THEME FOR THIS MONTH
INTERNATIONAL CREATIVITY MONTH
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This month, we're celebrating International Creativity Month by talking about how students in our programs are conducting creative forms of research and how our office is furthering creative research. We also feature recent faculty and department spotlights from creative disciplines. This newsletter is full of resources for starting and supporting creative forms of research. |
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We asked three of our students to talk about their experiences with creative forms of research, what it means to them, and how they feel prepared to continue their research interests. Each student answered the following questions:
What is your name, title at the university, and pronouns?
What is your research experience?
What is creative research and what is its importance?
Is/how is creative research different from other forms of research?
What are ways to support creative forms of research?
What do you envision as the future of creative forms of research?
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Myah Freeman
My name is Myah Freeman and I am a graduating senior majoring in the Bachelor of Fine Arts Program. My pronouns are she, her, and hers.
In the Spring semester of 2020 I had the honor receiving the FSU IDEA Grant, an award given to students to conduct their own research ideas. I used my grant to dive deeper into my ancestry and genealogy, uncovering generations that I hadn’t known before. As a result, I created a large painting that stood five by seven feet. It depicts a portrait of my family, living and deceased members. They are all wearing white and are adorned in gold leaf, diamonds, and pearls. This was a way of me honoring my Ancestors.
Creative research is when artists of any medium go deeper into a subject that is prevalent in their work which in turn helps them sharpen their knowledge and skills. It is important because they are then able to portray and communicate these subjects to their audience in a way that is impactful. The work can also be very educational.
I believe that creative research is different because artists’ culmination of research is different. We get to express in ways other than just a presentation, chart, or poster. We can express through paintings, performance or demonstration, videos, and much more.
Others can support creative forms of research by searching for research symposiums and attending them. If they can’t attend them, they can simply view a recording if one is available or share the event for others to attend. The take away is important. So, not only should people attend but they should go deeper into a subject that resonated with them or even relay the lessons they learned.
I envision the future of creative research as digital. For example, more artists will be interested in digital forms of creativity. In general, I believe the future is digital. Technology is on the rise so I believe that digital art will rise as well.
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Grace Robbins
My name is Grace Robbins and I use she/her/hers pronouns. I am an undergraduate student at FSU.
I worked first as a research assistant with the Department of Urban Regional Planning on a project that studied community resilience and volunteerism in parks and greenspaces post natural disaster. My tasks included qualitatively coding transcriptions of volunteer interviews and determining patterns in their responses about different themes. I did this through the Undergraduate Research Opportunity Program. Since then, I won an IDEA Grant and independently researched the digitization of legacy data and archival materials of the archaeological excavations at Cosa, Italy. I will potentially pursue an Honors in the Major building off of this independent research focusing on the historical context of excavations going on at the same site.
To me, creative research is a space where new knowledge is produced by means of unconventional methodologies and flexibility in form. Arts-based and technological-based creative research importantly challenge the typical formula by introducing new ways to seek out information, whether that be through social media, creating a paper Mache diorama, finding new intersections of previous work through feminism or decolonization, etc. Creative research pushes the boundaries and moves us in a new direction, and I think we need that in the research field. Research is all about moving us closer to truths about our world, and creative research encourages this goal with its flexibility and innovation.
As noted, creative research is contingent on new and flexible methodologies of producing knowledge, and I think it really boils down to this idea of thinking outside the box. While I have never conducted a creative research project yet, I have engaged in some new ways of rethinking how we perform scholarship and research. In my internship with the Office of Digital Research and Scholarship, I experimented with 3D technologies and 3D printing of archaeological artifacts to encourage new ways to interact with archaeological data. 3D digital methodologies have actually aided creative research in the archaeological field during COVID-19. As some excavation teams could not travel to a particular site because of travel restrictions, the other excavation team able to work on site used 3D technologies to transmit 3D models of artifacts to the other researchers so they could more thoroughly study them halfway across the globe. Unlike other forms of research, creative forms of research encourage us to push the boundaries of what we know research to be, allowing for more fluidity and flexibility in producing new knowledge.
