Science--Study and teaching.

Contemporary educational trends have created a false dichotomy between the arts
and science. The will to make STEM subjects the focus of K-12 education, ignores both a
shared history and the potential for greater learning in a shared future.The intention of
Points of Intersection is to demonstrate that design, science and math intersect in their
concepts, practices and history. In the past, these disciplines were explored and studied
together and benefited from each other. By exploring what design and science have in
common and the points where they intersect, we can see the relevance and importance of
art and design in k-12 education and change STEM to STEAM. The exhibition will
explore point, line, plane and the “Golden Ratio” demonstrating how these concepts can
be understood from the perspectives of physics, math, art and design on a basic level.
These basic principles can be used to introduce these fields of study and bring a better understanding of them to students in K-12. Future designers and scientists with this
educational underpinning will have a better mutual understanding of one another’s field
and the potential for shared research, process and results.

The purpose of this phenomenological multi-case study and three-person
interview, was to discover what select prominent African-American scientists perceived
were obstacles to overcome to be successful leaders in their professional lives, and the
opportunities that aided in their professional growth. Through the addition of the threeperson
interview, the researcher discovered commonalities between the perceived
obstacles and opportunities of current science, technology, engineering and mathematics
(STEM) professionals and the perceptions of selected historically prominent scientists.
This study examined documents of the period and relics of prominent African-
Americans who were in STEM fields and lived from 1860 to 1968. A description of the
setting that influenced how the scientists perceived the phenomenon was written with the
approach being anchored in the social constructivist tradition. Commonalities emerged
through coding experiences of the individuals, which yielded patterns to help explain the
phenomenon. By investigating their perceptions, insight was gained into understanding the attributes, tools and skills, and tailored experiences that encouraged Thomas Burton,
Kelly Miller, George Carver, Daniel Williams, Matthew Henson, Ernest Just, Charles
Drew, Percy Julian, William Cobb, and Benjamin Peery to achieve success in STEM
fields between 1860 and 1968.
The significance of the study is multifaceted: understanding the obstacles that
African-American scientists had to overcome in their professional lives can result in the
development of science educators who are better informed regarding the appropriate
types of assistance that can be provided to aid their students in overcoming obstacles.
This can hopefully increase their opportunities to succeed within the science field. This
study can result in the development of science educators who are more sensitive in
addressing the needs of the developing minority student, and can encourage, educate, and
enlist more individuals to enter into the dialogue regarding the disparity of minority
representation in STEM fields.