Enhancing Innovation

in STEM by Exploring

Aesthetics

Derek A. HamPhD. Candidate

Design Computation Group

MIT School of Architecture & Planning

Dissertation Committee: George Stiny (advisor), Edith Ackerman, Eric Klopfer

2nd Annual Bridging the Gap STEM Conference

aes·thet·ics

There is a historic divide between STEM and the Arts: Between Engineering and Architecture

• Engineers and STEM professionals believe aesthetic decisions are subjective and have no rational footing.

• Architects, Artist and those dealing with aesthetics often believe methods that involve calculation are rigid and conforming

Why Aesthetics

Rolfe Faste, Stanford professor in mechanical engineering, points out two distinct reasons for engineers to consider aesthetics:

• It is vital for the creation of successful products • It is a key component to being creative

Vitruvius might suggest aesthetics are the missing part of the STEM puzzle.

Firmness Commodity

Delight

Materiality Utility

Materiality Utility

Aesthetics

What do we mean by “aesthetic creativity?”We recognize that there are many ways to be creative but…

There are several myths around aesthetics

Beauty is Copied not “Created”

• Aesthetic ideas originate in the head of the individual.

• The creative process can not be quantified

• Copying is a form of cheating in truly creative endeavors

• Aesthetically creative people get it “right” the first time

“It has often been said that a person doesn’t really

understand something until he teaches it to someone

else. Actually a person doesn’t really understand

something until he can teach it to a computer, i.e.,

express it as an algorithm…The attempt to formalize

things as algorithms leads to a much deeper

understanding than if we simply try to understand

things in the traditional way.”

D. Knuth, “Computer Science and Mathematics,” American Scientist, 61,6 (1972), 709.

Calculating With SHAPESHow do we approach aesthetics?

Shapes

There are several myths around “calculation.”

• Calculation methods only deal with numerical variable systems

• Calculation methods only work in fixed variable systems

• Calculation methods are only suitable to find quantitative information and single “right” answers

• Calculation methods are slow and cumbersome

• Calculation methods are counterintuitive to what comes naturally

Computation Example

[ 1 + 2 = 3 ]

Calculating with Shapes

Variables Rules Process

1 2 3

MATHNumbers

[1,2,3…] +,-,x, Functions

[ ]

SHAPES

RulesShapes Computation Example

Identify Variables > Perform a Function > Note Results > Repeat

Shape Grammars

x t(x)

x t(x) x t(x)x t(x)

x t(x)

X

xStarting point: base shape

Introduce shape copy

xx

Embed shape copyx x

x + t(x)x

Design Move: Translationx x + t(x)

Introduce shape copy

xx

Embed shape copyx x

x + t(x)x

Design Move: Rotationx x + t(x)

Design Move: Rotationx x + t(x)

Design Move: Rotationx x + t(x)

Introduce shape copy

xx

Embed shape copyx x

x + t(x)x

Design Move: Reflectionx x + t(x)

Design Move: Reflectionx x + t(x)

Design Observation: Seeing

prt(x)x

Emergence: Identifying Embedded Shapex prt(x)

Emergence: Identifying Embedded Shapex prt(x)

Emergence: Identifying Embedded Shapex prt(x)

prt(x) x

Emergence: Identifying Embedded Shapex prt(x) y

Design Move: Translationy y + t(y)

x + t(x)x

Design Move: Translationy y + t(y)

George Stiny, 2001

combinatorial embedding

This broadens our understanding.Abstract systems of notation are helpful but are not necessary to calculate..

Going Beyond

Combinatorial

Calculation and Play Relationship

calculation

play

play

calculation

composition = calculation

Multiple Forms of CalculationWe calculate all the time often without formal documentation; in fact there are..

“One might go so far as to define a human

intelligence as a neural mechanism or

computational system which is genetically

programmed to be activated or “triggered”

by certain kinds of internally or externally

presented information.”

Howard Gardner

Composition Creation Process

“It’s all a form of play.”

Sensory Feedback

Cognitive Decision

Perform Action

Visual Calculation involves: • Flexible Vision(identifying constant changing variables or units) • Rule Processing (creating and following algorithmic rules) • Emergence (discovering and generating embedded variables) • Recursion (parametric rule application) • Copying

Innovate STEM EducationScience Technology Engineering and Math can be accompanied by the Aesthetics to…

How do we teach aesthetics through calculation?

• Teach students to analyze aesthetics through revers engineering. Students must learn to create algorithms that are descriptive of things that already exist.

• Students must learn to play with the creation of 2D and 3D compositions through the method of following steps and rules described by an algorithmic process.

• Students must build a physical and mental library of “aesthetic design moves.”

How do develop aesthetic sensibility?

• Aesthetic sensibility comes from our experiences.

• A formal description and method of documentation of these experiences helps us learn from them.

• The more clear and legible our analysis of our experiences the more we can see connections and develop new ideas.

• In developing visual aesthetics, shape grammars provide the most systematic and specific method for defining visual ideas.

• Visual ideas can lead to ideas for improving materiality and utility

STEM ARTSCOMPUTATION

Final Takeaways

• Look for aesthetic components in your STEM inquiry

• Use a computational process to work through the aesthetic components of your STEM inquiry

• Encourage both analysis and synthesis in STEM education

“There is something awfully computational

about play and something very playful

about computation.”

Derek A. Ham

Thank YouDerek A. Ham

PhD. Candidate

Design Computation Group

MIT School of Architecture & Planning

www.derekham.com

2nd Annual Bridging the Gap STEM Conference