Lecture, April 8: Glen Cook: “Glass Science: Shedding Light on the Artist’s Palette”

Lecture by Dr. Glen Cook, Chief scientist at the Corning Museum of Glass
April 8, noon, Williams Center 108

(originally scheduled for March 4)

“Glass Science:Shedding Light on the Artist’s Palette”

The expressive power of glass as an artistic medium has roots in the material’s fundamental chemistry and physics. Cook will discuss how, over 3,500 years, humans have harnessed extreme temperatures to transform humble rocks into masterpieces of color, clarity, and form, and into the high-tech devices so ubiquitous in today’s culture.

Glen Cook became chief scientist for The Corning Museum of Glass after 16 years at Corning Incorporated as a senior research associate, conducting research in inorganic materials processing and composition.

As chief scientist at the CMOG, Cook is responsible for researching and sharing scientific and technical topics in glass. He informs exhibitions, programs and publications, and also serves as a technical resource for the broader museum community, museum guests and the general public, as well as artists working in glass today. In 2013, Cook’s outstanding record was recognized with Corning Incorporated’s prestigious [Donald] Stookey Award for cutting-edge exploratory and applied research, as well as in recognition of being the named inventor on more than two dozen patent applications. From 2012 to 2014, Cook has collaborated closely with Museum glassmakers in glass forming process research. Cook is also the technical adviser to the new Specialty Glass Artist-in-Residence program that is jointly managed by Corning Incorporated and The Corning Museum of Glass

“Scientists approach the nature of glass with the same fundamental joy as artists. Whether you are manipulating glass for artistic expression or studying its atoms and molecules, the material is just as compelling and fascinating,” says Dr. Cook. “I’m thrilled to have the opportunity to integrate the artistic and scientific explorations of glass ways that advance  aesthetic expression, and I look forward to sharing all that I learn to help provide a richer understanding of the material to the world and to impact the work of the glassmaking community today.”

Cook holds a PhD and MS in metallurgical engineering from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and a BS in materials engineering from the New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology.