Corning Museum of Glass Names Corning Incorporated Chief Technology Officer to Board of Trustees

Morse to our board. He brings extraordinary experience in the field of glass science and technology,” said Marie McKee, president of The Corning Museum of Glass.  “As the leading museum dedicated to the study of glass, we look forward to collaborating with him as we continue to expand our science programming and build our scientific collections.”

Morse has conducted glass research at Corning since 1976. Working as a composition scientist, he developed and patented (alone and jointly) over 20 new products. In his time at Corning, he has directed numerous research departments, including materials research, glass research, and photonic technologies. He has been executive vice president and chief technology officer since May 2012.

Morse is a member of the National Academy of Engineering, chairman of the McDonnell International Scholars External Advisory Committee at Washington University in St. Louis, the Board of Industry Advisors of International Materials Institute for New Functionality in Glass (MI-NFG), NSF National Board on Chemical Sciences and Technology and the Board of Dow Corning Corporation. 

He graduated from Bowdoin College magna cum laude in 1973 and was granted a doctorate in inorganic chemistry from Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1976. He was elected to the M.I.T. chapter of Sigma Xi.

The Corning Museum of Glass Board of Trustees comprises 16 members: Peter S. Aldridge, Dr. Jeffrey W. Evenson, James B. Flaws, Randi L. Hewit, James D. Houghton, James R. Houghton, Sir Mark Ellis Powell Jones, E. Marie McKee, Dr. David L. Morse, Carl H. Pforzheimer III, Carlos A. Picon, Mark S. Rogus, Susan M. Taylor, Charles L. Venable, Wendell P. Weeks, and Dr. Karol Wight.

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.

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 in late 2014. 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.