Composing Science

Innovations in research don't just benefit scientists. Composers and musicians have a history of using new technology to their benefit, says the Chronicle of Higher Education's Eric Kelderman. UCSD music professor and composer Rand Steiger is no exception. Steiger recently began a two-year stay at the California Institute for Telecommunications and Information Technology, a center that aims to foster cross-discipline collaborations, Kelderman says. Steiger will be working with engineers to explore how digital technology can be used to make music, he adds. Steiger is one of 15 musical and visual artists at the institute, which employs them to explore the full range of what the technology has to offer, according to Ramesh Rao, who directs the institute's San Diego division.