This year’s Met Exhibition is titled Sleeping Beauties: Reawakening Fashion. The theme of this exhibition is to reawaken historical garments through the five senses so that attendees can be fully immersed. This exhibit was the product of many groups collaborating including technologists, researchers, preservationists, and the local community.

“In a way, it’s like marrying the poetics of fashion with the poetics of science.” — Andrew Bolton, Chief Curator, Interview with WWD

Prior to the exhibition opening, it was reported that various technological advances would be incorporated into exhibit such as augmented reality, artificial intelligence, and computer generated imagery to increase the accessibility of fragile historical garments to the public. In a recent interview with Vogue, Andrew Bolton, Chief Curator, described wanting to make garments accessible to a younger audience

“I heard a young girl probably 9 or 10 asking a security guard ‘Why can’t I touch this?’ which is a completely normal question… the young children try to deconstruct museum etiquette to make it more accessible to a younger audience.” — Andrew Bolton, Chief Curator, Interview with Vogue

This exhibit was created so that attendees can use all 5 senses to interact with these garments recreated with the help of science and technology all while maintaining preservation of the garments.

OpenAI is one of the collaborators in this exhibit tasked to create a bot to take on the persona of a New York Socialite, Natalie Potter. Natalie was the owner of a 1930s wedding gown on display. The public can “talk” to her by scanning a QR code and chat via text — similar to how users use ChatGPT, Siri, and Alexa. The bot is trained to respond like her based on letters she wrote, newspaper articles, and documents from that time period. This is the first time AI has been used to create an exhibit by the Met and opens up further opportunities for how AI can be used in this space. This is a a different response to the concern that AI is disrupting the creative industry by being able to produce content faster and more affordably than humans. By collaborating with OpenAI the Met is showing how developing technologies can be used cohesively in the arts.

Another way these garments are being brought to life is through computer generated images. Some of the garments featured in the exhibit are too fragile to be worn by humans or mannequins so a technique called “Pepper’s Ghost” is being used to create a “ghost” wearing the garments. This method was most recently used publicly in 2012 when Tupac Shakur’s likeness was recreated at Coachella and can be seen at Disney World’s Haunted Mansion ride. Using technology to recreate these fragile garments enhances the accessibility of them and presents an opportunity to bring these art pieces to other cities virtually.

“By using historic technology, the Met Gala not only connects us more directly to the time period of the clothing but also highlights the timeless influence that technology has had on fashion.” says Andrew Klock, a graduate student at University of Wisconsin in the Department of Computer Sciences.

An interesting way that this exhibit is engaging the public is through the power of scent. Sissel Tolaas, chemist and smell researcher, was engaged by the Met to recreate the smell of garments. For example, a gallery was created focused on socialist and heiress Millicent Rogers’ scent. Molecules from her garments were analyzed to discover everything from her fragrance to habits and lifestyle. The public can use plastic tubes to smell peak molecules from Millicent’s dress.

“You’re actually smelling Millicent Rogers,” Bolton said. “You’re smelling not only the fragrance she wore, but her natural body odors, what she ate, what she drank, what she smoked and where she lived.”

This year’s Met Gala exhibit is a product of science, fashion, and history that creates an engaging, accessible, and immersive experience for the public. This is the first time technology has been front and center in creating a Met exhibit and most likely won’t be the last. Through various collaborations the Met has shown how science and technology can be embraced in the arts and can enhance accessibility of pieces that are usually locked away from the public’s eye.

Engaging the public and creating an immersive experience was at the center of creating this exhibit. As Andrew Bolton said — reaching a younger audience required the Met to break down the traditional barriers that a museum presents. This would not have been possible without engaging scientists, technologists, and researchers. By involving groups that are not conventionally involved in creating exhibits like these the Met expanded the possibilities of types of art that could be created. Further, the collaboration of people in STEM, art, and history has created an exhibit that is more attainable to the public. Arguably, this is what should have been the highlight at the actual Met Gala event.

The exhibit is open until September 2nd and hopefully it is not the last time a collaborative experience like this happens. After seeing the success of this exhibit, this begs the question what else could be created with the collaboration of artist and scientists? How can this grand experience be recreated in local communities?

There is an opportunity for scientists, researchers, and technologists to use their work in unconventional ways to engage with the public. Traditionally, as a researcher it is difficult to share work with others that is not in the form of a journal or a presentation which has impact mostly only in the scientific community. But the Sleeping Beauties: Reawakening Fashion exhibit shows how scientific work can go beyond that. Universities are potentially a prime place for these collaborations to take place — they have the resources, the people, and connection to the local communities. Overall, this exhibit is an example of the success that scientists and researchers can have by 1) collaborating with other fields to 2) create an engaging product for the public to interact with their work.

Sleeping Beauties: Reawakening Fashion will be open from May 10 — Sept 2.

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What happens when an entrepreneur takes an interest in philanthropy? A multimillion-dollar grant funding institution is born. Established in 1950 in New York City by entrepreneur Charles Dana, the Dana Foundation started as a philanthropic institution that helped fund smaller independent colleges. Charles Dana looked for areas in society in which funding and grants would have the greatest impact, which, in addition to universities, included funding advancements in health. Charles Dana died in 1975; however, the Dana Foundation lived on, and its mission grew stronger. In the 1980’s the foundation shifted in focus to neuroscience, the study of the human brain. Over 40 years later, the mission of aiding neuroscience efforts has led to funding over 4 million dollars in grants in just 2022 alone.

