Abstract
The prevailing vision for undergraduate science education includes increased collaboration among teachers of science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) and an overhaul of introductory courses [1]–[4]. But by staying within the borders of STEM, are we overlooking connections between the arts and innovative science? Likewise, are we missing an important opportunity to inspire and inform nonscientists? Here we explore how weaving the visual arts into a science curriculum can both help develop scientific imagination and engage nonscientists. As an example, we describe a recent collaboration between artists and scientists to create a series of science-inspired sculptures.
Highlights
Innovative science has long been linked with creative pursuits
A recent study found Nobel laureates are more likely to pursue artistic endeavors than are members of the Royal Society and National Academy of Sciences, who are in turn more artistically engaged than the ‘‘average’’ scientist [7]
Other successful scientists count intuition, defined as ‘‘instinctive knowing without the use of rational processes,’’ as an important component of scientific discovery [11]
Summary
The prevailing vision for undergraduate science education includes increased collaboration among teachers of science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) and an overhaul of introductory courses [1,2,3,4]. By staying within the borders of STEM, are we overlooking connections between the arts and innovative science? Likewise, are we missing an important opportunity to inspire and inform nonscientists? We explore how weaving the visual arts into a science curriculum can both help develop scientific imagination and engage nonscientists. We describe a recent collaboration between artists and scientists to create a series of science-inspired sculptures
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
