IGI-Global STEAM

blog posts

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  An introduction to the work of Bruno Latour

  Mar 5, 2021 6:45 pm6 views

  This NYT article is a good introduction to the work of Bruno Latour, who has done much to complicate how we understand the truth claims of science and how they arise, work, and fade in contemporary and historical societies.

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  NEW BOOK of Interest: Michael Hunter, The Decline of Magic Britain in the Enlightenment (Yale U Press, 2020)

  Mar 8, 2021 10:30 am15 views

  A new book re-examines how witch trial in England became unfashionable during the Enlightenment.  Often seen as a triumph of reason and objectivity over superstition, Dr. Hunter shows that this transition was far more complex and doesn't fit this comforting dichotomy.  This book provides a timely perspective on the social and cultural complexity in confrontations that purport to be about reason and unreason.

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  Understanding STEM Student Anxiety

  Mar 12, 2021 9:00 am29 views

  By evaluating top stressors for students in doctoral engineering programs, Illinois researchers look to help inform interventions to retain graduate students in engineering programs and meet the increasing need for proficient engineers in the U.S. workforce.

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  Syndemics and Coronavirus: The Social Dimensions of Public Health Crises

  Mar 12, 2021 10:15 am8 views

  A new approach called syndemics seeks a better analysis of how both biological and social factors can amplify the magnitude of epidemics and provide a more holistic and strategic approach to public health.

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  Article from Scientific American: "We Need Social Science, Not Just Medical Science, to Beat the Pandemic"

  Apr 2, 2021 10:30 am3 views

  In this article, Nicolas Dirks argues that we need tools from both medical and social science to get control of the COVID-19 pandemic.  Human behavior and issues of social inequity have been prominent features in the successes and failures of confronting this crisis in global health.

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  Divine Design

  Apr 2, 2021 10:30 am53 views

  Mathematics behind successful graphic design.

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  Global STEAM in Context: A conversation with the UIUC Global STEAM Working Group

  Apr 12, 2021 11:00 am40 views

  Last fall, the group sponsored a three-roundtable forum, “Global STEAM in an Age of Crisis,” and the working group now is focusing on establishing a fall graduate seminar and a student blog to engage the campus more fully. The Global STEAM steering committee recently gathered to talk about their initiative, and we’ll share their thoughts over the next few newsletters, with the next topic - exploring the value of Global STEAM to the University of Illinois Community.