It's a simple argument. STEM already gets funding by the National Science Foundation under legislation passed some time ago. But now that inclusion of the arts is being recognized, shouldn't STEAM projects get some money too? Yes, says the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), and while not as obvious, the National Science Foundation (NSF) seems to agree… Bill O'Brian, senior adviser for Innovation programs at the NEA said that "creativity and innovation" clearly support U.S. economic interests and he expected this effort to continue well beyond the current request for applications. He also noted that the government community of artists and scientists are very much in agreement that these are the kinds of things they wish to fund. He stopped short of endorsing STEAM -- maybe too political a decision -- but seemed enthusiastic about the idea of funding art and science projects. The NSF meanwhile is listening to and reading about the teaching of innovation and creativity and the importance of music and the arts. In one article posted on the NSF website, Parag Chordia, director of the Music Intelligence Lab at Georgia Tech, is quoted as saying, "One of the difficulties of teaching math and science is that it quickly becomes very abstract. You have to have points of reference that people can relate to and it becomes much easier. So, whether we're talking about teaching basic mathematical concepts, or designing experiments, you can design experiments around music." This parallels a paper issued last year by the National Science Teachers Association (NSTA), called "Reaching Students Through STEM and the Arts," which stated, "Teachers of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) are discovering that by adding an "A" -- the arts -- to STEM, learning will pick up STEAM."
