The Anthropology, Performance, and Technology (APT) program at the UC San Diego Jacobs School of Engineering aims to empower a new generation of socially-engaged, culturally relevant, and artistically as well as scientifically and technically creative engineers. The APT Program is directed by Hortense Gerardo.
The APT Program has evolved three divisions since its inception: transdisciplinary education, creative applied research, and community outreach programs.
Founded during the Covid-19 pandemic through a gift from the Jacobs Family Foundation, the APT program began with an introduction to the UCSD and local community through the APT Roundtable Discussion and Educational Network Talks (ARDENT). This series, open to the public, invites its attendees to film screenings and to engage in discussions with invited specialists about complex social problems that may be addressed by engineering.
The second division of APT, focused on creative research, evolved organically through the collaboration of professional artist scientists united by their shared interest in the integration of art and technology. Initiated by a challenge from La Jolla Playhouse to create innovative storytelling using new media, recent commissions have yielded artistic performances, installations, and presentations for On Display Global, the New Americans Museum, the Without Walls Festival, the Society for Literature, Science, and Art, the International Conference on Education, Research, and Innovation, and the International Conference of Systems Engineering International Workshop (INCOSE IW) , to name a few of its endeavors.
The APT approach of multidisciplinary, interactive engagement offers a selection of presentations, workshops, modules, classes, and one-to-one consultations for undergraduates, graduates, and corporate affiliates.
Welcome to the APT website. Dive in: the water is terrific.