THE [R] FACTOR

Fall 2016 Synergy Lunches

Theme: Art & Science

Wednesday, 9/21/16, 12 pm to 2 pm (Main 110)

Presenters:

Lori Graham-Brady  
Associate Director, Hopkins Extreme Materials Institute (HEMI)
Chair of the Civil Engineering Department, Johns Hopkins University

Lori Graham-Brady shared information about the HEMI/MICA Extreme Arts program, an artist residency and internship that brings Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA) artists and designers together with Johns Hopkins University engineers and scientists to expand scientific understandings of material behavior and extreme events. Hosted at the Hopkins Extreme Materials Institute (HEMI) in the Whiting School of Engineering, researchers can collaborate with MICA creatives to make new, cross-disciplinary works of visual art, data visualization, graphic design, or product design.

Jay Gould  
Spring ‘16 Artist in Residence for the HEMI/MICA Extreme Arts Program
Photography Faculty, MICA

Jay Gould was selected as the first Artist in Residence for the HEMI/MICA Extreme Arts Program. The goal of this artist/designer in residence position is to bring MICA and JHU faculty together to collaborate and explore ways to represent, visualize, and/or interpret HEMI research. Jay presented a sampling of new and ongoing projects that depict and react to the research being done at HEMI. Using a wide range of media and processes, this work reimagines HEMI's research using playful analogies, unique narratives and unexpected lab documentation, inviting audiences to admire the depth and fascination that extreme materials represent.

Luca Buvoli
Smithsonian Artist Research Fellow
Director, Mount Royal School of Art

Luca Buvoli shared his three-part project, Running on the Moon. Begun in 2009, and continuing currently through The Smithsonian Artist Research Fellowship program, Running on the Moon combines experimentation as a test subject in NASA laboratories used for training astronauts, a six-month fictional "artist-in-residence" on the International Space Station (ISS), and artwork generated for accompanying exhibitions. The project explores the relationship between art, creativity, and science, addressing the changing role of the astronaut and the space mission program during these decades.

 


Theme: Making

Wednesday, 10/26/16, 12 pm to 2 pm (Main 110)

This lunch will focus on the topic of MAKING as a catalyst to design a team proposal for a National Science Foundation (NSF) Eager Grant. The focus of the Eager Grant is enabling the future of MAKING by catalyzing new approaches in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) learning and innovation.

About the NSF Eager Grant:
The National Science Foundation (NSF) has contributed substantially to the development of the US Maker Movement and the exploration of Making as a pathway to innovations and learning in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM). The Maker approach encourages people to understand how things work, to experiment, invent and redesign things through multiple iterations, to democratize and understand processes of engineering, science, and innovation, and to commercialize new products by developing and testing prototypes quickly and in a cost-effective manner. Making frequently takes place in social contexts, where collaborators, mentors, advisors, and others can be found. These emerging ideas are pointing the way to how the STEM research and education community can both benefit from and contribute to the Maker Movement, improving U.S. innovation and STEM workforce development. To learn more about this grant please visit here.

Presenters

Gwynne Keathley Vice Provost for Research & Graduate Studies, MICA
Will Holman, General Manager, OpenWorks 
Thomas Gardner, MA in Social Design Faculty, MICA

 

Suggested Reading
"Makerspace: Towards a New Civic Infrastructure" by Will Holman

"The Case for Social Innovation Micro-Credentials" by Charles Tsai