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Careers in the Arts and Humanities are Plentiful, and they Pay
It baffles me to hear parents tell their kids that art is a hobby, not a career; that you canât make good money with a degree in English. Wasnât it just yesterday evening that these same adults binged…
Are you an artist or writer? Here is how you can pursue a career in marine conservation
Do you want to get involved in marine conservation, but youâre not sure which path to take? A new book just release, titled Advice from the Ocean: Unexpected Paths into Marine Conservation, compiles the unique experiences of 22 professionals from…
Extraordinary Partnerships: How the Arts and Humanities Are Transforming America
New Book available (open access) in March 2020, through Lever Press!
“Interdisciplinary Perspectives Are the Carriers of Innovation Today”
Interdisciplinary perspectives are the carriers of innovation today. And by extension, the future belongs to the incorporation of liberal arts into science and technology. Academic research on the interface between…
Humanizing Science: Rebecca Kamen Awakens Scientific Discovery â¨Through the Arts and Humanities
This is the seventh of a series of interviews with extraordinary people who are using their skills and training as artists and humanists to improve their communities, challenge assumptions, and…
Communication Competence For Effective Leadership in STEM
In a time where each job posting has hundreds of applicants and success as a job seeker is heavily based on how you present yourself, effective communication can make a…
Studying to be a Scientist? Become a Storyteller
With few exceptions, in order for people in the STEM professions to have an impact, they must be able to write effectively and creatively. Let me illustrate with examples from…
Why Success Depends on Your Ability to Tell Stories
“Elon Musk and Steve Jobs are both known for their seemingly mystical power to distort reality. What gives them this ability isn’t a quirk of a charismatic leader; it’s a…
Why Climate Change Needs English Majors
“In apparently the first course of its kind, UCSB is offering a class in the English department entitled, The Rhetoric of Climate Change. The course employs traditional tools for literary…
President John Maeda on Why Science Needs Art
We seem to forget that innovation doesn’t just come from equations or new kinds of chemicals, it comes from a human place. Innovation in the sciences is always linked…
Biology & Philosophy: How Our Culture Shapes Our Knowledge
Originally posted posted on April 23, 2015 on “Arts and Humanities Connection.” Science differs from arts and literature, in that the knowledge gathered would exist whether humans studied it or not. Paintings, music, and novels require artists. DNA…
Video Animation by Xiangjun Shi called “Why Did I Study Physics?”
“In this hand-drawn animation, Brown University graduate Xiangjun Shi explains why she chose to study the science of natureâand what it taught her about herself. Shi, who also earned an animation…
“Ten Important Reasons to Include the Humanities in Your Preparation for a Scientific Career”
The humanities prepare you to fulfill your civic and cultural responsibilities. Studying the humanities allows you to become familiar with and use the creative ideas from great minds outside of…
STEM and the Humanities: a False Dichotomy
Testifying before Congress a year ago, Hunter Rawlings, President of the Association of American Universities, noted that a survey of employers by his association indicated that 73% rejected the trend towards…
Art and Design Critical to Science
The move to include art and design in the push to advance science, engineering, and math is not just a “feel-good” move. It’s critical to the future economy and families’ standard of living. Researchers are finding that although…
The Art of Science
Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa, scientist, artist, writer, poet, and designer based in India, has said, “Art and science … are two sides of the same coin.” While science is Dr….
Human, not just Being
The biggest issue facing the American educational system today is finding a balance between the overwhelming need to increase our scientific and technical base while raising a new generation of workers to still be humans and not just…
A Trip to Mars
In July 2011 I gave a talk (which is something I almost never do) at the company in San Diego that eventually hired me in February 2012 to be Senior Mission Specialist for operating the Mastcam cameras on…
Your Silence Will Not Protect You*
*Audre Lorde In a recent article in The Chronicle of Higher Education, I made a case to my colleagues in the STEM fields that we need to stand up for the arts and humanities. It’s not that I…
The Need for Perspective in Frontier Science
I’ve had recent graduate applications from students who have either started or in one case completed degrees in the arts, usually music, and then switched into physics. I am particularly interested in these students. There is nothing more…
To Make You Feel the Love
Calling all Confused Students!
The Art World the Millennial Way
Food for Thought: What Does “Service” and “Leadership” Mean to You?
Pursuing a New Perspective in Medicine