Creativity can thrive: Data sonification and musical explorations

Complex behavioral acts can reveal diversification and the evolution of adaptation. Complexity, however, does make information hard to glean. Our research program sought to uncover such diversification within the order Embioptera, especially regarding their silk spinning behavior. We started our project by developing visually-based graphics and turned to typical data analyses but found such approaches lacking. Our attention turned to generating sounds, coded to represent behavior acts which, for spinning, are displayed in long sequences punctuated by repetitive motifs. The structure of the data resembles music in many ways. We thought perhaps we could discern patterns that might reveal relatedness between species or genera. Students involved in the work were initially biology majors but always with music as a serious pursuit. These students worked to design midi coding for piano, then transitioning to violin and performance. Connections with music faculty led to development of musical compositions based on data and finally, a five-movement composition by a music major who earned a summer internship to tackle the challenge. The educational process was unique for our more typical biology department, but demonstrated how dynamic interactions can occur when one allows creativity to lead the way as we seek to understand biological systems.