I think as students, we can support our fellow students who are tackling creative research projects by explaining to our friends, colleagues, and family what this type of research is and why it is important when the opportunity presents itself. I know my friends had a lot of questions about some of the creative research projects at the President’s Showcase! Additionally, maintaining and encouraging more funding for creative research projects and providing more instruction (perhaps in UROP and other programs) about how to approach and execute a creative research project.
I think if we continue to give more weight to creative research in the research world, we might see creative research flourish more as we continue to encourage flexibility and deviation from the typical structure of conducting research. As technology continues to evolve, I can see more 3D modeling methodologies in research, more social media research, more digital research in all fields, particularly in the digital humanities, and more experimentation with visual methodologies. As mentioned earlier, I think COVID is really facilitating the escalation of creative research because we have had to become creative with our research when the norm was thrown out the window! So I definitely see it continuing to grow and gain momentum in the research world.
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Casey Copeland
My name is Casey Copeland. I'm a Recruitment Assistant for the College of Fine Arts, UROP Leader, and Fourth Year BFA student in the School of Dance. My pronouns are she/her/hers
I participated in the Undergraduate Research Opportunity Program (UROP) as a Sophomore under the mentorship of Dr. Hannah Schwadron in the School of Dance here at FSU. While I had always been fascinated by research, the UROP program introduced me to research at an academic level. The UROP program inspired me to develop my own Dance Science project under the mentorship of Dr. Tom Welsh, “Improving Tarsus Alignment by Strengthening Hip Musculature in University Dancers,” which I presented at the Florida Undergraduate Research Conference in February 2020. I am now in my second year of serving as a UROP mentor and co-leading the Creative Arts and Humanities section of UROP. I am currently working on my second original research endeavor, documenting the prevalence and significance of mental health stressors within a university dance department, which I hope to continue into my graduate studies as I pursue my MA in Studio in Related Studies.
I feel that the question of “what is creative research” is best asked “what isn’t creative research?” The very nature of creative and creative arts research is that it breaks boundaries, is naturally interdisciplinary, and is often inherent to the creative process itself. Many artists engage in research, but would not call themselves researchers. In my opinion, all artists are also researchers, whether their work involves delving into neuroscience to best visually express the complexities of our own minds and consciousness, interviewing, documenting, and depicting the experiences of veterans from the Vietnam War, or embodying concepts of grief, death, and resurrection. Creative research can manifest in a myriad of ways, and that, I believe, is its primary importance. Creative work and creative research reminds us most potently that we are human and of what makes us human. It connects us, excites us, and invites us to a deeper understanding of ourselves and of others.
Research, in my mind, is inherently creative. It is the pursuit of new information, the resolve to rediscover the past, and the expression of our own human experiences. The list is infinite and very rightly so. Creative arts research may have its own set of interests and methodologies, be more subtle and less quantifiable, and be more inherent to the process of creation itself, but its core desires are often the same as any other research endeavor. Specifically, to add to the current information web of human knowledge and push the boundaries of our collective understanding into new territory.
What is commonly considered research within academic circles often does not include the various forms that creative research takes. Of course, like any other research endeavor, creative research requires funding, but the support of creative research also requires an open mind and an awareness around the previous exclusion of creative research from serious academic pursuits.
Making room for creative research and the alternative forms it may take in research conferences and the like would undoubtedly go a long way, but true support requires more than just making space for something, it requires inviting it in. One doesn’t invite a stranger into one’s house for dinner, to invite someone requires a level of respect, trust, and mutual understanding. Simply put, supporting creative research requires respect, respect for those doing the research, respect for the results of that research, and respect for the impact that that research has in your own life. That respect must be Built off of a trust that creative research will be given its place as an equal among its fellows, seen not as “lesser than,” but as a unique and necessary part of a fully functioning research community. In order to build that trust, both creative research and other forms of research must have a mutual understanding of the value and impacts that they both have on the world. In order for creative research to be supported institutionally, we will all have to put aside our false dichotomies and presuppositions between the arts and other forms of study and look at what creative research can contribute to the conversation that is research.
