--- title: Uncanny Science Meets Creativity date: 2026-11-02T05:30:00-05:00 author: University of Maryland canonical_url: "https://today.umd.edu/uncanny-science-meets-creativity" section: Articles --- # Uncanny Science Meets Creativity *November 2, 2026* — by [Jessica Weiss ’05](/author/jessica-weiss-05) > Artist in residence leads a new class exploring art at the frontiers of quantum physics. *260910 Next NOW Fest Thursday Taneen Momeni01 web — Kate Eberstadt performs her solo work, "Where We Meet," which meditates on loss through the lens of quantum entanglement, during NextNOW Fest in September. Eberstadt is teaching a Physics Department course this semester that combines quantum concepts with artistic creativity. (Photo by Taneen Momeni)* Soulmates. Love at first sight. Two people so deeply connected that the boundaries between them begin to blur. Poets and artists have pondered the mysteries of love for centuries. But University of Maryland sophomore Shohag Sen ’29 is turning to an unlikely source for inspiration: quantum physics. The discipline describes the often-counterintuitive workings of the universe at the scale of atoms, electrons and photons. In a series of poems and a visual artwork, Sen is seeking to capture the bonds between people using quantum entanglement as a metaphor. The phenomenon sounds like sci-fi — particles with no physical link can simultaneously mirror each other across untold distances — but is documented by actual science. “In my exploration, real people take the place of the particles in entanglement,” said Sen, a physics major. “It’s something I’ve personally experienced my entire life — in all kinds of love — and didn’t know how to explain.” Her project is taking shape in “Quantum Physics and Art,” a new seminar course led by multidisciplinary artist Kate Eberstadt, the Fall 2026 [Arts for All artist in residence](https://arts.umd.edu/news/arts-all-welcomes-2026-27-artists-residence). Offered through the Department of Physics in collaboration with the Joint Quantum Institute, the class introduces students from all backgrounds to quantum concepts through examples from the arts. Students then develop original creative projects in the media of their choosing. Eberstadt, a New York-based artist whose work spans music, theater and writing, first became interested in metaphorical implications of the field in 2021 while grappling with grief and separation. Wondering how people might remain connected across distances, she turned to quantum physics for new ways of thinking about loss, human relationships and the unseen world. “It was unexpected and fascinating to discover that quantum physics offered another way of thinking about the same questions I was grappling with as an artist,” she said. Those ideas eventually took shape in “Where We Meet,” an autobiographical solo theater work blending storytelling, scientific concepts and music. The production is scheduled for an off-Broadway premiere in January at Ars Nova as part of Under the Radar Festival. Eberstadt also received a 2026 Princess Grace Award in Theater, which recognizes exceptional emerging artists, for that work. In 2024, UMD physicist Mohammad Hafezi, the Minta Martin Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering in the Joint Quantum Institute, saw a workshop excerpt of the show and invited Eberstadt to visit campus, where she met researchers and learned about their work. The two stayed in touch, and Hafezi later nominated her for the Arts for All residency. Hafezi believes everyone should have an opportunity to engage with quantum physics, even those without advanced mathematical training. “Quantum mechanics has deep implications for how we describe nature,” he said. “Artists can be inspired by it without having to be mathematically accurate. I think the real measure of success in this course will be seeing students create things we never could have imagined.” Art and science each offer different ways of considering some of the same fundamental questions about the universe, said Raina Hatcher ’26, a triple major in studio art, art history and astronomy. “In science, there is a lot of connection between the very big and the very small, which feels really deep to me,” she said. “These questions that we’re asking in science are beautiful questions. That awestruckness I get from science, it’s the same as I get from art.” Hatcher, whose artistic practice normally centers on painting, is developing a theatrical performance inspired by the relationship between the universe’s smallest subatomic fluctuations and its largest structures — incomprehensibly vast walls composed of billions of galaxies. Beginning as an introductory physics lecture, the piece will gradually shift into poetry as Hatcher explores how tiny fluctuations in the early universe helped shape the cosmos, and why that connection is so extraordinary. Other students are developing a couture-inspired dress based on a concept from string theory, a science-fiction anthology inspired by the multiverse and a writing project drawing on thermal fluctuations. The course will culminate in a public presentation of students’ creative projects at the end of the semester. This blending of disciplines is central to the Arts for All Artist in Residence program, which has brought artists to UMD since 2024 to collaborate across fields, teach courses open to students from different majors and engage the university community through creative projects and public events. “One of our goals is to create arts-centric opportunities for students to pursue interests that might not fit neatly within a single discipline,” said Arts for All Executive Director Craig Kier. “Kate’s course is a wonderful example of our progress in creating an arts-informed university. Students are bringing their own experiences and perspectives to complex scientific ideas, and discovering new ways to express them through art.” Growing up in India, Sen loved painting, drawing and playing piano as much as studying science. But finding opportunities to pursue both interests together proved difficult. She initially considered architecture before choosing the applied physics specialization. Sen hopes the course will inspire more opportunities for students who, like her, want to find the common ground between scientific research and artistic practice. “People like us are out there, but never given the opportunity before,” she said. “If these things occur more, I think we'll be able to cultivate a new pathway.” **Topics:** [Campus & Community](https://today.umd.edu/tags/campus-community) **Tags:** [Quantum Science](https://today.umd.edu/topic/quantum-science), [Physics](https://today.umd.edu/topic/physics), [Arts](https://today.umd.edu/topic/arts), [Student Experience](https://today.umd.edu/topic/student-experience) **Units:** [College of Arts and Humanities](https://today.umd.edu/topic/college-arts-and-humanities), [College of Computer, Mathematical, and Natural Sciences](https://today.umd.edu/topic/college-computer-mathematical-and-natural-sciences)