The Robert A. Pritzker Visiting S•I•E

As the climate crisis intensifies amidst ongoing public skepticism, much of the science remains abstruse, cumbersomely documented and opaquely presented, making engagement with it by “nonscientists” difficult. Perhaps this is the reason our institutions remain stalemated in the face of mounting disaster. 

 

There exists, therefore, an exciting and necessary opportunity for scientists to collaborate with artists not only to improve the communication of climate science, but also to bolster the production of scientific knowledge. In this presentation, Dr. Tosca will share the results of a collaborative project—inspired by that work—that combines the scientific method with the design process. This project elucidated the very real potential for art and design to dramatically improve the way climate research is conducted and communicated.

 

Dr. Tosca will also introduce work from several collaborative projects by undergraduate artists, which explore ways that art and design can help us to collectively imagine (and build) future worlds in the aftermath of the climate crisis.

 

A trained climate scientist, Dr. Tosca completed her Ph.D. in 2012 at the University of California, Irvine, and her postdoctoral work at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California. In 2017, she took a position as an assistant professor at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, where, in addition to her work investigating the link between climate and wildfire, she imagines ways that artists and designers can collaborate with climate scientists in an effort to better communicate and conduct climate science research. She has been invited to speak on the role of scientists, artists and citizens in building post-climate change worlds and continues to be vocal about the urgency of addressing the climate crisis.

 

More info can be found on her website at mikatosca.com.