Abstract
For several years, students at an art college, working with NASA astronomers, have produced animations inspired by research on black holes, dark matter and more. They can be whimsical or poetic but still constrained by scientific rigour. The animations are used for scientific outreach and are freely available. Our program received a positive assessment through an evaluation we undertook. We are now planning a mobile STEAM exhibition to engage teenagers from underrepresented communities who may not typically consider STE(A)M for their studies. “Science anxiety” has been reported to be a significant barrier to learning. Mixing animation with astronomy can stimulate interest in STEAM, making science engaging in an unconventional way. One component would be activities where participants create artistic responses to astronomy. We undertook a workshop at a local city-run school, specialising in the arts for ages 14-17, to brainstorm the art/science activities. There we gave short scientific presentations leading to art activities: a giant colouring wall with projected celestial phenomena, a stop-motion station, and colouring images of comet 67P to produce an animation. Surveys before and after the activities showed positive responses. The hand of the artist has long been an important concept in animation (Crafton 1991). In a film entitled “The Movements of the Universe”, this concept is adapted to the hands of scientists. Combining animation, filmed interviews at NASA (including a Nobel prize winner), and the scientists’ hands, bring unexpected feelings of dream and humour to the audience. In this paper we explore three different viewpoints of these activities from a scientist, an animator, and an animation student.
References
Arcadias, L. (2021). The Movements of the Universe – Research [Video, password: movements]. Vimeo. https://vimeo.com/839895776
Arcadias, L. (2021). The Movements of the Universe – Research (alternative version) [Video, password: movements]. Vimeo. https://vimeo.com/543315132
Arcadias, L. & Corbet, R. H. D., An Astro-Animation Class: Optimizing Artistic, Educational, and Outreach Outcomes. Leonardo (2022) 55 (4): 414–420. https://doi.org/10.1162/leon_a_02241
Arcadias, L., Corbet, R. H. D., McKenna, D., & Potenziani, I. (2020). Astro-animation: A case study of art and science education. Animation Practice, Process & Production, 9(1), 75–102. https://doi.org/10.1386/ap3_000018_1
Archer, L., Dawson, E., DeWitt, J., Seakins, A., & Wong, B. (2015). “Science capital”: A conceptual, methodological, and empirical argument for extending Bourdieusian notions of capital in science education research. Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 52(7), 922–948. https://doi.org/10.1002/tea.21227
Atwood, W. B., Abdo, A. A., Ackermann, M., et al. (2009). The Large Area Telescope on the Fermi Gamma-Ray Space Telescope mission. The Astrophysical Journal, 697(2), 1071–1102. https://doi.org/10.1088/0004-637X/697/2/1071
Avraamidou, L., & Osborne, J. (2009). The role of narrative in communicating science. International Journal of Science Education, 31(12), 1683–1707. https://doi.org/10.1080/09500690802380695
Bruner, J. S. (1986). Actual minds, possible worlds. Harvard University Press.
Bullock, E. C. (2017). Only STEM can save us? Examining race, place, and STEM education as property. Educational Studies, 53(6), 628–641. https://doi.org/10.1080/00131946.2017.1369082
Cohen, B. A., Hayne, P. O., Greenhagen, B., Paige, D. A., Seybold, C., & Baker, J. (2020). Lunar flashlight: Illuminating the lunar south pole. IEEE Aerospace and Electronic Systems Magazine, 35(3), 46–52. https://doi.org/10.1109/MAES.2020.2969997
Crafton, D. (1991). The hand of the artist in early animation. In K. Thompson (Ed.), Hollywood animation: The emergence of a genre (pp. 29–57). Routledge.Crary, J. (1990). Techniques of the observer: On vision and modernity in the nineteenth century. MIT Press.
Egan, K. (1986). Teaching as storytelling: An alternative approach to teaching and curriculum in the elementary school. Althouse Press.
Funk, S. (2015). Ground- and space-based gamma-ray astronomy. Annual Review of Nuclear and Particle Science, 65, 245–277. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-nucl-102014-021957
Hamza, A. (2024). The intersection of art and science: A multidisciplinary perspective. Kashf Journal of Linguistics.
Kendrew, S., Simpson, R. J., Lintott, C. J., Crawford, S. M., Smith, A., Ödman-Govender, C., Bauer, A. E., Smethurst, R., & Nekoto, W. (n.d.). Ten years of astronomy: Scientific and cultural impact. Retrieved October 1, 2024, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foo_Camp
Miller, S., Fahy, D., & ESConet Team. (2009). Can science communication workshops train scientists for reflexive public engagement? The ESConet experience. Science Communication, 31(1), 116–126. https://doi.org/10.1177/1075547009339048
Olkin, C. B., Ennico, K., & Spencer, J. (2017). The Pluto system after the New Horizons flyby. Nature Astronomy, 1(10), 663–670. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41550-017-0228-x
Roberts, M. S. E. (2013). Surrounded by spiders! New black widows and redbacks in the Galactic field. Proceedings of the International Astronomical Union, 291, 127–132. https://doi.org/10.1017/S1743921312023983
Roth, W.-M., & Lawless, D. V. (2002). When up is down and down is up: Body orientation, proximity, and gestures as resources for language and learning in science. Science Education, 86(3), 355–377. https://doi.org/10.1002/sce.10009
Salimpour, S., Bartlett, S., Fitzgerald, M. T., et al. (2021). The gateway science: A review of astronomy in the OECD school curricula, including China and South Africa. Research in Science Education, 51, 975–996. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11165-020-09922-0
Shapiro, S. L., & Teukolsky, S. A. (1983). Black holes, white dwarfs, and neutron stars: The physics of compact objects. Wiley-Interscience.
The Electromagnetic Spectrum | HubbleSite. (n.d.). Retrieved October 1, 2024, from https://hubblesite.org/contents/articles/the-electromagnetic-spectrum
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Copyright (c) 2026 Laurence Arcadias, Robin H.D. CORBET , Emma BOOTH