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2019 | Book

The STEAM Revolution

Transdisciplinary Approaches to Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, Humanities and Mathematics

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About this book

This volume is dedicated to collaborative research across STEM disciplines, the arts and humanities. It includes six sections, framed from a global perspective and exhibits contributions from key experts in the field, emerging scholarly voices, and STEAM practitioners. The added value of STEAM projects in research is highlighted in the first section of this book. Ranging from the spatial, medical and environmental humanities to heritage science, this section discusses the course and paths STEAM projects may evolve to in the near future.

The second section features reflective essays by scientists and artists on the development of their research, their professional growth and personal learning experiences that the art/science collaborations have afforded their work and careers. Sections III and IV provides practical guidance and advice on facilitating STEAM teams and describe successful collaborative projects. By presenting the objectives and outcomes of relevant research, the chapters in these sections discuss the various steps taken by different teams to achieve project fruition. Paying particular attention to barriers inhibiting STEAM collaboration, these sections also explore the ways in which research teams were able to work effectively.

The fifth section presents a review of policy issues and the potential impacts of STEAM research for administrators, funders and policy makers. In its pursuit for balance and inclusion, the volume concludes with a critical reflection on STEAM that argues a different perspective and will prove food for thought to readers.

Table of Contents

Frontmatter
Chapter 1. Introduction
Abstract
Nearly half a century after C.P. Snow’s famous lecture on The Two Cultures (1959) which posited that a fracture in the intellectual life of the West existed between the science and the humanities, STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics + Arts and Humanities) integrations and cross-pollinations are becoming more relevant than ever. Science can benefit from philosophical, ethical and aesthetic insights, in order to better deal with issues of uncertainty and contingency. Conversely, arts and humanities disciplines can be energized by scientific understandings of dynamic processes, technological innovations and the process of exploration and discovery. It is apt to recall that Leonardo Da Vinci’s combined studies between 1490 and 1495 of art and science (particularly hydrology and the mathematics of perspective and proportion) contributed to his masterpiecesThe Last Supper (1498) and the Mona Lisa (1503). Equally, medical scientist James Lovelock’s formulation of the GAIA Hypothesis (positing the earth as a self-regulating system) was informed in part by interactions with the writer William Golding, author of the novel Lord of the Flies (1954). Contemporarily, collaborative efforts between literary scholars and computational linguists have been able to trace the early onset of dementia in the works of authors Iris Murdoch, P.D. James and Agatha Christie. Indeed, as technology and the human species continue to symbiotically evolve, STEAM approaches will be crucial to facilitating acute and long-term insights into possible social and environmental interactions, impacts, benefits and consequences for our human condition. The present volume explores these exciting possibilities in detail, with contributions ranging from bacteria art, to the theoretical and practical benefits of dancing a PhD in renewable energy, to introductions to the emerging fields of heritage science, environmental and digital humanities, among others.
Armida de la Garza, Charles Travis

STEAM at Work: Emerging Interdisciplinary Fields in the Sciences, Arts and Humanities

