TEDxRVA – VSU's President Makola Abdullah on STEM & The Arts
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Posted By: Will Moss on May 27, 2016 Dr. Makola Abdullah currently serves at the 14th president of Virginia State University. Though his pedagogical background is deeply entrenched in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math), his personal and professional repertoire is also entrenched in the arts. In fact, Abdullah asserts “they (science and arts) are the same; they’ve always been the same.” Dr. Abdullah’s STEM roots are catholic. He attended Northwestern University for his master’s and doctoral studies. At 24, he became the youngest African American in Northwestern’s history to receive a Ph.D. in engineering. Despite that background and the family business (his wife is also an accomplished scientist in her own right), Abdullah says it’s the “arts” that piqued his interest very early on. Perhaps it was the arts that helped him matriculate, seemingly effortlessly, through a scientifically methodical discipline that many in the Arts would have deemed a labyrinth of mammoth proportions; “yet they are the same,” according to Abdullah. It was that assertion that “STEM and the Arts” not only intersect, but travel along nearly intertwined parallel lines that led to Abdullah being invited to participate in the highly respected TEDxRVA 2016 ARTFUL event on Friday, April 8th at the Carpenter Theatre at Dominion Arts Center in Richmond, Virginia. TEDxRVA is an annual inspiration-packed, engaging conference designed to help communities, organizations, and individuals interact and network through unique experiences. Following coaching sessions and practices (click here), Dr. Abdullah was able to connect with the sold out audience in a unique and unexpected way using metaphoric comparisons of a tune by the 70’s R&B sensation, The Temptations’ My Girl, to scientific research of bees and honey; or by studying seismic activity and the volcanic impact on large buildings by visualizing the structures as “dancing to seismic music.” In his playful, entertaining, engaging yet informative and thought provoking monologue (click here), this accomplished scientist used humor and an extemporaneous delivery style to hit the proverbial home run. Both bloggers and artists alike in attendance used Abdullah’s wit to capture the essence of the evening (click here). Dr. Makola Abdullah, a multifaceted scientist and artist, is a compelling example that the right brain and left brain must intersect to achieve the fullness of our being. Dr. Makola Abdullah has again made us proud to be Virginia STATE Trojans and proud to call this exceptional artistic scientist, our Head of STATE. To contact President Abdullah please email Gwen Williams Dandridge at gdandridge@vsu.edu If you enjoyed this article, Join HBCU CONNECT today for similar content and opportunities via email! |
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Will Moss
Founder & CEO, HBCU CONNECT, LLC Hampton University class of 1995 Member Since June 1999 |
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