My vision for the future of creative forms of research is that they be supported institutionally and that they grow not only in breadth but in depth. In art and nature, creative research explores that extra aspect of human life that cannot be explained or expressed in other forms. Art and Science, for example, are not separate in my mind, nor are they opposites or incompatible. They work best when collaborating, and, in fact, my own research blurs the boundaries between the two. I would love to see Art and Science collaborate more and learn from each other. They often seek the same goal, and merely need to learn to speak each other’s language as well. The future of creative arts research, I hope, will be much like the Renaissance, with Art, Science, and other areas being informed by one another, influenced by one another, and, most of all, supported by one another. I want to see young pioneers of our time flourish into modern day Renaissance men and women, spurred by the unity of the arts and other lanes of interest. I aspire to participate in the convergence of the multifaceted aspects of research as they begin to blend together into a greater whole. I want to see the research community journey together down a path that is cognizant of old successes and failures, committed to new discoveries, and well lit by the fires of the misconceptions we burn in the process.
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FACULTY AND COLLEGE OF FINE ARTS HIGHLIGHTS |
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Assistant Professor, Jessica Ingram
A Florida State University art professor’s latest publication has been lauded by New York Times art critics as one of the “Best Art Books of 2020.”
Assistant Professor Jessica Ingram’s book, “ Road Through Midnight: A Civil Rights Memorial,” is the culmination of a decade of work and field research that documents seemingly ordinary places through photography that were the sites of pivotal events during the civil rights era.
“Having her creative scholarship recognized as one of The New York Times Best Art Books of 2020 is a major distinction,” said James Frazier, dean of the College of Fine Arts. “I cannot overstate how pleased we are for her or how proud we are that she is a member of the College of Fine Arts faculty. What an inspiration to our students!”
Ingram recognized how FSU was instrumental to her work in the continued support she received during her time as an assistant professor in the Art Department.
“Road Through Midnight: A Civil Rights Memorial,” by Jessica Ingram. Copyright © 2020 by Jessica Ingram. Used by permission of the University of North Carolina Press. www.uncpress.org.
“I am grateful to have time for research, which allows me to focus on projects like ‘Road Through Midnight,’” Ingram said. “Putting this book together required deep research and focus and was time-intensive. Being at an institution that prioritizes research, in combination with knowing how to protect my time, enabled me to finish the book in my first three semesters at FSU.”
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FSU Dance Professor Receives Prestigious Grant from Ford Foundation
The Urban Bush Women (UBW), founded by Florida State University’s School of Dance Professor Jawole Willa Jo Zollar, will receive a seven-figure award from the Ford Foundation as part of an initiative to recognize Black, Latinx, Asian, and Indigenous arts organizations negatively impacted by COVID-19.
The grant from the Ford Foundation will allow UBW to look toward a secure future and expand their performance, community-engaged and educational programming and strengthen infrastructure, including adding needed staff. The grant also will allow UBW to initiate multiyear planning for the first time.
The mission of UBW is to bring the untold and under-told histories and stories of disenfranchised people to light through dance.
“My personal mission is to support learning, whether at FSU or through UBW, helping students and communities to come to their highest degrees of recognition and understanding of their assets,” said Zollar, Robert O. Lawton Distinguished Professor and Nancy Smith Fichter Professor of Dance. “I believe this is extremely important, as it supports them in determining future paths forward and in strengthening the goals they have set for themselves.”
UBW is one of 20 groups to receive a grant started by the Ford Foundation’s initial $50 million investment, totaling $156 million with help from other investors. The grants acknowledge and honor the recipients’ vital contributions to the diversity of expression and excellence in America. The foundation also hopes to bring greater recognition to a group of organizations that have been impactful, despite historically limited resources and funding streams.
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2020 School of Dance Magazine
The Florida State University School of Dance has released its Spring 2020 Issue! The School of Dance Magazine offers a collection of the many events and accomplishments of the department. It serves as a voice for the students and faculty of the Florida State University program, as well as a beacon for prospective students, with all the information about the department, including its history, details on programs, and more.
As one of the top dance programs in the nation, FSU’s School of Dance is known for exceptionally talented students from around the world, award winning faculty and staff, exciting guest artists, teachers and choreographers, and prestigious programs, both local and overseas. Established over eighty years ago, the School of Dance offers a state of the art facility and a core mission to combine exceptional artistic training with a liberal arts education, and continues to be a pioneer and leader among college dance programs. The school’s dedication to both art and learning instructs approximately 400 students each semester, who eventually enter the job market as dancers, teachers, scholars, and leaders in companies, schools, universities and art organizations around the world.
