ACADEMY OF DIGITAL ARTS AND SCIENCES

Overview

The primary focus of the Academy is to encourage, engage, facilitate, and support the development of student artistic and creative skills in the use of digital media with a focus on applying those skills to the study of emerging topics in science and technology. For centuries, art has been used to describe and explain basic elements of the natural world and abstract ideas or discoveries. As science and technology become more interdependent, so too does the relationship of art and science. According to neuroscientist and author Jonah Lehrer, “the future of science is art!” Furthermore, Lehrer contends that art can become a source of scientific inspiration and “art can make science better.” The Academy program builds on the discipline-specific courses developed for the National Science Foundation's Advanced Technology Education Pathways program to create a compelling 21st century STEM education curriculum sequence.

The Academy provides a grade 9–12 course sequence with both required and elective science and technology courses that culminate in a 12th grade capstone research course. Foundation courses are designed to provide students with the knowledge and skills necessary to understand more complex content in advanced courses and develop the technical skills required to complete digital media project activities and work in an online environment. The science course sequence focuses on the development of 21st century skills in a 21st century context, such as 9th grade Earth Science in the context of sustainable energy, Biology in the context of biotechnology, Chemistry in the context of nanotechnology, and Physics in the context of robotics/engineering. Discipline-specific, higher-level courses will offer articulation credit into the Connecticut College of Technology program.