Arizona State University’s Center for Science and the Imagination brings writers, artists and other creative thinkers into collaboration with scientists, engineers and technologists to reignite humanity’s grand ambitions for innovation and discovery.
The center serves as a network hub for audacious moonshot ideas and a cultural engine for thoughtful optimism. We provide a space for productive collaboration between the humanities and the sciences, bring human narratives to scientific questions, and explore the full social implications of cutting-edge research.
More about our many projects Meet our staff
Upcoming events
- We are working on our schedule, check back here for future events.
Listen to the Imagination Desk podcast
In this conversation, Ed Finn and cognitive scientist Brendan O'Connor delve into the multifaceted nature of imagination, exploring its relationship with memory, its role in present experiences, and the dynamics of collaborative imagination. They discu...
In this conversation, Ed Finn and Aarathi Krishnan explore the intricate relationship between imagination, risk governance, and the future. They discuss how imagination is essential for decision-makers to navigate the complexities of the modern world, ...
In this conversation, Ed Finn and Ken Liu delve into the significance of imagination in art, storytelling, and life. They explore how imagination shapes human experience, the collaborative relationship between artists and audiences, and the implication...
In this engaging conversation, Ed, Tamara, and Taryn explore the multifaceted nature of imagination and its critical role in creativity, filmmaking, and personal growth. They discuss their individual experiences with imagination, the importance of coll...
In this conversation, Ed Finn and Ted Chiang delve into the intricate relationship between imagination, storytelling, and the role of language in shaping human experience. They explore how writers and scientists share a fascination with the unknown and...
In this conversation, Ed Finn and Nancy Baker Cahill explore the intersections of interdisciplinary art, imagination, and technology. Nancy, an interdisciplinary artist and expanded filmmaker, discusses the importance of imagination in her work and its...
Download free books
An evidence-informed guide to reclaiming your wild imagination. This transformative workbook is designed to help readers break free from distractions and reconnect with their innate creative vitality.
A collection of fiction, nonfiction, and art exploring positive climate futures, grounded in real science and in the complexities of diverse human and physical geographies.
When someone says they want to know the future of something, what they are really saying is they want to know what the state or behavior of some complex adaptive system is going to be at point n in the future. Visionary Histories makes the case for the disciplined study of the future via the historical method, arguing that historians are well-positioned to anticipate the possible future behaviors of a wide variety of systems.
The global cataclysm of COVID-19, and the quarantines and social distancing that have accompanied the still-unfolding pandemic, has brought enormous changes to the games industry, the ways we play videogames (and physical games) alone and together, and the meaning and content of games old and new.
A collection of short stories by writers from around the world, exploring the climate crisis and how human responses to it will shape the futures we will inhabit. Featuring winning stories from our 2020 Everything Change Climate Fiction Contest.
A collection of science fiction stories, art, and essays exploring how the transition to solar energy will transform cities; catalyze revolutions in politics, governance, and culture; and create diverse futures for human communities.