  Art and science are different ways of exploring the world, but together they
have the potential to be thought-provoking, facilitate a science-society
dialogue, raise public awareness of science, and develop an understanding of
art. For several years, we have been teaching an astro-animation class at the
Maryland Institute College of Art as a collaboration between students and NASA
scientists. Working in small groups, the students create short animations based
on the research of the scientists who are going to follow the projects as
mentors. By creating these animations, students bring the power of their
imagination to see the research of the scientists through a different lens.
Astro-animation is an undergraduate-level course jointly taught by an
astrophysicist and an animator. In this paper we present the motivation behind
the class, describe the details of how it is carried out, and discuss the
interactions between artists and scientists. We describe how such a program
offers an effective way for art students, not only to learn about science but
to have a glimpse of "science in action". The students have the opportunity to
become involved in the process of science as artists, as observers first and
potentially through their own art research. Every year, one or more internships
at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center have been available for our students in the
summer. Two students describe their experiences undertaking these internships
and how science affects their creation of animations for this program and in
general. We also explain the genesis of our astro-animation program, how it is
taught in our animation department, and we present the highlights of an
investigation of the effectiveness of this program we carried out with the
support of an NEA research grant. In conclusion we discuss how the program may
grow in new directions, such as contributing to informal STE(A)M learning.
