Creativity and visualization are two skills associated with engineering and art.

The University of South Carolina Molinaroli College of Engineering and Computing (MCEC) and College of Hospitality, Retail and Sport Management (HRSM) will showcase both skills by co-hosting the second annual STEMart – Bridging Art and Engineering. The event will be held on Thursday, April 2, from 4 to 6 p.m. in the courtyard of the Swearingen Engineering Center.

The university community and public are invited to attend this free event, an interdisciplinary art exhibition celebrating the intersection of art, engineering, and innovation. The exhibition features submitted artwork created by MCEC undergraduate and graduate students, inspired by their individual research and translated into compelling visual form.

A panel of judges, including MCEC Dean Hossein Haj-Hariri, HRSM Dean Michael Sagas, and mechanical engineering alum Jim Wiseman, ’79, will evaluate the submissions. The first-place artist will receive $1,000 in student support toward tuition, fees, books and other needs in the MCEC.

STEMart was conceived by Wiseman, the president of Margaritaville Development. Wiseman maintains a strong affinity for the USC and is an active supporter of both the MCEC and HRSM. His diverse career in engineering, real estate, and hospitality informs STEMart’s vision of creativity, interdisciplinary collaboration, and research-driven storytelling.

“The idea of the event is to blend different disciplines and studies into a program that encourages new expressions and perhaps see the world of arts and sciences from a different point of view,” Wiseman says. “For example, a nuclear engineer can see the art of the structure of atoms through the eyes of an artist and vice versa.”

STEMart is planned and run by HRSM students as part of their academic curriculum, offering a hands-on experiential learning opportunity while organizing a professionally produced campus-wide exhibition.