Where are you at this time and what are you most likely to be doing? (Or, What is going on in your lab at this particular time?)

PREPARING FOR MY weekly meeting for the Marie Christine Kohler Fellows at WID

What’s your favorite thing about this time of day?

The Kohler Fellows are a unique cohort of graduate students brought together to engage in an interdisciplinary exploration of art and science. Working with art and science students who possess skills, knowledge, and interest in sharing their work with the public is never dull. We explore conversation topics from what is arts’ role in society to how scientists fail in experimentation. We begin with discussing their basic pedagogical pathways, find ways to foster collaboration across disciplines, and eventually lead them to the full execution of their projects. These meetings always bring forth new knowledge from the disciplines that I’ve not known and fresh perspectives on the arts and sciences. The impact of the fellows’ projects are hard to ascertain but account from the number of people engaged to learning new things from the projects, but the real impact have seen transpire–the one that keeps me engaged–is knowing that these fellows will go on with a greater respect and understanding for interdisciplinary collaboration. This is the lasting effect that I hope to see with each cohort as they move into their professional life.

Least favorite?

That this meeting is so late, but it is so due to the crazy attempt to try and schedule 8 graduate students and 2 faculty during a weekday.

How can you tell if your work is going well?

There is not any direct indicator for measuring successful work for these meetings. Success for these weekly meetings typically would entail gauging the level of engagement across the cohort in the meeting time. Students tend to become very engaged as they feel buy-in on the topic of discussion. We work to tailor an agenda, that in any other setting would be considered a curriculum/syllabus. The materials that they read, review, and watch are all meant to prime them for the conversations that take place for each meeting. Conversations are designed to bring together the fellows to share their personal perspectives, share knowledge of their disciplines, and eventually learn how they are related to their peers. Robust conversation is not short, and where it is myself or the advising faculty members will prompt the fellows with a question or statement that can illicit deeper dives into the dialogue. Additional success in the Kohler Fellow program becomes clear as the students work through their projects. They need to work together to design proposals, craft budgets, create and execute projects. Staying on time, within budget, and with little cause for issue is a signal for success as well.

A small sample of the projects Kohler Fellows @ WID have accomplished through the years. Learn more at https://kohlerfellows.illuminatingdiscovery.wisc.edu/.