*Monica Delgado Carrillo
Located in the creative arts space called 400 West Rich, in the Franklinton historic neighborhood, the STEAM Factory is Ohio State’s interdisciplinary collaboration hub. The spacious, well-lit, welcoming space stands out among the art studios that surround it. The passer-by is meant to wonder “is this also an art studio?” I believe it is… in its own way. The art is interdisciplinary collaboration, and they take a very creative approach to it.
In the words of STEAM’s director, Charlene Brenner, “STEAM has been focused on helping to develop a culture of collaboration at Ohio State in interdisciplinary ways in research, teaching, outreach, and service through formal and informal programs.”
The STEAM Factory was formed in 2012 by professors Jim Fowler and Roman Holowinsky, from our department, and Arnab Nandi, from Computer Science and Engineering. During the first years, the community saw exponential growth, duplicating the number of participants each year. However, such growth was unsustainable, so the membership process had to be controlled. Today they have about 250 members from over 75 departments, spanning 13 colleges and over 40 centers and institutes across the university, encompassing all the discovery themes. Moreover, the STEAM Factory is the most diverse and inclusive organization on campus with about 50% of female members and an impressive 20 - 25% of members coming from underrepresented groups.
Our university has many amazing spaces and institutions, but STEAM is truly a gem. Its members value this community and speak very highly of it. Members use the STEAM Factory facilities as a space for all kinds of collaborative activities. Book clubs, writing groups, coworking, REUs, workshops, dissemination events, etc. One of the long-time programs that I think better reflects what STEAM is about is the STEAM Exchange. In this monthly program, three or four professionals from different areas gather under a single topic. Each one of them presents their field of study’s take on the topic.
Another current project at STEAM is Racial Justice Pathways which seeks to create communities of learning at practice with Ohio State faculty and staff finding ways to address racial equity in a domain of their professional interest. While students cannot be STEAM members, many of them are introduced and have access to this wonderful hub through their professors or even friends. Some student projects, supervised by STEAM professors, have even been hosted there.
Research has not only flourished in the connection between members’ fields of study, but with 10 years of data, STEAM is pursuing research about the community itself.
Data is showing that spaces like the STEAM Factory have a significant impact on increasing collaboration and supporting professors. For example, STEAM members show a significantly higher level of NSF awards than their non-members peers. Similar impacts are seen in the outreach and teaching efforts. For example, last year a group of STEAM members piloted a graduate course on Interdisciplinary Team Research. Students reported that their expectations were met and exceeded.
The leadership of this valuable space is constantly on the look for new collaborators and new ways of funding. Currently, the funding has decreased by a third from what Dr. Holowinsky had originally obtained and this is only for one more year. We hope that initiatives like STEAM will continue to be valued at their true worth and be provided with the support they need.
*Thanks to Charlene Brenner for finding time to talk to me about the STEAM Factory’s journey and news.
