Creativity can be a catch all phrase to speak to the need to see the solutions and possibilities right in front of us, but often invisible to the mind, or, like playing a tough chess game, a few moves out before hinting at its presence. How do you draw it out, and what does it mean to embrace the power of creativity in your daily life?

Dr. AnnMarie Thomas is the director of the Playful Learning Lab at the University of St. Thomas, where she is a professor in the School of Engineering and the Opus College of Business. She is the creator of Squishy Circuits, and the author of “Making Makers: Kids, Tools, and the Future of Innovation.” AnnMarie and her research students explore the intersection of the arts, technology and education and are always in search of their next unusual collaboration. Dr. Thomas has an undergraduate degree in Ocean Engineering (with a minor in Music) from MIT, MS and PhD degrees in Mechanical Engineering from Caltech, and a professional certificate in Sustainable Design from MCAD. Prior to joining the University of St. Thomas she was a faculty member at Art Center College of Design. When she’s not working with dancers, singers, schools, chefs or preschoolers, AnnMarie and her daughters can be found performing and studying flying trapeze and other aerial arts.

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OK Go Science!
We are delighted to hear that educators like you have been using our videos to inspire and teach your students. The videos are the way they are because we ourselves are curious people who love nothing more than figuring things out, solving puzzles, and finding hidden connections — in short, learning. So it’s a huge thrill to realize that the videos can help others learn, too. We hope they can both illuminate specific STEAM concepts and reinforce the fundamental idea that learning and curiosity are fun and fulfilling.

We’d love to learn more about how you use the videos, and what we can do to help. We know that there’s a bunch of profanity in some of the behind-the-scenes clips, so no need to mention that. (When we made them, we weren’t thinking of them as classroom tools, sorry). But, aside from simply bleeping out profanity in the existing ancillary materials, is there other stuff we could provide that would make it easier to connect with your students? We, and our collaborators from the Playful Learning Lab, look forward to reading your replies.
-OK Go

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