UST Chem delves into material aspects of colours in art
By: Agatha Rei Gomez
The Department of Chemistry recently held a lecture on the material aspects of colours in art at the Science Online Learning Environment (SOLE) of the UST Main Building last April 19, with Professor Dr. hab. Mirosław Wachowiak as the guest lecturer.
In his welcoming remarks, Prof. Bernard John Tongol, PhD, the Director of the Research Center for Natural and Applied Sciences (RCNAS), emphasized his vision of strengthening international research collaborations between UST and other universities, including Uniwersytet Mikołaja Kopernika (UMK) in Poland.
Prof. Mirosław tackled the chemistry and physics behind art and cultural heritage, specifically colors and paint, in his lecture “The Materiality of Colour in Art.” His lecture centered on the interdisciplinary approaches and ethical considerations in probing and appreciating colors in arts.
Assoc. Prof. Alan Rodelle Salcedo, PhD, Chair of the Department of Chemistry, concluded the lecture by sharing his hopes of "[continuing] to foster intellectual exchange and [cultivating] pursuit of academic excellence within the department and the college."
The lecture was organized by the Chemistry Department through Prof. Karen Santiago, RCh, LPT, PhD, an academic researcher at the department and the Associate Director of the Office of International Relations and Programs, whose research group will also be collaborating with Prof. Mirosław.
Prof. Mirosław is a Vice Dean of Science, Professor at the Department of Conservation and Restoration at UMK, and a conservator of contemporary art at Torun, Poland. He previously had a research collaboration at UST last 2023, aimed at identifying book preservation methods for the UST Heritage Library.
Undergraduate Chemistry students, graduate students from RCNAS, and academic staff and researchers from the Department of Chemistry and Applied Physics attended the lecture.