The School of Dance is also the home of the internationally recognized dance research center the Maggie Allesee National Center for Choreography (MANCC). The mission of this unique and visionary center is to funnel creative activity capturing the interest in the dance field and encouraging the creation, dissemination and documentation of new knowledge in dance and choreography. FSU dance majors have the opportunity to observe professional artists as they engage in projects while in residence at MANCC.
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HOW CRE SUPPORTS CREATIVE RESEARCH |
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Throughout the year, CRE regularly hosts research events to celebrate the dynamic and engaging research that FSU's undergraduates are undertaking during their time at FSU. In particular, this event showcases creative research through exhibitions, installations, and performances. Read more from the College of Fine Arts news piece:
"On November 19, FSU celebrates outstanding undergraduate research in its 2020 President’s Showcase of Undergraduate Research. This year, seven students from the College of Fine Arts family are presenting on topics related to the arts – Myah Freeman, Cole Hancock, Yadriel Hernandez Allende, Elizabeth Slade, Lilliana Reinoso, Ariel Raskin, and Rosalind Helsinger.
Sponsored by FSU’s Office of the President and the Center for Undergraduate Research and Academic Engagement (CRE), this event serves as the culmination of the IDEA Grant, Tech Fellows, and iGEM summer awards, but the work these students present tonight does not end here. Many of the award recipients will continue their intellectual pursuits through honors theses, independent study projects, graduate research, and entrepreneurial and creative work, both here on our campus and beyond."
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Spring 2021 Drop-In Advising
We're holding Virtual Drop-In Advising Hours for Spring 2021 starting January 11, 2021! These are opportunities to learn about getting started with undergraduate research here at FSU; members of our team have conducted creative forms of research, as well, so we are more than happy to help facilitate engagement in creative research.
Please view the schedule below. You can follow the Zoom Registration links (separated by day/time and theme) for Drop-In appointments. Once you click on the link, you will have to register. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting, where you will be in a waiting room until the meeting starts.
Please contact David Advent at david.advent@fsu.edu with any questions. If you want to learn more about how to connect with CRE, look over our website here: https://cre.fsu.edu/step3.
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Apply for an IDEA Grant!
Is there a creative endeavor you want to undertake, or an original research project you would like to conduct? Do you want to develop or evaluate a product idea, entrepreneurial venture, or a service initiative? IDEA grants fund research, creative projects, and the development or evaluation of new or existing ideas. This is your chance to flex your creative muscles, innovate, and explore.
FSU undergraduate students in all majors can apply for an FSU IDEA Grant (formerly URCAA, MRCE, PRSF). Selected applicants will receive a summer stipend of up to $2,000 (or up to $3,000 for groups) to fund their self-designed work on a topic, project, problem, artistic product or performance, or other entrepreneurial or creative idea. Projects must last 8-12 weeks and be under the mentorship of a supervising faculty member. The project does not need to be tied to a student’s major or minor, but it should be guided by a student’s academic goals and future plans. Funds may be used for living expenses, materials, lost income from not working during summer, and/or travel. Projects must be culminated in oral, poster, or creative presentation at the annual President's Showcase of Undergraduate Research Excellence. For more information about the program and the application process visit our website at https://cre.fsu.edu/undergradresearch/ideagrants.
Applications are due February 1, 2021. For any questions feel free to email Dave Montez at dmontez@fsu.edu. |
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Arts and Sciences Conference Presentation Grant
The College of Arts and Sciences and the Division of Undergraduate Studies supports conference funding through the administration of these grants. Students from all College of Arts and Sciences disciplines, especially those in the Honors or Honors in the Major programs and the Phi Eta Sigma Honor Society, are encouraged to apply. You must apply for funding at least five weeks prior to the conference at which you will be presenting.
In this virtual capacity, students in the College of Arts and Sciences can apply to receive up to $500 to cover conference related expenses (including registration and other associated fees).
We look forward to reviewing your application!
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Exciting News and Updates!
