STEAM

RISD has long valued the symbiosis between the arts and sciences, weaving cross-disciplinary exploration into various studio practices. In 2010, the college began to champion the addition of art and design to the national agenda of STEM (science, technology, engineering, math) education and research to develop STEAM—a comprehensive educational model that would better prepare future generations to compete in the 21st-century innovation economy.

STEAM has since gained momentum across the globe—including on Capitol Hill—and is now widely adopted by institutions, corporations and leaders. Even the Sesame Workshop updated its longstanding STEM curriculum to STEAM as a means of reinforcing the ongoing value of the arts and humanities.

Today STEAM can be seen in practice across RISD’s curriculum from, for example, the Brown|RISD Dual Degree program to research and experimentation in the Co-Works Research Lab and the Nature Lab to graduate degree programs such as Digital + Media and a partnership with Marine Affairs at the University of Rhode Island to the Computation, Technology and Culture concentration and in studios across disciplines, including a longstanding NASA studio in Industrial Design.

For more information, contact Jaime Marland, senior director of Public Relations.​