Arts Symposium at Lehigh to Explore Ways in Which the Creative Fields Foster Collaborative Academic Inquiries
Lehigh University is set to host its first Interdisciplinary Research in the Arts Symposium on March 21, from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. This university event aims to bring together various disciplines, fostering collaboration and supporting the advancement of arts-integrated research.
The symposium, which will take place at the Lehigh University Art Galleries (LUAG) and nearby spaces in the Zoellner Arts Center, will feature a series of presentations, performances, and discussions. These sessions will include multiple 20-minute presentations and discussions, each focusing on themes such as Psychology and Health, Community Development and Collective Well-Being, Performance, Posters, Workshop and Student Presentations, Science, Nature and Technology, and Language, Communication and Research Methodologies.
One of the highlights of the symposium is a presentation by James Gilchrist, the Ruth H. and Sam Madrid Professor of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering. Titled "Great Painters are Protorheologists: Designing the Flow of Paint," Gilchrist's talk will focus on the importance of designing how paint flows, mixes, segregates, and dries in artwork.
Another notable presentation is by Robert Booth, chair of the Earth and Environmental Sciences Department, along with professors Anna Chupa and Deirdre Murphy from the Art, Architecture and Design department. Their presentation, titled "Botanical Art and the our university Herbarium," will provide a brief overview of the value, history, and some specimens of Lehigh's Herbarium. Chupa and Murphy will also show examples of botanically inspired work created from a CORE grant, Lehigh's Herbarium, and scanning electron microscope facilities.
Stacie Brennan '03, LUAG's curator of education, stated that the goal of the event is to highlight and promote how the arts catalyze interdisciplinary research. She added that the symposium aims to showcase the arts as a convener for community and build visibility for the museum as a space for learning and engagement.
Refreshments and a light lunch will be provided for attendees. Those interested in attending are asked to pre-register. Recordings of the presentations will be available on LUAG's website after the event.
Lehigh University, named an R1 research university by the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education, is the only university in the Lehigh Valley to have this designation, and one of seven in Pennsylvania. The university's strong research ecosystem and strategic investments to support high-impact interdisciplinary work make it an ideal location for such a symposium.
LUAG serves as a laboratory and a community hub for interdisciplinary exploration, providing a dynamic space where scholars and the public can engage with art as a means of inquiry, innovation, and dialogue across fields. The Interdisciplinary Research in the Arts Symposium reflects Lehigh’s broader commitment to interdisciplinary research tackling complex, urgent challenges across fields.
[1] Source: Lehigh University's official website and press releases.
- Lehigh University, with its emphasis on education-and-self-development and strong research ecosystem, is hosting its first Interdisciplinary Research in the Arts Symposium.
- The symposium aims to bring together various disciplines, including arts, science, education, technology, and health, to foster collaboration and support the advancement of arts-integrated research.
- The symposium features presentations, performances, and discussions, including one by James Gilchrist on the importance of designing paint flow in artwork, and another by Robert Booth, Anna Chupa, and Deirdre Murphy on Lehigh's Herbarium and its role in botanically inspired work.
- LUAG, a laboratory and community hub for interdisciplinary exploration, will provide a dynamic space for scholars and the public to engage with art as a means of inquiry, innovation, and dialogue across fields.
- Online-education opportunities will be available for those who cannot attend in person, as recordings of the presentations will be available on LUAG's website after the event.
- The university's commitment to interdisciplinary research and lifelong learning is reflected in the Interdisciplinary Research in the Arts Symposium, which aims to showcase the arts as a convener for community and build visibility for the museum as a space for learning and engagement.
- Lehigh University, an R1 research university, is the only university in the Lehigh Valley to have this designation, and one of seven in Pennsylvania, making it an ideal location for such a symposium.
