By: Prof. Dr. Sithi Vinayakam Muniandy
Genuine collaborations between Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) disciplines with the arts and humanities contribute towards better understanding of complex issues facing humanity and the wellbeing of Planet Earth.
The term ‘artscience’ was introduced by Todd Siler in his 1997 book “Breaking the mind barrier”. Artscience can be interpreted as the third stream that complements the existing STEM+Art, and STEAM education movement. Artscience motivates the understanding of human experience of nature and society through the synthesis of artistic and scientific modes of exploration and expression. Richer interpretation emerges from the fusion of skills between artists, designers and scientists, with no restriction on art forms, or on science branches. On the other hand, artscience transcends and integrates all disciplines or forms of knowledge. The vision of artscience is the re-humanization of all knowledge. One can trace the DNA of artscience thinking in major artistic advances, technological breakthroughs, scientific discoveries and medical innovations since the beginning of civilization. A renaissance man or woman had artscience underlying his/her creative processes. In short, artscience aims to inspire open-mindedness, curiosity, creativity, imagination, critical thinking and problem solving through seamless fusion of science and art to bring out the best of both. The Learning Enrichment (LearnX) committee at the Department of Physics, Universiti Malaya has been advocating fusion of art and creative thinking, in the otherwise conventional physics coursework’s activities. There are numerous events that have led to the revolutionary shift in scientific thinking and history-biography of the main characters are often turned into popular culture. Some early examples lacked or mis-interpreted in the scientific contents. Recent examples of science-based movies, however, are soliciting experts to ensure scientific correctness of the narratives. LearnX is experimenting with artscience activities with broad skill development and deep learning footprints, by promoting archival based historical and scientific narratives. Given such enormous historical records from different parts of the world and time, what LearnX has uncovered is just the tip of an human historical iceberg.
The first example of artscience activity was carried out by a group of 15 second year physics students taking the Statistical Physics course at the Department of Physics, Universiti Malaya, in the year 2016. As part of coursework continuous assessment assignment, the students were challenged to showcase their artistic talents by writing, producing and performing a physics themed theater called ‘ATOMYSTIC’. The 45-minutes theater in full 19th century styled wardrobe and stage ambience re-enacted the trails of events leading to the intense Lubeck meeting debate (1895) between the atomists led by Ludwig Boltzmann (1844-1906) against his critics (Ostwald, Mach and others) who proposed alternative views based on the concept of energy (energetics). During the course, the students learned the fundamental contribution of Boltzmann in the understanding of physical world, include the Boltzmann distribution, microscopic view of entropy and the second law of thermodynamics. While working on the theater production, they also learn the motivation of the discovery and the struggle endured by Boltzmann in holding up the theory, that cost him his life in own hand. The students were so excited to know that the renowned actor-director, Datuk Zahim Albakri was among the audience, invited to be the theater critic and were treated with round applause and thumbs for a brilliant performance by physics-trained first-time theater performers.
The second example of artscience activity was carried in 2018 (before the Covid19 first strike), capturing the debate between the giants of physics, Albert Einstein and Niels Bohr on the adequacy of quantum theory in describing the physical reality at the microscopic scale. Aptly called the ‘Quantum Debate in Wayang Kulit’, a group 15 students taking the Statistical Physics course raise to the group-based task of writing the script for multi-character puppets involved in the evolution of ideas. The students designed the brightly colored puppets made of polymer plastics, and staged the wayang kulit puppet show, receiving thunderous applause and laughter for the serious scenes and comical moments of the then scientists, involved in the debate of the 1900s. The storyline accurately presented the essence of 500 pages of the book, “Quantum: Einstein, Bohr, and the Great Debate About the Nature of Reality” by Manjit Kumar. Once could not have done better in explaining quantum physics to broader audience using alternative medium such as in performing art. Appraisal from the renowned Fusion Wayang Kulit co-founder, Mr Tintoy Chuo proved once again, art and science can be a potent medium of learning different skills that are often kept in different mindsets.
Elsewhere around the world, artists and scientists are reinventing their collaboration by using mixed media to raise awareness to various global challenges, such as global warming, environmental, and social economic issues. Why not we do it here too? Emerging out of the COVID19 movement control and back into face-to-face learning in December 2022, a group of 70 students taking the Statistical Physics course (again the same course, same lecturer, different students) were asked to champion the climate agenda by relating their chosen Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) with poetry. In collaboration with the University of Malaya Library, a poem recital program called ‘Baca & Bicara’ was organized at the Perpustakaan Peringatan Za’ba Universiti Malaya. The students in 6 groups braved the stage frights and showcased their heartfelt recitals of their favorite poems, sourced from the collections of the UM Library. The grey lectures on laws of thermodynamics that govern the climate dynamics were translated into emotionally charged statement of the impact of human activities on lives on Earth.
In summary, artscience activities offer opportunities for creativity, identity building, self-actualization, cognitive skills and risk taking. Participants are encouraged to improvise and experiment in a non-threatening and non-judgmental environment. Such practices help the appreciation and retention of abstract concepts, activate fine motor skills through kinesthetics, auditory, and visual sensory. Students are stimulated to exercise a variety of intelligences, self-expression and worldview. Artscience in STEM curriculum and their deeper involvement should be encouraged as it offers opportunities for holistic learning experiences, prolonged creativity, and change of perception on abstract concepts and advocacy in realizing SDGs. LearnX at the Department of Physics, Universiti Malaya continues to collaborate and experiment with palettes of arts and humanity, rich in color and emotion, to inculcate humanistic values, while reminding everyone to be aware of the good, the bad and the ugly paths of scientific discoveries made through sacrifices, comradeship and even selfishness or injustice. Such stories of human traits are often left out from the textbooks or sterilized in journals.
In other words, enrichment of STEM education vis-à-vis artscience is two-fold, i.e. inspired by idealism, yet grounded in realities.
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The author is a Professor and Learning Enrichment (LearnX) Committee at the Department of Physics, Faculty of Science, Universiti Malaya. He may be reached at msithi@um.edu.my
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