Exploring Career Options for Kids Who Love Both Physics and Art

[Ms Music]

Is there a way for a kid to blend physics and art into a career? She can't make up her mind which way to go, so I thought I would see if there are any suggestions out there that use both.

 

[Math Is Hard]

Theo Jansen is a interesting hybrid of artist and engineer, and physics knowledge was surely relevant when designing his wind powered "Beach Beasts".

 

[robphy]

scientific visualization: e.g. http://www.apple.com/science/profiles/trott/

Cooper Union http://www.cooper.edu/ (although you can't major in physics there anymore)

NPR stories: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=4111499

participate in the design of museum displays

 

[Moonbear]

robphy's suggestion of someone to design museum displays is a really good one I hadn't though of before.

There are also people who build kinetic sculptures. Not using a whole lot of physics, but a little bit to make sure one knows how to get things balanced and moving as intended.

Sometimes illustrators are needed for publications like textbooks (especially for primary and secondary school students where pretty pictures illustrating concepts can be more important and useful than lots of words or boring line diagrams like the college students need), or books intended for the lay reader.

 

[Laura1013]

I'm sorry I can't remember his name, but not too long ago, a news station featured a man who uses mathematical models to create extremely elaborate origami (paper folding). They were beautiful and very impressive!

Edit: Found the video: http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/tech/2008/03/06/lustout.intv.lang.oragami.cnn?iref=videosearch

 

[CaptainQuaser]

some astronomers are glorified artists...
spend all their time picking appropriate colours for images of galaxies and such

 

[oedipa maas]

Is there a way for a kid to blend physics and art into a career? She can't make up her mind which way to go, so I thought I would see if there are any suggestions out there that use both.

Is this individual just starting post-secondary schooling? There's no reason she can't at least start off doing both and invent a career later. There are plenty of physics majors out there with strange double majors and stranger hobbies. (But food for thought: you can't really study physics as a hobby.)

 

[robphy]

robphy's suggestion of someone to design museum displays is a really good one I hadn't though of before.

Sometimes illustrators are needed for publications like textbooks (especially for primary and secondary school students where pretty pictures illustrating concepts can be more important and useful than lots of words or boring line diagrams like the college students need), or books intended for the lay reader.

I was involved in a collaboration to setup a cosmology exhibit in the local museum. The collaboration got help from design students in terms of layout and graphic design. Of course, the scientists were there at each step to make sure that the science is properly emphasized.

Concerning illustration, I was at a conference where http://mgl.scripps.edu/people/goodsell/ displayed some of his efforts. In addition to educating scientists, I think scientific illustration and visualization also helps to sell science journals and magazines and to get folks to watch things like NOVA and other stuff on the Science channel. These look interesting: http://www.umass.edu/microbio/rasmol/history.htm http://vis.ncsa.uiuc.edu/?content=gallery

In addition, one might consider computer graphics, virtual-reality, and video-game design... where physics is playing a more important role in simulating reality (e.g. optical effects and lighting, how clothing hangs, how hair strands move, how birds flock, etc...). Robotics is another area.

 

[Ms Music]

These are all great ideas! We will watch the videos and look at the links later.

And yes, she is only 13 so she has plenty of time. This is only for fun! Maybe it will give her some direction, maybe not. But it is always interesting to think of all the potential. She enjoyed hearing the ideas last night, and I am sure even more so today as there are many new ideas today!

 

[robphy]

Nice artistic photos from the nanoscale
http://www.wired.com/science/discoveries/multimedia/2008/04/gallery_nano_art

 

[Ms Music]

Now there is something that *I* could get into! I love macrophotography, and have often wished I could get into micro and nano photography. Its awesome! She still hasn't been on the computer yet, but we will some day! Thanks again, I will let you guys know if she has questions or comments about them.

 

[DaveC426913]

What about science illustrator? Science and art are my two fave things too.
She could illo complex concepts for textbooks and science journals.

 

[Moonbear]

These are all great ideas! We will watch the videos and look at the links later.

And yes, she is only 13 so she has plenty of time. This is only for fun! Maybe it will give her some direction, maybe not. But it is always interesting to think of all the potential. She enjoyed hearing the ideas last night, and I am sure even more so today as there are many new ideas today!

Hey, you never know, she may be inspired into a really fun career. It never hurts to know what options are out there.

Another idea that came to mind reading the other responses here...what about a documentary producer or camera person? I'm not sure what kind of art she likes, but if she's into photography or film making, that could be a fun career direction.