Artist Alan Campbell's "Cormorant Island," part of a project funded by an NSF grant
The recession has forced budget cuts to many government operations, and science agencies weren’t exempt. Both the NIH and NASA took devastating hits, and researchers who rely on government funding are straining to make do with less. But the National Science Foundation’s budget passed largely unscathed, with only 17 million dollars of a proposed 7.4 billion dollar budget cut.
Part of the NSF’s mission is to promote greater respect and viability for scientific careers; one of the ways it does that is by funding art to promote public interest in the sciences. (NASA also has an art program, but it’s been the subject of some controversy.) The theory is that the Foundation benefits when more Americans are exposed to science and its importance through mass media and art.
In February of this year, the NSF and University of Southern California’s School of Cinematic Arts announced a new partnership that aims “to forge collaborations between researchers and entertainment scholars to produce cutting-edge materials that inspire and inform mass-media audiences about science and engineering concepts.” The NSF hopes to inspire a generation of artists through science and technology, who might in turn inspire audiences and art lovers.
The NSF also awards grants to researchers, scientists and artists who work to blend science, art and technology. Recently, the Santa Fe Complex, the University of New Mexico, and the Institute for American Indian Arts were awarded an NSF grant to further their work creating innovative technology that allows for immersive multimedia experiences. The technology builds on the idea of a planetarium, but uses projectors and sensors to create an immersive 3D environment that can be used to educate the public about scientific concepts. The next step for researchers is to make these technologies portable and affordable to the average consumer. Imagine kids watching interactive 3D science movies instead of playing World of Warcraft.
One of the most unusual grants established by the NSF is the Antarctic Artists & Writers Program. This program allows scholars, journalists, and historians to travel to Antarctica to learn about the continent and America’s scientific projects there. Artists then create work which reflects this experience. The program has funded everything from a forensic geology mystery novel to watercolors to photographic portraits of scientists who work in the Antarctic. A list of previous grant recipients, with links to their work, can be found here.
By approving most of the NSF’s budget last month, the Senate subcommittee has acknowledged the importance of the work that the Foundation does. By promoting science in innovative and bold ways, the NSF is able to reach a broader audience and promote respect for the sciences, increase literacy and interest in science and technology, and encourage the American public to continue funding scientific endeavors. Other scientific organizations should take note: art can be science’s ally.
