The Collaborations between Artists and Scientists or Engineers fund encourages collaborations between faculty and scholars in the arts and those in the natural sciences or engineering to promote synergistic innovations, allowing experts in seemingly unrelated fields to expand their collective knowledge in ways that benefit both disciplines. The following projects were funded:

Forever chemicals, ecological futures: A collaboration of bioremediation science and multimedia storytelling

• José Avalos, Associate Professor of Chemical and Biological Engineering and the Andlinger Center for Energy and the Environment
• Allison Carruth, Professor of American Studies and the High Meadows Environmental Institute, Director of Blue Lab
• Peter Jaffe, William L. Knapp '47 Professor of Civil Engineering, Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering
• David Reinfurt, Professor of the Practice, Visual Arts in the Lewis Center for the Arts

This collaboration connects biological and environmental engineering with science communication and visual media to engage diverse communities with the ecological ubiquity of long-lived environmental contaminants known as per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). The researchers, which include Research Associate Scholar Mansha Seth Pasricha, will combine the development of bioengineering solutions to biodegrade these forever chemicals with the production of an innovative lab-to-field series of mixed-media documentary shorts, data visualizations, and local events involving science museums, environmental justice groups, and community arts organizations to raise awareness and engage responses.

Robotic territories: A human-robot performance

• Daniela Mitterberger, Assistant Professor of Architecture
• Benjamin Eysenbach, Assistant Professor of Computer Science
• Gautam Reddy, Assistant Professor of Physics

This collaboration will investigate the dynamics among humans, machines, and the environment, advocating for a paradigm shift in how we understand and interact with our world through technology. The research aims to explore the complex domain of human and robotic interaction through the lens of performance, behavior, motion and representation with the investigative methods of research by design. The result of this research will be a live performance starring three robots and one human interacting in real-time using new bio-inspired artificial systems alongside augmented reality technologies and machine learning algorithms.