Leonardo da Vinci -- artist, engineer, inventor -- embodied the convergence of art and science, which ultimately leads to a greater understanding of the world. Today, that same concept is very much alive across UNT's campus as evidenced in the launching of collaborative Institutes of Research Excellence, the investment in arts technology programming, and UNT's leadership in the STEM to STEAM movement. As a hub of creativity and innovation in all forms, UNT is championing the art-meets-science approach to further understanding and discovery.
"The da Vinci model is not about left brain vs. right brain or art vs. science. It's about engaging the whole brain and all of the tools of exploration and discovery," says Tom McCoy, vice president for research and economic development. "That's what we're doing at UNT -- breaking down the barriers of linear thinking and fostering interdisciplinary collaborations to push innovation."
Collaborations for discovery
Collaboration among artists and scientists, among academics and businesses and among students and faculty members are leading to innovative discoveries in biology, environmental science, materials and logistics, both at home and abroad. Learn more in the 2016 UNT Research magazine.
The innovation economy
"Economic success depends on a firm's ability to continually reinvent itself through a steady process of innovation," writes Michael C. Carroll, the university's economist.
As director for UNT's new Economics Research Group, Carroll explores "The Innovation Economy." You can read his first commentary in the latest issue of the magazine where he explains how knowledge, culture and collaboration influence innovation, and how those factors lead to the strength or weakness of the economy.
Commercialization and licensing
As UNT researchers make ground-breaking discoveries and inventions, Michael Rondelli works to help them ready their innovations for the marketplace. As UNT's new associate vice president for economic development, Rondelli is leading the university's commercialization and licensing efforts. "Michael will contribute substantially to UNT's ability to positively impact the region, and beyond," McCoy says.
