Meeting in the Middle: A Return Walk Through UCLA
Retracing my steps from North to South Campus, I found myself once again pausing at the Tongva Steps, formerly Janss Steps. These 87 stairs are more than just a connector between the arts and the sciences, they are UCLA’s spine, binding disciplines, ideologies, and communities. Since their renaming to honor the Gabrielino-Tongva people, the steps have taken on new meaning. As the Daily Bruin reported, the decision wasn’t just symbolic; it was a conscious effort to acknowledge the Indigenous history beneath our feet and reconsider whose narratives are centered in our institutions In our Art, Science, and Technology course, we’ve challenged the rigid divide between North and South Campus, between humanists and scientists. We've seen how artists use algorithms and how scientists rely on creative intuition. Programs like UCLA’s Sci|Art Lab + Studio illustrate this convergence in action, fostering interdisciplina...