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What does S.T.E.A.M. mean in your life?

Huh? What's S.T.E.A.M.?

Well, you're probably familiar with the acronym STEM: science, technology, engineering, and math.

S.T.E.A.M. is, simply, the addition of art to the mix.

As we celebrate a new season of Over Coffee®, here is our special-edition look at the ways science, technology, engineering, art and math are intertwined--and the ways they can boost creativity.

Here are excerpts from our previous conversations, each illustrating a different discipline of science, technology, engineering, art and math.

On this edition of Over Coffee®:

Sociologist, author, educator and haunt consultant Dr. Margee Kerr explains some of the science of our enjoyment of a good Halloween scare.;

Fairchild Botanic Garden Director of Education Amy Padolf discusses the citizen-science classroom program, Growing Beyond Earth, which she developed in partnership with NASA.

University of Chicago doctoral student and Calico robot developer Anup Sathya offers a look at the tiny wearable robot he and his colleagues developed.

La Canada Flintridge Tournament of Roses Director of Float Development Pam Wiedenbeck explains the engineering elements behind award-winning float creativity.

Meow Wolf Senior Creative Director Spencer Olsen explores the ways science, technology, engineering and math serve as vehicles for the creativity of local and international artists in Meow Wolf's second permanent installation, Omega Mart.

CSULB Director of Educator Preparation Dr. Fred Uy offers a math lesson for artists! (Want more? Dr. Uy previously served as a member of the Steering Committee of the California STEAM Symposium--the eleventh annual edition of which is happening February 9-10 in Long Beach!)

And thank you, to all the talented musicians whose royalty-free music we've used as transitional elements in this special-edition podcast! You'll find them all on Pixabay's music section--and they're available to be hired for independent work!

At the California STEAM Symposium (https://cdefoundation.org/cde_programs/steam/), education is exciting.It's also playful, thoughtful, and innovative.This annual event, co-hosted by nonprofit Californians Dedicated to Education Foundation, the California Department of Education and the Commission on the Status of Women and Girls, allows education professionals to explore new and imaginative ways to involve students in learning through highly visual combinations of science, technology, engineering, art and math.Rockets, virtual reality, Lego construction, Rube Goldberg demonstrations, student panels and keynote sessions on space science, literacy and music, as applied to math, are just a few of the ways the STEAM Symposium introduces new ideas.CDE Foundation Communications Intern Ashley Alvarez is currently involved in preparations for the eleventh annual California STEAM Symposium, happening at the Long Beach Convention Center Friday and Saturday, February 9th and 10th. (You're invited! Here's the link for information (https://cdefoundation.org/cde_programs/steam/).)Ashley, who will graduate Harvard this spring with a major in sociology and educational studies, offered a preview of what guests will experience during the 2024 California STEAM Symposium, shared some of her insights on education and talked about the experiences she'll carry forward into her career in education.

"Impossible" is not a word that deters Brandenburg Labs (https://brandenburg-labs.com/) Founder/CEO Dr. Karlheinz Brandenburg.He heard that term in the past, applied to an innovation he and his team were creating: the audio MP3 format.After "doing the impossible" and making audio history, Dr. Brandenburg is looking towards the future as he and his team exhibit at CES® 2024, in Las Vegas.In their suite at the Venetian, Brandenburg Labs will be showcasing the world's first truly immersive audio experience: the Brandenburg Labs Audio Augmented Reality Headphone System.Dr. Brandenburg explained that this system creates such an authentic "digital auditory illusion" that listeners can't distinguish between a real sound source and a virtual one!Perhaps the most exciting part of this innovation, however, is that it's a beginning.Dr. Brandenburg and his staff are currently working towards the concept of "Personal Auditory Reality", or PARTY. This is a smart wearable that allows users to moderate sounds around them: minimizing noise and focusing on audio in which they're interested by boosting its amplitude!Dr. Brandenburg explained how CES® visitors will experience the Brandenburg Labs Audio Augmented Reality Headphone System, offered a preview of how PARTY will work, and shared some of his favorite insights from creating "impossible" innovations in the audio area.

