Speaker: Tugce Bilgin (Zürich University of Applied Science)
Title: How to foster creative thinking in data science?
Art and creativity are at the core of human expression, inspiring us to see even the most ordinary things from a different perspective, questioning things in a unique way. Similarly, scientists thrive on curiosity, asking questions no one has before and making innovative connections others might miss. Hence, creativity is essential to scientific discoveries.
In today’s AI and data driven science scene though, research projects are ranked based on how big their data size is, and how fancy their algorithm sounds. Such a shift prioritizes efficiency in terms of cost and time downplaying experimentation and exploration. How to ensure creative thinking is not forgotten by scientists? Playful challenges, games, and other creative activities offer powerful ways to nurture imagination both in STEM education and as workshops for scientists themselves. This lecture will explore such intersections of art and science, showcasing strategies to foster creative thinking among scientists—and welcoming insights from the audience on how we can further bridge these worlds.
Tugce is a scientific lecturer in Zurich, Switzerland. She grew up in Istanbul, completed her PhD in computational evolutionary biology at the University of Zurich. After some postdoctoral research, Tugce realized her true passion lies not in research itself but in empowering students and teaching. In 2018, she moved to New York to become a lecturer at Columbia University. There, not only she expanded her pedagogical knowledge to integrate anti-racism and feminism, but also received intensive in person training on active learning in a prestigious program provided by MET, MoMA and Gugg museums. Tugce appreciated gallery style teaching and practiced that by working at AMNH as a side gig. She also taught multiple courses at Pratt Institute including creative coding. In 2023, Tugce located back to Zurich, Switzerland for a permanent full time lecturer position in bioinformatics. She continues to give training and workshops in creative coding and always looks for ways to unite her two passions: creativity and science. She is also a yoga teacher at a refugee center.
