We prioritize Art in this lab for many reasons - to internalize and process what we are learning and what it means (to us, the community, the earth), to communicate what we are learning, and to become better scientists. Regarding the latter, Art has been shown to enhance associative, divergent, and systems thinking (Scheffer et al. 2015; Jacobson et al. 2016; Rosenthal 2003). We also prioritize Art to make the lab more inclusive by breaking down typical disciplinary barriers and allowing space for us to bring in our personal, cultural practices (Corkin et al. 2020).
EXAMPLES OF ART FROM CLASSES AND LAB MEMBERS: "I Could Collect a Lake" published by Bottlecap Features Zine from BIO 368, Fall 2022, "Understanding Climate Change through Plant Biology and the Arts" "Lakes" published in Off the Coast "Walking Around Toolik Lake, Alaska" published in Off the Coast "Ancient Tillites" published in The Sycamore Review (Vol. 32, Issue 1) |
Collaborative drawing created by
Marge Poma Alarcon '23 and Iz Thompson '24 All members of the PLACE lab have the option to spend at least 20% of their time in the lab to work on artistic and/or communication projects related to the lab research. We also will have bi-weekly lab meetings where we workshop the various projects. Additionally, we will find appropriate venues to present the work (depending on the medium) throughout the town and beyond.
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- Jacobson, S.K., Seavey, J.R. and Mueller, R.C., 2016. Integrated science and art education for creative climate change communication. Ecology and Society, 21(3).
- Rosenthal, A.T., 2003. Teaching systems thinking and practice through environmental art. Ethics & the Environment, 8(1), pp.153-168.
- Scheffer, M., Bascompte, J., Bjordam, T.K., Carpenter, S.R., Clarke, L.B., Folke, C., Marquet, P., Mazzeo, N., Meerhoff, M., Sala, O. and Westley, F.R., 2015. Dual thinking for scientists. Ecology and Society, 20(2).
- Corkin, D.M.S., Ekmekci, A. and Fisher, A., 2020. Integrating Culture, Art, Geometry, and Coding to Enhance Computer Science Motivation Among Underrepresented Minoritized High School Students. The Urban Review, 52(5), pp.950-969.