Corning Museum of Glass Appoints Dr. Glen Cook as New Chief Scientist

Cook will be responsible for researching and sharing scientific and technical topics in glass.  This work will inform exhibitions, programs and publications, and will also serve as a technical resource for the broader museum community, as well as artists working in glass today.“The Corning Museum of Glass has been committed to scientific inquiry since its inception and is a pioneer in the application of scientific techniques to examine glass artifacts,” said Dr.Karol Wight, executive director. “With Dr. Cook we look forward to continuing those paths of exploration and also exploring new ideas in glass, such as new formulas/compositions and new ways of working with the material.”

Dr. Cook comes to the Museum after 16 years at Corning Incorporated as a senior research associate, conducting research in inorganic materials composition and processing . In 2013, Dr. Cook’s outstanding record was recognized with Corning’s prestigious Stookey Award for cutting-edge exploratory and applied research, as well as in recognition of being the named inventor on more than two dozen patent applications.

For the last two years, Dr. Cook has collaborated closely with Corning Museum glassmakers in glass forming process research. Dr. Cook is also the technical advisor to the new Specialty Glass Artist-in-Residence program that is jointly managed by Corning Incorporated and The Corning Museum of Glass. The first resident artist is Albert Paley, who began the residency in August 2014 and is working with Corning Code 7056, a borosilicate glass that was engineered to bond tightly to the metal alloy Kovar.

“Scientists approach the nature of glass with the same fundamental joy as artists. Whether you are manipulating glass for artistic expression or studying its atoms and molecules, the material is just as compelling and fascinating,” says Dr. Cook. “I’m thrilled to have the opportunity to integrate the artistic and scientific explorations of glass ways that advance  aestheic expression, and I look forward to sharing all that I learn to help provide a richer understanding of the material to the world and to impact the work of the glassmaking community today.”

Dr. Cook holds a PhD and MS in metallurgical engineering from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and a BS in materials engineering from the New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology.

About Glass Science and Technology at The Corning Museum of Glass

The Innovations Center at The Corning Museum of Glass is a hands-on gallery that introduces visitors to the science and technology of glass in all its applications from the industrial to the artistic. Designed by Ralph Appelbaum and Associates, it explores concepts of optics, vessels and windows through interactives, object displays, oral histories and live demonstrations. At the center of the gallery is the famous 200-inch telescope blank cast in 1934 for the Hale Reflecting Telescope at the Palomar Observatory.

The Museum’s glass collection includes numerous specimens of naturally occurring glass objects such as tektites and glass sea sponges, and scientific glass objects such as early telescope disks and 19th-century optical eye models. The Rakow Research Library of The Corning Museum of Glass holds in its collection early manuscripts, books and materials related to the scientific properties of glass and glassmaking, including a 1704 edition of Opticks by Sir Isaac Newton.

From 1960 to 2010, the Scientific Research department of The Corning Museum of Glass pioneered the application of numerous scientific techniques to the examination of historical glass artifacts and to the study of the history of glassmaking. The findings of this research, done in collaboration with archaeologists and scientists from around the world, have been shared in more than 190 publications on the archaeology, chemistry, and conservation of glass.

Science-focused events and programs are held regularly for local families at the Museum, and an after-school, semester-long Junior Scientist program offers local teens an opportunity to explore the science of glass through hands-on experiments and research.

In November 2013, Dr. Marvin Bolt joined the staff as the first curator of science and technology, charged with refining the museum’s science interpretation for a diverse audience, developing new scientifically focused educational programs, and increasing accessibility to the Museum’s scientific research and collections through digital channels. The Museum also appointed Dr. David L. Morse, chief technology officer of Corning Incorporated, to its board.

About The Corning Museum of Glass

The Corning Museum of Glass is home to the world’s most important collection of glass, including the finest examples of glassmaking spanning 3,500 years. Live glassblowing demonstrations (offered at the Museum, on the road, and at sea on Celebrity Cruises) bring the material to life. Daily Make Your Own Glass experiences at the Museum enable visitors to create work in a state-of-the-art glassmaking studio. The campus in Corning includes a year-round glassmaking school, The Studio, and the Rakow Research Library, the world’s preeminent collection of materials on the art and history of glass. Located in the heart of the Finger Lakes Wine Country of New York State, the Museum is open daily, year-round. Kids and teens, 19 and under, receive free admission. www.cmog.org.

The Museum is currently adding a North Wing, designed by Thomas Phifer, which will open March 20, 2015. The 100,000-square-foot North Wing addition will include a new 26,000-square-foot contemporary art gallery building, as well as one of the world’s largest facilities for glassblowing demonstrations and live glass design sessions.