Drawing by UW-L Biology Professor Tim Gerber
a problem, they share many commonalities on the road to finding a solution successfully, she adds. For instance, they all must be open to new outcomes, take risks, exercise persistence and not be afraid of failure. STEAMworks programs stress the importance of these core characteristics in effective problem solving, as well as other common strategies among disciplines. Biology Professor Tim Gerber, a co-leader of Leonardo’s Workshop, says STEAM is not only a concept he teaches to educators, but also something he uses regularly in his study of botany. For instance, illustrations of plants are a great way to accurately document the maximum information about a plant. Botanists have done it for centuries, he notes.
A participant in Leonardo’s Workshop, which launched the STEAMworks series. This educator works on hands-on math and science related activities at the workshop. Photo by Hanqing Wu.
“One common feature in art and science is observation — period,” Gerber explains. “If you want to observe something, a good way is to make a drawing of it.” STEAMworks is a collaborative effort of many departments across campus, which gives it strength, notes Valeo. Partners in the initiative include faculty and staff of the School of Education; College of Science and Health; School of Art and Communications, Office of Continuing Education and Extension and Murphy Library. Additional funding to support the programs has come from the Steinke Saterbak Fund. Anyone can get involved. Faculty and staff are encouraged to report on any related initiatives in which they are involved. Programs are documented on a website originally developed by the STEM Alliance and updated last spring by Valeo. In addition to past and present STEM and STEAM programs, the site offers resources, articles and ways for people to connect to form STEAM partnerships on campus and beyond.
UW-L STEM Alliance Spearheaded by the School of Education, the STEM Alliance is a campus-wide collaborative effort by the Office of Continuing Education and Extension, faculty members, researchers and administrators from across campus to enhance the teaching and learning of science, technology, engineering, mathematics and related fields. This is done both by coordinating existing programs and by creating new ones that positively impact STEM teaching and learning.
Learn more on the STEAM website
www.uwlax.edu/conted/educatorpd/steam2.html
Science & Health News Winter 2013-14 9