Teachers to illuminate the art and chemistry of light

The Charlotte Teachers Institute is sponsoring the community event “The Art and Chemistry of Light” on Tuesday, May 21, at the Bechtler Museum of Modern Art.

This “Teachers as Scholars” event will feature presentations and discussions with local educators who studied the topic together in a 2018 Charlotte Teachers Institute (CTI) seminar, including UNC Charlotte chemistry professor Tom Schmedake and 11 Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools teachers.

Schmedake will discuss the art and chemistry of light in the context of his own research and the experience of leading a recent seminar with teachers. Mini-presentations will examine: the role of light energy in an elementary art class; the cyanotype printing process in high school photography; energy and society in middle school science; the application of light in high school forensic science; and hands-on light demonstrations for high school students with intellectual disabilities.

The main program begins at 6:30 p.m.; a reception precedes, starting at 5:30 p.m. During the reception, seminar teachers will share poster presentations on the application of light energy in high school chemistry; the color visualizations of linear functions in middle school math; principles of light energy in middle school science; the visible light spectrum in high school science; and light, color and Dr. Seuss in a first grade classroom.

Reception guests can view the museum’s “Nomadic Murals: Tapestries of the Modern Era” exhibition that showcases a diverse collection of modern art tapestries from the mid-20th century.

CTI’s “Teachers as Scholars” educational series for the public highlights the collaborative work by professors and teachers in CTI seminars. This project was made possible by funding from the North Carolina Humanities Council, a statewide nonprofit and affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities.

The Charlotte Teachers Institute is an educational partnership among Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools, UNC Charlotte and Johnson C. Smith University that works to improve teaching in Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools.