Megan Halpern

Megan Halpern is an Assistant Professor at Michigan State University in the History, Philosophy, and Sociology of Science at Lyman Briggs and in the Residential College of Arts and Humanities. Prior to joining the faculty at MSU, she was a Postdoctoral Research Associate at the Center for Nanotechnology in Society at Arizona State University, where she worked with the Center for Science and the Imagination on Emerge: Artists + Scientists Redesign the Future. She earned her PhD in Science Communication at Cornell University. Her doctoral work focused on artist/scientist collaboration and the relationships between experts and publics, and on interaction design for audience participation. In addition to her research, she has co-created science performances and designed mobile applications that focus on engagement with art and science. While at Cornell, she worked with the Interaction Design Lab, where she created SunDial, a geocaching adventure around Ithaca’s Sciencenter, MoBoogie, an app that fosters creative expression through movement, and Frontstage, an audience participation system using mobile phones and tablets.  She also developed collaborative performances in conjunction with local artists and the Cornell Department for Performing and Media Arts. Megan has a background in theatrical design, and prior to her work at Cornell, she co-created Redshift Productions, a company that facilitated artist/scientist collaboration and produced science themed performances.