Maeda: Add arts to STEM

WARWICK – “I believe art and design are poised to change the world now like science and technology did in the last century,” said Rhode Island School of Design President John Maeda at a Sept. 26 public forum on the STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) to STEAM initiative.
“Art and design humanize those developments, and fuel true innovation, which ultimately leads to both economic recovery and cultural prosperity. Apple’s iPod is a perfect example of technology that basically existed for a long time as an MP3 player, but that nobody ever wanted until design made it something desirable and useful in a way that you could integrate it into your lifestyle,” he said at the event, held at The Rhode Island Foundation.
Maeda and U.S. Rep. James R. Langevin are working together to add an “a” for “art” to the nation’s STEM focus.
During his presentation, Maeda explained the studio method taught at RISD, which emphasizes project-based experiential learning, is a model for teaching creative problem solving, flexible thinking and risk-taking to challenge conventional ideas.
He pointed to students in the school’s Industrial Design department working with Progressive Insurance to develop “Snapshot” – a gadget which helps monitor driving habits to give consumers lower rates – which was recently included in the insurer’s national ad campaign.
Other speakers included Rhode Island College President Nancy Carriuolo; Saul Kaplan, founder and chief catalyst at the Business Innovation Factory and a member of R.I. Science and Technology Advisory Council; Andrea Castañeda, chief of the Department of Accelerating School Performance at the R.I. Department of Education; Charlie Cannon, associate professor of Industrial Design at RISD; and Stephen Lane, CEO and Co-Founder of Ximedica.