Frontmatter
Chapter 2. Spatial Humanities GIS: The City As a Literary, Historical, and Cultural STEAM Lifeworld Laboratory
Abstract
Cities envisioned through the phenomenological lenses of literature and history cannot necessarily be parsed by algorithms, sensors and Smart City techno-rhetoric, but may suggest STEAM framed avenues of engagement between literary, historical and cultural scholars and computer scientists and urban engineers. As a STEAM cognate discipline, the Spatial Humanities is a new interdisciplinary field which finds scholars in literature, history, philosophy, linguistics, film, culture and media studies engaged with colleagues from scientific and quantitatively-oriented disciplines to explore questions on geographical and conceptual space. The field exploits various geospatial and digital data technologies, guided in their use by the history and philosophy of spatial thought, literary criticism, linguistics, digital media and geographic information science (GIS). By focusing questions concerning place and space through the lens of the humanities, the field has been exploring methodologies in geo-data mining, the geo-semantic Web, and the visualization, analysis and spatial applications of cultural and historical data, among other topics. The agenda of the Spatial Humanities includes the pursuit of theory, methods, case studies, experiments, applied technology, broad narratives, and more persuasive strategies. Its aims are commensurate with STEAM initiatives in its goal to bridge research fields in arts, humanities and (natural, life and social) sciences.
Charles Travis
Chapter 3. STEAM Approaches to Climate Change, Extreme Weather and Social-Political Conflict
Abstract
Climate history and historical climatology are closely evolving fields that aim (1) to reconstruct past climatic conditions and (2) examine the societal impacts of climatic changes. Such research can be characterized as a multi-disciplinary STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, Humanities and Mathematics) frontier that thrives under multidisciplinary collaboration. This chapter presents two case studies pertaining to each aim, linking palaeoenvironmental data from ice-cores and tree-rings with climatic and societal information preserved by the long Irish tradition of annalistic record keeping between the fifth or sixth to seventeenth centuries. The product of this recording survives today in texts known collectively as the “Irish Annals”, which provide detailed time series of extreme weather experienced in Ireland. The first case study revisits work that employs the Irish medieval record of severe cold weather together with Greenland ice core sulphate records to reveal a persistent winter-season climatic impact from explosive volcanism at Ireland’s climatically sensitive northeast Atlantic location. This result complements evidence of spring-summer (i.e., growing season) volcanic climatic impacts identified from tree-rings, and furthers our understanding of the potential impacts of the next big eruption or of geoengineering implemented via the stratospheric injection of sulphur dioxide. The second case study compares Irish annalistic evidence of violence to evidence of drought gleaned from Irish oak tree-ring growth widths. This exercise reveals suggestive linkages between extreme weather and violence, operating most obviously (but likely not solely) via the pressures of scarcity induced resource competition. This comparison also shows that medieval Irish society was not a passive victim of extreme weather, with a range of coping strategies available to restore order. Such knowledge is critical at a time when an increased risk of conflict arising from anthropogenic climatic change is regarded by many scholars and policymakers as a key security issue. Suggestions that human-induced climate change may act to catalyze contemporary or future violence and conflict remain controversial, however, with data shortages and the complexity of societal “pathways” that may connect climate to conflict presenting major research barriers. STEAM approaches that combine different methodologies and evidentiary bases to facilitate the examination of multiple historical climate parameters and a broad range of conflict typologies are thus essential to identifying the range of possible correlations between climate, violence, and conflict, and to resolving the complex pathways underlying observed correlations. Both case studies presented here illustrate how multidisciplinary STEAM approaches, well represented by climate history and historical climatology, can meaningfully inform contemporary debates by revealing how humanity has been influenced by past environments.
Francis Ludlow, Charles Travis
Chapter 4. Film and the Medical Humanities: The ‘Romantic Science’ of Neurocinema
Abstract
Oliver Sacks and Alexander Luria advocated for ‘a romantic science’, a literary form at the intersection of fact and fable, which Sacks employed to introduce lay readers to the complexities of the brain, providing an excellent example of how the two cultures of science and humanities could be reconciled. This is the goal of the medical humanities, which emerged in recognition of the fact that medicine is an art just as much as it is a science. Here we argue there is a particular affinity between film and the brain that the medical humanities, which have hitherto mostly focused on literature, music and the fine arts, could fruitfully develop.
Germán Gil-Curiel, Armida de la Garza
Chapter 5. Heritage Science: A Report
Abstract
Heritage Science is a growing interdisciplinary field that illustrates the benefits of STEAM in action. It attempts to join specific competences in material science with the interpretative skills of the humanities and social sciences in order to understand and assist with the conservation of artefacts and sites that different cultures and societies value, while also assisting with the curation of tangible artistic and archaeological capital of interest from economic and development perspectives. This chapter presents a report of a 2-day symposium that took stock of the interdisciplinary field, presented existing projects and introduced new avenues for future research.
Brendan Dooley, Armida de la Garza

