Event 1: UCLA Meteorite Gallery

For my first event I attended the meteorite gallery on the UCLA campus located in the geology building. I had heard about this previously from my oceanography teacher so when I saw it in this class I knew it must be worth a visit. Although it isn't a very big space, they fit a lot of information into one space. In this small area I was truly able to see the two cultures of science and art collide. We had learned about this separation in the first week but quickly realized there was nothing separate about the two. With art comes science and with science comes art.

One of the pieces that stood out the most to me was the "old woman iron meteorite". It is the second largest meteorite from the USA with a mass of 2753 kg. The mass of the slab shown was only 80.5 mg. With this piece of art being on long-term loan from the Smithsonian it is something special. To think that the slab being shown is only a small part of what was found is incredible. Know it is on display for students to observe and learn from. Nature and science can be turned into art just by the display and perspective. The unusual structure occurs from the slow cooling of metal with 5.5% Ni followed by shock alteration and recrystallization.

I would recommend this gallery to any UCLA student. This combination of the two cultures of art and science is right under our noses. It doesn't take long to even poke your head in and see what beauty these meteorites have to offer. Next time you are near the geology building, take the extra time to go. I promise it is worth your time.

Comments

Week 1: Two Cultures

After reading and listening about the separation of two cultures it made me immediately think of an assignment I had last quarter in Communications 1: an Introduction to public speaking. On the first day of class the professor asked us to think about whether or not public speaking is an art or a science. I immediately thought to myself that it was strictly I science. As the class continued I began speaking and writing my own speeches I realized it wasn't that simple. There is no clear separation between art and science. In order to give a speech you need to have the science of being able to include all the components and the right structure combined with the art of the delivery. C.P. Snow argued that the curriculum of schools is the room of the problem and the more I think about it the more I agree with it. From elementary school to high school science classes were always mandatory to take and arts were electives. From a young age I always thought of art as a fun activity t...

Week 8: Nanotech + Art

This week we learned about Nanotechnology and art. This topic introduces an entire new realm of things we have never seen before even bypassing scientific findings. Nanotechnology is where we see the major shift into the collaboration of the two cultures that have previously been so divided. Dr. Gimzewski in the lectures explains to us the impact of such a small scale concept. Richard Feynman is known to have created the origins of nanotechnology. He won the nobel prize and was one of the first to see just how far this could advance in technology and medicine. Nanoparticles have been around since ancient times. An example of this can be found in a cup that is on display in a British museum. The Lycargus cup is from 400 BC and when you look at it in the light it appears to be green but when you light it from the inside it appears to be red. This is because the Romans found a way to incorporate gold nanoparticles. These gold nanoparticles have very specific properties that the Roman...

Week 2: Math + Art

After watching and reading this weeks material I was surprised by the information that I had learned. I had been aware that math had been included in art but I wasn't sure to what extent. It started as early as 200 B.C. with the use of zero and in the 13th century with Giotto using linear perspective to create depth. Although it wasn't an exact mathematic formula it still embraced the basic concept. More than anything geometry is used in order to create the basic formulas and changes in perspectives for paintings and drawings. The geometry can be seen in something as simple as a tile floor, the entire image can shift just depending on the observers perspective. The golden ratio can be seen in art ranging from buildings to portraits and is a key formula to artists. One image I found particularly interesting was Piet Mondrian and his use of only lines to create a beautiful painting. He portrayed how simple mathematics and geometric shapes could be put together to form somethi...

bella's desma blog

Search This Blog