'STEAM: An Artist's Perspective in a Scientific Dream'
Science, technology, engineering, and maths: the STEM sector. STEM has enabled a community of scientists to collate opportunities in research, investigation, and innovation. So, what then, is STEAM? STEAM is designed to incorporate the ‘A’ of ‘the arts’ within these other disciplines, to encourage creative and lateral thinking alongside experimental processes. I am incredibly lucky in my job to have had the privilege to meet and engage with a diverse range of people, whose varying roles and responsibilities lend themselves to creativity. During this campaign, we have had the chance to speak to people from across our campuses, who find that their job allows for, or even requires creativity for progression. Similarly, those that simply find themselves engaging with creativity in their spare time, and how they think, if at all, these skills interact with each other. What is it that the arts do? What do they represent? What is it about this collaboration that is so prevalent? In other words, why does it matter?
On Wednesday 11th October 2023, Harwell Science and Innovation Campus hosted the RISE Together Solutions Summit at European Space Agency - ESA ECSAT facility's new Magali Vaissiere Conference Centre. I found the event inspiring, and it was an honour to hear from so many successful female leaders on their experiences. The event sparked discussions about how we can accelerate inclusion in the space sector, which naturally led us onto the topic of STEAM. Science is largely understood as being “tangible, measurable and real.” On the contrary then, we’d expect the arts to be “immaterial, intangible and imaginary.”[1] But I don’t particularly like this distinction, nor the description of either. Any scientific idea starts off with an intangible hypothesis, and similarly, an artistic sculpture or a canvas has tangibility. The two are interchangeable, and it’s why it’s time we did away with the imposed binary. 52% of organisations in the Space Skills Alliance survey reported skills gaps in their current workforce, which is significantly lower than the wider economy (73%). By integrating the skills we get from art with STEM, we are giving STEM a new perspective. @Emma Johnson, Programme and Operations Group Leader at RAL Space said, “We as human beings, we’re all different, and everybody has a different way of working, thinking, learning…there’s very rarely a one size fits all,” and there’s a lot that any business or organisation can take from this.
There has a been a lot of research on the value of STEAM education in schools and the benefits of encouraging children to engage with both STEM and the arts in a way that emphasises the way they complement and interrelate with each other. It provides us with a humanistic view of 21st century education and demonstrates the power of transformative learning.[2] By forcing a boundary between the two, you are separating those who are more technical and results-driven, with those who find their skills are better attached to design and idea creation, for example. When in fact, artistic design has a place within scientific communication. Helen Towrie is an Impact and Engagement Officer at the Central Laser Facility and has also contributed to their visual marketing, including graphic design, and original art that can be found at the entrance to CLF’S Visitor’s Centre. Helen herself has said that she felt, growing up, “that there was a huge gap between art and STEM…they were almost opposite ends of a scale.” She felt like she was “very firmly on the art end, and there was no crossing a boundary.” It’s this “boundary,” that we can and should break. Many are often deterred by the more technical aspects of the STEM job catalogue, but there is an increasing attempt to open STEM to everyone. There is now a high percentage of students interested in pursuing careers that will support maths and science fields,[3] as well as being at the forefront of them, and these supporting roles are crucial to any team’s progression. STEAM has also led itself to being a successful enabler for minority groups, and those who are more disadvantaged, as one of its core principles is to celebrate inclusion and diversity.
It's important, however, that we don’t simply conceptualise STEAM as an initiative that simply “adds the arts.” It’s about how they come together. The @Campus Technology Hub, based at Sci-Tech Daresbury , have recently supported a project with Norton Priory, a historic site in Runcorn, Cheshire, which exemplifies this equally measured union. The visual and historical contexts of Manor House restoration carries relatability in the sense that it is a tangible concept. It is understood more widely by people who aren’t as familiar with the nuances of science at a molecular level. This is a fact that will have undoubtedly deterred many from entering the industry in the first place, as science is perceived as “too technical,” or “too complex,” but designing engaging scientific solutions requires creative talent. There was a study conducted by three researchers, Gilbert, Bulte and Pilot, who talked of the way “school science fails to engage school students and is often seen by them as a cold, fact-based subject, boringly taught, and stripped of everyday contexts and real-life meaning.” (2011) An artistic viewpoint goes a long way in providing this “meaning,” that we so desperately seek as human beings.
A further study that went towards analysing the expectations from STEAM-led initiatives, suggested that the largest number of participants gave their preference to a sense of purpose at work, with 61% of participants strongly agreeing with this statement.[4] Is it the arts that give us purpose? I definitely think it makes us feel as if we are part of something bigger, in a sort of wider community of voices. In my job, I have found that this community of voices is crucial to development in any organisation. Science gives us purpose. Art gives us purpose. It isn’t about one simply reigning over the other; it’s what the collaboration represents for both communities that matters. Catherine Greene , who heads the User Centred Design team at the Satellite Applications Catapult said that “when people are relaxed and in that playful, creative mode, I think that’s when you can spark collaboration.” STEAM can respond effectively to both the challenges of today AND the future because it is not contained. It is not restricted. It is open, and unapologetic in its intentions of wanting to do things differently, rather than being backed into a corner.
It has truly been a pleasure to be involved in this project and to be a witness to the eye-opening and important conversations that STEAM offers up. As a huge advocate for unique collaborations on various levels, I hope that these conversations and initiatives continue well into the future. STFC is truly paving the way, with its innovative science and the people behind the science, who go a long way in making sure no voice goes unheard. So, let’s hear it for the future of STEM: STEAM. An artist’s perspective in a scientific dream.
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Thank you Gemma W. for this invigorating look at STEAM. I came to paint having been inspired by working with engineers and technologists who are experts in satellite technologies and all they can accomplish. I love the fact that engaging with imagery of space allows a chance to reflect on what was once merely 'data' as something to give pleasure and enjoyment; at best a backdrop for more creative thinking that will result in greater innovations.
Former Marketing & Events Industrial Placement Student at STFC | Studying BA English at The University of York | Former ITV Mentee
9 个月It was a pleasure to work with you Gemma W. to bring this series together! The whole process has been incredibly rewarding