Beautiful Math, Code & Art of Geometry and Symmetry

Instructor Dr. Christopher Keane

Dr. Christopher Keane, MPH, ScD. is enjoying the world anew through the eyes of his 9-year-old daughter. He composes music, plays violin and piano. He enjoys looking deeply into patterns of nature, studying the underlying rules and hypnotic repetitions, and representing these patterns with code and graphic design. He practices deep awareness meditation, both in nature and in quiet solitude. He has published in over 30 prestigious peer-reviewed journals on a variety of topics relating to collective dynamics and social behavior and has published a textbook on these topics. He has many years of experience teaching, conducting research, and creating computational models of social-ecological dynamics. He applies his experience to code, models, games, graphic arts, and books, which he creates with his wife Kathy. With his wife KJ Keane, he co-created Beautiful Discovery, monthly lessons that spark passion-based learning with beautiful science and art.

Instructor Dr. K.J. Keane

K.J. Keane has a B.S. in Art Education (grades K-12) and a PhD in Art History. She has taught students at the elementary, high school, and university levels. She has also taught adults art (drawing and painting) outside of an academic setting. She is co-creator of the Beautiful Discovery approach to learning STEM topics. This passion-driven learning approach mirrors her own interests in the arts, natural science, and complex design. These are the classes K.J. wished she had as a youth. Keane is inspired by her young daughter's joy and awe of discovering her world through the beauty of nature's patterns. K.J. Keane is fascinated with patterns found in nature—the veins of leaves, the spiral of fiddlehead ferns, a lone Blue Jay feather. Her current painting series takes bird feathers in extreme closeup, a “bug’s eye view,” and transforms them into bold abstractions. This challenges viewers to reconsider the common place. Nature, while possessing a simple elegance, can evoke profound awe. This awe and passion serve as the driving force for Beautiful Discovery.