This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under Grant No.0963146. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.
Summer Development Conference – Integration of STEM Research and Education Track:
The State of STEAM Conference is going to be held during the 2012 Research Week at UCF. The 2012 UCF Research week is going to take place during the week of April 2nd 2012 and it involves a number of planned activities and speaking engagements including a showcase of the research that undergraduate and graduate students are involved with at UCF. The 2011-2012 ICubed fellows will present their research at the Showcase of Undergraduate Research Excellence (SURE) on April 5th 2012, by showcasing their research posters to a variety of judges and other UCF stakeholders (students, faculty, industry, others). The State of STEAM Conference has planned for an exhibition at the Visual Arts Gallery, called a STEAM Exhibition. During this exhibition, STEAM artifacts (paintings, sculptures, illustrations, posters) that Visual Arts students have created, inspired by the research that STEM students (ICubed fellows) are involved with, will be showcased. The apogee of this Exhibition is an Opening Reception from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. on April 5th, featuring the UCF Provost, who will designate the event’s opening, and many other distinguished guests. The Opening Ceremony of the STEAM Exhibition will also be attended by K-12 students.
×The State of STEM Conference is going to be held at the Fairwinds Alumni Center on April 26, 2012 from 8:30 a.m. – 2:30 p.m. The theme of the conference is Broadening Participation in STEM. The conference will feature two distinguished speakers, Professor Harry Kroto from FSU, a Nobel Laureate, and Professor Christos Papadimitriou from Berkley, a National Academy of Science member. Professor Kroto is a chemist and professor Papadimitriou is a computer scientist. Professors Kroto and Papadimitriou will speak about the interplay of arts and sciences. Professor Kroto will open the sequence of presentations that the State of STEAM conference features, while Professor Papadimitiou will close it. In between the presentations by Professors Kroto and Papadimitriou UCF professors Georgiopoulos (EECS, UCF) and Jeanpierre (DOE, UCF) will talk about efforts at UCF to broaden participation in the STEM disciplines. The presentation part of the State of STEM Conference will be followed by a concurrent book signing event for the distinguished speakers, and a poster presentation event showcasing ICubed students. The poster presentation by the ICubed students will involve pairs of STEM and Visual Arts and Design students whose collaboration has created artistic posters, inspired by the STEM research; both the research poster and the artistic poster will be showcased at the poster event of the UCF-STEM conference. The UCF-STEM Conference will also be attended by K-12 students.
×For the past six years, the University of Central Florida via its College of Engineering and Computer Science (CECS) has hosted the Florida Engineering Education Conference (FEEC). This event is one of the only “engineering education” conferences of its kind in Florida. Working with our conference partners, our goals continue to be to highlight the importance of pre-college engineering education in Florida, to showcase successful formal and informal pre-college engineering education programs and share the information with STEM educators and administrators. The conference also provides a venue for our conference partners (comprised of industry, government and professional organizations) to present and showcase what they are doing in field of engineering. This enables us to link relevance to formal and informal STEM curricula.
The 2012 FEEC conference will remain a single day event and it will take place on April 27, 2012. We are working with our conference partners that include the Florida Engineering Foundation, Harris Corporation, Florida Space Grant Consortium, the Central Florida STEM Education Council and the Bureau of Curriculum and Instruction at the Florida Department of Education to provide a free event to an estimated 150 STEM educators. The theme of the conference is Environmental Engineering: Opportunities for Innovation and it will feature a panel discussion of industry representatives, two informational sessions, and afternoon workshops.
×Members of the ICubed team were invited by the UCF Vice-Provost to present to the Board Of Trustees Meeting on January 26, 2012. The members of the ICubed team who presented to the BOT meeting were: Michael Georgiopoulos (professor of EECS and Co-PI of the ICubed project), Costas Efthimiou (professor of Physics and Co-PI of the ICubed project), Carla Poindexter (professor of the Visual Arts and Design School), Christopher Frye (Physics student), Emily Daniels (Visual Arts student), Alea De Bengston (Visual Arts student), Drew Powers (Visual Arts student). The intent of the ICubed presentation was to talk about one of the activities of the ICubed project, called the STEAM Initiative.
Michael Georgiopoulos opened the presentation by saying:
Good Morning. Thank you for inviting us. We appreciate the opportunity. I am the coordinator of ICubed a National Science Foundation funded project. ICubed has three I’s in it. The three I’s stand for Innovation through Institutional Integration. It is a program initiated by NSF a few years back that has as its intent to increase the synergies of federally funded projects, and create new synergies for projects that emphasize STEM education and research. This gave birth to the UCF ICubed project. We are going to talk to you today about one of the activities of the ICubed project called the STEAM Initiative. The STEAM Initiative is the brain child of Debbie Reinhart from the Office of Research and Theo Lotz from the School of Visual Arts and Design who were two of the original contributors to the UCF ICubed proposal submitted to NSF and funded by NSF, almost two years ago. In the STEAM initiative we invite STEM professors and their students to visit Visual Arts and Design classes and ask them to articulate their research to the students in the class and the instructor of the class. Then the STEM students collaborate closely with the Visual Arts students so that the Visual Arts students can create artifacts inspired by the STEM research. The artifacts created are paintings, such as the ones that you see all around you, sculptures, illustrations and posters. One of the obvious benefits of the STEAM initiative is that it provides an opportunity to STEM professors at UCF to showcase their research to the UCF community and UCF stakeholders. The rest of my colleagues and their students, who have joined me today to talk to you about the STEAM initiative, will articulate to you many more benefits that the STEAM initiative afford us.
Costas Efthimiou
In the painting seminar class, I explained how other painters have used physics and math to create well known works. I expanded on these works to help students see where the real science stops and where the creativity starts. Then I presented some revolutionary ideas from modern physics --- in particular, the Quest for the Theory of Everything --- and asked the students to create works inspired from these ideas.
Chris Frye
Hello, my name is Christopher Frye. I am an undergraduate at UCF studying physics and mathematics, and I have worked with Professor Poindexter's painting class for one year now. When I first began interacting with the art students, I gave presentations about scientific research I have done and about basic ideas in relativity and quantum mechanics. Next, I visited to the painting class to participate in long open discussions in which we debated the philosophical implications of the theories of modern physics. Before joining the STEAM project, I seldom left the Math and Physics building, and during these open discussions I realized that I needed to explain concepts to the painting class in a way entirely different from the way I describe ideas to my fellow science students. So not only did I teach new physical concepts to the students in the art class, but I also discovered new ways to explain scientific ideas to non-science students. This is a skill I can use later in my career when teaching is a part of my job.
Carla Poindexter
Hi. I’m Carla Poindexter. Thank you for inviting us to this Board of Trustees meeting. This is currently the forth semester that students in my advanced painting class have participated in this collaborative teaching and learning effort to bring science and art together by responding visually to presentations given by Science faculty and students. Subjects have included current breakthroughs in communications technology, biological science, and during the past two semesters, physics, in particular, quantum mechanics. Some painting students were inspired to create futuristic visualizations about the wondrous and often abstract theories presented. Others attempted to illustrate the specific scientific principles. Others responded by creating works that suggest the social and cultural opportunities and sometimes the potential ramifications of the science we discussed. But all of these painting students were inspired to stretch their knowledge, problem solving skills, and creativity beyond the traditional conceptual and technical assignments they usually encounter in an advanced painting class. The value of this initiative has already proven to be immeasurable as we participate along with many other universities throughout the United States in adding the “A” for Art to STEM teaching to create STEAM: Science, Technology, Math, Art and Engineering!
Emily Daniels
I have been involved with STEAM for three different projects so far, this painting today is from my first experience with it in Spring 2011. After hearing the research and work that marine biologist Dr. Linda Walters and her under graduate researcher Kali Standorf did concerning mass sea urchins die-offs and current populations I found myself drawn to the ecological impact such seemingly miniscule creatures can have, and how unaware many people, myself included, were of this issue. I decided to create a seascape showing how this could have occurred and been ignored. I talked over details with Kali about the varying appearances of the urchins before and after death and then I set about making a scene that allowed the viewer to appreciate the natural beauty of the underwater environment at the cost of literally overlooking a visual field of death. Through this painting I was able to create and capture a realistic scene which does not exist in a distinct place to be photographed and I have used it to direct the viewer’s attention to the matter at hand.
Alea de Bengson
My name is Alea de Bengson and I have a been working on the STEAM project for two semesters in Professor Poindexter's painting class. My work was inspired by Dr. Costas' presentation on astrophysics. Specifically, how the universe began. This painting is my interpretation of a white hot “big bang” that expanded rapidly outward and slowly began to cool. Even though it has cooled, it is still expanding and we're not exactly sure why. Physicists believe that the mysterious force behind this expansion is dark energy. It is something that we know so little about that we can hardly identify it. It's not something you can see. But, perhaps, with the right inspiration, or illumination (at this point I figure I would have the black light flashlight pointed at it and say something like...) we can find the answer. You probably won't be able to see it from where you are sitting, but what I have done is revealed the idea of dark energy by applying UV ink to create hundreds of tiny points of light that are only visible under the correct lighting. In other words, a UV light. I have always had a passion for science, but I kept it separate from my art. But as a result of my participation in this STEAM project for the past two semesters, I realize now that I am happier combining them. My current goal is a career in science related art. As I continue painting with science in mind I will also use my knowledge of graphic design to create illustrations for print media, motion graphics and visual effects for science related media that are visually compelling, entertaining, and comprehensible to a wide audience.
Drew Powers
This piece was inspired by looking at science as one of many modes to understanding our world. The contraption I made and attached to this multi-media painting is derived from a 13th-century invention known as the Ars Magna by the Catalan philosopher, mathematician, and theologian Ramon Llull. Viewed by many to be one of the first primitive Artificial Intelligence Algorithms, its aim was to systematically derive all possible questions and answers originating from the mind of man about God and the universe. This blurring of systematic, scientific logic with intuitive philosophy reveals how the scientific process evolved to become a standard for human understanding - not the other way around. The mark-making on the canvas respects this human struggle for perfect understanding. In this entire project, I was inspired by the fundamental goal of the STEM initiative itself—the dialogue between artists and scientists—more than attempts to define absolute truth. Looking back, I see that Ramon Llull transcended the mold of a mere 'mathematician,' ‘logician,’ or 'philosopher' to reach a more comprehensive view of the world. If this STEM project is continued—if it were to become truly interdisciplinary and collaborative, why could each of us not do the same today? To put it more precisely, interacting with these individuals, who are trained in a different mode of understanding than I, has been captivating. I was inspired by the fundamental goal of the STEM project itself—the dialogue between artists and scientists—more than the research and accompanying minutia that are beyond my level of understanding. Looking back, I see an individual, who transcended the mold of being a mere 'mathematician' or 'philosopher' to develop a more comprehensive view of the world. If this project were continued, why could each of us not do the same today?
×Members of the ICubed team were invited by the UCF Provost to present to the Provost’s Council meeting on February 1st, 2012. The members of the ICubed team who presented to the Provost’s Council meeting were: Michael Georgiopoulos (professor of EECS and Co-PI of the ICubed project), Costas Efthimiou (professor of Physics and Co-PI of the ICubed project), Carla Poindexter (professor of the Visual Arts and Design School), Christopher Frye (Physics student), Emily Daniels (Visual Arts student), Alea De Bengston (Visual Arts student), Drew Powers (Visual Arts student) and Paul Finch (Visual Arts student). The intent of the ICubed presentation was to talk about one of the activities of the ICubed project, called the STEAM Initiative.
