Manitou Messenger

Issue date: 10/3/08 Section: Opinions

Media Credit: Peter Harris

The study of mathematics and science attracts people who enjoy living in a world of definite answers. They find the logical pursuits of algebra and chemistry appealing because the answer is either definitively correct or definitively wrong. Science has the same appeal: either the hypothesis is supported through the data collected from the experiment or it is not. There can be some debate concerning methodology and whether the analysis was conducted properly, but usually people praise the objectivity of the scientific branch of learning. Nevertheless, science is not as objective as people often wish.

Politics affect science. For example, after World War II, most scientific effort focused on producing nuclear weapons to be used in defense against the U.S.S.R.

Religion affects science. Nowadays, some in the Christian church attempt to hinder scientific learning by pressuring elementary schools to teach creationism alongside evolution.

Art affects science. The St. Olaf 2008-2009 academic theme is "Science and the Liberal Arts." The official statement says: "As the college dedicates a new science center, we take this opportunity to reflect on the intricate relationships between the sciences and other disciplines, examining the unique contributions of the sciences to the human experience and the contributions the other liberal arts have made to the sciences."

St. Olaf is renowned for its dedication to interconnecting science and the creative arts, a seemingly strange combination given that the artistic fields of study are subjective. The artist creates an expressive medium that shows a certain perspective. Nevertheless, the creativity shown in works of art is also an essential tool for science.

I know this from personal experience because my father is a biologist, and I have often accompanied him into the field when he was completing research projects. I do not think of my dad as an artistic person but I do think of him as a creative person. Though the only image he can draw is a rotund squirrel, he designs his own experiments. In these experiments he must think outside the box in order to find creative ways to gather data. And sometimes these ways involve art.

Take, for instance, the last experiment he performed in South Africa. He wanted to study a species of antelope called the springbok, and he designed food trays to test their foraging habits. For this he had to construct a box that would allow the springbok to eat, yet also make it difficult for them to do so.

His artistic medium? Yellow crates, reels of iron wire, dried corncobs and duct tape. Eventually he produced a food tray that I considered a functional piece of avant-garde artwork. I was awe-struck when I saw them placed amongst the stark, barren beauty of southern Africa.

I think that most scientists are artistic. Take Beatrix Potter, for example. She is known as a beloved author of children's books, but she was also a dedicated scientist who discovered that lichens consist of fungi and algae that form a symbiotic relationship.

The illustrations that accompany her books are beautifully drawn, but most significantly they express the love she felt for nature. She filled portfolios with drawings that observe the minutest detail in a wide variety of foliage and animal life. Perhaps her career in science began with these drawings. First she had to appreciate the visual beauty of Mother Nature before delving even deeper into her more scientific aspects.

In this way, I believe science is heavily influenced by art. It is not as sterile as people believe, and many times scientists begin their career through an appreciation for the visual beauty that surrounds the world they want to study. St. Olaf's new Regents Hall can and should be a place where science intermingles with other disciplines.

Miriam Brown '12 is from Chicago, Ill. She majors in American studies with a concentration in media studies.

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