Science and Art: Reflective Essays by Scientists and Artists

Frontmatter
Chapter 6. In Between Science and The Arts: Dancing a PhD in Renewable Energy
Abstract
The arts are an arena in which the body is central to the process of inquiry and indeed constitutes a mode of knowing. In a traditional academic setting, engineering and the arts are considered separate fields. This dance project aims to bridge the gap between these fields and between academia and wider society through a participatory approach to expressing engineering knowledge. Participants were invited to convey the knowledge, and viewers were entertained by academic information presented in an alternative medium. This chapter outlines the approach taken to produce the film, from initial conception of the idea to planning and filming.
Aoife Long, Armida de la Garza
Chapter 7. Collaborative Journeys in Art and Biology
Abstract
This chapter describes the artistic journey of internationally renowned BioArtist Anna Dumitriu and her artistic process of working on long term laboratory based artistic residencies and collaborations. Dumitriu works at the cutting edge of science, drawing threads across time to explore the history and future of technology, biomedical science, healthcare and ethics. From her fine art training to her work with CRISPR gene editing techniques and antibiotic resistance, her work fuses traditional media such as textiles, sculpture and traditional crafts with new media such as pathogenic bacteria and DNA, to create emotionally affecting objects and installations that are exhibited around the world.
Anna Dumitriu
Chapter 8. From STEM to STEAM at the Beautiful Midden Field School: An Artist/Educator Perspective
Abstract
This chapter introduces the Beautiful Midden Field School Syllabus (BMFSS), an arts-led situated syllabus developed for students aged 16–18 years. Emerging from a short pilot project, the resulting syllabus integrates the extensive experience of an arts practitioner working with a range of media and diverse contexts, at the intersection of arts, technology, science and education. The BMFSS was developed to address limitations within STEAM education such as the need for a culturally situated approach, the inclusion of indigenous pedagogy, multiple world views and a systemic design-thinking perspective that integrates science.
The chapter is organised in three main sections. First, the chapter discusses the transition from STEM arts to STEAM education. This is followed by an introduction to the evolution of contemporary arts practice beyond traditional genres such as painting and sculpture, outlining the potential of, and insights from, emergent arts practices for STEAM. This serves to support the evolution between STEM arts and STEAM education through the inclusion of ecological design thinking, contemporary arts training and the integration of science themes. Finally, the chapter presents an overview of the core BMFSS syllabus, its rationale and methods. Central to the BMFSS is the permaCultural resilience (pCr) framework, (McKeown 2015) which integrates theory and practice to develop a systemic transdisciplinary approach to learning that is creative, situated and embeds eco-social justice at its core. The resulting syllabus, adaptive for age and ability, forms the basis of a model of praxis for a situated approach to STEAM education.
In conclusion, the chapter makes the case for an emergent, integrated STEAM syllabus, informed by an artist | educator’s active engagement over 24 years with the complexity of a situated approach to teaching and learning.
Anita McKeown

