This fall, students from Shaler Area Middle School traveled to the Pittsburgh Glass Center to learn about the science and art of working with glass. Students learned about the elements that create the various colors and feel the heat from the furnaces that keep the glass liquid 24 hours a day. Examples of numerous techniques were shown including all the tools (like 3D printers, lathes, glass saws, etc) used and the sequences of steps one needs to consider to create some of the more complex masterpieces on display. Students also got to see how neon lights are made and how the gasses trapped inside the tubes change the color of the glow.

Each student got to help with the creation of a glass pumpkin including blowing into the tube to ‘inflate’ the original glass ball, using a wooden paddle to flatten the bottom, and a mallet to break the finished pumpkin off its blowtube. These elements gave the student opportunities to feel the viscosity of the liquid glass giving them an appreciation for the skill needed to battle against the constant pull of gravity and the simultaneous strength and delicateness of the glass while sculpting — all while avoiding burns!