systems - has shown little sign of
improvement, particularly in mathematics and science. Finally, many other nations have been markedly progressing, thereby affecting America's relative ability to compete effectively for new factories, research laboratories, administrative centers - and jobs. While this progress by
other nations is to both encouraged and welcomed, so too is the notion that Americans wish to continue to be among those peoples who do prosper. The only promising avenue for achieving the latter outcome, in the view of the Gathering Storm committee and many others, is through
innovation. Fortunately, this nation has in the past demonstrated considerable prowess in this regard. Unfortunately, it has increasingly placed shackles on that prowess such that, if not relieved, the nation's ability to provide financially and personally rewarding jobs for its own
citizens can be expected to decline at an accelerating pace. The recommendations made five years ago, the highest priority of which was strengthening the public school system and investing in basic scientific research, appear to be as appropriate today as then. The Gathering Storm Committee's
overall conclusion is that in spite of the efforts of both those in government and the private sector, the outlook for America to compete for quality jobs has further deteriorated over the past five years. The Gathering Storm increasingly appears to be a Category 5."(n6)
The final version of the America COMPETES Reauthorization Act of 2010 was passed in December of 2010 and signed into law in January of 2011. Those wishing to read the full text of the legislation can find the House version of the
bill (H.R. 5116) at www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/BILLS-111hr5116enr/pdf/BILLS-111hr5116enr.pdf and the public law (Public Law 111-358) at
www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/PLAW-111publ358/pdf/PLAW-111publ358.pdf. The 2010 law included requirements for the review and coordination of federal STEM programs. The act also required the National Science
and Technology Council, an interagency group led by the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, to form a committee on STEM (CoSTEM) to develop and implement a 5-year strategic plan. (n7) That plan was released in May of 2013 and sets out goals to drive Federal investment in
five priority STEM education/investment areas:
1. Improve K-12 STEM education, including preparing 100,000 new K-12 STEM teachers by 2020 and supporting the existing workforce.
2. Increase and sustain youth and public engagement in STEM, including a 50% increase in the number of U.S. youth who have an authentic STEM experience each year prior to completing high school.
3. Enhance the STEM experience of undergraduate students, including graduating one million additional students with degrees in STEM fields over the next 10 years.
4. Better serve groups historically under-represented in STEM fields, including increases in the number of students from such groups who graduate with STEM degrees in the next 10 years and improving women's
participation in areas of STEM where they are significantly under-represented.
5. Design graduate education for tomorrow's STEM workforce, including providing graduate-trained STEM professionals with basic and applied research expertise, options to acquire specialized skills in areas of national
importance, mission-critical workforce needs for the CoSTEM agencies and ancilliary skills needed for success in a broad range of careers. (n8)
The top priority indicates that improvements and changes for STEM learning and teaching must begin in the earliest years of education. The following video, a concise 3 1/2-minute video from the National Academies, illustrates both the need for more
integrated K-12 STEM education and raises questions about how teaching in the fields might be more suitably reorganized for 21st-century learning. It acknowledges that STEM-related learning in the fields may take place in the classroom as well as outside the classroom in locations like museums and science centers. It also
acknowledges that interest in STEM fields can be built from more connected ways of learning, whether through competitions like design or robotics competitions or through problem-solving activities.
FROM "STEM" TO "STEAM"
While STEM funding and strategic planning as outlined above come from the federal government, the STEAM acronym comes from a desire to expand the definition and focus of STEM (the "A" in STEAM stands for Art). The term STEAM, or
STEM to STEAM (www.stemtosteam.org), comes from a movement championed by the Rhode Island School of Design (www.risd.edu). The goal of the RISD STEAM initiative is to add Art and Design to the STEM
equation, or 1) to transform research policy to place art and design at the center of STEM, 2) to encourage the integration of art and design in education, and 3) to influence employers to hire artists and designers. (n9)
It may be easiest to understand the formal relationship of "STEAM" to "STEM" by understanding the components of research and development (R&D): basic research, applied research and development. Since the funding which is at the core of STEM
directive described here is federal funding, it is probably most appropriate to define the terms as the government does:
Basic Research: Basic research is systematic study directed toward fuller knowledge or understanding of the fundamental aspects of phenomena and of observable facts without specific application toward
processes or products in mind.
