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For the second event, I visited Griffith Observatory. This was my first time visiting, and I was amazed by everything it had. To me, it was pretty much a space-science museum. I really enjoyed viewing all of the interactive exhibits. Since I am an astrophysics student, I had a lot of fun being able to relate the knowledge about space that I have learned in my astronomy courses to the information in the exhibitions that were at the observatory. During my visit, I noticed a prevalent connection made between science, specifically astronomy, and art, in the way that the science is presented in such an artistic manner.  Immediately upon entering the observatory, there is a large, beautifully painted ceiling. This reminded me of the art that one would see in a religious/traditional architecture building. Artistic ceiling at the entrance of the Observatory. Another part of the observatory that I really enjoyed was the exhibit with the models of the planets of the solar system,...

This week's topic was extremely intriguing to me, since I am keenly interested in the medical field and the biotechnology used to enhance medicine. I think that most of the advancements in the medical and biotechnological field stem from creative thinking. Gray's Anatomy, written by Henry Gray,  illustrated by Henry Carter, 1858. In the lecture videos, Victoria Vesna mentions how since ancient times, people were curious about the human body and would cut open and dissect human bodies; some cultures even did this to mummify a body, which would be considered a work of art in their culture and tradition. Vesna continues to point out how in later times, during the Renaissance, people were dissecting bodies for more scientific means, in order to learn more about how the body functions. Vesna also mentions the book "Gray's Anatomy" written by Henry Gray in 1858, which is a book about the human anatomy that has been in print since it was first published. The illu...

For my first event, I visited the Meteorite Gallery that is located in the Geology building at UCLA. This was a relatively small room, but it felt like you were walking into an exhibition at a science museum. At the time that I went, no one who worked there was present. However, that did not affect the knowledge I gained, since the descriptive captions throughout the gallery were enough to fill me in. In this exhibition, I observed many different kinds meteorites, all of them were fascinating to look at, since you were literally looking at the history and composition of the solar system. Display of some of the beautiful meteorites. I noticed that a lot of these meteorites are rather artistic and grab one's attention when looking at them. A thought that came to my mind when trying to relate this gallery to the topics learned in class was that if it wasn't for that aesthetically-pleasing aspect of these meteorites, perhaps people would not feel as inclined to study them. ...

For this blog, I focus on robotics and art and where they meet. The evolution of art from traditional  forms (paintings, sculptures, etc.), to more technological forms (photography, film, robotics, etc) marked a historic shift in human industrialization. As Benjamin Walter points out, industrialization and technology had "captured a place of its own among the artistic processes" ("The Work of Art..." 1). An example that I can think of relating this concept includes the evolution of architecture. Of course, ancient, traditional architecture is beautiful, however it is not being seen or built as often anymore. Nowadays, new buildings that are being built often look more "futuristic". I notice this when I go to Las Vegas, and contrast the "older" hotels to the "newer" hotels, pictured below. Both are impressive works of art to look at, however the Aria resort appears more futuristic as opposed to Caesar's Palace which has a more trad...

Mathematics is the language of nature. Almost everything you see can be described with mathematics, which is what makes it a truly universal language. The concept of mathematics, geometry, patterns, symmetry governs our visual and artistic worlds. As a mathematics minor, I have been familiar with the notion that math is closely interrelated with a lot of natural occurring phenomena. An example of a naturally-recurring mathematical phenomena is the Fibonacci spiral, pictured below. Fibonacci spiral, closely related to the famous Fibonacci sequence. From “The Fibonacci Sequence in Artistic Composition.” Fibonacci spirals can be seen to perfectly trace out the entire composition of the portrait. These spirals can also be seen in other natural compositions. From “The Fibonacci Sequence in Artistic Composition.” As Victoria Vesna goes into detail about in the lecture video, Leonardo da Vinci's drawing of the Vitruvian man demonstrates the use of the Golden Ratio, a well...

Galaxy pictured above. from http://www.physics.montana.edu/research/astrophysics/astro-msu.html As an astrophysics major, I spend a large amount of my time doing hefty, tiresome mathematical computations. Although I often get lost in all the math that is required, I try not to lose picture of the beauty of what I am studying. It was all of the beautiful pictures of galaxies and the cosmos that inspired me to study astrophysics in the first place. International Space Station orbiting Earth. from https://mobile.arc.nasa.gov/public/iexplore/missions/pages/solarsystem/iss.html I often think about how scientists need to utilize divergent thinking in order to produce significant advances in their fields of expertise. For example, a vast amount of creativity and mathematical rigor is needed to successfully create and design all the high-tech telescopes, spacecraft and satellites that are needed in order to study the solar system and outer space. I believe there is a ba...