Scientific glassblowing is a specialty field of
lampworking
Lampworking is a type of glasswork in which a torch or lamp is used to melt the glass. Once in a molten state, the glass is formed by blowing and shaping with tools and hand movements. It is also known as flameworking or torchworking, as the moder ...
used in industry, science, art and design used in research and production. Scientific glassblowing has been used in chemical, pharmaceutical, electronic and physics research including
Galileo
Galileo di Vincenzo Bonaiuti de' Galilei (15 February 1564 – 8 January 1642) was an Italian astronomer, physicist and engineer, sometimes described as a polymath. Commonly referred to as Galileo, his name was pronounced (, ). He was ...
’s
thermometer,
Thomas Edison’s
light bulb
An electric light, lamp, or light bulb is an electrical component that produces light. It is the most common form of artificial lighting. Lamps usually have a base made of ceramic, metal, glass, or plastic, which secures the lamp in the soc ...
, and
vacuum tubes used in early
radio,
TV and
computer
A computer is a machine that can be programmed to Execution (computing), carry out sequences of arithmetic or logical operations (computation) automatically. Modern digital electronic computers can perform generic sets of operations known as C ...
s. More recently, the field has helped advance
fiber optics
An optical fiber, or optical fibre in Commonwealth English, is a flexible, transparent fiber made by drawing glass (silica) or plastic to a diameter slightly thicker than that of a human hair. Optical fibers are used most often as a means to ...
,
lasers, atomic and subatomic particle research, advanced communications development and
semiconductors. The field combined hand skills using
lathe
A lathe () is a machine tool that rotates a workpiece about an axis of rotation to perform various operations such as cutting, sanding, knurling, drilling, deformation, facing, and turning, with tools that are applied to the workpiece to c ...
s and
torches with modern computer assisted
furnace
A furnace is a structure in which heat is produced with the help of combustion.
Furnace may also refer to:
Appliances Buildings
* Furnace (central heating): a furnace , or a heater or boiler , used to generate heat for buildings
* Boiler, used t ...
s, diamond grinding and
lapping machines, lasers and
ultra-sonic mills.
Scientific glassblowing schools
Degree programs
Salem Community College in
Carney's Point, New Jersey
Carneys Point Township is a township in Salem County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the township's population was 8,049, reflecting an increase of 365 (+4.8%) from the 7,684 counted in the 2000 Census, which ha ...
offers the only degree program in the United States, an
Associate in Applied Science, with a focus on the construction of scientific glass apparatus. Students come from throughout the United States and from around the world to develop this specialized skill at Salem Community College.
Alfred University
Alfred University is a private university in Alfred (village), New York, Alfred, New York. It has a total undergraduate population of approximately 1,600 students. The university hosts the New York State College of Ceramics, which includes The ...
offers a masters program in glass science and a PhD with a blend of theoretical and applied studies similar to degree programs in
materials science and engineering.
Universities offering courses
The following is the list of recognized universities that provide courses in scientific glassblowing:
*
University of Alabama
*
Arizona State University
Arizona State University (Arizona State or ASU) is a public research university in the Phoenix metropolitan area. Founded in 1885 by the 13th Arizona Territorial Legislature, ASU is one of the largest public universities by enrollment in the ...
*
Australian National University
*
Grinnell College
*
University of Pittsburgh
*
Salem Community College
*
University of Utah
*
Yale University
*
University of Oklahoma
*
Purdue University
Notable scientific glassblowers
*
John Calley (engineer)
*
Clarence Madison Dally (killed by X-ray exposure in the course of his work)
*
Heinrich Geißler (invented the
Geissler tube)
*
Jorg Meyer
*
Mitsugi Ohno
*
Joseph Patrick Slattery
Father Joseph Patrick Slattery, CM (21 May 1866 – 31 March 1931) was an Irish-born physicist, radiologist, Catholic priest, pioneer in the field of radiography in Australia and credited with the first use of fluoroscopy in Australia.
Born in ...
(radiography pioneer blew much of his own lab glassware)
American Scientific Glassblowers Society
The American Scientific Glassblowers Society (ASGS) is an association for scientific glassblowers and provides continuing education programs.
[American Scientific Glassblowers Society home page]
retrieved 2015-05-15. The community is relatively small, with approximately 650 members.
References
{{Reflist
External links
American Scientific Glassblowers SocietyBritish Society of Scientific GlassblowersScientific Glassblowers Society of Australia and New ZealandVideo of scientific glassblowing at Arizona State University
Glassblowers
Laboratory glassware
Laboratory equipment