The Center for Teaching and UI Libraries will host the 9th annual 4CAST conference on Thursday January 14, 9:00-2:30 in University Capitol Centre 2520-D, the Conference Center. 

To kick off Bridging Art and Science:  STEAM Education in a Digital World, John Unsworth will present a keynote address about the impact of innovative technologies on student learning. Unsworth is the Vice-Provost for Technology and Library Services, CIO, and Professor of English at Brandeis University.  He will discuss how the art and science of 3-D fabrication enable users to acquire new perspectives that change how they learn and visualize the world.

Following the morning keynote and small-group discussion session, afternoon breakout sessions will showcase an array of innovative teaching technologies being implemented at the UI.  While a Grant Wood Fellow, Christopher Jette has directed the Laptop Orchestra at the University of Iowa (LOUi). LOUi is a dynamic test-bed for new music composition ideas. The ensemble is an opportunity to develop, implement and present new works for a not so traditional instrument, the laptop. Along the way, performance conventions are defined and novel intra-ensemble hierarchies are created.