Inspired by conservation efforts to remove graffiti ink from a Mark Rothko painting, Dr. Joan Esson and Dr. Carrigan Hayes worked with a student to develop a laboratory activity that incorporated chemistry.

Posted Apr 02, 2021

Dr. Joan Esson and Dr. Carrigan Hayes both actively seek to incorporate activities and concepts at the interface of chemistry and art into courses within our general education Integrative Studies program as well as chemistry classes. Inspired by conservation efforts to remove graffiti ink from a Mark Rothko painting, they worked with a student to develop a laboratory activity that incorporated similar chemistry. This work was published in the Journal of Chemical Education

Dr. Hayes was also invited to submit a book chapter to an ACS Symposium Series volume. Here, she detailed how she adapted a visual art technique to engage students in her Integrative Studies course.

Dr. Esson also wants to move students outside the traditional chemistry laboratory and into Otterbein’s Community Garden. At the garden, students in her Integrative Studies course collect natural materials that are used as dyes to create photographs and colored fabrics, while students in Analytical Chemistry harvest peppers that they analyze for “hotness.” Not only do students engage in activities directly related to their course, but they also learn about activities at the Community Garden and food insecurity issues.