Over Coffee® | Stories and Resources from the Intersection of Art and Science | Exploring How to Mak

Over Coffee® is on one-week summer hiatus. Please enjoy this reposting of our special-edition podcast, which explores what we're all about!

As a creative person, how might you use S.T.E.A.M.?

There are numerous opportunities.

Most creative work involves some blend of the elements of science, technology, engineering, art and math.

In this special-edition episode, we explore the various aspects of S.T.E.A.M. in a wide range of creative and innovative projects.

For groundbreaking immersive artist and educator Trish Gianakis, VR, AR and XR are additional creative tools.

Trish's passion is blending sculpture with digital technology, to create engaging immersive experiences. But mixed media fine art, computer art installations, video art and digital art are also among her areas of professional expertise.

And she continues to explore new avenues in which to innovate at the intersection of art and technology. In the photograph above, her tote bag shows one of her paintings in LED lights!

As a student, Trish was one of the first artists in New York City to create a virtual-reality art experience, She now has a Master's degree in Fine Arts Computer Art and Art Installation from New York City's School of Visual Arts. Among the accolades her work has received are an Emmy Award for "Best On-Air Graphics", a Golden Addy Award for "Best Interactive Web Design" and the "Best in Show" award at Tempe, Arizona's "Mill Avenue Artist Festival", two years in a row.

Currently, she is serving as Artist in Residence at Bronxnet TV, in "Creatives Rebuild New York", a first-of-its-kind program. She also teaches undergraduate classes at St. Peters University in Jersey City, New Jersey. And she's preparing for an upcoming solo show, has created a don't-miss immersive art gallery on Spatial, AND will be featured as both a track presenter and a session speaker at AWE USA, which happens in Long Beach, California from Tuesday, June 18th through Thursday, June 20th.

Trish shared the story of her career, offered a closer look at several of the works in her immersive gallery and previewed what's next!

Immersive-experience creator XRIO has a brand-new learning game on Kickstarter!

Continuing on their stated mission, "building the future of immersive play and learning", XRIO has created "Blender Start Here". The goal: to simplify the learning process for creatives wanting to learn the Blender 3D modeling program.

"Blender Start Here" presents the program in the context of a role-playing game. Players have quests to accomplish, villains to vanquish and items to pick up Along the way, almost without realizing they're learning, they're gaining essential Blender skills.

XRIO Co-founders Nina Faye Lin and Dave Mills came to Blender through their backgrounds as artists, educators and storytellers.

Nina's areas of expertise include interior design and architecture and urban planning. She is also the founder of Hawaii's first self-directed learning center. Dave is an Emerging Technologies developer with an MFA in Creative Technologies, and a background in guiding students in the use of new media.

And their remote company, XRIO, came about as a result of their collaboration on an immersive project which blew everyone away. XRIO's team members include creatives from Hawaii, California and the East Coast.

From there, their experience, watching friends struggle with Blender, led to "Blender Start Here".

(Like to back the project? Their Kickstarter campaign runs through June 21st!)

(Not familiar with Blender? This is a great, completely free and open-source project, geared towards putting 3D modeling within reach for any creator who'd like to use it. It's made by hundreds of contributors around the world, with a highly supportive community for learners.

The only drawback: the program is so involved that many learners tend to give up.)

"There's an enormous dropoff, of people who want to learn Blender, and people who actually learn Blender," says Dave, who is XRIO's CTO and the game lead on Blender Start Here.

"These programs are not easy to learn (especially when you're transitioning from having learned a different 3D software program)," says Nina, who is the CEO of XRIO.

"A lot of us share that pain point."

Nina and Dave talked about their experiences with creating XRIO, discussed the creative process behind "Blender Start Here" and offered a preview of the way the game helps players learn.

How can AI enhance creativity?

In the process, what are the ways to use it ethically? Especially in the area of education?

These are the areas which Jeannine Flores is currently exploring.

Jeannine, who serves as Arts and STEAM Coordinator in Los Angeles County Office of Education's Center for Distance and Online Learning, has a background in music education and performing arts. And she sees some exciting possibilities for artificial intelligence, as a starting point for creative projects.

