Addressing the imagination gap through STEAMM+D and indigenous knowledge

Abstract

Alex Manu describes an “imagination gap,” that is, “the gap between current capability and future possibility” [Manu A (2006)The Imagination Challenge: Strategic Foresight and Innovation in the Global Economy]. Merriam-Webster defines imagination as “the act of forming a mental image of something not present to the senses or never before wholly perceived in reality”; imagination combines “creative ability” and “resourcefulness” [Merriam-Webster (2018) Imagination.Merriam-Webster Dictionary Online. Available athttps://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/imagination]. This paper considers two interdisciplinary fields in which distinct approaches have sought a solution to the “imagination gap” and have resulted in new research questions, methods, outcomes, and even philosophies. These are science, technology, engineering, arts, math, medicine, and design (STEAMM+D) and Indigenous research that establishes questions and methods from an integrated interdisciplinary worldview and the individual’s responsibilities toward community and land. By intertwining these approaches, it is possible for science and society to apply creative problem solving in addressing complex challenges, thereby fostering sustainable innovation.

Enabling creative collaboration for all levels of learning

“…Institutions have pursued a variety of interdisciplinary programs and initiatives to address these evolving needs and opportunities. Some of these efforts, such as the MIT Media Laboratory (https://www.media.mit.edu) and Arizona State's School of Arts, Media, & Engineering (https://artsmediaengineering.asu.edu), are at research universities, while others have emerged from premiere arts and design institutions, such as Rhode Island School of Design (https://stemtosteam.org) and OCAD University (12). These and a number of similarly spirited programs have greatly informed our efforts.…”

Acronym Absurdity Constrains Psychological Science

“…You can decide! But we are still not done, as the acronym has made the full move to initialism with STEAMM+D (Diamond, 2019)-here the final M stands for medicine and the D for design. I think it is safe to say that none of this is useful.…”

Development of Human Capital in Russian “Smart” Cities: Networks and ‘Living labs’

“…Представляется, что могут быть востребованы форматы STEM-образования (science, technology, engineering, math) и STEAMM+M (science, technology, engineering, arts, math, medicine, and design), которые продемонстрировали эффективность в университетских условиях. Система STEM-образования была создана и используется в Массачусетском технологическом университете, STEAMM+M тестируется в различных проектах научных лабораторий MIT, Университета Аалто, Швейцарской высшей технической школы Цюриха [21,22]. Сочетание дисциплин из техни-ческого, естественно-научного и гуманитарного циклов позволяет повысить общий уровень «исследовательского воображения» и креативности разработок в области социальных и технологических инноваций.…”