Applied Research: Applied research is systematic study to gain knowledge or understanding necessary to determine the means by which a recognized and specific need may be met. (Government definitions note that when being used by contractors in cost
principle applications, the term does not include efforts whose principal aim is the design, development or testing of specific items or services to be condsidered for sale. Those efforts are included in the definition of development.)
Development: Development is the systematic application of knowledge or understanding directed toward the production of useful materials, devices and systems or methods, including design, development and improvement of prototypes and new processes to meet
specific requirements. (n10)
The STEAM initiative, whether or not it becomes a formal part of STEM programs, brings to the forefront the notion of creativity and raises questions about what exactly it is that sparks innovation. Is it scientific, technical, engineering or mathematical knowledge alone which contribute to innovation, or are there
broader creative principles and processes which also play an important role? Do those principles or processes also play a role in cultivating a culture of STEM, inspiring students to excel in STEM fields or help in developing a STEM-literate public? Though there are no formal answers to those questions, there are several programs here in Southern California which have
begun to combine art and the creative process with scientific and technical learning. Some of those programs are outlined below.
A Sampling of Southern California Arts and Science/Technology Programs and Initiatives
Southern California is home to many of the nation's top educational institutions, arts organizations and science/techology laboratories, companies and industries. In other words, it is the
perfect environment for both STEM and STEAM-related programming and innovation. Outlined below are a few of the most recently-developed programs and initiatives beyond the K-12 level incorporating both art and science/technology, many at or affiliated with local colleges and universities. The list is by no
means complete; anyone knowing of additional programs is welcome to send information. If additional information is received, an addendum to the July essay will be included at the end of the summer with the details. Some programs bring art into a predominantly science/technology environment; others introduce science/technology
into an art environment. Each approaches the subject matter in a slightly different way, but as one program notes in its education description, "Creativity is the fundamental source of innovation in any endeavor. Unfortunately, the vast majority of current educational models focus solely on the development of
analytic skills at the expense of creative thought." (n11) That statement comes from the UCLA Art|Sci Center + Lab, and it is there that the description of some of the area's art/science initiatives and programs will begin.
The UCLA Art|Sci Center + Lab
The tag line below the main heading on the UCLA Art|Sci Center + Lab (www.artsci.ucla.edu) reads "Creation of a Third Culture, Artists in Labs|Scientists in Studios." The purpose of the Center + Lab is to
facilitate collaboration between the arts and bio/nano sciences, and it is operated via arrangements between the California NanoSystems Institutes (CNSI, www.cnsi.ucla.edu) and the UCLA School of Arts - Department of Design/Media Arts. (The CNSI is a UCLA research center with a mission to aid in the commercialization of nanotechnology
discoveries.) In addition to a dedicated gallery space for exhibitions at the CNSI, the Center's website lists its activities as "presenting lectures, mixers, and symposia to bring artists and scientists together in order to mesh these cultures and inspire individuals to think about art and science as already interrelated and
relevant to our society." (n12)
The Art|Sci Center also offers a two-week summer program for high school juniors and seniors which it calls the Sci|Art NanoLab Summer Institute (www.artsci.ucla.edu/summer). A description accessed at the
UCLA Summer Sessions website (www.summer.ucla.edu/institutes/SciArtNanoLab) says of the program and its relation to science that "interdisciplinary at its core, nanoscience research requires fresh ways of thinking and new methodologies. The future of nanotechnology is determined not
just by scientific knowledge, but also by the application of creative thought and imagination that go beyond a traditional reductionist approach. The advantage of an artistic approach to nanotechnology lies in its ability to address challenges from a more holistic and general view, to conceive of new ways to deal with complexity which, when
combined with science, provide a powerful new direction for invention and creation." (n13) The content of the program is described as including "lab visits, workshops, hands-on experiments, and meetings with world renowned scientists . . . balanced with visits to museums, daily movie screenings and meetings with famous contemporary
artists who collaborate with scientists." (n14).
The Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) Art + Technology Lab
In the late 1960s and early 1970s, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art's original art and technology program paired artists with a variety of Southern California technology
companies. In April of this year, the museum selected its first group of projects for the new Art + Technology Lab @ LACMA (www.lacma.org/lab) from a pool of about 450 proposals which were submitted. According to the Art + Technology lab website, "the
winning proposals seek to engage artistic practice with emerging technologies in aerospace, astrophysics, augmented reality, robotics and more." A description of some of the winning proposals can be found at
www.lacma.wordpress.com/2014/04/09/announcing-art-technology-lab-artist-grant-awards.
The program is housed in the newly-renovated Balch Research Library at LACMA, and the Lab provides grants, in-kind support and facilities at the museum to develop prototype projects. In addition, other Art + Technology programming will be taking place
throughout the LACMA campus, including lectures, film screenings and activities for students and families. Listings of upcoming events, a video describing the program and other information can be found on the Lab's LACMA web page. The Art + Technology Lab is sponsored by Accenture, Daqri, Nvidia, Gensler, Google and SpaceX. The press
release announcing the program is available online at www.lacma.org/sites/default/files/A%2BT-Release-FINAL-12.11.13.pdf.
The Beall Center for Art + Technology at U.C. Irvine (UCI)
The Beall Center for Art + Technology (www.beallcenter.uci.edu) is located on the UCI campus. The Center's website describes its mission as being "to support research and exhibitions that explore
new relationships between the arts, sciences and engineering and thus promote new forms of creation and expression using digital technologies. The Beall Center aspires to redefine the museum/gallery experience, both in content and form, formulating answers to the questions of how
technology can be used effectively, not only to create new forms of art but also to connect artist to artist, and artist to audience." (n15) Initial support for the Center came from the Rockwell Corporation in honor of the company's retired chairman Don Beall and his wife, Joan, and ongoing support is provided by
the Beall Family Foundation.
Each year the Center hosts two Family Days, one in the fall and one in the spring, generally in conjunction with the Center's current exhibit. The events are open to the public and include hands-on activities, demonstrations, admission to the Center's exhibit(s) and
more. See the Beall website for information on the next Family Day event.
The Jimmy Iovine and Andre Young Academy for Arts, Technology and the Business of Innovation at USC
Music fans are likely to be very familiar with the names Jimmy Iovine and Andre Young. Iovine is Chairman of Universal Music Group's Interscope Geffen A&M Records Unit and co-founder of Beats Electronics, and he is also better known to the general public as one of the
contestant advisors on American Idol. Recording artist, producer and entrepreneur Andre Young is best known as Dr. Dre. The two have provided a gift to establish the USC Jimmy Iovine and Andre Young Academy for Arts, Technology and the Business of Innovation (http://iovine-young.usc.edu). The first class
of 25 students will enroll at the Academy in the fall of this year. The purpose of the academy as described as aiming "to instill in its students an entirely new way of thinking. To accomplish this, the program offers a highly-select group of students an integrated, four-year course of study that provides in-depth learning in three
essential areas: art and design, engineering and computer science, and business and venture management. Team-taught interdisciplinary courses have been developed and adapted specifically for
the program." (n16)
Each year of the four-year program will have a specific purpose. Outlined in further detail on the website, the program years will be: Year 1 - thinking across disciplines, Year 2 - applied sklls, Year 3 - from concept to creation, and Year 4 - developing a prototype. The focus in
Year 4 will be a collaborative space called "The Garage" (though not stated on the site, perhaps a modern "tribute" to the space in which so many tinkerers, inventors and creators have brought ideas and inventions to life). The Garage will be a space in which Academy teams will have access to state-of-the-art rapid prototyping tools. Teams will be expected to
create, test, develop and present completed projects. (n17) Further details about the program and its founders/donors are available on the website.
Claremont Graduate University - The STEAM Journal
One of the country's first academic journals devoted to S.T.E.A.M. has its home at the Claremont Graduate Universty. The inaugural issue of the online-only journal, titled "Luminare," was published in March of 2013, and the current issue (2014) is titled "The Quantified Self." The
website explains the journal by saying "The STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics) Journal is a transdisciplinary, theory-practice, peer-reviewed, open access, online journal with a focus of the intersection of STEM and Art. The journal integrates perspectives from a variety of contexts and fields." (n18) Read more about and
view issues of the journal at www.cgu.edu/steam and http://scholarship.claremont.edu/steam. One article in the journal describes how a local organization, Two Bit Circus, collaborated with the Girl Scouts of Greater Los Angeles on a
project involving wearable technology. That organization, also hosting the area's first "STEAM" Carnival in October, is described below.
