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SEAD Exemplars: Evidence
of the Value of
Transdisciplinary Projects
SEAD Committee
Report by: Alex Garcia Topete, Roger Malina, Carol Strohecker, Robert Thill
12/4/2017
SEAD Exemplars | Report: 12/04/2017 1
SEAD Committee Members
Roger Malina, Distinguished Professor of Art and Technology, The University of Texas at Dallas.
Carol Strohecker, Dean of the College of Design, University of Minnesota.
Carol Lafayette, Director, Institute for Applied Creativity, Texas A&M University.
Robert Root-Bernstein, Professor of Physiology, Michigan State University.
Robert Thill, Independent Scholar.
Curatorial Steering Group
Roger Malina, Distinguished Professor of Art and Technology, The University of Texas at Dallas.
Carol Strohecker, Dean of the College of Design, University of Minnesota.
Alex Garcia Topete, Eugene McDermott Graduate Fellow, The University of Texas at Dallas.
Curatorial Design Group
Roger Malina, Distinguished Professor of Art and Technology, The University of Texas at Dallas.
Cassini Nazir, Director of Design & Research of the ArtSciLab, The University of Texas at Dallas.
Alex Garcia Topete, Eugene McDermott Graduate Fellow, The University of Texas at Dallas.
Veronica Liu, Eugene McDermott Scholar, The University of Texas at Dallas.
Emma Newkirk, Coordinator of the ArtSciLab, The University of Texas at Dallas.
SEAD Exemplars | Report: 12/04/2017 2
Contents
SEAD Committee Members ................................................................................................................... 1
Curatorial Steering Group ................................................................................................................... 1
Curatorial Design Group ..................................................................................................................... 1
Contents ................................................................................................................................................. 2
Acknowledgements ................................................................................................................................ 3
Nominators ......................................................................................................................................... 3
Executive Summary ................................................................................................................................ 1
I. Background & Motivations ............................................................................................................ 2
II. Taxonomy ........................................................................................................................................... 4
Rubric ................................................................................................................................................. 5
III: Gallery of Exemplars ......................................................................................................................... 6
INNOVATING ................................................................................................................................. 6
EDUCATING .................................................................................................................................. 7
EXPLORING .................................................................................................................................. 8
BRIDGING ..................................................................................................................................... 9
HYPERMUSIC ............................................................................................................................... 9
ENGAGING .................................................................................................................................. 10
QUESTIONING ............................................................................................................................ 11
PIONEERING .............................................................................................................................. 12
IV. Methodology .................................................................................................................................... 13
2.1 Mission ........................................................................................................................................ 13
2.2 Call for Nominations ................................................................................................................... 13
2.3 Statistics of Nominators .............................................................................................................. 14
2.4 Collected Submissions ............................................................................................................... 14
III. Disciplines & Diversity ..................................................................................................................... 18
3.1 Disciplines ................................................................................................................................... 18
3.2 Gender ........................................................................................................................................ 19
3.3 Work Model................................................................................................................................. 19
3.4 Purpose ...................................................................................................................................... 20
3.5 Funding Sources ........................................................................................................................ 20
VI. Conclusions & Recommendations .................................................................................................. 22
Endnotes & Bibliography ...................................................................................................................... 24
SEAD Exemplars | Report: 12/04/2017 3
Acknowledgements
Nominators
• Laurie Baefsky, Executive Director, Alliance for the Arts in Research Universities (a2ru).
• Anne Balsamo, Dean of the School of Arts, Technology, and Emerging Communication, The University
of Texas at Dallas.
• Matthew Brand, Research Fellow, Mitsubishi Electric Research Laboratories.
• Kathryn Evans, Senior Lecturer of Arts and Humanities, The University of Texas at Dallas.
• Angus Forbes, Assistant Professor in Computational Media, University of California - Santa Cruz
• Alex Garcia Topete, Eugene McDermott Graduate Fellow, The University of Texas at Dallas.
• Scot Gresham-Lancaster, Researcher at the ArtSciLab, The University of Texas at Dallas.
• Edmund Harriss, Clinical Assistant Professor of Mathematical Sciences, University of Arkansas.
• Sarah Horsman, Independent Nominator.
• Joshua K. Sherrill, Information Technology Specialist.
• Veronica Liu, Eugene McDermott Scholar, The University of Texas at Dallas.
• Roger Malina, Distinguished Professor of Art and Technology, The University of Texas at Dallas.
• Rachel Mayeri, Associate Professor of Media Studies, Harvey Mudd College
• Ignacio Nieto Larrain, Researcher of Art-Science, Lab ADyC.
• Stephen Nowlin, Vice President at Art Center College of Design.
• Thomas Rudin, Director of the Board on Higher Education and Workforce, National Academies of
Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine
• Andrew Scott, Associate Professor of Art and Technology, The University of Texas at Dallas.
• Joao Silveira, Visiting Research Fellow, Harvard University.
• T. Michael Stephens, Founder of The Art Research Center.
• Carol Strohecker, Dean of the College of Design, University of Minnesota.
• Robert Thill, Independent Scholar.
SEAD Exemplars | Report: 12/04/2017 1
Executive Summary
The SEAD Steering Committee gathered a collection of “exemplar” works
demonstrating effective intersections among the sciences and engineering with art,
design, and the humanities.
More than 100 exemplars from were submitted by 21 nominators during a 6-month
call for nominations.
The exemplars were analyzed according to disciplines, demographics, work models,
and funding sources.
The collection as a whole represents international diversity as well as diversity of
practices and disciplines.
A selection of exemplars can be found as a webexhibit at
https://SEADexemplars.org; there will be a companion print exhibit.
The exemplars provide evidence of the positive impact that disciplinary integration
can have in education, culture, and economic resurgence, as well as contribute to
the “STEM to STEAM” debate.
SEAD Exemplars | Report: 12/04/2017 2
I. Background & Motivations
In recent years, the subject of integrating arts and design (and sometimes the
humanities) into the STEM disciplines
i
(science, technology, engineering, and math) has
become a staple of policy, education, and business debates around the world, generally
referred in the United States as the issue of “STEM to STE(A)M.”
ii
It has been an
important topic particularly in the European Union and the United States, as evidenced
by the various reports by the U.S. National Science Foundation
iii
and the establishment
of both a “STEM” caucus
iv
and a “STEAM” caucus
v
in the U.S. Congress that has
resulted legislation related to STEAM
vi
, as well as the reports and efforts by the
European Commission with the STARTS program
vii
. The question at the core of the
“STEM to STEAM” discussion remains the same across domains and borders: what is
the evidence and what new arguments exist today proving any benefits from such
integration?
There have been several attempts to answer that question and provide some
evidence of the positive impact of the integration, ranging from the study of individual
genius (namely, of Nobel laureates
viii
), to the surveying of multidisciplinary research
networks
ix
, to the analysis of relevant skills acquired by STEM college students thanks
to courses in the arts, design, and humanities
x
.
Regardless of the relative novelty of “STEM to STEAM” as a policy and education
point today, in reality this integration has been a common practice with a variety of
exemplars to account for the effectiveness of integrated approaches, both historically
SEAD Exemplars | Report: 12/04/2017 3
and currently. Such exemplars of creative work and educational strategies are
presented here to serve both as primary sources of the benefits of integrated practices
and as models of the transdisciplinary paradigm. They provide ample evidence not only
of the diversity of opportunities for “STEM to STEAM” to happen, but also of the positive
impact that disciplinary integration can have in education, culture, and economic
resurgence, whether that integration be categorized as transdisciplinary,
interdisciplinary, or multidisciplinary
1
.
1
All three terms, though different in their specifics according to standards established by UNESCO’s
International Bureau of Education (http://www.ibe.unesco.org/en/glossary-curriculum-terminology), have
been used interchangeably throughout this report and the webxhibit of the exemplars.
SEAD Exemplars | Report: 12/04/2017 4
II. Taxonomy
Following the collection and analysis of the information of the nominees, the matter
of cataloguing the exemplar centered on issues of language and deciding what would
be the target audience for the exhibits.
Regarding language, the curatorial committee settled for “SEAD” as the most
inclusive and approachable descriptor for multidisciplinary projects from among the
abundance of available options depending on the “basic discipline” and country of
origin, including but not limited to Art-Science, ArtScience, STEM, STEMM, STEAM,
STEAMM, STEAMMD, ArtSci, SciArt, hybrid, T-Shaped, H-shaped, Third Culture, and
Art4Science, among others.
Having determined a purpose/outcome descriptor for each selected work, the
curators' next step was to develop categories classifying the exemplars in ways that
would highlight their importance and impact. Given the intention to showcase evidence
of the value of transdisciplinary work for the broad public, the Smithsonian Institute’s
standards for exhibition design
xi
and audience-building
xii
provided appropriate bases for
curation. The accompanying text for the exhibits (online and print), including the
taxonomic category titles, thus includes as few technical or academic terms as possible,
addressing on a non-expert public by following Allan Bell’s principles of language style
as audience design tool.
xiii
The following rubric of curatorial categories also reflects the intention to
communicate concisely the exemplars' impact and value. The rubric is based on the
purposes of the nominated works and professional focuses of participants involved in
generating the exemplars:
SEAD Exemplars | Report: 12/04/2017 5
Rubric
Category
Characteristics
Innovating
Patent awarded, filed or pending.
Business/economic activity;
existence of companies.
New methodology used by others.
Exploring
Consistent interdisciplinary practice.
First artistic engagement in a new
environment.
Educating
Establishes a program.
Creates curricula.
Bridging
Brings together experts from
different fields
Engaging
The work led to significant
public/non-expert engagement.
Impact outside the original fields
(e.g. policy, business).
Questioning
Generates new perspective on an
established cross-disciplinary issue.
Pioneering
Time-tested.
Being first of a field that didn’t exist.
SEAD Exemplars | Report: 12/04/2017 6
III: Gallery of Exemplars
Webexhibit Address: http://SEADexemplars.org
INNOVATING
INDAPLANT PROJECT
The IndaPlant Project is an exemplar because it merges plants and robots in a way
that creates an automated environment focused on the nurture of the plants. IndaPlant
required adapting innovations from computer science and robotics in order to decode
the plant-generated bio-information, and model solutions that allowed the plant-robots to
seek sunlight and water. The floraborgs (plant robots) developed in the project could
allow for automated biodomes that would benefit plants and humans alike. This project
presents promising advances for sustainable agriculture.
Nominee: Elizabeth Demaray
AEROCENE
Aerocene is an exemplar because it explores a number of innovative technical
approaches to lighter than air travel that may result in achieving the longest, emission-
free journey around the world. It engages diverse publics and introduces them to new
technologies. The project has bridged organizations and experts from many fields,
ranging from architecture to geography to technology, as well as bridging countries,
including France, Argentina, Germany, and the United States. This project will influence
transportation and telecommunication technologies. Aerocene allows for new means of
communal creation and innovation for the new age.
Nominees: Tomas Saraceno & the Aerocene Foundation
SEAD Exemplars | Report: 12/04/2017 7
EDUCATING
STEAM LAB
The STEAM Lab is an exemplar that shows how art and cultural engagement increase
students’ motivation to further explore the sciences, engineering, technology, and math.
Using computer programming, visual art, and music, the lab has successfully engaged
minority students with the STEM fields through interdisciplinary projects that look at
cultural artifacts, such as quilt patterns, from the perspective of math and science. This
project presents a novel educational practice. STEAM Lab proves to educational
institutions that STEM learning can become more attractive and accessible to students
through art, design, and cultural relevance.
Nominee: Nettrice Gaskins.
PROM WEEK
Prom Week is an exemplar of how making scientific model playable can enhance the
way people learn and how those models are studied and applied. The project consists
of a game simulating the social interaction experienced by kids going to prom. Prom
Week required developing novel computer science simulation techniques and artificial
intelligence models, guided by arts storytelling and humanities, media studies, and
social sciences approaches. Thanks to its success in engaging players and its research
output, Prom Week has become a basis for DARPA's Strategic Social Interaction
Modules program, the European Union FP7 project SIREN, and other simulation
games, both for education and entertainment. This project provides a new model for
training that can be applied to kids and adults in a variety of skills.
Nominees: UC-Santa Cruz, Josh McCoy, Mike Treanor, Ben Samuel, Aaron Reed,
Michael Mateas, Noah Wardrip-Fruin
SEAD Exemplars | Report: 12/04/2017 8
EXPLORING
SUBTEXT ART
Subtext Art is an exemplar of how art can humanize the medical and scientific in a way
that heals. The project consists of visual artworks based upon medical illustrations and
scientific imaging, ranging from x-rays to therapeutic pictures. By adding an emotional
charge to the clinical imagery, Jennifer McCormick explores the patient’s experience
beyond their medical record: family, selflessness, vulnerability, community, humor, the
calming effects of prayer, and meditation. Subtext Art reaffirms the humanity and
emotion to be as as powerful as medical technology and the brilliant minds behind it.
Nominee: Jennifer McCormick.
SELF-REFLECTED
Self-Reflected is an exemplar because it combines art and science to revolutionize the
way in which we think about the brain. The project fuses neuroscience, optics,
mathematics, physics, and art to etch half a million neurons into large sheets of gold
that are visualized explorations of the brain. The beauty, scientific accuracy, and
technicality supply new insights among experts about the brain’s functions, while it also
inspires a broader appreciation among the general public.
Nominee: Greg Dunn.
MALAMP & SEASON IN HELL
Brandon Ballangee’s works are an exemplar of how hybrid projects can both raise
awareness through art and produce good research in the process. The projects involve
diverse communities of artists, scientists, and local residents to create participatory
science programs and art installations showcasing environmental issues, such as
SEAD Exemplars | Report: 12/04/2017 9
deformed and mutated animals. By researching and working within their local
environment, the public gains an overall understanding and awareness that each
individual has an impact and can make a difference in our global environment.
Nominee: Brandon Ballangée.
BRIDGING
HYPERMUSIC
Hypermusic is an exemplar of how arts can be the bridge among experts across
scientific fields. The project is an opera in which the music, performances, and story
were designed to represent a new model of space-time based on contemporary
research and theory. Hypermusic intended to make this new space-time model more
understandable for fellow physicists and other scientists, as well as experiment with the
music and storytelling of the piece. The multi-dimensional opera accomplished to
disseminate the basic principles of Lisa Randall’s space-time model among the physics
community and the artistic world. This project has had an impact by triggering
discussions in the world of physics.
Nominees: Lisa Randall, Matthew Ritchie & Paul Desveaux
HIEROGLYPH
Hieroglyph is an exemplar of how art and storytelling can rekindle our grand ambitions
for the future. The project brought together top science fiction authors with scientists,
engineers, and other experts to collaborate on futuristic visions grounded in real insights
from science, technology, and a wide range of other disciplines. Hieroglyph includes
proposals for 3D printing in space, an alternative internet powered by drones, solar
cities designed to mimic algae cells, and more. The project sparked a national
SEAD Exemplars | Report: 12/04/2017 10
conversation throughout news outlets about the role science fiction plays in igniting the
public’s imagination and bridging our present with the future. This project has served as
a model for futurism and its power to shape innovation.
Nominee: Arizona State University’s Center for Science and the Imagination.
ENGAGING
THE ENEMY
The Enemy is an exemplar of how new technologies and experimental storytelling can
foster more peace and understanding among people of different backgrounds. The
project used virtual and augmented reality to showcase the humanity of fighters in real-
world conflict zones, capturing their faces and body language in interviews that were
used to design the virtual versions. By making the combatants present and more real to
audiences in other countries, the public engages in a deeper understanding of the
conflicts. The project has been a model of transnational and transdisciplinary
collaboration involving art, technology, and journalism by showing the power of
immersion.
Nominees: Karim Ben Khelifa, director; Camera Lucida, Producer; National Film
Board of Canada, Producer; Dpt., Creative Studio; Emissive, VR Developer; D. Fox
Harrell, HCI Producer.
KIATSU
Kiatsu is an exemplar because it made a scientific problem accessible and relevant to
the general public. The project combined sound art, anthropological research, and
acoustic science to study and represent the lived experience of residents living near and
within two Japanese airports. The resulting installation of noise soundscapes improved
SEAD Exemplars | Report: 12/04/2017 11
the public understanding of the negative health impact caused by constant exposure to
unwanted sound. The project’s findings ultimately led to policy changes in Japan and
the UK regarding noise regulations.
Nominees: Rupert Cox, Angus Carlyle & Kozo Hiramatsu.
QUESTIONING
TRANSPLANT & LIFE
Transplant & Life is an exemplar of how artists can provide a new human perspective to
scientific and technological issues. The artists photographed and recorded organ
transplant recipients, live donors, people on the waiting lists, and specialists in the field
in order to make an artwork that would add voices and faces to the impersonal sterility
of the medical field. The project changes the understanding of this life-changing and
emotional medical procedure, engaging the general public while also being a valuable
humanizing resource for both patients and clinicians.
Nominees: Tim Wainwright & John Wynne.
APE CINEMA
Ape Cinema is an exemplar because of how common human practices can become
means to explore other fields. The project consists of an original movie made expressly
for a chimpanzee audience, who seem watching the same things as human primates:
dramas around food, territory, social status, and sex. The project creates a prism for
human beings to learn more about the complex social, cognitive and emotional lives of
chimpanzees by watching a movie through chimps’ eyes. This project has had an
impact in biology, sociology, and their interconnections.
Nominee: Rachel Mayori.
SEAD Exemplars | Report: 12/04/2017 12
PIONEERING
CHARLES CSURI
Charles Csuri is an exemplar of how an artist pioneering new technologies led to the
creation of new industries. Csuri’s pioneer research in computer graphics and animation
has not only been applied to flight simulators, computer-aided design, visualization of
scientific phenomena, magnetic resonance imaging, education for the deaf,
architecture, and special effects for television and films, but also helped establish
leading educational programs that trained the new professionals. His former students
have worked for Industrial Light and Magic, Pacific Data Images, Metro Light, Pixar,
Rezn8, Silicon Graphics Inc., USA Today, Rhythm and Hues, Xaos, Walt Disney
Productions and others.
SEAD Exemplars | Report: 12/04/2017 13
IV. Methodology
2.1 Mission
This study aims to collect and catalog an array of exemplars of broadly
transdisciplinary projects, with the purpose of presenting them as evidence of benefits,
effects, and outcomes of integrating arts, design, and the humanities with practices and
models of STEM education, research, and commerce. We have relied on professionals
who are known for their relevant work, respected among their peers, and appropriately
credentialed to nominate and evaluate these works. The result is a curated subset of
exemplars to be showcased. The selections will be displayed in an online exhibit and
printed for gallery exhibition.
2.2 Call for Nominations
The study started with a call for nominations in the fall of 2016, transmitted via the
network of the Sciences-Engineering-Arts-Design (SEAD) curatorial committee. The call
requested nominators to submit either people or specific projects that they considered
to be exemplars of transdisciplinary work. The information submitted included name,
title of project(s), description of the work, and a short justification of why/how it was
exemplary. Nominators were asked not to include their own projects, but if someone
else suggested work by one of the nominators it became eligible. The nominators
ranged from artists renowned for their technological or scientific slant, to academics and
researchers with expertise in inter/cross-disciplinary fields. Initially, the duration of the
open call for nominations was to be six months.
SEAD Exemplars | Report: 12/04/2017 14
The expectation at first was that only a small number of nominators would reply with
a few nominees, keeping the network relatively close-knit and aiming for about 20
exemplars to study and showcase. We also expected some overlaps and repetition
amid the nominations. However, the call for nominations surpassed all predictions: by
the established deadline the curatorial committee received more than a hundred
nominees, with fewer than 5 cases of nomination by more than one nominator.
With such a sizeable sample of diverse nominees, the next challenges would be the
analysis and classification of all nominees and the curation of the intended exhibit.
2.3 Statistics of Nominators
21 Nominators
19% committee members, 81% invited nominators
67% male, 33% female
18 U.S.-based, 3 international.
2.4 Collected Submissions
Nominee
Project Title
Dan Goods
The Studio At Nasa Jpl
Nagler, M.; Asche, J.; Gómez-Brandón, M.;
Insam, H.
Soil Microbial Communities Along The Route
Of A Venturous Cycling Trip
Nick Hristov And Louise Allen
Visualizations From Biological Field Research
(UNC Center For Design Innovation)
Jill Pipher (Lead PI), Jeffrey Brock, Jan
Hesthaven, Jeffrey Hoffstein And Bjorn
Sandstede
Institute For Computational And Experimental
Research In Mathematics (ICERM)
Jennifer Mccormick
X-Ray Visions
Greg Dunn
Self-Reflected
Bradon Ballangee
Combining Art And Science For Conservation
Outreach Of Ectothermic Vertebrates (Amphibians
And Fishes)
Gerhard Trimpin
Seismofon
Art Research Center Group
Art Research Center Group
T. Michael Stephens
N/A
Doctor James E. Gunn
Gunn Center For Ssf
Doctor Herbert W. Franke
N/A
SEAD Exemplars | Report: 12/04/2017 15
Clare Bryden
Particulart: The Art Of Knitting, Chemistry, And
Gentle Protest
David Cope
Experiments In Musical Intelligence
Donna Cox
Edream (Among Others)
Francois-Joseph Lapointe
Biological Performances.
Luisa Randall, Hector Parra, Matthew Richie
Hypermusic: A Projective Opera In Seven
Planes
Christoph Keller
Solar Mirror
Seth Riskin
Light Dance
Brad Samuels And Adam C. Maloof
The Expanded Role: SITU
Nancy Burson
Personas
Natalie Jeremijenko
N/A
Ryan Oakes And Trevor Oakes
Double Vision
Nickolay Hristov, Louise Allen, Tatjana
Hubel, Dennis Nikolaidis
Moments In Flight
Zintaglio Arts
Light And Illusion
Glass House Collective
By The People: Designing A Better America
Edmund Harriss
Wood Gradient
Edmund Harriss
Harriss Spiral
Edmund Harriss
2d Crystal
Char Davies
Osmose
Charles Csuri
Csurivision
George Legrady
We Are Stardust
George Legrady
Swarm Vision
Heather-Dewey Hagborg
Stranger Visions
Joann Kucera-Morin, Lance Putnam, Luca
Peliti
Hydrogen Atom Installation
Alicia Gibb
Lunchbox Electronics
UC Santa Barbara Allosphere Research
Facillity, Janey Marth, Joann Kuchera-Morin,
Allosphere
Sheldon Brown/Experimental Game Lab
Scalable City
MIT Imagination Computation And Expression
Laboratory
Define Me: Chimera
Dr. Fox Harrell
The Enemy
MIT Imagination, Computation And
Expression Laboratory
The Girl With Skin Of Haints And Seraphs
Andrea Polli W Time Dye, Metone
Instruments, Chuck Varga, Social Media
Workgroup
Particle Fallz
Katherine Moriwaki
Gadgiteration
"Leah Buechley David Mellis Emily Lovell
Hannah Perner-Wilson Bonifaz Kaufmann Tshen
Chew Jie Qi,Mit Media Lab"
Living Wall
Wellcome Trust Sci-Art Program, Dr. John
Tchalenko And Chris Miall
Painter's Eye Project
High-Low Tech
Sew Electric
Veronique Caye, Livio De Luca, Christian
Jacquemin, Laboratorire Victor Verite, La
Genius Loci
SEAD Exemplars | Report: 12/04/2017 16
Cartreuse Of Villeneuve-Lez-Avignon
Northwestern Univ, Drexel Univ
Animal Landlord
Los Alamos National Lab, Ut, Francesca
Contrasting Currents: Highlighting Ocean
Structures With Nested Colormaps
Ucsanta Cruz, Josh Mccoy, Mike Treanor,
Ben Samuel, Aaron Reed, Michael Mateas, Noah
Wardrip-Fruin
Prom Week
Edmund Harriss
Curvahedra
Daniel Hill
Works - Pattern Paintings
Julia Buntaine
January In The Frontal Lobe
Angie Drakopoulos & Daniel Hill
Mythograph
The Einstein Collective
Black (W) Hole
Ben Shneiderman
Every Algorithm Has Art In It: Treemap Art
Project
School Of Integrated Science And Humanity
SISH
Center For Science And The Imagination
Frankenstein At 200 Project
Imaging Research Center
N/A
Jim Campbell
Scattered Light
Lynn Hershman Leeson
Infinity Engine
Jennifer Parker
Openlab
Phil Ross
N/A
Dan Goods, David Delgado, Studio Kca
Orbit Pavilion
Margaret Wertheim, Christine Wertheim
Crochet Coral Reef
Lita Albuquerque
Stellar Axis, Antarctica And North Pole
Michael C. Mcmillen
Dr. Crump's Mobile Field Lab
Dmitry Bulatov, Alexey Chebykin
That Which Lives In Me
Gilberto Esparza
Nomad Plants
Rachel Mayeri
Primate Cinema: Apes As Family
Perdita Phillips
Green, Grey Or Dull Silver
Susan Soares
Bee's
Chi Po Hao
Lightscape
Viktoria Modesta
Counterflow @ Berlin's Music Techfest
Rupert Cox
Kiatsu: The Sound Of The Sky Being Torn
John Wynne
Transplant
Neil Breyer
I:Move
Donna Cox
Visaphors: High-Definition Stereo Visualizations
Roger Dannenberg
Mcblare: The Robotic Bagpiper
Roger Dannenberg
Resound! Fanfares For Trumpet And Computer
Ernest Edmonds
Shaping Forms Series
Tiffany Holmes
7000 Oaks And Counting
Pamela Jennings
Sui Generis
David Kretz And Funding Support From The
Social Sciences And Humanities Research
Council Of Canada And The Banff New Media
Institute
Flowergarden
This Visualization Was Designed In
Aurora
SEAD Exemplars | Report: 12/04/2017 17
Collaboration With Matthew Sloly, Word
Frequency Data By Andrew Salway (University Of
Surrey), And Photography By Don Lee.
