The “arts” and the “sciences” have long been siloed in separate locations on university campuses, and many people assume they occupy opposite ends of some cerebral spectrum. But the more we learn about innovation, the more we are coming to appreciate how complementary creative thinking is. Exploring the value of incorporating arts in the sciences is increasingly a focus of conversation.
Melding art and science is nothing new in Indian Country. Indigenous innovators through the ages have used art forms, from mapping constellations to traditional storytelling, to express scientific concepts and pass down knowledge. In the AISES family alone — from our earliest members to current students (see Last Word on page 84) — you can find numerous examples of gifted scientists who are talented artists.