The Social Media Workgroup

The Social Media Workgroup (SMW) is an interdisciplinary art science and engineering educational research laboratory based at the University of New Mexico’s Center for Advanced Research Computing (CARC) that has provided students with hands-on experience designing and creating STEAM (Science Technology Engineering and Math + the Arts) projects using mobile media, software and other technologies since 2009. The SMW has provided jobs and experience in technology and innovation to 14 students, and college credit and professional portfolio development to several others. Students in the research group have produced professional social and mobile media projects locally, nationally and internationally. The SMW has partnered with a number of local Albuquerque and greater New Mexico community organizations including: 516 ARTS, Explora!, The Albuquerque Museum of Art and History, the NHCC, the New Mexico Consortium, New Mexico Public Art and the Albuquerque Department of Cultural Affairs. We have worked with 516 ARTS on efforts to enhance STEM-Arts/STEAM education, one project that resulted from our partnership, the International Symposium for the Electronic Arts ISEA2012, a symposium, series of exhibitions and residencies that brought together community organizations throughout the state in a conversation about sustainability and arts technology in the desert Southwest received funding support from Intel and the NEA. The SMW has been very successful in growing beyond its initial funding by partnering with local communities - not only through ISEA2012 but also by creating a public media project on Navajo Nation, designing and hosting workshops in Albuquerque at the Nuclear Science Museum and Explora!, and as part of an interdisciplinary 5-year NSF-funded project investigating energy harvesting. Nationally, cities including Philadelphia, New York, San Jose have supported our projects, and internationally we have been supported in Europe, Australia and Hong Kong.