The presentation went well. There were a lot of questions. The Dean of the Honors College expressed a strong interest of displaying some of these artifacts around the university. The Dean of the College of Optics and Photonics mentioned that his College’s faculty would be very interested in being involved with the STEAM activities in the future, in essence addressing the issue of institutionalization when NSF monies are not available any more. This brought up another question of how many Visual Arts faculty are involved and interested in this collaboration. The truth is that a number of Visual Arts professors are already involved in the ICubed STEAM initiative; these professors teach the painting, sculpture, illustration and graphic design classes. In response to a question about future plans of the ICubed STEAM initiative one of the members of our team responded by saying that there is the possibility of an interdisciplinary course, co-taught by STEM and Visual Arts faculty, which will foster longer interactions of STEM students and Visual Arts students for the creation of the STEAM artifacts. Furthermore, there is the idea of an artifact exhibition at another venue, such as the Orlando Science Center, potentially a traveling exhibition at some later point.
Michael Georgiopoulos
Good Morning. Thank you for inviting us. We appreciate the opportunity. I am the coordinator of ICubed a National Science Foundation funded project. ICubed has three I’s in it. The three I’s stand for Innovation through Institutional Integration. It is a program initiated by NSF a few years back that has as its intent to increase the synergies of federally funded projects, and create new synergies for projects that emphasize STEM education and research. This gave birth to the UCF ICubed project. We are going to talk to you today about one of the activities of the ICubed project called the STEAM Initiative. The STEAM Initiative is the brain child of Debbie Reinhart from the Office of Research and Theo Lotz from the School of Visual Arts and Design who were two of the original contributors to the UCF ICubed proposal submitted to NSF and funded by NSF, almost two years ago. In the STEAM initiative we invite STEM professors and their students to visit Visual Arts and Design classes and ask them to articulate their research to the students in the class and the instructor of the class. Then the STEM students collaborate closely with the Visual Arts students so that the Visual Arts students can create artifacts inspired by the STEM research. The artifacts created are paintings, such as the ones that you see all around you, sculptures, illustrations and posters. One of the obvious benefits of the STEAM initiative is that it provides an opportunity to STEM professors at UCF to showcase their research to the UCF community and UCF stakeholders. The rest of my colleagues and their students, who have joined me today to talk to you about the STEAM initiative, will articulate to you many more benefits that the STEAM initiative afford us.
Costas Efthimiou
In the painting seminar class, I explained how other painters have used physics and math to create well known works. I expanded on these works to help students see where the real science stops and where the creativity starts. Then I presented some revolutionary ideas from modern physics --- in particular, the Quest for the Theory of Everything --- and asked the students to create works inspired from these ideas.
Chris Frye
Hello, my name is Christopher Frye. I am an undergraduate at UCF studying physics and mathematics, and I have worked with Professor Poindexter's painting class for one year now. When I first began interacting with the art students, I gave presentations about scientific research I have done and about basic ideas in relativity and quantum mechanics. Next, I visited to the painting class to participate in long open discussions in which we debated the philosophical implications of the theories of modern physics. Before joining the STEAM project, I seldom left the Math and Physics building, and during these open discussions I realized that I needed to explain concepts to the painting class in a way entirely different from the way I describe ideas to my fellow science students. So not only did I teach new physical concepts to the students in the art class, but I also discovered new ways to explain scientific ideas to non-science students. This is a skill I can use later in my career when teaching is a part of my job.
Carla Poindexter
Hi. I’m Carla Poindexter. Thank you for inviting us to this Board of Trustees meeting. This is currently the forth semester that students in my advanced painting class have participated in this collaborative teaching and learning effort to bring science and art together by responding visually to presentations given by Science faculty and students. Subjects have included current breakthroughs in communications technology, biological science, and during the past two semesters, physics, in particular, quantum mechanics. Some painting students were inspired to create futuristic visualizations about the wondrous and often abstract theories presented. Others attempted to illustrate the specific scientific principles. Others responded by creating works that suggest the social and cultural opportunities and sometimes the potential ramifications of the science we discussed. But all of these painting students were inspired to stretch their knowledge, problem solving skills, and creativity beyond the traditional conceptual and technical assignments they usually encounter in an advanced painting class. The value of this initiative has already proven to be immeasurable as we participate along with many other universities throughout the United States in adding the “A” for Art to STEM teaching to create STEAM: Science, Technology, Math, Art and Engineering!
