Hello viewers! This is the third installment of the STEAM Ambassador series, where we take the time to highlight an individual that proudly represents STEAM within their professional career and personal passions. See below for more information on what is STEAM and what is a STEAM Ambassador.
Our February spotlight focuses on Molly Jones, who is a saxophonist, electronic musician, and multimedia composer based in Chicago. Her album Microliths was nominated for Debut Album of 2017 by NPR's Jazz Critics' Poll, and her multimedia opera-ballet Acting On Air premiered in 2019. She performs 100+ concerts per year in addition to creating video and audio installation work and poetry. She is currently developing a deep learning system that uses neural networks to generate original sound art.
See the full interview below!
To learn more about Molly's past and current projects, check out the following links below:
BANDCAMP https://mollyjones.bandcamp.com/
FULL QUARANTINE CONCERT EPISODE https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ov_9d...
To learn more about the Experimental Sound Studio check them out at https://ess.org/the-quarantine-concerts
Do you see yourself as a STEAM Ambassador or know someone who embodies the power of STEAM in their lives? Connect with me either at kristenvelliott@gmail.com or through the contact box on my homepage!
What is STEAM? You have probably heard of the acronym STEM before; if not, STEM stands for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics. It focuses on and promotes teaching students specific skills catered toward the scientific approach. Focusing on STEM initiatives allows the opportunity for certain pragmatic math and science skills to be learned as well as other key skills such as critical thinking, scientific reasoning, and technology literacy for example.
STEAM is a variation of the thought process of STEM, with the key difference focusing on the power of the arts. Therefore, you guessed it – the STEAM acronym stands for Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Math. The “A” in STEAM can be anything artistic, ranging from visual arts, music, and theatre to digital design and creative writing.
STEAM is an educational movement that aims the innovators of tomorrow to become thoughtful, creative collaborators. The belief is that many STEM based initiatives require a foundation of creativity and the power of the arts fuel a thinker to reach their full potential. And by infusing the arts into STEM, students can begin to foster a love for exploration, creativity, and inspired experimental thinking to not only widen their horizons but give them the opportunity to develop key soft skills to support their futures.
So, what is a STEAM Ambassador then? A STEAM Ambassador is someone who currently holds a role within a core STEM based field and embodies a passion for the arts, either professionally as well, or personally. Their arts background has inspired them in their industry and we are excited to hear about their interests, their personal projects, and how they see the connections between the two.