UNLV is embarking on a new odyssey with the creation of a center to study human imagination.
The new Arthur C. Clarke Center for Imagination and Opportunity is a collaboration between UNLV and the namesake foundation of the prolific writer of 2001: A Space Odyssey. The center will explore the source of creativity and its impact on the advancement of science, literature, and the arts. “Everything we’ve discovered about UNLV and Las Vegas, in our view, simply verifies the decision to come to here,” says Tedson Myers, chair of the Arthur C. Clarke Foundation, adding that the center’s goal will be to find intersections between human imagination and opportunity.
Clarke’s achievements “bridge the arts and sciences — his work ranges from scientific discovery to science fiction — and have made a global impact on the lives of present and future generations,” said Stephen Rosenbaum, dean of the Honors College, which will oversee the center.
Clarke’s more than 70 science fiction books often drew from his background as an accomplished scientist. He pioneered the concept for the global communications satellites used today. His archives are expected to be housed in UNLV’s Lied Library special collections.
New Facility Planned
Long-term plans call for a new facility to be built specifically for the center. Last summer, the Arthur C. Clarke Foundation hosted a 10-day design competition among UNLV architecture students to develop concepts for the center.
Fundraising efforts are under way for the center’s facility and its programs. In the meantime, Rosenbaum says the center’s work has already begun with the SAGE Academy, UNLV’s summer program for gifted pre-college students as well as a public lecture series.
The first Clarke lecture brought in Robert Sternberg, an expert on creativity education, and the second featured Michael Turner, chair of astronomy and astrophysics at the University of Chicago.
