Why Art and Science Make a Good Pair
Full STEAM Ahead By Tracy Borgmeyer
M
y daughter loves art. She is in heaven when we pull out paint, crayons, and glitter. One day, hoping that her interests could coexist, she asked, “Mom, can science be art?” Of course I told her, “Yes it can be!” even though I had some doubts. I started researching experiments to appeal to her creative side, and I discovered a quote from Mae Jamison, the first female black astronaut: “The difference between science and the arts is not that they are different sides of the same coin…rather, they are manifestations of the same thing. The arts and sciences are avatars of human creativity.” This idea supports the recent push to change teaching programs from STEM to STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art, and math). I’ll admit I had been hesitant to embrace the change, but now I see how important it is to integrate art into the teaching of science.
Consider one of the most famous inventors in history—Leonardo da Vinci. He not only painted the Mona Lisa and the Last Supper, but also invented the parachute, an early flying machine, and countless other creations. There is no doubt that his artistic talent inspired his scientific inventions. He had an amazing 12 SonomaFamilyLife
creative ability to think outside the box. In more modern times, founder of Apple Steve Jobs, who produced today’s most technically savvy inventions, called his coworkers at Apple “artists.” Art inspires science. Did you know the smart phone was inspired by the TV show Star Trek? And that
Japanese origami has improved vehicle airbags? Creativity helps foster innovation to solve problems and find solutions. Just think, beneath the piles of our daughters’ craft paper creations could lay an inspiration for a future innovation! All we need to do is to help her link art and science together. You can do this by artistic experimenting and creative tinkering. Try this experiment at home. Science Art You can do chromatography, while making amazing tie-dye art, with Sharpie Markers and rubbing alcohol. Scientists use chromatography to separate mixtures into their individual parts. They use a solvent (like alcohol) to separate a mixture (like the colors in the Sharpie marker). Interestingly, industry uses of chromatography include testing blood samples, testing for contaminants in water, and controlling food quality.
October 2016 www.sonomafamilylife.com