The Dana Foundation’s current president and CEO, Dr. Caroline Montojo, “envisions a world where neuroscience reflects the aspirations of people from all walks of life and improves their life’s journey.” The Foundation’s primary effort is to bridge the gap between the public at large, including students, communities, and policymakers, and the scientific community of scholars, funders, and professionals. The Foundation maintains that collaboration and inclusivity are critical in ensuring that its mission, which it has named broadly neuroscience and society, is achieved.

How do they do this? In 2023, the Foundation finalized the objectives of its three grant programs: the Dana Frontiers, Dana NextGen, and Dana Education (see Figure 1).

Dana Frontiers supports neuroscientific collaboration with the diverse public including technology builders and users, policymakers, and clinicians following two objectives: (1) “develop engagement resources to cultivate trust and improve the quality of relationships between neuroscience practitioners, policymakers, and communities of people” and (2) “pilot innovative multidirectional engagement opportunities to embed community perspectives in research, policy, and decision-making.”

Since 2019, a total of 12 different grants have been awarded to researchers, journalists, institutions, and more through the Dana Frontiers Program. Previously funded initiatives under this program include a 2024 grant in support of the establishment of the Implantable Brain Computer Interface Collaborative Community (iBCI-CC) a diverse community of professionals researching and developing implantable BCI’s, a 2022 grant for a virtual event series hosted by Knowable Magazine titled “Inside the Brain: A Lifetime of Change” which explored human development from birth to death bringing together the general public and neurodevelopmental experts and policymakers, and a 2019 grant awarded to the National Academy of Sciences to support judges through education materials and workshops when considering scientific evidence in their trials.

On the other hand, Dana NextGen supports neuroscience students and early professionals following three objectives: (1) “integrate societal concerns into neuroscience training … through experiential learning and innovative curricula,” (2) “support workforce development in academic and non-academic career tracks” focused on neuroscience and society, and (3) “encourage rigorous, collaborative, and cross-disciplinary work between neuroscience and non-science disciplines.”

Through the Dana NextGen program, a total of 19 different grants have been awarded since 2019. Some of the grants include a 2023 grant to the Center of Bioethics at Harvard to create the Dana Foundation Career Network in Neuroscience and Society, a 2022 grant to BrainMind, a non-profit group working to increase neuroscientific research that benefits humanity, to host their first conference, the BrainMind Neuroethics Conference, and a 2023 grant to the Leadership Alliance at Brown University and Johns Hopkins University which provides professional development workshop to university undergraduates.

Lastly, the Dana Education program supports the formal and informal education of neuroscience to all people following three objectives: (1) to support the informal education “of neuroscience and its connection to society” 2) to “engage K-12 students in learning about neuroscience and its relevance to society” and (3) to “facilitate greater understanding and informed decision-making among professionals by supporting new education approaches.”

A total of 17 different grants have been awarded under the Education program since 2019 including a 2022 grant to the Franklin Institute to update their neuroscience and society high school curriculum providing interactive neuroscience-focused activities to high school students. The update allowed for the curriculum to move to an online format, making it easier for the Franklin Institute to disseminate its knowledge base to a wider variety of schools, students, and teachers, including those with fewer resources. Other grants awarded under the Education program include a 2023 grant to the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) in support of their neuroscience seminar series for judicial figures including judges, and a 2019 grant to PBS Television Station WETA in support of the production of their documentary, “Hiding in Plain Sight: Our Mental Health Crisis.”

The Dana Foundation has funded many diverse programs and projects through its three grant programs. However, the mission of strengthening the connections between neuroscience and society is not limited to the Dana Foundation. For example, the National Science Foundation has a grant program called Advancing Informal STEM Learning (AISL) which funds both research and implementation projects of informal learning experiences in support of STEM education that include neuroscience. Considering Dana Foundation’s neuroscience and society funding programs and others like it, several questions are important to consider. For example, how are funders measuring the impact of grants in this space? How are funders working with grant recipients to ensure successful projects that were funded continue after the funding ends? Additionally, how are funders sharing the lessons learned from their grantees? For example, could all funders have a public database (like this one) with searchable final reports of their funded projects so that researchers, practitioners, and policymakers can use the lessons learned to advance other related work?

Ultimately, tracking grant funding will be an important element in mapping the allocation of resources supporting the ecosystem of projects at the intersection between neuroscience and society. We will keep tracking this progress as new developments emerge.

by Bernadette Weigman, Neuroscience & Society Correspondent, Civic Science Media Lab

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In the past year, you can’t open any form of media without hearing about Ozempic — the “magic” weight loss drug initially approved for diabetes. Ozempic is polarizing to say the least. Some people are obsessed with it and praise its use from the rooftops. Others are angered that this drug is being advertised as a magical diet pill. Either way, the cultural impact, financial success, and scientific innovation of ozempic cannot be denied.

Ozempic was originally approved by the FDA in 2017 for patients with diabetes. In 2021, a similar drug called Wegovy was approved for weight loss. The popularity of these drugs skyrocketed so much that they are on the FDA shortage list. But how exactly did this happen and what are the implications of Ozempic’s success on researchers and science communicators? The success of Ozempic lies at the intersection of diet culture, celebrity influence, social media, and scientific innovation.

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