Week 1: Two Cultures
8 April 2018
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| Ceramic Bowl I Created in 2012 |
My own experiences with the ideas of two cultures in relation to the arts and sciences stem from school curriculum and outside activities. I grew up encouraged by my family to work hard on the scientific aspects of my curriculum with the understanding that the knowledge gained from this would advance my career and guarantee my future, just as the RSAnimate suggests most students are encouraged to do. Despite this, I was always drawn toward artistic endeavors in exciting places, like ceramics or painting, and would take classes outside school to nurture my curiosity in these humanities disciplines. I always felt my family was pushing me towards the science side of culture because of an ingrained society saying that becoming elite in science would lead to more success. This idea resonates strongly with what Snow says is how “we have set ourselves the task of producing a tiny elite” (Snow 21).
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| Senior Capstone Innovative Design Idea (Robotic Birdcage) |
Our education system has separated the students into two fields so completely that high schools encourage students to either focus on advancements in math and engineering, or in literature and art. Rarely is there support for children to breach the gap between literature and calculus classes. As a Mechanical Engineer myself, I truly didn’t understand the importance of a “triangle of art, science, and technology” (Vesna 212) until I was enrolled in my senior Mechanical Engineering design class. This class truly epitomized the use of all aspects of the arts, science, and technology. Our task was to create any design possible with a limited budget, utilizing science and technology to properly and safely design a useful and beautiful product. This design had my team stretched to its imagination limits, since we had become so accustomed to straight calculations and experimentations from our many years in school.
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| Scientific Analysis on Birdcage Component |
It was through this design class that I realized the true fulfillment of becoming a Mechanical Engineer. Because I finally had the ability to create and build an idea from an initial design phase to completion, I realized that the true joy of my field comes from the fruition of my creative and unique mechanical designs. It was through my years of calculations and experimentation that I would then gain enough skills to utilize my ideas to help society advance scientific achievements in the creative sphere (Bohm 138).
References
Bohm, D. “On Creativity”. Leonardo 1.2 (Apr. 1968):137-149. Web.
Snow, C. P. “Two Cultures and the Scientific Revolution.” Reading. 1959. New York: Cambridge UP, 1961. Print.
The RSA. "RSA ANIMATE: Changing Education Paradigms." Online video clip. Youtube. 14 October 2010. Web. 8 April 2018.
Vesna, Victoria. "Toward a third culture: being in between." Leonardo 34.2 (2001): 121-125.
Wilson, Stephen. "Myths and Confusions in Thinking about Art/Science/Technology." College Art Association Meetings. 2000, New York City. 8 Apr. 2018.
Your comments about your family encouraging you to focus on the science curriculum resonate with me because I experienced something similar. I was never encouraged by my family or teachers to pursue art because they felt that I wouldn't gain anything valuable from it. In my experience this is completely untrue because, like you mentioned, my senior engineering design courses require creativity to be able to engineer products that are appealing to the consumers. I think the current STEM supporters truly underestimate the value of art training for engineers and the alike. I’m very excited about the emergence of a third culture in the form of STEAM (essentially STEM, but with art included) as it is raising awareness about this glaring gap in STEM education.
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