STEM and the Arts | Dr. Makola Abdullah | TEDxRVA

There’s an artificial line between STEM and the arts. Not recognizing this simple truth is as detrimental as not recognizing the diversity in humanity. Dr. Makola Abdullah feels strongly about this and conveys it in a compelling way in his short and entertaining talk.

This talk was given at a local TEDx event, produced independently of the TED Conferences. It was filmed and edited by Tijo Media at the Carpenter Theatre at Dominion Arts Center in Richmond, VA.

#STEM #art #education #VSU

Dr. Makola Abdullah took office as Virginia State University’s 14th President on February 1, 2016. As President, Dr. Abdullah plans to lead with this message: Embracing Opportunities for Excellence. An internationally renowned researcher and educator, Dr. Abdullah has also been recognized for his keen ability to meet and surpass challenging fundraising goals. Throughout his career, he has been committed to increasing the number of African American professionals in the STEM fields. His record of success includes graduating four Ph.D.s and six M.S. scholars, in addition to publishing more than 25 technical publications. Highly respected by students, faculty, and administrators as a forward-thinking, personable leader, Dr. Abdullah is active in his community and is a member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc.

[CandrisseE.Watkins]

“There is an artificial line between STEM and the Arts”-Dr. Jackson Rhodes I’m making a poster of this for my classroom this year. Powerful.

[acastemics]

Doc was my earthquake engineering professor from FAMU. He is the youngest African American to earn his PHD in engineering: before 24 years old!!

[darkriku]

Fantastic points! I feel exactly as he does, as I'm an electrical engineer but have always played instruments, made music, and messed around with multimedia creation and animation. I always am the most productive when I can freely express all of my ideas, both creative and technical.

[jacob]

That line sure doesn't feel artificial when I have a midterm on material every week where the class averages hover around 50%- multiple lab assignments due that week, and papers to write, while my humanties counterpart is complaining about their 3 page long paper that's due in a month.


Not to say one degree is greater than the other, but the workload differences, and stark contrast in difficulty is clear.


I, and many of my peers in engineering and science, have time to dabble in music and painting, but I can't say the same for people getting a political science or women's studies degree dabbling in the sciences.

There isn't a line, there's a level system. If you can do science and math you can easily do music and art, and it will defintely help you. But if you specialize in arts or humanties, you often don't do the same.

[TammiThomas]

Dr. Makola Abdullah, thank you sharing your thoughts on STEM and the arts (STEAM)!

[FeeedMe]

Surprised this doesn’t have more likes

[julianjackson]

President of my Alma Mater, Virginia State University.  Great job Dr. Abdullah!!

[p.collins]

Most excellent my HAWK Rites of Passage Brother from our days at FAMU!

[graysonsmith]

From my understanding, the argument of STEAM is to teach people going into art science and engineering. Or is it the assumption that we need to teach engineers to like music and painting and that that will make them more creative and lead to better innovations such as a better rocket propulsion technology or more advanced photolithography methods or make them add numbers better. No matter how I look at it, STEM is meant to advance humanity technologically and scientifically and that shoehorning art into it is done to either attempt to attract more women or to keep liberal arts professors employed since its becoming clear that those degrees don't make money or maybe these universities are stuck with tenured liberal arts professors and are trying to bolster their stem program.

[ScottSuhr-lm]

There is also an artificial line between STEM and sociology, biology, and political science. SO WHAT? They all appeal to different people. The difference is that there are a plethora of artists and counselors in the world, struggling to live. On the other hand, the US is losing its position in the world because of a lack of STEM folks needed to advance the TECHNOLOGICAL economy, to compete on the international stage. As we lose that "race" with China, their economy grows and ours shrinks, the Yuan will displace the dollar as the default currency for international trade, and the US suffer. Our influence on the world stage will diminish. We won't be able to service our debt at the increasing interest rates we have to pay for other nations to lend to us . . . etc., etc. There is no shortage of artists, there IS a shortage of STEM students (especially diverse students). Everyone should be exposed to the arts, but they are not critical for the "survival" of our nation and way of life.

[franciscasfunspace]

His name Makola is a market in the capital region of Ghana.

[boip]

So why do scientists and others react to giddy spontaneity as they do? When the creative moment happens - why is there a contraction? Instead of opening up to it, there is a resistance? You didn’t really go into that...but you seemed to allude to it at the beginning. You are definitely unique in your gifts and may be more unaware of what really is driving your bus. That’s why I would speculate your logic seems so “odd” to those who think in STEM terms. They’ve not been oriented to their creativity, imagination or curiosity. For them, STEM is an outward achievement of knowledge. It is not self-knowledge. In my experience, STEM doesn’t address the impact of what may be “discovered” out there to how that effects us “in here.” But, you demonstrated courage and presence IN THAT MOMENT - which I dare say, if you had not known that song, would have never done it....What were you illustrating by telling this story? I applaud your creativity and presence. But I also speculate that many, many, if not most people who’ve been educated BY the sySTEM, would have never done what you did. That’s because people can HIDE behind science, technology, engineering and math. They know more than others...it’s a dilapidated approach without a consciousness which embraces the ARTS and helping children discover that they MAY not be able to learn CALCULUS, PHYSICS, GEOMETRY. No child left behind has left children behind. The artificial line which you describe is much like the line that Frost illuminates in his poem Mending Wall. “There’s something that doesn’t love a wall.” STEM separates us from the awakening of the deeper artist...and from each other and it’s metaphysical implications turn us into automatons : the self contained units which Frost decries. It also grows the ego so that it becomes the only thing that is in the room. The artificial line to a STEM thinking person is imaginary. It doesn’t exist. But to a STEAM thinking person it is metaphysical - not artificial but very real - it is a barrier forever separating us from ourselves, our artist, and each other.