Art Instructing Chemistry
I read an article in the Newscripts section of C&EN about a scientist who fingerpaints (using nitrile gloves nonetheless) to further chemical education. The scientist is Dr. David B. Cordes, an Assistant Professor at Pacific University. Click on the link below to see some of his work.
David Cordes, Ph.D...Organic Chemistry through Art
David Cordes, Ph.D...Organic Chemistry through Art
I am highly considering including art as another option for students to receive extra credit (similar to the way I allow them to create educational youtube videos).
ReplyDeleteI want to begin by saying that I absolutely love this idea to use art to teach Organic Chemistry. While I don't have an artistic bone in my body, I will admit that it was really cool to see the pictures of some names and concepts I recognized. For example,prior to reading this, I had heard about Jacobus van't Hoff in General Chemistry and all I knew was that he created the van't Hoff factor which plays a role in colligative properties, but today I was able to put a face to the name and I even found out he won a Nobel Prize for his work. Also, in Organic lab we recently practiced chromatography and it was interesting today to learn that this technique originated in Russia in the 19th century. It was created by Mikhail Tsvett, who used it to assuage his love for plants, and amazingly today his method has been adapted to separate alcohol from blood, or cocaine from urine. Who would have thought that Organic Chemistry could ever come this far? I bet the founding fathers didn't even realize how meaningful their work would be 100-200 years later, but today we look back in awe of their ingenuity.
ReplyDeleteIn conclusion, this idea of art instruction is also useful when we consider the fact that everyone has a different learning style. Some people gain a lot from leafing through a textbook, or listening to a lecture, or even writing and re-writing pages and pages of notes and diagrams, while others need a little fun and color to make learning more interesting. After seeing Dr. Cordes spin on a tedious topic like "The History of Organic Chemistry", I truly believe that this medium of teaching would be beneficial to students who fall in this category.
I very much appreciate the time, energy, thoughts, and work that Dr. Cordes spent on this project. He credited very important people from the scientific community and he did so in a way that is more than appealing and attractive to not only the science community but also the art atmosphere and many others. By acknowledging these founders this way non-science-interested communities can learn, understand, and appreciate the work of science and somewhat be apart of it or at least acknowledge the work put into it, and perhaps grow an appreciation for it. Also, by illustrating history, concepts, and key people this way, it shows that people dedicated to science are not all only that stereotypical text book, formula, calculator loving/driven people. It also grasps the uniqueness of science but yet also the uniformity of it as well. It shows how science builds upon itself but also the many ways science can be done.
ReplyDeleteIt also emphasizes the importance of creativity and uniqueness to science-dedicated people. It seems as though some younger science-dedicated people forget the creativity, uniqueness, and abstract ways of the origin of science and those first dedicated to science. It is very easy to get caught up in the black and white, this is how science is done, one needs to do this and that to be apart of the science community. Seeing this project and seeing the passion, desire, and dedication behind this project reminded me of my first passion and desire for science. It took me back to where this journey began for me. I am truly thankful for the science-dedicated people who stay true to themselves and hold on to and embrace their creativity and uniqueness and learn to express it in ways that are beneficial to others.
An encouraging note to those of us in the science community who perhaps do not naturally have that creative side, find and learn what makes you unique and challenge yourself to learn how to incorporate that into what you love, science. Learn to learn yourself, learn to challenge yourself to grow, and in doing so learn to help others learn, grow, and express themselves in a way that is somehow beneficial to others.
This comment is not very scientific, or science-fact full but none the less is still some of my thoughts from this post.
Comment in multiple pieces:
ReplyDeleteDr. Cordes is a talented artist, particularly considering the works are done with fingerpainting! He still manages to portray likenesses, shading, proportion, and even text, in a skillful manner. The bold colors and casual arrangements of the subjects captivate the eye and subvert the idea that paintings of historical chemists would be boring! I am particularly impressed with his ability to recreate expression- my favorite piece is the one of Fritz Haber, who glances to the viewer’s right with a haunted look, perhaps related to the persecution he suffered due to his Jewish heritage. Aside from this, the contrast of the bold green, gold, and red with black snag the viewer’s gaze, while the rather sinuous arrangement of golden circles, green field, gold triangle and black ‘sky’ further direct the viewer’s gaze around the painting: from the golden circles, along the green field, up Haber’s black suit and worried face, to his boldly-colored name, and down again along the ‘path’ made by the green field between the gold shapes.
Less art-nerd-ily, the intersection of scientific creativity and artistic creativity is something of personal delight to me, as a science major who enjoys creating art in her spare time. I read an article a few years back on another scientist who used art to try and educate the public about their field of work- Rosemary Mosco, a ‘field naturalist and science communicator,’ according to her website, http://rosemarymosco.com/, which, with a bit of link-following, leads to various projects of hers (a relevant work: http://www.birdandmoon.com/comic/science-vs-art/ ).