SHAPE links science and engineering, together with the arts and humanities in a new set of undergraduate courses. Each SHAPE course connects to an artist, whose work we will share with our public. The very first artist in the SHAPE program, in conjunction with Professors Dawn Sumner and Margaret Laurena Kemp’s course “Transforming Exclusion to Expression: Gender and Race in Climate Science, is Donna Sternberg & Dancers, whose performance of the original work The Vortex has been created specially as an online presentation.

The Vortex brings to life the emotional impact of climate scientists’ stories, through dance, spoken word and video. The scientists’ stories of difficulty and discovery take you on a moving journey that goes beyond the classic scientific norms of gender, race, or sexual orientation.

The Vortex emerged from the first art and science session of the Djerassi Resident Artists Program, a month-long retreat in the Santa Cruz Mountains, where choreographer Donna Sternberg met visual artist Meredith Tromble and UC Davis geobiologist Dawn Sumner who were working together on Dream Vortex, a virtual, interactive 3-D installation based on the dreams of researchers.

A live virtual question and answer session with the artists will take place immediately following the performance, moderated by UC Davis Professors Margaret Laurena Kemp and Dawn Sumner. You may submit questions during the performance or during the Q&A.