Washington State University and the University of Idaho are teaming up to explore news ways of integrating the arts and humanities with science, technology, engineering, mathematics and medicine (STEMM).
More than 50 WSU and UI faculty and administrators are expected to attend a joint symposium Sept. 26–27 where they will work together to imagine new pathways for interdisciplinary research and teaching. Registration for the event remains open to any interested participants.
The symposium springs from the 2018 National Academies of Science, Engineering and Medicine (NASEM) report titled, “Branches from the Same Tree: The Integration of the Humanities and Arts with Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine in Higher Education.” The study establishes the value of integrating more STEMM curricula and labs into the academic programs of students majoring in the humanities and arts, and the value of integrating curricula and experiences in the arts and humanities into college and university STEMM programs. At the same time, the study expresses a growing concern that disciplinary specialization is poorly calibrated to the challenges and opportunities of the present time.
“Meeting these challenges will require new ways of working together, something our two nearby universities are ideally located to support,” said Todd Butler, associate dean in WSU’s College of Arts and Sciences and director of WSU’s new Center for Arts and Humanities. “We will need to make connections across state lines and disciplines to provide students and faculty with the most integrative curriculum possible, setting them both up for success in the future.”