Meet the 2021 Art of Science Judges: Paul R. Peluso, Ph.D.

Paul Peluso, Ph.D., senior associate dean and professor in the College of Education, said he believes the connection between art and science is vital to often convey complex scientific discoveries to the community.

He is serving as a first-time juror for the Art of Science photography contest, created to highlight the research, scholarship and creative activity happening at FAU.

"Often it is in the visualizations of data that some of the greatest breakthrough discoveries arrive. Think of the double helix visualization for the DNA molecule that led to the breakthrough in genetics, or the creative visualization of black holes that has brought about new insights into our understanding of the universe. Those required creative activity to make real," he said. "It is often these creative activities that make scientific discoveries understandable for the general public. This leads to more rapid dissemination and acceptance when people can approach the discovery in a manner that is approachable. It is for these reasons that we should value and celebrate creative activities when applied to scientific discoveries."

Peluso, who is the author of eight books and the series editor for a new book series in Family Counseling for Routledge Publishing, is also the past-editor of the journal Measurement and Evaluation in Counseling and Development, and author of more than 25 articles and 12 chapters related to the therapeutic relationship, family therapy and couples counseling.

Currently directing a multi-year study of the quality of the therapeutic relationship using observational coding of verbal and non-verbal behavior, and mathematically modelling it using dynamical systems mathematics, Peluso is also the current past-president of the International Association of Marriage and Family Counseling (a division of the American Counseling Association).