Article provided by Rich Dionne

The Department of Theatre and The School of Engineering Education at Purdue University announce the first Symposium on Education in Entertainment and Engineering, to be held July 25-27, 2019. This event aims to foster discussion, collaboration, and dissemination of work related to instruction and education of students seeking careers where engineering and live entertainment converge.

The live entertainment industry presents increasingly complex challenges for technicians — whether in small community theatres or in large theme parks. At the same time, the shape of post-secondary education is changing — with an increasing emphasis on hands-on learning and outcome-based instructional design becoming the norm. At the convergence of these threads is the need to effectively prepare and educate students to enter the rapidly changing world of live entertainment technology.

Your submission should highlight advances, challenges, and trends in curricular design, instructional design, academic research, and cross-disciplinary work related to the intersection of engineering and live entertainment. As this symposium is specifically aimed at building bridges between two exceptionally different academic and professional cultures and practices, we welcome abstract submissions from all backgrounds and academic experiences.

Proposals will be considered that explore the interstitial spaces amongst the disciplines of engineering, theatre technology, and education, including the following topic areas:

  • Curricular development (including explorations of curricular design, academic silos, interdisciplinary/cross-disciplinary challenges and strategies, etc.)
  • Creating and navigating academic/industrial partnerships
  • The relationship between “traditional research” and “creative endeavor”
  • Instructional design and pedagogy in interdisciplinary/cross-disciplinary fields (Art+ Engineering, Technology…)
  • K-12 and Post-Secondary education(STEAM), extra-curricular programming, and diversity/inclusion outreach
  • The relationship between traditional instruction and production/performance work
  • Technology, AI, and conceptualizing the theatre of the future

The Symposium Committee invites all those interested to submit proposals for papers, posters, and panels. Panels should consist of three authors/papers. All proposals should include an abstract no longer than 500 words, proposal title, 200-word biography, current CV (with contact information for everyone), and any requests for audio/visual equipment necessary for presentation.

Abstract Submission Deadline: November 15, 2018

Submissions must be made via email to Rich Dionne (rdionne@purdue.edu). Questions about the symposium or the submission process can be directed to the same.