Community Engagement in Science through Art (CESTA) Summer Program

Despite the importance of chemistry in addressing many of society's most significant challenges, there is a growing stigma associated with chemicals in our nation, often termed "chemophobia". We sought to appeal to the public, not only through education, but also through art as an avenue for appreciation with the development of a new one-of-a-kind chemistry-art summer program. In the Community Engagement in Science Through Art (CESTA) summer program, chemistry, sculpture, and engineering students work collaboratively to design and construct an interactive art piece that brings chemistry to the local community. The program was designed to develop a unique and critical set of cross-disciplinary communication skills among our student participants while fostering a broad appreciation of the importance of other fields and their contribution to society. The schedule consisted of a brainstorming phase, including team development activities and field trips to science and art museums, prior to the building phase in which students presented and discussed sketches and small-scale prototypes of their ideas. Each summer culminated with the construction and public unveiling of a final collaborative sculpture. The outpouring of community and media interest in this program suggests promise for the opportunity to use art to improve the public's relationship with chemistry.