Friends! Students! Creators! Consider this your invitation to join the ASU Imagination Project (the CSI student group). I’m here to provide some updates on what we’ve been working on during our first year, and a preview of the incredible projects we have on deck for part two.
The Imagination Project expands on CSI’s events, projects and research to provide new, hands-on opportunities for student involvement and creativity. Building from CSI’s exciting fusion of sciences, arts, humanities and engineering, we focus on reaching out to students (yes, even you!) to promote interdisciplinary collaboration and discovery.
This year, we kicked off what I like to call our “science over pizza” talks, where we engage with incredible innovators in a remarkably intimate setting. We sat down with astrobiologist Sara Walker to discuss the future of space colonization and the origin of life. We were delighted with presentations by resident intellectual powerhouses like Merlyna Lim, an expert on social media and social change, and Ed Finn, who discussed his doctoral research in the field of digital humanities. We talked carbon nanomaterials over brownies and coffee.
Each of these talks includes an in-depth, enriching Q+A and conversation session. We are committed to creating an environment where students feel comfortable having actual conversations with experts. We are planning future conversations on video games and education, as well as the science behind music, movement, visual art and film. With such a vast population of gifted students and faculty, we have a nearly endless supply of inspiration for discussions and interactive demonstrations (and even the occasional field trip!).
Other projects currently in the works include:
- The CyberSenses workshops, which somehow combine hacking and making with deep philosophical conversations about what it means to be human;
- The Biochar initiative, which turns junk mail into substances that boost the nutrition of soil and fertilize plants sustainably.
- Last but not least…Chemistry: The Musical
If any of this sounds interesting, then request more information about attending the events…or better yet, just join the club! To join, please email me, Raji Ganesan (media and outreach officer) at rajiganesan7 AT gmail DOT com. You can also check out our Facebook group for news, events and updates.
I can say this with complete honesty: the Imagination Project is one of those rare campus groups where all of the members are actually passionate and engaged. It’s not about padding a resume, or freeloading for food (at least not all the time). It’s a cohesive group with artists, engineers and people who just love to learn! And, if you are one of the people who worries that they don’t belong because they are not a science major: WAIT. STOP. COME BACK. WE HAVE PIZZA. But more importantly, that’s simply not true. Please don’t let the word “science” alienate you, because all it really means is “discovery.” Come find out what we’re all about. You won’t be disappointed.