Emily Daniels
I have been involved with STEAM for three different projects so far, this painting today is from my first experience with it in Spring 2011. After hearing the research and work that marine biologist Dr. Linda Walters and her under graduate researcher Kali Standorf did concerning mass sea urchins die-offs and current populations I found myself drawn to the ecological impact such seemingly miniscule creatures can have, and how unaware many people, myself included, were of this issue. I decided to create a seascape showing how this could have occurred and been ignored. I talked over details with Kali about the varying appearances of the urchins before and after death and then I set about making a scene that allowed the viewer to appreciate the natural beauty of the underwater environment at the cost of literally overlooking a visual field of death. Through this painting I was able to create and capture a realistic scene which does not exist in a distinct place to be photographed and I have used it to direct the viewer’s attention to the matter at hand.
Paul Finch
I have titled the piece "Silk Purse" in reference to the creative act of "turning a sow's ear into a silk purse". My sculpture entitled Silk Purse is a response to some of the ethical concerns many scientists and artists have. I believe that we all are collectively responsible for the consequences of our culture. Many scientists are inspired to devote their lives to research to help solve problems within ourselves or the environment. I was struggling to better understand my own ethical responsibilities as a painter and sculptor. I ran across a discarded chair, and stretched a canvas onto it to show that even something like a damaged and unwanted chair has potential. I wanted to show my dedication to this metaphorical object that had outlived its usefulness, so I lovingly painted its "portrait". I surrounded the chair with gold as an historical way to show that this is a valuable object.
Alea de Bengson
My name is Alea de Bengson and I have a been working on the STEAM project for two semesters in Professor Poindexter's painting class. My work was inspired by Dr. Costas' presentation on astrophysics. Specifically, how the universe began. This painting is my interpretation of a white hot “big bang” that expanded rapidly outward and slowly began to cool. Even though it has cooled, it is still expanding and we're not exactly sure why. Physicists believe that the mysterious force behind this expansion is dark energy. It is something that we know so little about that we can hardly identify it. It's not something you can see. But, perhaps, with the right inspiration, or illumination (at this point I figure I would have the black light flashlight pointed at it and say something like...) we can find the answer. You probably won't be able to see it from where you are sitting, but what I have done is revealed the idea of dark energy by applying UV ink to create hundreds of tiny points of light that are only visible under the correct lighting. In other words, a UV light. I have always had a passion for science, but I kept it separate from my art. But as a result of my participation in this STEAM project for the past two semesters, I realize now that I am happier combining them. My current goal is a career in science related art. As I continue painting with science in mind I will also use my knowledge of graphic design to create illustrations for print media, motion graphics and visual effects for science related media that are visually compelling, entertaining, and comprehensible to a wide audience.
Drew Powers
This piece was inspired by looking at science as one of many modes to understanding our world. The contraption I made and attached to this multi-media painting is derived from a 13th-century invention known as the Ars Magna by the Catalan philosopher, mathematician, and theologian Ramon Llull. Viewed by many to be one of the first primitive Artificial Intelligence Algorithms, its aim was to systematically derive all possible questions and answers originating from the mind of man about God and the universe. This blurring of systematic, scientific logic with intuitive philosophy reveals how the scientific process evolved to become a standard for human understanding - not the other way around. The mark-making on the canvas respects this human struggle for perfect understanding. In this entire project, I was inspired by the fundamental goal of the STEM initiative itself—the dialogue between artists and scientists—more than attempts to define absolute truth. Looking back, I see that Ramon Llull transcended the mold of a mere 'mathematician,' ‘logician,’ or 'philosopher' to reach a more comprehensive view of the world. If this STEM project is continued—if it were to become truly interdisciplinary and collaborative, why could each of us not do the same today? To put it more precisely, interacting with these individuals, who are trained in a different mode of understanding than I, has been captivating. I was inspired by the fundamental goal of the STEM project itself—the dialogue between artists and scientists—more than the research and accompanying minutia that are beyond my level of understanding. Looking back, I see an individual, who transcended the mold of being a mere 'mathematician' or 'philosopher' to develop a more comprehensive view of the world. If this project were continued, why could each of us not do the same today?