Structuring STEAM: Facilitating and Supporting STEAM Collaborations

Frontmatter
Chapter 9. Retreating for Interdisciplinarity: The Case of the Health Research Futures Lab, Limerick
Abstract
The need to develop interdisciplinary approaches to complex problems and societal challenges is evident across current and emerging policy within the EU. However, while interdisciplinarity is an important goal, the full potential of such an approach has yet to be realised. This chapter documents one approach to address the challenges of interdisciplinary working between researchers across AHSS and STEM, by charting one response to the dearth of work looking explicitly at the process of interdisciplinary working. It describes the design and implementation of the Health Research Futures Lab held in Limerick over 4 days in March/April 2016, which was based on a model of interdisciplinary research developed at the University of Limerick by an interdisciplinary group from the faculties of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM), the Kemmy Business School and the Irish World Academy of Music and Dance (AHSS). In this chapter the design principles of the HRFL will be explained and explored in terms of their contribution to knowledge in the field of interdisciplinary research and the support they can bring. Key dimensions will be elaborated upon, including the use of design tools to enable researchers to identify and explore research ideas together; the retreat dimension, which meant that researchers worked over 2×48 h time frames researching, eating and socialising together as a means to develop community; and finally, the use of experiential exercises throughout the early stages of the workshop, which aimed to enable trust and build social ties.
Annmarie Ryan, Niamh NicGhabhann, Muireann McMahon, Jazmin Chodi
Chapter 10. Internationalisation in Higher Education as a Catalyst to STEAM
Abstract
In as much as academic disciplines can be regarded as cultures in their own right, the internationalisation and the interdisciplinarity agendas largely overlap: both seek to introduce students to knowledge of other cultures and intercultural competence; and both seek to instil global perspectives in students, so they can acknowledge our common human destiny. As Internationalisation efforts in Higher Education are usually led by the institutions’ International Offices in partnership with the academic units at various levels, they are particularly well placed to promote interdisciplinary collaboration. This chapter discusses ways in which Higher Education institutions can take advantage of these synergies to cultivate and nurture STEAM through internationalisation.
Armida de la Garza
Chapter 11. What Can We Learn About STEAM from Bridges?
Abstract
Science is used, especially by the media, as an umbrella word, cardinal and all embracing. Technology is widely regarded as the hand-maiden of science – simply its application. Intellectuals have seen little of interest in the differences. Engineering is barely understood and its art and relationship with medicine goes unrecognised. Bridges are a half-way house between the visible simplicity of early tools and the ‘black box’ complexity of modern technology. Engineering is done by people for people.
David Blockley

STEAM Teams

Frontmatter
Chapter 12. STEAM at Work: Physiological and Psychological Perceptions of Risk of Cyclists
Abstract
This chapter is concerned with a research project in which collaboration between psychology, medicine and engineering was necessary to assess the physiological and the psychological perceptions of risk in cyclists, comparing both to determine their impact on wearable technology that measures bodily signals of stress. Here we describe the research design and process, highlighting how insights from all these disciplines were necessary to carry out the project and interpret the conclusions.
Ronan Doorley, Vikram Pakrashi, Eoin Byrne, Samuel Comerford, John A. Groeger, Bidisha Ghosh
Chapter 13. PELARS: A Case Study of Collaborative Working in Transdisciplinary Teams
Abstract
The intention of this chapter is to provide guidance and advice to prospective partnerships intending to carry out transdisciplinary STEAM related research. Based on the experiences of the authors during the course of a 3-year European Union (EU) funded project, it seeks to outline the benefits and challenges that arise from working in a diverse group of twelve partners drawn from academic, corporate and non-profit sectors, located across nine countries. The chapter presents the aims and outcomes of the Practice-based Experiential Learning Analytics Research and Support (PELARS) project, along with a brief outline of the funding context and attendant structural and organisational frameworks. It conveys a realistic view of both the opportunities and obstacles encountered during a project of this nature and relays useful information about establishing and maintaining effective working relationships between project partners from different disciplines, each with their own area-specific approaches and methodologies. The authors note that the topics discussed relate to their experience only and are not intended to be read as an exhaustive ‘how to’ checklist when approaching transdisciplinary research in STEAM projects or applications, but rather as a guide to highlight some of the potential issues that can be encountered on the journey and methods to address these.
Our contribution operates at the edge of two main strands in this publication. On one hand it presents a research project that aims to contribute to STEAM education through technological and non-technological outputs. On the other hand, the project consortium itself is a STEAM team, combining different working methodologies at the intersection between creative design practice and design-driven research with scientific, computational and experimental approaches. The work described has been carried out as part of the PELARS project. (PELARS was classified as a small-or medium-scale focused research project (STREP) and was funded under FP7-ICT-2013-11 Objective ICT-2013.8.2, technology-enhanced learning, under the work programme objective: ICT FP7-ICT-2013.8.2-b learning analytics and educational data mining. The project was awarded in late 2013, commenced in February 2014 and lasted for 3 years, finishing at the end of January, 2017.). This research and design project seeks to understand how students learn whilst engaged in open-ended collaborative problem solving (CPS) tasks during practice-based learning (PBL) activities. The main aim of the project is to create a learning analytics system (LAS) and incorporate this into a specifically designed learning environment suitable for implementation in three learning contexts, second-level science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) subjects, and third-level interaction design and engineering education.
Donal Healion, Sam Russell, Nina Valkanova, Raffaella Rovida
Chapter 14. Geomorphology and Philosophy: A STEAM Survey of the Anthropocene
Abstract
Many researchers propose that the Anthropocene represents a new division of geological time, positing that our activity by our use of fossil fuels has warmed the planet, raised sea levels, eroded the ozone layer and acidified the oceans. We contend the Anthropocene can only be understood in an interdisciplinary way, integrating ideas from the natural and social sciences with philosophy. That is, by means of STEAM.
Valeria Dattilo, Francesco De Pascale

