Pacific Northwest College of Art Launches Make + Think + Code
January 30, 2017
New technology-focused research studio and lab for the campus and for Portland
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 30, 17
Contact: Lisa Radon
lradon@pnca.edu
Pacific Northwest College of Art Launches Make + Think + Code
New technology-focused research studio and lab for the campus and for Portland
Portland, OR—January 30, 2017— Pacific Northwest College of Art (PNCA) is pleased to announce the launch of Make+Think+Code, a technology-focused research studio and lab supporting the radical reimagining of what can happen at the intersection of art, design, science, and technology.
Make+Think+Code brings together members of Portland’s vibrant creative, tech, and education communities to inspire and support research, invention, and innovation and to explore the powerful role that creativity and technology play in the search for imaginative solutions to complex and urgent problems.
Located within PNCA’s Arlene and Harold Schnitzer Center for Art and Design on Portland’s North Park Blocks downtown, Make+Think+Code launches with a grand opening reception February 17, 2017 at 5:00pm.
This initiative is many years in the making and is in direct response to work that students and faculty have been doing with creative coding, robotics, virtual reality, and digital fabrication.
Make+Think+Code’s workshops, symposia, hackathons, and challenges invite the broader Portland community to interact with students, alumni, faculty, and experts in diverse cross-disciplinary teams. The cross-disciplinary programming emphasizes creative research and experimentation with emerging technologies, digital fabrication, creative coding, and data science and visualization.
“We are tremendously excited about the potential for Make+Think+Code for our students, alumni, and faculty,” says PNCA President Don Tuski. “We’re all looking forward to inviting the greater Portland tech, creative, and design communities to collaborate with us and to forge new partnerships at the intersection of art and technology.”
Make+Think+Code launches with a number of inspiring partnerships and collaborations with Portland's creative, tech, educational, civic, and nonprofit communities.
Make+Think+Code is helmed by Dr. Nandini Ranganathan who has served PNCA as the Chair of Liberal Arts from 2011-2016. Dr. Ranganathan holds a PhD in Mathematics from the University of Michigan.
Dr. Ranganathan is passionate about increasing diversity in and access to STEM and design industries. In collaboration with community partners, she is designing STE(A)M programs for K-12 students as well as professional development institutes for teachers that incorporate making, technology, and creative projects in teaching STEM subjects.
“The most important aspect of Make+Think+Code is the spirit of open-ended experimentation. We are building an open, drop-in laboratory to support PNCA students, alumni, and faculty in the realization of dream projects. We look forward to welcoming in the greater Portland community to make this a hub for creative research that supports, inspires, and connects our students,” says Ranganathan.
About Pacific Northwest College of Art
As the Northwest’s premier college of art and design since 1909, PNCA has helped shape the region’s visual arts landscape for more than a century. Today PNCA is a dynamic platform for 21st century art and design education at its new campus in the heart of downtown Portland. PNCA offers ten majors within its BFA program, six graduate programs within the Hallie Ford School of Graduate Studies, and a Post-Baccalaureate program. pnca.edu