×On April 28, 2011, ICubed hosted its first State of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) conference at the University of Central Florida (UCF) from 8:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. The conference promoted recognition of the importance of STEM education by showcasing UCF STEM Research and Education findings and accomplishments. ICubed hosted a morning event that focused on integration of STEM Research and Education. A keynote presentation by Dr. Sylvia James, from the National Science Foundation, Lifelong Learning Cluster Coordinator, and Program Director in the Division of Research of Learning in Formal and Informal Settings at NSF kicked off the event by addressing some of NSF’s interests and future directions in STEM Research and Education. Several sessions followed with presentations by faculty who described their innovative STEM education developments.
The event was well organized and well attended. Results from the State of STEM Conference Questionnaire which all attendees received, indicate the majority of participants were pleased with the event.
Agenda of the Event
Presentations
Pictures of the Event
×The State of STEAM Showcase took place at the University of Central Florida (UCF) on Thursday April 28, 2011, from 6 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. The event was divided into three sections: Poster Presentations, the STEAM Gallery, and an Industry Discussion. For the first two, STEM researchers collaborated with faculty and students from the School of Visual Arts and Design (SVAD) who created posters that were visually appealing and understandable to the lay person as well as science-inspired aesthetic art. Finally, in an attempt to educate the student population on STEM employment, representatives from five major industries were invited for a panel discussion: Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC), Harris Corporation, Lockheed Martin Corporation, Sanofi Pasteur, and Northrop Grumman Corporation.
The event was well attended with a total of 113 signed-in guests. In attendance were UCF faculty, staff, and students, members from the community, and 21 students from Evans High School. The event was recorded by UCF TV for later broadcast.
Pictures of the Event
Book with STEAM Artifacts
×For the past six years, the University of Central Florida via its College of Engineering and Computer Science (CECS) has hosted the Florida Engineering Education Conference (FEEC). This event is one of the only “engineering education” conferences of its kind in Florida. Working with our conference partners, our goals continue to be to highlight the importance of pre-college engineering education in Florida, to showcase successful formal and informal pre-college engineering education programs and share the information with STEM educators and administrators. The conference also provides a venue for our conference partners (comprised of industry, government and professional organizations) to present and showcase what they are doing in field of engineering. This enables us to link relevance to formal and informal STEM curricula.
The 2011 FEEC was held on April 29, 2011. The conference featured as a keynote speaker astronaut Jon McBride, Vice President, Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex. It also featured a panel discussion about the Future of Space Exploration with speakers, such as Jim Clamons (Vice President of Engineering Operations at Government Communications Systems Division, Harris Corporation), Tom Schircliff (Space Business Development, Lockheed Martin), William (Bill) Gattle (Vice President of Space Communications Systems, Harris Corporation), and Tom Wells (Senior Engineering Manager, IP, University Relations, Standards and Technology, Harris Corporation). The conference had two additional informational sessions and afternoon workshops.
One hundred and twenty (120) people attended FEEC 2011 (83% K-12 teachers and administrators, 5% informal science educators, 5% practicing engineers, 5% workforce representatives, 2% faculty and university administrators).
Some of the comments made by the conference participants are included below:
The conference was well put together with the individuals providing some interesting and valuable information. It’s always great to see our education partners sharing applicable knowledge and skills
Contacts we made at last year's conference 1. helped us recruit students from elementary feeder school to our robot program and 2. helped us connect with grant money
It provides a much needed resource network for motivated teachers! And gives teachers a good idea what is currently need by employers and what educators need to do to advance their students
It is so important for educators to collaborate and make contacts w/in the business field so they can bring that info back to the students in their classrooms
I think I learned a lot of information that is beneficial to my students. I am much more aware and better prepared to teach students about engineering. Knowing what's going on in the space program. I enjoyed all the speakers and find their information helpful.
×