Policy

Frontmatter
Chapter 15. STEM to STEAM: Policy and Practice
Abstract
Higher education institutions have been criticised for not contributing as much as they should to innovation in the wider economy, particularly in their regions (EC, Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament, the Council, the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions on a renewed EU agenda for higher education. Brussels, 30.5.2017 COM(2017) 247 final, pp 1–12, 2017). While STEAM at societal level offers an avenue for the sciences, the arts and the humanities to pool knowledge and resources to address global challenges (de la Garza A, Travis C, The STEAM revolution bridging the divide: transdisciplinary approaches to arts, humanities, science, technology, engineering and mathematics studies, Springer, Cham, 2017), the policy context in which universities operate plays an important role. This chapter argues that in order for STEAM to advance beyond individual initiatives or transdisciplinary/interdisciplinarity debates it requires support in the policy context. Using Kingdon’s (Agendas, alternatives and public policies, 2nd edn. Longman, New York, 1995) Multiple Streams Framework (MSF) the policy emphasis on STEM in the Irish context will be explored and the resultant implications for STEAM approaches will be considered. The chapter concludes that current policy approaches in the Irish context makes it challenging for advocates of STEAM to develop the approach as a viable policy alternative.
Marie Clarke
Chapter 16. STEAM: Powering the Digital Revolution
Abstract
As the digital revolution continues to drive the world’s evolution in the ‘Information Age’, it is generally accepted that science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) skills will be crucial for humanity to be able to tackle many of the grand challenges that lie ahead and for enabling the kind of innovation the world’s economies require to grow. However it is now being questioned as to whether this somewhat singular focus on STEM skills alone, at the expense of a diminishing focus on the more creatively centred arts subjects, will deliver the many needs of a resource-stretched world. This chapter argues that the time is right to promote the concept of STEAM where the more traditional arts and humanities subjects are blended with the STEM. It reflects on the lessons from history by looking at some of the world’s greatest innovators who were practitioners of STEAM and whose many breakthroughs were enabled by a combination of the creative and innovative processes. It goes on to describe how diversity in the workplace, which is an accepted catalyst for business improvements, can be optimised by the application of a STEAM agenda by enterprises.
Leonard Hobbs

Contra STEAM

Frontmatter
Chapter 17. Contra-STEAM: On the Value of the Autonomy of Art
Abstract
While recognizing the educational and ultimately societal values of STEM initiatives to confront gender imbalance in science and technical fields early on, as well as the virtues of interdisciplinary and collaborative problem-solving associated with STEAM, this chapter will tease out and call into question some of the assumptions and possible impacts of including art in that mix of disciplines, from the standpoint of a longstanding split in the theorization of art between utilitarian and non-utilitarian conceptions of aesthetic practice. While incorporating art into STEM has many potential benefits, does it ultimately undermine the societal value of art as an independent, autonomous sphere, that sits outside of the practical utilitarian framework of STEM? Does it sacrifice art’s potential to serve as a critical mirror of society, or as an escape from the practical, to put it in service to the ideology of “creative problem-solving?”
Robert F. Arnold
Backmatter
Metadata
Title
The STEAM Revolution
Editors
Dr. Armida de la Garza
Dr. Charles Travis
Copyright Year
2019
Electronic ISBN
978-3-319-89818-6
Print ISBN
978-3-319-89817-9
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-89818-6