Combining Science, Art, Design, and the Humanities at RISD
Students and faculty at the Rhode Island School of Design have a long history of combining studies of nature and the environment with studio practice. Each year the Liberal Arts Division offers ten to twelve courses taught by scientists. The science electives are increasingly popular and were developed specifically for student artists and designers interested in biology, ecology, cognitive science, mathematics, physics, geology, and the natural world in general. All emphasize science literacy, and many encourage students to connect the subject matter to their studio work. Students also have the option to apply these courses to a concentration (minor) in Nature-Culture-Sustainability Studies, Environmental Studies, or Scientific Inquiry. This presentation includes examples of student work from several of Dr. Spelman’s courses: “Biology of Human-Animal Interactions,” a lecture-style course; “Visualizing the Natural Sciences,” a combination lecture/studio course co-taught with Illustration professor Nicholas Jainschigg; and “Exploring the Art and Science of Biodiversity in Guyana,” a travel course co-taught with Literary Arts and Studies associate professor Dr. Nicole Merola. The discussion to follow will explore the question: How does teaching science at an art and design school help to address the most urgent issues we face today?
Lecturer
Rhode Island School of Design
Lucy Spelman, PhD, is a board-certified specialist in zoological medicine. Animals have always been part of her life, and her experiences with them include taking care of giant pandas in China, mountain gorillas in Rwanda, and river otters in Guyana.
She has worked as a zoo veterinarian, zoo director, wildlife veterinarian, media consultant, writer, and as an educator. In addition to scientific articles, she is the author of the National Geographic Animal Encyclopedia and co-editor of a book of short stories, The Rhino with Glue-on Shoes. Dr. Spelman currently practices in Rhode Island and teaches at the Rhode Island School of Design. In 2015, she founded Creature Conserve, a nonprofit organization dedicated to bringing artists and scientists together to save the animal kingdom — which includes us — before it’s too late. She has degrees in biology from Brown University and veterinary medicine from the University of California, Davis.
