Youngmoo Kim

“Creativity is not the sudden flash of inspiration or ‘light bulb’ moment (getting hit on the head by an apple and inventing calculus)… No, I believe that creativity is simply the connection of different ideas, concepts, and insights across different disciplines, but it requires an openness and awareness to see those connections.”

Youngmoo Kim finds excitement at the intersection of arts and sciences. Yes, the same philosophy that was central to Leonardo da Vinci's work. But Youngmoo goes way beyond anything da Vinci could have imagined. At Drexel University, he is the director of the Expressive and Creative Interactive Technologies (ExCITe) Center,as well as a professor of electrical and computer engineering. He also leads a research group, the Music & Entertainment Technology Laboratory, or MET Lab, where he and his team explore artificial intelligence and robotics for music-making and STEAM education for K-12. He has served as Resident Technologist for Opera Philadelphia and is an advisor to the Philadelphia Museum of Art and the Greater Philadelphia Cultural Alliance. Having as he says, an inescapably Korean name, he advocates for equity and inclusion, maintaining that ingenuity doesn’t matter until people across all races, ethnicities, genders, and economic backgrounds can use it for their gain. Youngmoo was for eight seasons a member of the Tanglewood Festival Chorus performing with the Boston Symphony Orchestra, and currently sings with The Tonics, an a cappella ensemble in Philadelphia.

How do you define creativity?

 “‘Creativity is connecting things’. Those words aren't mine (I'm quoting Steve Jobs), but I know this to be true. Creativity is not the sudden flash of inspiration or "light bulb" moment (getting hit on the head by an apple and inventing calculus). Those are nice tales, usually told only after the fact. No, I believe that creativity is simply the connection of different ideas, concepts, and insights across different disciplines, but it requires an openness and awareness to see those connections. Of course, this transdisciplinary philosophy was also central to Leonardo da Vinci's work, but today our organizations are often hyper-specialized and siloed, preventing such connections. That's why I focus my work on the intersection across disciplines (particularly the arts and technology) to enable and foster such connections.

biography:

Youngmoo Kim is Director of the ExCITe Center, an institute at Drexel University for transdisciplinary collaboration and learning, and Professor of Electrical & Computer Engineering. His research group, the Music & Entertainment Technology Laboratory pursues AI for music, human-machine interfaces and robotics for expressive interaction, and STEAM education. He has served as Resident Technologist for Opera Philadelphia and is an advisor to the Philadelphia Museum of Art and the Greater Philadelphia Cultural Alliance. He served on the National Academies report committee for “Branches from the Same Tree” on the integration of the Humanities & Arts with Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine in Higher Education, and recently co-edited a special issue of Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences focusing on creativity and collaboration. He took “Scientist of the Year” honors at the 2012 Philadelphia Geek Awards, and is a member of the Apple Distinguished Educator class of 2013. HIs 2019 TEDxPhiladelphia talk addressed the persistent digital divide and the lack of equity & inclusion in tech. His research has been supported by the National Science Foundation, the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, and the NAMM Foundation, among others. Youngmoo has extensive experience in music performance, including 8 years as a member of the Tanglewood Festival Chorus, and currently sings with The Tonics, an a cappella ensemble in Philadelphia.