In celebration of its second anniversary at UNT, xREZ Art + Science Lab hosted the spring meeting of the TxHATS Network Mar. 30, 2016, followed by an Art + Science Evening Rendezvous to engage the community and talk about the combination of art and science.

The TxHATS (Humanities, Art, Technology, Science) is a network of networks providing opportunities for cross-disciplinary collaboration among Texans working in hybrid fields. Originally begun as a listserv (TexasHATS.org) and expanded in the last two years into seasonal gatherings held throughout Texas, the TxHATS Network brings people together to talk about the delicate and complicated process of working among disciplines with different vocabularies, different goals, and different measurements of validity.

TxHATS Network members Carol Lafayette and Joan Quintana talk with xREZ Art + Science Lab students Zach Thomas and Seth Shafer during lunchtime presentations in the lab.

The March 30 event brought professors, researchers, artists, and innovators together for a day-long meeting that included participant pitches, presentations of their work, working group discussions, an immersive virtual reality installation demonstration, UNT student presentations, and small working group discussions.

To finish the day, a roundtable discussion, “Initiating and Sustaining Successful Industry + Academia + Community Partnerships,” included panelists Katherine Wagner, CEO of Dallas’ Business Council for the Arts; Jose Quintana, president and chairman of the board for AdventGX; Joan Quintana, managing partner for AdventGX; Craig Orris Taylor, senior account executive, sales and marketing for Whitlock; and Thomas Derryberry, assistant dean for corporate relations at the UNT College of Engineering.

The evening Rendezvous following the day-long working group was sponsored by the UNT Office of Research & Economic Development, the UNT College of Visual Art & Design, and the UNT Department of Design, with community partners Dallas Contemporary museum, Business Council for the Arts, and Debbie & Charles Stafford.