George Legrady
Global Collaborative Visual Mapping Archive Ii
Marcos Novak
Allobrain@Allosphere Project
Sabrina Raaf
Test People Series
Thecla Schiphorst
Exhale:Breath Between Bodies
Bill Seaman
The Hybrid Invention Generator
Christa Sommerer & Laurent Mignonneau
Life Spacies II
Martin Wattenberg
Thinking Machine 4
Oron Catts
Tissue Culture & Art Project
Nasa
Nasa's Art & The Cosmic Connection
Nettrice R. Gaskins
STEAM Lab Boston Arts Academy
Paola Guimerans
Think-Of-Silicone
Paola Tognazzi
Humanising Software
Brian David Johnson
Futurist In Residence Arizona State University
Marco Buongiorno Nardelli
Materials Sound Music
Tomas Saraceno & Aerocene Foundation
Aerocene
Neri Oxman
Wanderers, An Astrobiological
Explorationmushtari
Elizabeth Demaray
The Hand Up Project
KeLly O'Dell
Endangered Animal Project
Suzanne Anker
Bio Art
Maira Fróes And Dandara Dantas
O CÓDIGO NEURAL ( THE NEURAL CODE)
Malu Fragoso And Staff Of NANO Lab
We Bees - S.H.A.S.T. (Housing System For
Homeless Bees)
Michael Sommer
Sommercube
Edward Belbruno
N/A
Suzanne Dikker
N/A
SEAD Exemplars | Report: 12/04/2017 18
III. Disciplines & Diversity
3.1 Disciplines
In terms of disciplinary split, more than half of the exemplars involved “science” more
than any of the other disciplines in STEM, while more than half of the nominees
involved visual arts and electronic/new media on the art-design-humanities domain.
Nonetheless, there was enough variety in the mix of disciplines and subdisciplines to
suggest that specific pairings or mixes across disciplines are the only options when it
comes to transdisciplinary collaboration. For instance, math not only mixes with music,
as could be naturally expected, but it also blends with electronic and new media arts,
sculpture, visual arts, and the humanities, among others. The corresponding disciplines
and subdisciplines for each nomination were accounted for in either the nominator’s
entry or from the websites and materials of the nominee/project.
SEAD Exemplars | Report: 12/04/2017 19
3.2 Gender
In terms of gender of the nominees involved, there was a fairly even split among all-
male, all-female, and “mixed gender” collectives.
3.3 Work Model
In terms of work model, there was almost an even split between nominated works
that were collaborative or produced by an individual. However, it must be noted that
many of the individuals who produced a nominated project have also been known to
work on collaborative projects as well. In addition, some works were nominated as
being by an individual, but there were additional individuals involved in the projects.
39%
23%
38%
Collective Female Male
SEAD Exemplars | Report: 12/04/2017 20
Work Model Statistics.
3.4 Purpose
Descriptions submitted by nominators and found in websites related to the
nominated works yielded eight distinctive, yet non-exclusive, terms for categorizing the
main purposes and/or effects of the nominations:
express | communicate | discover | invent | educate | heal | inspire | entertain
Most exemplars covered more than one of these descriptors, signaling not only the
multi-disciplinary nature of the exemplars, but also the typically multi-layered/multi-
faceted quality of their outcomes.
3.5 Funding Sources
Despite “funding” not being a required piece of information for a nomination (since
that may have been unknown to the nominator), several submissions did provide
information regarding the sources of financial support for the nominated project.
46%
54%
Collaborative Individual
SEAD Exemplars | Report: 12/04/2017 21
Funding sources included the National Science Foundation, DARPA, foundation grants,
and a few corporate sponsorships.
SEAD Exemplars | Report: 12/04/2017 22
VI. Conclusions & Recommendations
Several conclusions and recommendations emerged through the process of
nomination and curation, made apparent by the data inherent in the exemplars.
I) Descriptor/term: The sooner the broader community of experts on the
subject of “STEM to STEAM” reaches a consensus about what to call
transdisciplinary projects like the exemplars, the faster the general public
(including policymakers and educators) will grasp the significance and value
of such practices and projects. Currently, differences in disciplinary outlooks
and country-specific terms create a terminology chaos that destabilizes even
the study of the phenomenon itself. SEAD was chosen for this study’s title,
but it still seems and sounds incomplete in terms of domains when spelled out
(sciences, engineering, arts, and design). Moreover, it’s hard to communicate,
let alone convince people of the value of something if there’s no identifiable or
commonly-agreed name for it—particularly one that is inclusive of domains,
jargon-free, and easy to understand in lay terms.
