Foreword

Written By Sarah Kuhn

Boundary objects externalize abstract problems, which makes them less threatening. They are enormously useful when crossing boundaries between disciplines. The objects do not themselves have to solve problems, but they can set the ball rolling.

Laboratory for Interdisciplinary Design, University of Massachusetts, Lowell

The Laboratory for Interdisciplinary Design is located in a basement room at the University of Massachusetts Lowell, and it is a site of social science and crossdisciplinary experimentation. It is a new kind of classroom that allows people to explore new ways of teaching and learning.

Hyperbolic Crochet by Daina Taimina

Within the crocheted hyperbolic plane, the humble, feminine art of crochet can coexist comfortably and elegantly with advanced mathematics, integrating art and science in a beautiful way.

The Eames Office - Charles and Ray Eames

The Office of Charles and Ray Eames was a highly-influential design studio during the 20th century. A husband and wife partnership, Charles and Ray Eames embodied the aesthetic of mid-century modernism and the spirit of inquiry in science and art.

The Edna Lawrence Nature Lab

The Nature Lab at the Rhode Island School of Design is a lending library of artifacts. Established almost a century ago, the collection saves and preserves almost anything from nature, from seashells to taxidermied animals to living plants, making them available to students and RISD faculty on loan.

The Arthur Loeb Design Science Collection

Housed at the Nature Lab at the Rhode Island School of Design, the Arthur Loeb Design Science Collection is made up of hundreds of three-dimensional geometric models and two-dimensional patterns.