In the Loop
Student Stories : Oct 7, 2016

The Culture of Biology: National Arts and Humanities Month Editorial

By Ashley Ford

To “culture” in biology is to maintain life forms in conditions suitable for growth. Just as cells must be cultured in order to grow, we, as students, must also be cultured to grow intellectually and emotionally. Embracing the humanities and art is a magnificent way to do so. However, the arts represent only a small part of the university curriculum compared to subjects as biology. 

Not every student, myself included, believes they are artistically gifted. Yet art is still important in our lives. Art and humanities continually shape the way we view and interact with our world. Art not only directly exposes us to history, but indirectly, the arts and humanities introduces us to differing people, viewpoints, and beliefs, and force us to think and wrestle with questions about what we’re seeing in relation to our own experiences. Diversity in studies, art included, must reflect the diversity of our world. 

- Ashley Ford, UF Marketing student