II) From Hybrids to Amphibians: Most participant nominees, either as
individuals or teams, could be classified as hybrids having expertise in more
than a single domain—in this case, a mix of at least one science-engineering
discipline and one from the art-design-humanities domain. However, these
hybrids exist not because of research, academic, policy, educational, or art-
world conditions but in spite of them. Academia, the scientific community, and
the arts world have different (and sometimes conflicting) frameworks for
valuing and legitimizing the work of peers, and therefore hybrid work tends to
SEAD Exemplars | Report: 12/04/2017 23
be challenging to assess and it is frequently relegated to the periphery,
making securing funding and building careers more difficult for practitioners. If
such environments/frameworks became more open to transdisciplinary work,
then the hybrid experts could become amphibians capable of living in more
than one “world” instead of having to choose in what community to build their
reputations and careers.
III) Multilayered Positive Impact: A main commonality of the nominated
exemplars is their having possession of more than one point of disciplinary
influence. These transdisciplinary exemplars push boundaries of knowledge
and/or promote innovative practices, engage audiences beyond field-specific
experts, and have some level of underlying educational value.
IV) An Emergent Paradigm: Ultimately, the exemplars provide specific evidence
that transdisciplinary collaboration isn’t the exception to the traditional rules of
scientific research, technological innovation, art practice, or academic inquiry,
but rather has emerged as a paradigm of its own in need of its own
definitions, rules, and recognition of its value.
SEAD Exemplars | Report: 12/04/2017 24
Endnotes & Bibliography
i
Ito, Joichi. “Design and Science.” PubPub platform publication. Accessed
September 30, 2017. https://www.pubpub.org/pub/designandscience?context=jods
ii
Rhode Island School of Design. “STEM to STEAM.” Research Initiative. Accessed
September 30, 2017. http://stemtosteam.org/
iii
The Learning World Institute. “The Art of Science Learning: Shaping the 21st-
Century Workforce.” Summative evaluation report. October 2012. Accessed July 1,
2017. http://www.artofsciencelearning.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/ASL-1-
1.SummativeEvalReport.FINAL_.pdf
iv
U.S. Congress. ‘STEM Education Caucus.’ Accessed July 1, 2017.
http://stemedcaucus2.org/
v
STEMtoSTEAM.org. “Congressional STEAM Caucus.” Accessed November 28,
2017. http://stemtosteam.org/events/congressional-steam-caucus/
vi
U.S. Congress. “H.R.3344 - STEM to STEAM Act of 2017.” House of
Representative Bill. Accessed September 30, 2017.
https://www.congress.gov/bill/115th-congress/house-bill/3344
vii
European Commission. “ICT and Art – the STARTS Platform.” Accessed July 1,
2017. https://ec.europa.eu/digital-single-market/en/ict-art-starts-platform
viii
Root-Bernstein, Robert S. & Michele M. “Sparks of Genius: The Thirteen Thinking
Tools of the World’s Most Creative People.” Mariner Books, New York. 1999.
ix
Malina, Roger, Carol Strohecker, Carol LaFayette, Amy Ione. “Steps to an Ecology
of Networked Knowledge and Innovation: Enabling new forms of collaboration among
SEAD Exemplars | Report: 12/04/2017 25
sciences, engineering, arts, and design.” SEAD Network Initiative (under National
Science Foundation Grant No.1142510). 2013. Retrieved from:
http://seadnetwork.wordpress.com/white-papers-report/
x
Evans, Kathryn. “Does Studying Music And Sound Design Enhance Academic
Abilities In
Undergraduate Non-Music Majors? A Phenomenological Approach.” (PhD diss., The
University of Texas at Dallas, 2016). Accessed July 1, 2017.
http://libtreasures.utdallas.edu/xmlui/bitstream/handle/10735.1/5219/EVANS-
DISSERTATION-2016.pdf?sequence=1
xi
The Smithsonian Institute. “The Making of Exhibitions: Purpose, Structure, Roles,
and Process.” 2002. Accessed July 1, 2017.
https://www.si.edu/content/opanda/docs/rpts2002/02.10.makingexhibitions.final.pdf
xii
The Smithsonian Institute. “Exhibitions and Audiences: Actual and Potential.”
2002. Accessed July 1, 2017.
https://www.si.edu/Content/opanda/docs/Rpts2002/02.09.ExhibitAudience.Final.pdf
xiii
Bell, Allan. “Language Style as Audience Design.” 1984.