"Right now, I feel we're exploring a new frontier phase of AI and the arts," she explains.

"I'm just curious about seeing how things are applied, and not being scared of it."

Jeannine encourages teachers to explore AI, to spark new ideas, while never losing sight of its limitations.

"The thing that's missing (in AI-generated content) is the human component," she says. "That human connection to art, to music, to dance...whichever art form we're looking at. We still need to have that human element."

But, she says, artificial intelligence can serve as a "first-draft" catalyst, for students' original work. It can also act as a tool for educators, to ensure that student submissions are, indeed, original!

However, she and her fellow educators are proceeding with caution. "Citing that source is really important," Jeannine says. "I would never claim (AI-generated content) as my own. We need to be very cognizant and diligent...because (there are so many unknowns about intellectual property and artificial intelligence)."

Jeannine discussed the ways AI can be used ethically in the creative process, examined some of the pitfalls of artificial intelligence and shared some of her favorite AI resources.

"When you put on a headset, you're really trying to magnify your human presence, " says Dr. Angelina Dayton.

That concept at the heart of her work, as Executive Director of the Virtual World Society.

With a background in both anthropology and education, Dr. Dayton is an expert in human-computer interaction. In addition to being a virtual reality researcher and trainer, she is a user experience designer and consultant.

Her focus is on the ways we, as human beings, can use technologies like XR and AI to create a better world, interacting with one another with kindness and thoughtfulness.

Dr. Dayton has put literally thousands of people into VR headsets for the first time. One of her passion projects is introducing rural native communities to XR, with the goals of assisting them in cultural preservation while revitalizing their communities.

Long before joining the staff at the Virtual World Society, virtual reality had captured her imagination as an implement for education and positive social change. Her multiple visits to schools, introducing students to virtual reality for education, have led to her moniker: "The VR Lady".

Today, her work with the nonprofit Virtual World Society amplifies her personal mission. The Virtual World Society, she explains, works to use emerging technologies for good--not just to make money, but to create a better world with opportunities accessible to all.

Dr. Dayton talked about her background, discussed some of her observations about human-computer interaction in the areas of VR and education, and offered a closer look at some of the Virtual World Society's programs.

And, heads-up--she'll speaking at AWE USA, which is happening in Long Beach, California, from Tuesday, June 18th, through Thursday, June 20th. Here's the link for information--and if you can't be present in-person, our understanding is that some of the talks will be live-streamed!

"What is your vision, for what (STEM) is?" asks Anthony Quan.

And when he hears school leaders' answers, he's going to alert them to additional, and imaginative, new possibilities.

Anthony, who is both the STEM Coordinator and the STEM Science Coordinator for the Los Angeles County Office of Education, Division of Curriculum and Instructional Services, draws on his background as a marine biologist and an award-winning middle school science teacher, to engage students' imagination as they learn science, technology, engineering and math.

And these lessons are being applied, both to the world they know and to their possible future careers.

"It's all about innovation and creativity," he explains.

In addition to his work implementing STEM and STEAM initiatives for schools throughout Los Angeles County, Anthony supports several student events. These include the Los Angeles County Science and Engineering Fair and the Southern California Science Olympiad.

He is also the founder of the Los Angeles County Engaging Girls in STEM: a program designed to show girls the possibilities of future careers in science, technology, engineering and math.

Anthony talked about his background, shared the story of Engaging Girls in STEM and offered a closer look at the numerous resources available to students and educators through LACOE.

"Math is in everything," says National Board Certified math teacher Krystal Jones.

And in her San Jose classroom, it's an implement for positive social change.

Krystal, who teaches at Hoover Middle School, illustrates her subject by guiding students through hands-on, socially-conscious engineering projects. The focus is on solving social problems, as opposed to those in textbooks.

Drought, systemic inequity and homelessness have been among the areas students have examined. In the process, they've applied concepts including probability, proportion and percentages.

"One day, I made this decision: that every single thing I do in the classroom is going to be conscious in some way," Krystal explains.