BeAware (https://deafassistant.com/) Founder Saamer Mansoor is using his technical talent to make the world more accessible.His award-winning Detroit-based startup will be exhibiting at CES® 2024 in Las Vegas this week. So far, Saamer and his team have created four mobile applications for Deaf and hard-of-hearing communities.And he hopes everyone will make use of his free and open-source app, DeafAssistant (https://github.com/philparkus/BeAware), and give him feedback.DeafAssistant, Saamer explains, allows Deaf and hearing people to communicate easily, through texts and emojis. The app also alerts Deaf users to sounds: either selected ones, such as a baby crying, or an alert, such as a siren or fire alarm.In addition, BeAware, who'll be in CES® 2024's Eureka Park® startup area from this Tuesday, January 9th through Friday, January 12th, offers apps for conferences, family gatherings and healthcare.Just prior to our pre-recorded conversation, Saamer learned that BeAware's HealthScribe application had won first place in the Henry Ford Health System Innovation Challenge and will be used in Michigan hospitals! (Congratulations again to Saamer and his team!)Saamer shared the story of BeAware, offered a closer look at his company's applications and explained why BeAware really is an app for Deaf and hearing users alike.

Can you create a professional-quality online video, without having to worry about lighting or camera angles--or setting up your background?You can now, says Dr. Stephan Wurmlin Stadler, Co-Founder and CEO of Zurich-based startup Nimagna (https://www.nimagna.com/).Stephan will be showcasing Nimagna, which is an AI video producer for webinars, online training and presentations, in the Eureka Park startup area of CES® 2024 this week.The technology, he explains, will automatically determine the best camera angles and lighting for a user with multiple webcams.In addition, virtual backgrounds are included, for an overall professional presentation.Meanwhile, there's also a free one-camera plan available, with watermark, and a number of resources available on Nimagna's website, including their YouTube videos (https://www.youtube.com/@nimagna_ag) and articles, on their blog, on how to create engaging video courses and webinars.Stephan shared the story of Nimagna, explained how it works and even gave a mini-lesson on crafting a compelling video!And if you're going to CES® 2024, which runs January 9th through 12th in Las Vegas, be sure to look for Nimagna. They'll be in the Swiss pavilion, Booth 62833 of the Eureka Park® startup area, located in the Venetian.

For Lugano-based Lighthouse Tech (https://www.lighthousetech.ch/), the term "smart wearable" has dual meanings.In the technological sense, they're creating smart eyewear--with sensors to promote mobility for blind and visually-impaired wearersHowever, the device is also "smart" in terms of being stylish.Lighthouse Tech Co-Founder and COO/Innovation Lead Dr. Nathan Deutsch explains that the device prototype, the LTH-01, is equipped with hidden sensors. These sensors signal a blind or visually-impaired wearer when an obstacle is before them, but undetectable by an aid such as a cane or guide dog. (For example. a low-lying tree branch or opened-out window which might smack into someone, from the waist up.)But while promoting mobility, the device is also created by Italian eyewear designers!Nathan, who who will be exhibiting in the Swiss pavilion of CES®2024's Eureka Park® startup area, from January 9th through January 12th, says his startup is currently developing three different styles.Nathan shared the story of Lighthouse Tech, talked about his experiences in the startup journey and offered a timeline when the beta might be available in the U.S.

The countdown is on!On New Year's Day, Pasadena's 135th Rose Parade®is happening.Creating a parade float that works, technically, and is knock-everyone's-eyes-out spectacular, is the ultimate S.T.E.A.M. endeavor.Science, technology, engineering, art and math all play a part in the "wow factor" you'll see on New Year's Day.Pam Wiedenbeck is Vice President of Float Development for nonprofit La Canada Flintridge Tournament of Roses: one of six community organizations, known as "self-builts", that fund and create their own noncommercial floats, every year, and enter them in the Rose Parade®.For 2024, LCFTRA is creating a float entitled "Flower Power", which is a 1960s band bus, on which a band, composed of flowers, plays a series of 1960s songs. With the construction and painting finished, the decorating with flowers begins, right after Christmas!Currently, LCFTRA's website says all decorator shifts are filled. However, if you'd like to help, theremay be walk-up shift availability Here's the link to find out more (https://www.lcftra.org/content.aspx?page_id=22&club_id=912715&module_id=541247)!AND--do you have a great idea for a float for the 2025 Rose Parade®? LCFTRA's "Float Design Competition" is on, right now! (https://www.lcftra.org/content.aspx?page_id=22&club_id=912715&module_id=544415)

