J.D. Talasek
Director, CPNAS
jtalasek@nas.edu
JD Talasek is a curator, researcher, and writer with an interest in exploring the intersection of art and science through collaborative and integrative work. For over two decades he has helped shape the office of Cultural Programs of the National Academy of Sciences to as platform for connecting with science through the lens of art and to explore the benefits of integrative practices that benefit both disciplines. Talasek is the creator and moderator for an ongoing salon called DASER (DC Art Science Evening Rendezvous) held at the NAS - a series that he has hosted for over 13 years. Additionally, Talasek and Alana Quinn are the art advisors for Issues in Science and Technology co-published by Arizona State University and the National Academy of Sciences.
Talasek has served as a staff advisor on the National Academies Consensus Study Report The Integration of the Humanities and Arts with Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine in Higher Education: Branches from the Same Tree (2018) and on the forthcoming Gulf Research Program's Science + Art Collaborations: Engaging Communities in the Gulf.
He was on the faculty at Johns Hopkins University in the Museum Studies Master’s Program. He has served on the Contemporary Art and Science Committee (CASC) at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History and was a member of the board of directors for Leonardo: The International Society of Art, Science and Technology.
Alana Quinn
Senior Program Associate, CPNAS
aquinn@nas.edu
Alana Quinn manages communications and organizes exhibitions and public programs exploring relationships among the arts and sciences for CPNAS. She serves as an art consultant on the journal Issues in Science and Technology, co-published by Arizona State University and the National Academy of Sciences, identifying art to run in dialogue with science-focused articles. She served as a staff advisor for the Gulf Research Program's February 2024 workshop, “Science + Art Collaborations: Engaging Communities in the Gulf.”
She recently participated in the Museum Computer Network’s mentorship program, mentoring an emerging museum professional. In 2021, she helped connect scientists with Southern California-based curators who are involved with the Getty Foundation’s Pacific Standard Time 2024 Art and Science initiative, a collaboration with dozens of arts organizations across Southern California focused on intersections of art and science with exhibitions and public programs planned for Fall 2024. In 2022, she served as guest editor of Tilt West’s Art and Science journal. She served as a judge for the Peep Your Science: World’s Finest Science-Themes Peeps Diorama Contest from 2020 through 2022. She has presented about her work at the Kennedy Center's REACH (2023), the Museum Computer Network (2020), Conservation Marketing and Engagement Congress (2018), and the Society for Literature, Science, and the Arts (2016). Alana holds a BFA in photography and media arts with a minor in art history from Alfred University, Alfred, NY, and an MA in museum studies from Johns Hopkins University, Washington, D.C. She enjoys hiking, photography, playing Wordle, and visiting museums in her free time.