Accordingly, she put her engineering background (which includes serving as Engineering Education Leader at San Jose's The Tech Interactive museum) to work.

Focusing on social and global responsibility, Krystal began presenting her students with design challenges. Often, these wound up being interdisciplinary: teaching Black history, social studies and science, in addition to math.

Krystal, who gave a presentation on "Engineering in the Classroom" during the 2024 California STEAM Symposium, in Long Beach, will also be speaking at the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics' Annual Meeting and Exposition, which takes place September 25th through 28th in Chicago. Here's the link for more information.

Krystal talked about her creative journey, how she first came to incorporate social consciousness into her curriculum and some of the resulting projects she and her students have created.

Due to a technical glitch, we'll be running a backup show this week. Please enjoy this reposting of one of our top Over Coffee®episodes of 2023!

A robot which can do something new, isn't unusual.

But a miniature wearable robot, which can track health, monitor your workout and even teach you dance moves?

That's the "Calico", developed by researchers at the University of Maryland's Small Artifacts Lab, or SMART Lab.

Anup Sathya, currently a doctoral student at the University of Chicago, is one of the developers of Calico.

While studying at the University of Maryland, Anup worked as a research assistant at the SMART Lab.

During that time, he and his team created and evolved the tiny wearable robot.

To say they miniaturized the technology, seems like an understatement. The current model weighs less than an ounce, and is smaller than two inches in diameter.

And it monitors its wearer by traveling over their clothing, operating on a track inspired by railways!

In this interview from Summer, 2023, Anup discussed the creative process behind Calico, explained how it works and shared some of the capabilities of this miniature, wearable robot.

At the Las Vegas Science and Technology Festival, science and technology are multifaceted fun.

Hands-on workshops, outdoor activities, tours and public talks occur throughout the nine days of this annual festival, presented by the Las Vegas Natural History Museum. All festival events are free.

Started in 2011, the Festival has become the largest educational event in Nevada. Collaborators include the Clark County School District and the National Park Service,. A committee of community volunteers help to run the event.

Programming is designed to make science and technology accessible and engaging to everyone--including guests who don't consider themselves primarily "science" or "tech" oriented. Art workshops, Aquarium tours, family crafts, hiking, and the BattleBots competition are just a few of more than 60 events that will span the nine days of this year's Las Vegas Science and Technology Festival, which begins on Friday, April 26th, and runs through Saturday, May 4th.

And the ultimate goal: to continue to educate tomorrow's innovators, towards becoming a part of Nevada's growing STEM community.

"Our goal really is to spark an interest in STEM careers," says Las Vegas Science and Technology Festival Director Alexandra Liebman.

"It's...what happens outside the classroom, that can impact the students' interest."

Alex talked about some of the upcoming Festival events, what's involved in the preparations, and the ways the Festival is breaking down barriers to future careers for future community leaders.

Are robotics for you?

Absolutely, says author, researcher, educator and keynote speaker Dr. Carlotta Berry.

Robotics, she continues, encompasses all areas of interest--including art, history, music and even creative writing.

Carlotta, who teaches electrical engineering and robotics at Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology in Indiana, has coined the term "NoireSTEMinist®" to describe her work. A "NoireSTEMinist®", she explains on her LinkedIn profile, "devises new and innovative ways to bring STEM to people and bring people to STEM in order to diversify the field".

Her own new and innovative ways include writing black STEM romance novels, teaching "Robotics for the Streets" workshops to engage students and makers of all interests in robotics, and even creating hip-hop "Robot Slam Poetry", combining robotics with Black history, on her YouTube channel.

AND, as of March 2024, she's published her first in a children's book series, "There's a Robot in My Closet".

(Carlotta also taught a virtual "Robotics for the Streets" workshop for the 2023 Make: Education forum, featuring a modular, open-source robot she created, which fellow educators could download and 3D print for use in their classrooms!)

In this summer, 2023 interview, Carlotta discussed her professional journey, some of the ways arts-oriented students fit into the STEM professions and the story of creating her two nonprofits, Black in Engineering and Black in Robotics.