What if you could experience life in the Arctic, in a highly matriarchal culture?And what if, by doing so, you were learning about a unique culture which few people experience--or understand? Not to mention the ways members of that culture are adapting to a changing planet?That's exactly the opportunity provided by Found in the Fjords (http://foundinthefjords.org/), a soon-to-be-released VR game which takes players into the world of orcas--a sea creature more similar to humans than most of us realize.Found in the Fjords is an unexpected result of an all-women science and art expedition to Norway's Arctic fjords. During this research expedition, creators Dr. Louise Edwards, Tiffany Duong and Aya Walraven met for the first time.Louise, who is both a geoscientist and a VR developer, had wanted to enter the U.N.’s “Metaverse for the SDGs” competition. But, she says, she hadn’t yet hit upon a project that she felt explored any of these initiatives……and then, on her journey, she met Tiffany, an ocean storyteller and speaker/educator, and Aya, an emerging-technology and web-based media creator.Their shared experiences during the expedition provided a catalyst. Louise, Tiff and Aya began collaborating on Found in the Fjords, as they discovered how much each woman's skill set complemented the others', towards the goal of re-creating the world they'd seen, in virtual reality.Inside an orca's lifeEntering Found in the Fjords, players become Nora–a young orca traveling to the Arctic fjords for the first time, with her family.Along the way, they’ll learn skills while experiencing“whale culture” and gaining a new perspective on an often-misunderstood animal.And the virtual reality experience amounts to a call to action, in real lifeLouise says she and her team are seeking beta testers for “Found in the Fjords”, with the goal of releasing the game later this year. Here's the link for updates. (http://foundinthefjords.org/)Louise and Tiff shared the story of creating Found in the Fjords, explained what players can experience in the game and offered a preview of what’s next.

Over Coffee® is on holiday hiatus. Please enjoy this reposting of one of our top episodes of 2023!With virtual reality, Ferryman Collective (https://www.ferrymancollective.com/) offers a whole new approach to storytelling.While they're technically a group of theatre professionals who create live-performance experiences in VR, the actual experience goes far beyond that description.When you sign up for one of their experiences, you have been "cast", as part of the story.And for audience members, the performance can go far beyond simply experiencing great storytelling in 360. Some viewers say these experiences have changed their lives!Performers and producers Deirdre V. Lyons and Stephen Butchko are the co-founders of Los Angeles-based Ferryman Collective. They’re also a husband-and-wife creative team.We had the pleasure of experiencing both their 2022 multiple award-winning live show, Gumball Dreams, and The Severance Theory: Welcome to Respite, earlier this year. Both incredible experiences, yet very different--however, the common denominator was audience interactivity.Ferryman Collective's most recent show, "Find WiiLii", Episode 1, had its world premiere at SXSW 2023.And with 2024 just a matter of weeks away, here's where to subscribe to their newsletter, (https://www.ferrymancollective.com/) to see what's next!Deirdre and Steve shared the story of Ferryman Collective, some insights into the creative process in virtual reality, and some of the ways their audiences have re-evaluated their lives after experiencing their shows.

Over Coffee® is on holiday hiatus. Please enjoy this reposting of one of our top episodes of 2023.This post and podcast are for informational purposes only, and are not intended as medical advice. Please contact a mental-health professional with any questions.Congratulations to SAS SOCIALDREAM (https://socialdream.fr/) President Thierry Gricourt, winner of a CES® 2024 Innovation Award! (https://www.ces.tech/innovation-awards/honorees/2024/honorees/d/dreamsens.aspx)We had the honor of talking with Thierry, earlier this year. His SOCIALDREAM virtual-reality application is all about helping others.Specifically, SOCIALDREAM, based in Lyon, France, offers 360-degree virtual-reality videos, which Thierry creates. The goal is supporting mental health and well-being, for a wide range of clients in different circumstances.For patients with limited mobility, the videos provide a means of traveling to other places for escape and mental well-being For the general public, Thierry offers videos that not only aid in dealing with stress, but are customized to each individual user.There’s also an immersive game for autistic children, to help them learn.The innovation goes a step farther.As an engineer with twenty-five years' experience in industrial design, Thierry has also used his expertise in the creation of a lighter and more user-friendly headset: DREAMSENS (https://www.dreamsens-tech.com/en/).Described on its website as "the first smart multi-sensory immersive headset", DREAMSENS' is designed to be suitable for long-term use, as well as being comfortable for anyone wearing glasses.SOCIALDREAM and DREAMSENS should be available in the U.S. within the next two years. Meanwhile, Thierry, will be exhibiting in the Eureka Park® area during CES® 2024, in Las Vegas, January 9 - 12.Thierry shared the story of SOCIALDREAM, explained some of the applications and offered a timeline for the availability of the software and the DreamSens hardware in the United States.(And since Thierry speaks no English and our French is severely limited, we very much appreciated his providing an interpreter! Warm thanks, both to Thierry for his patience with our limitations, and to filmmaker Ariane Tourneur for doing the honors!)