Enabling Quantum Leap: Using the Scientific Method to Create Theatre About Science

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Nontechnical Abstract:Embedded within the University of Chicago's Institute for Molecular Engineering (IME), STAGE (Scientists, Technologists and Artists Generating Exploration) is a laboratory devoted to meaningful collaborations among scientists and artists. The STAGE lab creates and develops emotionally engaging, entertaining theatre and film work inspired by science and technology, and explores the use of new technologies in the staging of its productions, to inform the public about science and technology. Utilizing a creative methodology modeled on the exploratory process of experimental science, a postdoctoral scholar is driving a collaborative project to create an original theatrical script that bridges the gap between public perception and scientific reality in complex research areas, focusing on the field of quantum mechanics. The culminating production fosters understanding of the key scientific theme, and more broadly, the scientific process and the importance of discovery, while also addressing the need to promote the understanding of the sciences in the public arena. In addition to the quantum physics play Entanglement, the postdoctoral scholar is collaborating on parallel projects about the science of food, symmetry in nature, and artificial intelligence. Under the mentorship of the PI, the postdoctoral scholar is leading all aspects of developing Entanglement and is driving the play to public performances using the resources available to them through the University of Chicago. Technical Abstract:The theatre project Entanglement, led by the postdoctoral scholar, is promoting the understanding and appreciation of the complex scientific topic of quantum information in the public arena. STAGE, with its method of finding subtle parallels and metaphors between scientific themes and human experience, is translating the richness and nuances of this topic into a relatable form of expression. Participants include scientists, engineers, technology/media experts, professional artists (e.g., actors, directors, writers, dramaturgs, cinematographers, editors, as well as set, lighting, sound, projection, and costume designers), and undergraduate students, graduate students, and postdoctoral scholars from all disciplines, all working simultaneously whenever possible. Much of the script is created through improvisation, and each improvisation is akin to running an experiment, i.e., the improvisation is used to generate and investigate new ideas, with continuous analysis and feedback. The project participants weigh and examine what each improvisation reveals, and, just as scientists analyze their results and use that information to revise an experiment, the project team adjust the circumstances of a scenario and improvise again to guide the creation of the script, as well as what will eventually be performed publicly. Moreover, the STAGE lab has a team of quantum physicists and nanotechnology experts actively collaborating on the theatre piece. Through this project, students, scientists, and the public engage with the University of Chicago students and faculty, the surrounding neighborhoods of Hyde Park, Chicago's South Side, and the greater Chicago area, all of which provide a diverse, multicultural audience, including underrepresented minority and at-risk students. By engaging in interdisciplinary collaborations and unique creative methods in the STAGE lab, UChicago's students sharpen qualities fundamental to their work: intuitive skills, the ability to think and act spontaneously, and imagination, all of which are invaluable to the practice of science. This kind of awareness increases research skills, efficacy of teaching, and the communication of scientific knowledge.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.