The Sticky Innovation seminar was one of my favorite classes I've taken at UC. I learned so much about bees and the various crises they are facing, from pesticides to parasites. I learned how critical bees are to our food supply, and how the problems they face are so interwoven and have so many competing stakeholders that finding a solution that satisfies everyone seems insurmountable. To overcome this daunting challenge, we got to use creativity and innovative thinking to ideate ways to help bees, along the way learning valuable skills like 3D printing and laser-cutting. Having taken mostly engineering classes during my undergraduate education, I really enjoyed getting to utilize my artistic side through the development of models and prototypes.
One especially impactful part of the course was the introduction to the concept of arts-based research. Coming from an engineering/scientific background, I was used to research being something that follows a rigid process and relies on empirical evidence. While the scientific method plays an important role in innovation, I think that arts-based research should be utilized more frequently. One advantage that arts-based research has it that it embraces emotion rather than ignores it. While facts and data may prove something to be true, they are sadly often not sufficient in convincing people to change their beliefs or getting them to take action. Arts-based research, on the other hand, through its reliance on letting the viewer interpret the work rather than simply telling them what it means, has the potential to provoke people into new ways of thinking without making them feel like they're being coerced. For example, you could list of a hundred facts about decreases in bee populations and the benefits of planting flowers and the harmful effects of pesticides, but if they don't see those things directly impacting their lives, they're unlikely to change their behavior. Arts-based research could make them feel what it's like to be a bee, or help them visualize a world without bees, thereby helping them view the situation from another perspective that may be more relatable.
This class has provided a space in which students from all disciplines get to work together to ideate ways to address complex real-world problems. I think this model should be utilized more often in the academic space, as it exposes students to different ways of thinking, spurs innovation, and potentially helps students identify new career paths. I hope that more colleges and departments adopt this approach, as solving the biggest challenges of our time will require this same sense of cross-disciplinary teamwork.
My artifact for this seminar is the model that my group made for our final project. It's an indoor hydroponic farm that was built inside a renovated historic building in downtown Cincinnati. Our group proposed this idea as a way to address urban food deserts while also helping connect people with the food production process, and providing an urban safe haven for bees, as they would pollinate the crops being grown and have a garden in the courtyard filled with native flowers and trees that would provide them with nutrients to keep them strong and healthy. Our project also prevents historic buildings from being torn down to make way for office parks and parking lots, instead giving them a second life as a force of good in the community. You can learn more about our design process for this project here.
One especially impactful part of the course was the introduction to the concept of arts-based research. Coming from an engineering/scientific background, I was used to research being something that follows a rigid process and relies on empirical evidence. While the scientific method plays an important role in innovation, I think that arts-based research should be utilized more frequently. One advantage that arts-based research has it that it embraces emotion rather than ignores it. While facts and data may prove something to be true, they are sadly often not sufficient in convincing people to change their beliefs or getting them to take action. Arts-based research, on the other hand, through its reliance on letting the viewer interpret the work rather than simply telling them what it means, has the potential to provoke people into new ways of thinking without making them feel like they're being coerced. For example, you could list of a hundred facts about decreases in bee populations and the benefits of planting flowers and the harmful effects of pesticides, but if they don't see those things directly impacting their lives, they're unlikely to change their behavior. Arts-based research could make them feel what it's like to be a bee, or help them visualize a world without bees, thereby helping them view the situation from another perspective that may be more relatable.
This class has provided a space in which students from all disciplines get to work together to ideate ways to address complex real-world problems. I think this model should be utilized more often in the academic space, as it exposes students to different ways of thinking, spurs innovation, and potentially helps students identify new career paths. I hope that more colleges and departments adopt this approach, as solving the biggest challenges of our time will require this same sense of cross-disciplinary teamwork.
My artifact for this seminar is the model that my group made for our final project. It's an indoor hydroponic farm that was built inside a renovated historic building in downtown Cincinnati. Our group proposed this idea as a way to address urban food deserts while also helping connect people with the food production process, and providing an urban safe haven for bees, as they would pollinate the crops being grown and have a garden in the courtyard filled with native flowers and trees that would provide them with nutrients to keep them strong and healthy. Our project also prevents historic buildings from being torn down to make way for office parks and parking lots, instead giving them a second life as a force of good in the community. You can learn more about our design process for this project here.