I’ve always had a great interest in underwater life. Yes, I was one of the few kids who enjoyed the underwater life documentaries shown in middle school science classes. It was just as exciting to me to see the mysterious creatures right here on earth as it was exciting to see the millions of galaxies so distant from earth. The diversity in science and how us, humans, are able to not only understand science but use it to create our own world was amazing. It is one of the reasons I became an engineer. This awe for science was reintroduced to me this past Wednesday when I attended Becker/Rose Cafe Series with Prof. Drew Harvell. The discussion was about the glass collection that Cornell bought during President A.D White’s time. It is a vast collection of underwater creatures perfectly recreated in glass. I was awe struck at the level of detail and complexity of each piece of glass.

The talk showed two fantastic topics. At first sight of the glass pieces you cannot but help to be struck by the elegance and structural integrity of the pieces. In addition to admiring the craftsmanship of the collection, the audience learns about the diversity of life on earth. Even the most common of these creatures, for example the jellyfish were breathtakingly beautiful. Prof. Harvell shared with us that these were once used as study materials to show students taking biology classes the exact form of the creatures. I would have really enjoyed to be in a class where these were used to help students. However, these were later put in storage in the Corning Museum of Glass. For many years now, Prof.Harvell has been working with a glassmaker to restore these glass pieces.

I really enjoyed this talk not only for the beauty of the glass pieces but also because it reminded me of my initial interest in the sciences. As a child, I was amazed by the numerous and exotic creatures of the sea. It helped foster my excitement for the sciences. As an full time student now, I can sometimes lose track of the things that used to excite me. The talk with Prof.Harvell reminded me again of the creatures that I once started at in awe.