UNLEASHING OUR CREATIVITY TO SOLVE REAL
PROBLEMS USING SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY,
ENGINEERING, ART AND MATH
The Art of Science Learning (AOSL) is a National Science
Foundation-funded initiative that explores innovation at the
intersection of art, science and learning, using the arts to spark
creativity in science education and foster the development of an
innovative 21st Century STEM workforce. In our current Phase 2
project, we’ve developed a new curriculum that uses the arts to
teach the STEM innovation process, and created three arts-based
incubators for STEM innovation to test the methodologies and
approaches embodied in the curriculum.
The incubators—hosted by San Diego’s Balboa Park Cultural
Partnership (encompassing twenty-seven art, science and cultural
institutions), Chicago’s Museum of Science and Industry and
Worcester’s EcoTarium—brought together more than 300 STEM
professionals, educators, artists, business leaders, museum
professionals, researchers, policymakers hand students to create
innovative responses to STEM challenges and bring them to
market. Challenges included water resources in California, urban
nutrition in Chicago and transportation alternatives in
Massachusetts.
In dozens of workshop sessions from October 2013 – January
2015, Art of Science Learning faculty used the arts to teach the
incubator participants (known as Art of Science Learning Fellows)
new ways to identify problems and opportunities; generate,
transform and communicate creative ideas; collaborate on cross
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