Format: ORAL

Erin Bentley1,2, Dr. David Tank1,2, Bailey Russel3, Lars Roeder3, Rebecca Austin3,4

1. Program in Ecology and Evolution, Department of Botany, University of Wyoming, Laramie, WY, USA 2. Rocky Mountain Herbarium, Laramie, WY, USA 3. Visual Arts Department, University of Wyoming, Laramie, WY, USA 4. Makerspace Wyrkshop, University of Wyoming, Laramie, WY, USA

Transdisciplinary approaches to science, specifically science/art, increase student learning and engagement and retain underrepresented groups in STEM, and using art to engage the public has been the source of many broader impacts. An area of transdisciplinarity that is understudied and underutilized is embracing our transdisciplinary self. People are multifaceted, from their biology to their culture. However, we often find ourselves in a self or socially enforced silo. This is common in science, where specialization isolates disciplines, ways of thought, and collaboration. Instead of dividing ourselves into categories like scientist, artist, student, gamer, teacher, we should be embracing all of them to inform our transdisciplinary self. By bringing our whole selves to our research, outreach, and teaching, we produce more meaningful outcomes. Through my experiences leading National Science Foundation funded science art outreach projects, conducting scholarship of teaching and learning research, and developing my artistic practice, I understand that by being our transdisciplinary selves, we make science art that achieves more than just communication. To accomplish this, I worked with Visual Arts faculty at the University of Wyoming to develop a project that exemplifies the idea of the transdisciplinary self. Kaleidoscope Science is a science art outreach project using photo processes and printmaking to showcase the complexity of native organisms. These organisms are viewed through many lenses to generate a holistic perspective of their ecology, natural history, traditional knowledge, and other perspectives. To highlight the different aspects of each organism, we pair a screen print designed in a certain color/set of colors with a corresponding perspective and expert narrative. The final product is similar to Andy Warhols Self Portrait, and can be used in schools, institutions, and by researchers to gain insightful perspectives on organisms and the complexity of research, themselves, and the benefits of the transdisciplinary self.