Elizabeth Freeland

In this studio symposium we will explore how we gain knowledge, what we do with it, how we communicate it, and the motivation to gain further knowledge. We will ground our understanding of this cycle in the works of Émilie du Châtelet in the 1700s and Mary Somerville in the 1800s. Both women’s contributions to the physical sciences, in original works and in gathering, processing, and communicating the revolutionary ideas of their time, were crucial and indispensable. Complementing their extraordinary work in science, they contributed to a wide range of human endeavors, from theater and poetry to philosophy and mathematics, all of which had to be balanced by expected societal performances. Their complex lives, built in realms that the majority of their contemporaries could not imagine intersecting, serve as an invitation for you, as an artist, to make and communicate the science of our time as a part of your interdisciplinary practice. Readings will include excerpts of works by Émilie du Châtelet, Mary Somerville, and their biographers. They will also include modern texts about climate change and the communication of climate science. Course work will include labs and activities investigating topics of 18th and 19th century experiments and scientific practices, creative responses to these ideas, weekly assignments to assess factual understanding or synthesis of ideas, and acts of doing that would have been performed by women of those times. In a final project students will translate, transmit, or communicate the modern scientific issues important to them through their own art practice.

In this studio symposium we will explore how we gain knowledge, what we do with it, how we communicate it, and the motivation to gain further knowledge. We will ground our understanding of this cycle in the works of Émilie du Châtelet in the 1700s and Mary Somerville in the 1800s. Both women’s contributions to the physical sciences, in original works and in gathering, processing, and communicating the revolutionary ideas of their time, were crucial and indispensable. Complementing their extraordinary work in science, they contributed to a wide range of human endeavors, from theater and poetry to philosophy and mathematics, all of which had to be balanced by expected societal performances. Their complex lives, built in realms that the majority of their contemporaries could not imagine intersecting, serve as an invitation for you, as an artist, to make and communicate the science of our time as a part of your interdisciplinary practice. Readings will include excerpts of works by Émilie du Châtelet, Mary Somerville, and their biographers. They will also include modern texts about climate change and the communication of climate science. Course work will include labs and activities investigating topics of 18th and 19th century experiments and scientific practices, creative responses to these ideas, weekly assignments to assess factual understanding or synthesis of ideas, and acts of doing that would have been performed by women of those times. In a final project students will translate, transmit, or communicate the modern scientific issues important to them through their own art practice.

This course surveys various ideas in math in search of an understanding of what mathematical thinking is. The aim is to consider the underlying thought patterns of a particular math topic. What is that type of math used for? Why and how did it develop? What does it help humans do? What does it tell us about how humans think abstractly? Topics typically include deductive reasoning and logic, coding, geometry and the link to algebra and music, proofs, probability and statistics, symmetries, tilings. Classes are typically run in an interactive lecture style. Students work many steps and examples along with the lecture. This allows students to use their own experience to learn of the strengths, weaknesses, and mental leaps found in the various topics. Students will look for connections between different topics and their use, and also for the use of mathematical thinking in their own lives and work.

This course investigates the process of discovery in science, and in particular in physics. The historical and contemporary physics experiments we will study have led to some of the most profound insights we have about the natural world, be it on the largest scales or the smallest. The discoveries typically studied include: the search for aether, the discovery of pulsars, the discovery of the Higgs particle, and parity violation. Contemporary topics vary but may include tests of the speed of light, the measurement of gravity waves, or the imaging of black holes. Students will learn the background physics and context necessary to understand the experiments and their results. Additionally, we investigate the process of scientific discovery, the mindset of scientists, and the difficulties and the payoffs of research. We evaluate the culture of science, how that creates and is created by scientists. Finally, we consider the influence of awards, the general public, and the media on scientists, their discoveries, and our perception of them. Assignments include weekly homework reviewing factual material, several guided-journal writings, several in-class labs, two exams, and a short final presentation on a student chosen topic.'

This class provides a basic introduction to the conceptual and quantitative framework necessary to understand the physics of the dynamical world around us. Some questions we address are: What do we need to know to describe motion? How do we model the movement of objects (kinematics)? What makes an object move (interactions, dynamics)? What different ways do we have to think about motion (forces, energy)? Reviewing skills in algebra as we go, we cover Newton's laws of motion and the analysis of physical systems in terms of forces and energy. We study the motion of objects on surfaces and those moving through the air. We take an introductory look at the forces of gravity and surface forces like friction and the so-called normal force. Some time will be spent studying the lack of motion, or static equilibrium. Laboratory and problem solving explorations help us develop important physical concepts and scientific reasoning skills. Applications are drawn from everyday phenomena as well as topics in architecture and design. Assignments include weekly homework, in-class problem solving and lab activities, two to three exams, and a short final project on a topic of the student's choosing.

This class provides a basic introduction to the conceptual and quantitative framework necessary to understand the physics of the dynamical world around us. Some questions we address are: What do we need to know to describe motion? How do we model the movement of objects (kinematics)? What makes an object move (interactions, dynamics)? What different ways do we have to think about motion (forces, energy)? Reviewing skills in algebra as we go, we cover Newton's laws of motion and the analysis of physical systems in terms of forces and energy. We study the motion of objects on surfaces and those moving through the air. We take an introductory look at the forces of gravity and surface forces like friction and the so-called normal force. Some time will be spent studying the lack of motion, or static equilibrium. Laboratory and problem solving explorations help us develop important physical concepts and scientific reasoning skills. Applications are drawn from everyday phenomena as well as topics in architecture and design. Assignments include weekly homework, in-class problem solving and lab activities, two to three exams, and a short final project on a topic of the student's choosing.