Two Bit Circus
Two Bit Circus (www.twobitcircus.com) says of their organization that they live "at the intersection of technology and spectacle," and that they "engineer entertainment that is imaginative and interactive, blurring the lines between
physical and digital playgrounds to create a new world of social amusement." (n19) Their "interdisciplinary team of artists, engineers and entrepreneurs develop spectacular productions with the goal to inspire, engage and reinvent the way people play." (n20) The group will host the area's first STEAM Carnival, which they describe as
a modern take on the traveling circus, on October 25 and 26 at Crafted at the Port of LA (San Pedro). Read more about the STEAM Carnival and purchase tickets at www.steamcarnival.com.
Riverside Long Night of Arts and Innovation
Home to many of the Inland Empire's largest educational institutions, arts organizations and businesses, Riverside hosted the city's first Long Night of Arts and Innovation (www.longnightriverside.com) in October of 2012. The 2013 event took place in more
than 20 locations in and around the Downtown Riverside area and included academic lectures and presentations, theatrical and musical performances, business and government organization demonstrations and displays, and more. As a part of local STEM initiatives, school children were encouraged to attend the event to learn more about STEM and arts fields, and the event included contests and
and a discovery zone. Though Long Night will not be held in 2014, the next event is being planned for 2015. Read more about the Riverside Long Night of Arts and Innovation and see past program schedules by visiting the website listed.
STEAM - Science and Technology Enhancing (or Enriching or Extending) Art and Music?
The acronym STEAM as defined by the Rhode Island School of Design was outlined above. For the purposes of this website in the summer of 2014, the acronym could just as easily mean Science and Technology
Enhancing (or Enriching or Extending) Art and Music. The essay section will continue in August and September by looking at specific aspects of science and technology which in some way relate to art or music. Please come back next month for the next essay in the series!
FOOTNOTES - The footnotes
are indicated in the text in parentheses with the letter "n" and a number. If
you click the asterisk at the end of the footnote, it will take you back
to the paragraph in which the citation was located.
n2 - Background, America Competes, Big Picture Perspectives on the Need for Innovation, Investments in R&D, and a Commitment to Stem Education, hearing before the U.S. House of Representatives, Committee on Science and Technology, 111th Congress, 2nd Session,
January 20, 2010, Serial No. 111-70. Washington, D.C.: US GPO, 2010, p. 2. (*)
n3 - Committee for Prospering in the 21st Century: An Agenda for American Science and Technology, Committee on Science, Engineering and Public Policy, National Academy of Sciences, National
Academy of Engineering and The Institute of Medicine of the National Academies, Rising Above the Gathering Storm: Energizing and Employing America for a Brighter Economic Future, Washington D.C.: National Academies Press. Please note: in the preparation of this study, two versions of
the report were used. Both citations will be included here, and the other notes concerning the study will indicate page numbers for the information cited as found in both versions.
Version 1: Pre-publication Version, February 2006 Edition, as found in U.S. House of Representatives, Committee on Science, Science, Technology and Global Competitiveness, 109th Congress, 1st Session, October 20, 2005, Serial No. 109-27, Washington D.C.: U.S. GPO, 2005, p. 114,
Version 2: On-line 2007 pdf version available at http://books.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=11463#toc, Washington, D.C.: National Academies Press, 2007, p. 25. (Both from 2007 essay/2007 online view) (*)
n4 - Ibid., pre-publication version p. 284, on-line pdf version p. 214. (*)
n5 - Committee on STEM Education, 5-Year Strategic Plan, p. 3. (*)
n6 - Members of the 2005 "Rising Above the Gathering Storm" Committee, National Academy of Sciences, National Academy of
Engineering and National Institute of Medicine, Rising Above the Gathering Storm, Revisited:
Rapidly Approaching Category 5, Washington, D.C.: National Academies Press, 2010, p. 55 - 56. (*)
n7 - Overview, STEM Education: The Administration's Proposed Reorganization, hearing before the U.S. House of Representatives, Committee on Science, Space and Technology, 113th Congress, 1st Session,
June 4, 2013, Serial No. 113-33. Washington, D.C.: US GPO, 2013, p. 5. (*)
n8 - Committee on STEM Education, 5-Year Strategic Plan, p. viii. (*)
n9 - Rhode Island School of Deisgn, STEM to STEAM home page, www.stemtosteam.org, viewed July 2014. (*)
n10 - National Science Foundation website, "Definitions of Research and Development: An Annotated Compilation of Official Sources," U.S. Federal Government, viewed online July 2014 at
www.nsf.gov/statistics/randdef/fedgov.cfm. (*)
n16 - USC Jimmy Iovine and Andre Young Academy for Arts, Technology and the Business of Innovation website, viewed online July 2014 at
www.iovine-young.usc.edu. (*)
9. UCLA Summer Session website/Summer Institute description: www.summer.ucla.edu/institutes/SciArtNanoLab
10. LACMA Art + Technology Lab: www.lacma.org/lab
11. LACMA Art + Technolog Lab winning proposal description: www.lacma.wordpress.com/2014/04/09/announcing-art-technology-lab-artist-grant-awards
12. LACMA Art + Technolog Lab press release: www.lacma.org/sites/default/files/A%2BT-Release-FINAL-12.11.13.pdf
13. UCI Beall Center for Art + Technology: www.beallcenter.uci.edu
14. USC Jimmy Iovine and Andre Young Academy for Arts, Technology and the Business of Innovation: http://iovine-young.usc.edu
15. Claremont Graduate University STEAM Journal: www.cgu.edu/steam and http://scholarship.claremont.edu/steam
16. Two Bit Circus: www.twobitcircus.com
17. Steam Carnival: www.steamcarnival.com
18. Riverside Long Night of Arts and Innovation: www.longnightriverside.com
BIBLIOGRAPHY
America Competes, Big Picture Perspectives on the Need for Innovation, Investments in R&D, and a Commitment to Stem Education, hearing before the U.S. House of Representatives, Committee on Science and Technology, 111th Congress, 2nd Session,
January 20, 2010, Serial No. 111-70. Washington, D.C.: US GPO, 2010.
Best Practices in Transforming Research into Innovation: Creative Approaches to the Bayh-Dole Act, hearing before the U.S. House of Representatives, Committee on Science, Space and Technology, 112th Congress, 2nd Session,
June 19, 2012, Serial No. 112-89. Washington, D.C.: US GPO, 2012.
Committee for Prospering in the 21st Century: An Agenda for American Science and Technology, Committee on Science, Engineering and Public Policy, National Academy of Sciences, National Academy of Engineering and
The Institute of Medicine of the National Academies, Rising Above the Gathering Storm, Energizing and Employing America for a Brighter Economic Future, Washington D.C.: National Academies Press, 2007, viewed pdf online version at
http://books.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=11463, July/August 2007.
Members of the 2005 "Rising Above the Gathering Storm" Committee. National Academy of Sciences, National Academy of
Engineering and National Institute of Medicine, Rising Above the Gathering Storm, Revisited: Rapidly Approaching Category 5, Washington, D.C.: National Academies Press, 2010
National Science Foundation, "Definitions of Research and Development: An Annotated Compilation of Official Sources," Federal Government, viewed online July 2014 at
www.nsf.gov/statistics/randdef/fedgov.cfm.
STEM Education: Industry and Philanthropic Initiatives, hearing before the U.S. House of Representatives, Committee on Science, Space and Technology, 113th Congress, 1st Session,
March 13, 2013, Serial No. 113-11. Washington, D.C.: US GPO, 2013.
STEM Education: The Administration's Proposed Reorganization, hearing before the U.S. House of Representatives, Committee on Science, Space and Technology, 113th Congress, 1st Session,
June 4, 2013, Serial No. 113-33. Washington, D.C.: US GPO, 2013.
Strengthening Undergraduate and Graduate Stem Education, hearing before the U.S. House of Representatives, Committee on Science and Technology, 111th Congress, 2nd Session,
February 4, 2010, Serial No. 111-76. Washington, D.C.: US GPO, 2010.
Southern
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