Painter Stone – Staff Writer
Facilitators from the National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine; along with the Alliance for the Arts in Research Universities found that students taking science, technology, engineering, mathematics or medical (STEMM) courses may benefit from humanities being part of the course.
The Study examined the trend of students taking STEMM courses, which had influence from the Arts and Humanities, tending to outperform their peers who did not take them.
There was a heavy emphasis on having more elements of arts and humanities in STEMM courses, and how it benefits undergraduate students to think like and embrace more humanitarian ideas when facing modern challenges. Both Academies agree: The Arts and Humanities promote ethical decision making, critical thinking and deeper learning.
Graduates from such a course, at the University of Central Florida, founded the prosthetic company Limbitless, who 3D print affordable, and personalized prosthetics.
The National Academies of Science, Engineering and Medicine pulled together a 22-member committee to analyze the results found by the “Branches of the Same Tree” Study. The committee found that “the evidence behind the assertion that educational programs that mutually integrate learning experiences in the humanities and arts with science, technology, engineering, mathematics, and medicine (STEMM) lead to improved educational and career outcomes for under-graduate and graduate students.”
Associate Vice Provost for Undergraduate Education Anne Alexander said one of the stand out courses that exemplify what was found in the study was the museum studies program on campus.
Alexander said, “One of the most interesting opportunities that they emphasized a lot, with us the other day was making sure that there are design-thinkers and artists whenever we have a challenge or a problem that we need to tackle.”
She said, “If you’re in an engineering curriculum, for example, having as much [influence from Arts and Sciences] as possible, for example the center for design thinking over there …, I think that is where you’re going to start seeing more of that connection. Having people think about that from the time that they begin studying of things like, biology or physics or one of the engineerings, I think that is really a great opportunity there.”
