In 2021, an innovative collaboration began between Nobuho Nagasawa from the Department of Art and Mei Lin (Ete) Chan from the Department of Biomedical Engineering at Stony Brook University. An electrical engineering student sought to blend art with engineering, sparking a partnership that led to the "STEM + Art = STEAM" exhibition. This event highlights the intersection of art and science.
The third iteration of this exhibition occurred on December 4th at the Staller Center, themed "Archi⋅texture: Becoming Bionic." Seven student teams presented projects focusing on parts of the human body, showcasing their interdisciplinary creative processes. Chan explained, “Traditionally, people think about prosthetic orthotics to be something that we will hide... How can you enhance it, showcase it, and be proud of who you are? That was the idea behind this project.”
Among the projects was "Two Left Feet," which explored unseen effects of injuries. Kaitlyn Lambert described it as highlighting persistent pain after apparent healing. Another project was "Drainpalm," where Alex Noll told a story about a plumber creating a makeshift hand after an accident.
Biomedical engineering student Nina Hartling collaborated with Noll on "Drainpalm." She found value in working through different iterations with input from both groups involved. Noll noted that collaboration enhanced their project's final outcome.
Angee Diaz shared insights gained while working on "Two Left Feet," noting how challenging it is to make functional designs visually appealing. The experience taught them to appreciate the complexity behind seemingly simple technologies and artworks.
Chan mentioned her personal interest in combining art and STEM projects with her children. She observed its impact even on young minds like her seven-year-old son who dreams of being both a scientist and an artist.
Executive Vice President and Provost Carl Lejuez emphasized how these collaborations could significantly change lives in the future, expressing gratitude for such exemplary initiatives at Stony Brook University.
Nagasawa expressed pride in seeing growing recognition for this event each year. She acknowledged support from university leaders like Linda O’Keeffe, Andrew Singer, David Wrobel, Kara DeSanna, and especially praised the students' excellent work alongside Professor Chan.
— Robert Emproto
More photos by John Griffin: