In a field that could be considered the antithesis of art, one NIU faculty member has turned to art in his spare time to benefit his department: the department of chemistry and biochemistry.

Dan Edwards is by trade a glassblower, and tonight, he will demonstrate his craft. After the demonstration, his wares will be put on sale to benefit the Chemistry Club.

“The glassblowing demonstration on November 13 is something that the Chemistry Club has done for many, many years,” said Michael Spires, coordinator for recruitment and public relations for the department of chemistry and biochemistry.

Edwards is responsible for creating much of the glassware used in various experiments in the chemistry department, and he creates art-quality pieces during demonstrations and in his spare time.

“It’s their main fund-raising event, in fact,” Spires added.

“The sales will probably generate pretty close to $1,000 this year,” said David Ballantine, an associate professor of chemistry, “That goes to pay for the Chem[istry] Club picnic in the fall, the senior banquet in the spring and also to various scholarship funds.”

“The sale of the items is Tuesday and Wednesday,” Ballantine added.

The sale starts at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, and the demonstration will go from 8 to 9 p.m. It will be held in Faraday West, Room 201. The sale will then resume at 9 a.m. Wednesday in the Faraday West Lobby.

“Items typically disappear quickly at the sale table, so we recommend that anyone interested in buying some of Dan’s works get there early,” Spires said.

According to the East Carolina University Web site, many years of experience and exposure to the many fields of science are required to become an accomplished scientific glassblower in a research environment.

“It is not unusual for a glass blower to spend 10-plus years working in a multi-science environment before they may be considered ‘master glassblowers,'” the ECU Web site stated. “Many scientific glassblowers in the United States learn their skills through an informal apprentice style program specific to the company or school they are associated with.”

While the title “master glassblower” is technically a European term of certification, Spires and Ballantine both use it to describe Edwards because of the skill of his work and his experience.

Both Spires and Ballantine praise Edwards’ abilities, and Spires said that Edwards’ skills save the department a good deal of money each year.

“Our department is very fortunate to have an in-house glass shop, staffed by a master craftsman,” Spires said. “The high-vacuum lines he’s made for Professor [Narayan] Hosmane’s laboratory would have cost us in excess of half a million dollars to buy from a supply house, for example.

“He [also] makes fantastic Christmas ornaments, sculpture items and the like,” added Spires, “Among his most popular productions are the coffee mugs and shot glasses he makes from different sizes of beakers.”