A MOMENT OF SCIENCE

NASA gives $2.8 million boost to Texas university's innovative program

The NASA-funded program has already helped more than 320,000 STEM educators in the U.S.

Texas State/Instagram

Texas State University is getting extended funding for its STEM educators from a universally admired science organization.

The school recently announced that NASA extended a STEM-based Educator Professional Development Collaborative at Texas State with a $2.8 million grant.

The grant extends the program — known by the lengthy name of the NASA Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics Engagement and Educator Professional Development Collaborative, or NASA STEM EPDC for short — at Texas State through 2022.

This marks the continuation of a previously funded seven-year, $21 million NASA STEM EPDC project that, according to the school, has reached more than 320,000 educators.

Leslie Huling, the interim director of Texas State’s LBJ Institute for STEM Education and Research and a professor in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction, will oversee the grant as principal investigator, with Kristina Collins, assistant professor in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction, serving as co-investigator. However, the project includes more than 20 Texas State faculty and staff members who work with students and educators to share STEM learning experiences through the lens of NASA.

“Dr. Huling and I submitted this proposal to NASA in December of 2020,” says Araceli Ortiz, senior advisor with the LBJ Institute for STEM Education and Research, a research associate professor of engineering education in the College of Education, and an educator who’s locally known as “the game changer” for her work in elevating STEM education at Texas State. “This continued NASA support is a testament to the great leadership and management of the EPDC team we have provided since 2014 and to the research and best practices that we are now able to share with great impact.”

The goal of the school’s LBJ Institute for STEM Education and Research is to prepare students and faculty to conduct STEM-based education research and form a supportive academic community that enhances teacher prep and faculty professional development, contributes to the recruitment and production of more STEM-literate professionals, and supports Texas students — all objectives that will be strengthened with the new NASA funding.

Texas State’s research-based NASA STEM EPDC aims to support at a national level NASA’s strategies that are focused on STEM engagement and educator professional development. The specific mission of the project is to understand the impact NASA’s vast educational resources can have on educators, and how this can motivate diverse groups of students to consider pursuing STEM careers.

science colleges technology education

SKIN IN THE GAME

Renowned Hill Country tattoo artist inks new sacred geometry app

Photo courtesy of Dillon Forte

Dillion Forte at his "tattoo ranch" in the Texas Hill Country.

In the world of tattooing, there may seem to be few better rat traps left to build, but Dillon Forte aims to change that. In October, the renowned Wimberley-based tattoo artist and entrepreneur introduced a new iPadOS app to bring ancient symbology into the digital age.

Forte has made a worldwide name for his black dot work (a contemporary take on stick-and-poke techniques) and ambitious undertakings like tattooing underwater and opening a “tattoo ranch.” His ink appears on Usher, Chris Hemsworth, and Kehlani.

Still, he is most recognized for his sacred geometry designs, using patterns to convey various meanings. His interest led him to create the Sacred Geometry Drawing App, a convenient way for novices and experts to develop and export their creations.

The app grew out of his own practice. Over the past decade, he has used tablets and freehand techniques to achieve his highly symmetrical artwork but grew to realize existing tools were not always easy to use.

“The app is an attempt and fulfillment of my desire to make sacred geometry accessible and bring the ability to create into the fingertips of as many people as possible,” Forte tells CultureMap via email, adding a tagline: “symmetry made simply.”

He says he wished the app was available when developing his signature style as a tattoo artist, but it was designed with a broad range of users in mind. He hopes that designers, educators, and artists will find a use for it.

A short intro to the app's capabilities is available on YouTube. It looks like a standard drawing app, starting with a blank canvas and some tools like pens, pencils, colors, and of course, straight line and dot makers.

A "symmetry index" anchors the functionality and expands it to something between 2D art and 3D modeling. In addition to generating shapes like repeating patterns and spirals, the app also creates 3D shapes with grids, so that the artist can map their design in real space or even create sculptures. There is also an index for explaining the spiritual meaning of some standard designs.

“Geometry often prompts an intimidating feeling when it comes to making art,” Forte continues. “The fundamentally complex and often academic nature of math-based art can induce a sense of fear in the potential user instead of creating a sense of awe. The purpose of the sacred geometry app is to cultivate the latter."

Creatives interested in constructing their own geometric masterpieces can download the app at the App Store for free, and in-app purchases are available.

technology apps tattoos arts