IDeATe's primary role is helping students augment their disciplinary education with an exposure to the skills and techniques of working with other people. We know our graduates will have to work with others when they enter the workforce, and we want them to understand the skills and habits of mind from colleagues in other fields. Many of our courses involve collaboration and making as practical ways of allowing interdisciplinary skills to be developed and practiced. These practical approaches are highly relevant in a time of interest in maker-movements. - Keith Webster, Dean of University Libraries and Director of Emerging and Integrative Media Initiatives.
The Carnegie Mellon University Libraries have always been known as a repository for knowledge, but as the Libraries enter the third decade of the 21st century, a new ethos emerges. As print goes the way of digital and learning continues to transform, imagination and innovation form the backbone of a new curriculum; one where interdisciplinary learning is merged with a maker-sensibility to breathe new life into the educational environment. Celebrating its fifth anniversary this semester, the Integrative Design, Arts and Technology network (IDeATe) exemplifies this forward-thinking momentum on the Carnegie Mellon University campus by offering undergraduate minors and courses that 'advance education, research and creative practice in domains that merge technology and arts expertise.'
The seeds of IDeATe take root in the maker movement of the early 2000s, with the launch of Make: magazine in early 2005. Known as the 'Gutenberg Bible of the burgeoning Maker Community,' the magazine published information pertaining to maker-related projects and spawned the initiative of independent Maker-Faires that served as 'a series of venues for makers to express themselves and share their creations.' This formed the catalyst of the modern makerspace, where creators with shared interests can congregate on collaborative projects involving computers, electronics, machinery and other forms of technology that incorporate the arts and sciences. This progression of maker-oriented spaces also finds its origins in the fabrication labs of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, also known as the MIT Fab Labs. Created by Neil Gershenfeld of MIT's Center for Bits and Atoms, the MIT Fab Labs formed the initiative of makerspaces in educational institutions, directly leading to a proliferation of collaborative spaces in academia throughout the United States.
IDeATe began as an initiative from the Carnegie Mellon University Provost's Office in 2013 to help expand interdisciplinary collaboration. Along with the University Provost, campus faculty identified eight areas that had curricular options in several academic departments, and designed a program that would expand access to these areas to students from any discipline. Among the participants were Dean of University Libraries and Director of Emerging and Integrative Media Initiatives Keith Webster and IDeATe Assistant Director Kelly B. Delaney. At the time, Delaney was Project Manager of the group and responsible for major aspects of the program's implementation, while Dean Webster was integral in developing the space design for IDeATe; relocating collections and services so no major disruption took place during library activities.
Five years later, IDeATe has grown into a widely popular program across eight interrelated undergraduate areas, including Game Design, Animation and Special Effects, Media Design, Sonic Arts, Design for Learning, Innovation and Entrepreneurship, Intelligent Environments and Physical Computing. Housed in Hunt Library, the studios of IDeATe include an experimental fabrication lab, media lab, physical computing, laser cutters, a wood shop and a project-build space. As the program continues to develop, with new minors along with additional student and faculty participation anticipated, feedback from the first class of graduates has been overwhelmingly positive. With CMU recognized as a leader for its phenomenal interdisciplinary research, it's only fitting that the University Libraries and IDeATe would partner together to offer students access to a wealth of resources rarely seen in the library environment.
One of the ways that libraries are essential to any learning community is that they collect and disperse any and all types of resources for expanding knowledge. IDeATe represents several facets of the learning experience that are important at Carnegie Mellon and seeks to widen access to the equipment and ideas necessary for these areas of interdisciplinary collaboration. - Kelly B. Delaney, Assistant Director, IDeATe.