General info event: The Florida Undergraduate Research Association and Florida State University are so excited to be hosting this event, this time in a virtual format. FURC is one of the nation's largest multi-disciplinary research conferences, and it is open to all undergraduate researchers in the state of Florida to present their research in a poster format. In addition to relevant conference presentation experience, FURC boasts some of the best networking opportunities with fellow researchers and graduate programs across the country, as well as workshops and other professional development experiences. Although the conference will occur in a virtual format this year, we know that you will find this event to be an informative and engaging experience, whether you are a presenter, attendee, faculty/staff member, or grad school representative. We have forged many new partnerships—particularly with Whova, our conference management app—to bring you an immersive undergraduate research experience at FURC 2021!
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OFFICE OF NATIONAL FELLOWSHIPS (ONF) UPDATES |
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Fellowship Deadlines and Openings
DAAD RISE Deadline: December 15, 2020 11:59PM Central European Time
Applications to the Humanity in Action Fellowship are due in mid-January of 2021. The FSU Campus Deadline for the Boren Scholarship is January 12, 2021. If you are considering an application to either of these fellowships, our office recommends reaching out as soon as possible as the office will be closed with the university between December 19, 2020 and January 5, 2021. Our contact information is on the About Us -> Contact Us page of our website (onf.fsu.edu).
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Friends of HSF Alumni Speaker Series Virtual Q&A featuring Claire Georgiadis '19
When: January 21st @ 4:00pm
Topic: How to network in a virtual environment.
Claire is currently a Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Communications Associate at Pratt & Whitney (part of the Raytheon Technologies GCLDP). The GCLDP is a two-year rotational program where early career professionals in communications rotate through various business units across Raytheon Technologies every eight months. Claire's first rotation was at Otis Elevator, where she supported social media and internal communications. She then transitioned to a rotation at Pratt and Whitney where she worked in internal communications, primarily surrounding COVID-19. As of November 2020, she is in her third and final rotation where she supports Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Communications for Pratt & Whitney. Claire is also currently pursuing a Master of Science in Communication from Purdue University, while working full-time.
Claire graduated from Florida State University in May of 2019, with a Bachelor of Science in Media Communications and a minor in English. During her time at FSU, she was an Honors Colloquium Leader, a Research Assistant in the Cognition and Emotion Lab, a Teaching Assistant in the College of Communication and Information and was involved with Florida State Panehellenic as well as Her Campus.
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HSF Student Moderators
Are you interested in being a student moderator for spring alumni speaker series virtual Q&A’s?
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Florida State Anywhere
We are so excited to welcome you (or welcome you back) to the FSU community in Fall 2020! Though the fall semester will be different than usual, our commitment to you and your success is stronger than ever. As we navigate the changes COVID-19 has brought to our lives, we know you are making important decisions about what is best for you, your family, your academics, and your health this fall.
If you decide all remote/online courses and living off-campus is best for you, FSU is offering programs and services remotely this fall so you can connect with us from anywhere. Several resources on this site may be of interest to you.
If you are a new first-year or new transfer student, we are offering additional support if you are studying away from Tallahassee through Florida State Anywhere. Florida State Anywhere will help you connect to the FSU campus and community wherever you are.
To join Florida State Anywhere, please let us know your plans for the fall semester by August 10 by completing this short survey: https://fla.st/30zkKDW
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Return to Student Life: Stay Healthy FSU
Florida State University's Division of Student Affairs understands the value of the outside-the-classroom experience and how important it is for our students. This document outlines plans to offer innovative, creative, and safe measures to foster engagement, community, and health and wellness during this unprecedented time.
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IN HONOR OF DEAN KAREN LAUGHLIN |
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With Dean Laughlin's passing, the university has set up two memorial funds to honor Dean Laughlin. These memorials include the newly established Karen L. Laughlin Scholars and a Stained Glass in the Honors, Scholars, and Fellows House. Please consider contributing if you are able to do so. Use the link below to access the memorial site. |
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CRE VIRTUAL ADVISING
Please set up a meeting through Campus Connect, use the instructions on the “Getting Started” page, and we will respond to you with a link to a Zoom appointment.
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CRE Spotlights wants to feature your news! |
We are constantly amazed by what our current students and alumni are working on, so share your success stories with us to be featured in our monthly newsletter and weekly social media posts. Fill out this form to share your news! |
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Engaging students in research, innovation, and scholarship is the hallmark of a great research university. Through this engagement, students become better thinkers, innovators, and problem solvers, cultivating a depth of understanding needed to make a positive difference in the world. |
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