STEAM – Putting the Arts in STEM (There’s no algorithm for creativity or empathy...yet?)

Policy makers are placing great emphasis on STEM-related education to equip students with the skills to succeed in a digital and disrupted future world. STEM is the collective reference to the fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. Within Australia, and especially Western Australia, STEM competencies are particularly important in our resource-sector led economy. However, I would argue (and yes, I’m an Arts graduate) that humanities and the arts play an equally important role in driving innovation and growth in the future. If the first industrial revolution was steam powered, I contend that Industry 4.0 and this next wave of industrial evolution can be “STEAM” powered.

I do not deny the important skills and knowledge derived from a STEM-centric education that are vital for many roles in the contemporary resources sector and technology-intensive industries. STEM subjects develop objective and critical ways of thinking and certain skills that are essential in an increasingly high-tech industry. However, I resist the “hard” and “soft” distinction that is often applied to distinguish between STEM and humanities disciplines.  Arts graduates also demonstrate critical thinking, communication and problem solving skills and learning to think critically and independently, read powerfully and perceptively, write lucidly and precisely and to speak articulately. These are skills that are in demand and can be applied across disciplines. Innovation often occurs at the intersection of disciplines - an Arts education embeds critical stills with a strong understanding of discipline boundaries.

Arts and Science have always had a relationship. During the 15th century, Leonardo da Vinci combined his mastery of drawing, powers of observation, and intellect to study nature, pursuing his dual interests of art and science. More recently, indigenous artists from WA and South Africa participated in an art and astronomy exhibition in collaboration with the Square Kilometre Array. More than 40 artists contributed to the 2014 project, Shared Sky. They created paintings, sculptures, collages, textiles and carved emu and ostrich eggs which depicted ancestral night sky stories, as well as the scientific revelations of astronomy and astrophysics. A partnership between scientists and artists that compared wide field images of the sky, to the dot-art imagery of Indigenous artists generated a deeper understanding of our complex universe.

I recently saw Sir Ken Robinson present on innovation and creativity at a business conference in Melbourne. Over 41 million people have viewed his famous TED Talk (Do Schools Kill Creativity?). A decade later, his message remains as compelling as ever.  Encouraging creativity, curiosity and pursuing one’s passion are central to Sir Ken’s message and supports the value of the arts in education. 

Globally, America has led the way for incorporating the arts into primary and secondary education, with the belief that artists and designers will be the future drivers of innovation. According to Wendy Woon, the Edward John Noble Foundation deputy director of education at the Museum of Modern Art, "there are many natural parallels between art and science. Both require careful observation as a starting point, curiosity, experimentation with materials and processes."

In Australia, a school in Sydney has become the first to appoint a STEAM director to help with the integration of arts with maths and science, in an effort to reverse the nation’s worsening STEM crisis. Engaging young people to help stimulate their interest in maths and other STEM subjects is crucial, and adding the element of art is a creative solution to solving Australia’s STEM shortage. For example, the performing arts, specifically speech and drama, are a method of improving communication skills. They can help build confidence in expression, which is crucial when it comes to pitching new innovations and designs, and when collaborating with others.

There is real value to be gained from bridging the best talents in both the quantitative and qualitative disciplines. A 2015 report conducted by the Chief Scientist's office found the importance placed on creativity and innovative thinking by Australian employers:

"The role of innovation is crucial to staying competitive within a global environment. Design thinking – the ability to pull together cognitive, behavioural, functional and technical skills to develop solutions to meet user needs – was seen as critical to the innovation process."

The shift to STEAM from STEM within the mining and energy sectors leads to a new question: how do firms dominated by engineers and an engineering mindset, introduce creativity? While traditionally male-dominated industries, a renewed focus on STEAM could encourage more girls to pursue careers in these sectors. Creativity also encourages opportunities for individuals and groups to think beyond constraints so they can develop an inventive and experimental approach to their research.

Well-rounded employees with STEAM-skills have the best of both worlds – after all, can one be a good scientist without being able to read, write, comprehend, or argue? These competences overlap the fields of arts and science. In an algorithm-led, digital future, workers will need to be multi-faceted and diverse, demonstrating both strong technical ability, and interpersonal and creative thinking skills. Engineers are no longer "just" engineers, in today's world, they need to be able to communicate the value and significance of their work - focusing as much on the "why" as they do the "how".

Acknowledgement: This article was co-authored with Wei Ting Sng, an EMI intern and undergraduate UWA student.

Postscript: The Conversation published (20 October 2016) an interesting article on algorithms and their role in artificial intelligence and decision marking.