Roger Malina is launching a series of discussions around Robert and Michele Root Bernstein’s White Paper for the SEAD White Paper Study that has just been delivered to the US National Science Foundation. The title of the White Paper is:The Importance of Early and Persistent Arts and Crafts Education for Future Scientists and Engineers and provides empirical evidence of why training in the arts and crafts (including the making and hacking movements) should be a key component for the early training of future innovative scientists and engineers. The full white paper is available at
The topic was part of a SEAD workshop that was just held in Washington DC with representatives of the US National Science Teachers Association, the US National Art Educators Association , the American Association for the Advancement of Science, National Association for Gifted Children, Association of Science and Technology Centers, Art of Science Learning, Center for the Advancement of Informal Science Education, National Museum of Women in the Arts, Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History, American Association for the Advancement of Science . There were also observers from the US National Science Foundation, the US National Endowment for the Arts and the US Congresssional STEAM caucus. They will be including questions and comments that arose during the workshop. Much excitement arose in the workshop when they were informed that a Memorandum of Understanding between the US National Science Foundation, the US National Endowment for the Arts and the US National Endowment for the Humanities had just been signed to better coordinate and respond to transdisciplinary research and education arising between the sciences, engineering, arts, design and humanities.
