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O P I N I O N
Turning STEM into STEAM Science, technology, engineering, and math are great, and adding art to the mix can elevate all of them.
I t’s an age-old debate: Right brain or left? Science or art? Or today’s version: STEM or the arts? As architects, we’ve struggled to pick a side because our profession pulls equally from both the sciences and the arts. But, with education funds shifting toward STEM and away from the arts, we need to be honest with ourselves. We need both. And it’s time we stand up for ourselves.
Randy Collins
dance explores the limits of the human body. Creative or cultural content is often the critical differentiator that makes something marketable. To move us all forward, we need both the arts and sciences. Changing STEM to STEAM (including the arts) is essential to business, our economy, and our profession. “With many fields being commoditized through technology, the only way to compete in a global market is through innovation born of creativity.”
FROM STEM TO STEAM. Some may say, “With a focus on science, technology, engineering, and math we can improve our economy and come out on top in global competition.” Those same people might say that STEM is our gateway to new environmental solutions for our planet, life-changing product development for healthcare, and computing in- novations that break down barriers around the world. While these may be correct, there’s more to the story. Truth is (to borrow a phrase), all science and no art make Jack a dull boy. With many fields being commoditized through technology, the only way to compete in a global market is through innovation born of creativity. Engineering is design after all. Music brings math to life and
See RANDY COLLINS, page 8
THE ZWEIG LETTER February 27, 2017, ISSUE 1189
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