The process of paint pouring research began four years ago – at the start of senior Alexandra Ochs’ freshman year – and is ending with a cover article in the Journal of Chemical Education.
The article – “Connecting Active Artwork to Chemistry: Leading Students in Inquiry-Based Learning of Density and Viscosity” – is featured on the cover of this journal’s September issue.
“I started research for paint pouring in the spring of my freshman year and we just got it published,” said Ochs. “I started with a literature review to find out what previous research had been done about hands-on learning and paint pours.”
In the paper, Ochs and her fellow authors – SFU student Julianne Dee and Chemistry Professor Ed Zovinka – explore the use of paint pouring as a tool to teach density and viscosity.
When pouring paint onto a canvas or over top of each other, it uses the chemicals in the ingredients to create different patterns and layers.
“In our very tech world, it is important to remind people that science is a fun and creative process,” said Zovinka.
Before the end of Ochs’ sophomore year, SFU’s Institutional Review Board had approved the proposal and the group’s research, experiments and data processing began.
“We analyzed our survey results and began writing our paper,” said Ochs. “After numerous reworks and help from countless people, we had a publishable paper.”
The original idea of paint pouring came from one of Zovinka’s past students, Annie Arnold, who had been inspired by chemists before her.
“The actual process of paint pouring was developed by artist Janet Sobel – who started the fluid art movement – and then was furthered into popularity by artist Jackson Pollock,” said Ochs.
The journal cover includes pictures from Ochs’ experiments and Dee’s graphics.
“I didn’t have a lot of female scientist role models growing up and it’s really important to me to be able to inspire other women to pursue their passion in science,” Ochs said.
Dee sees multiple benefits of their work making the cover of the journal.
“Being featured on the cover not only inspires educators and researchers to explore creative interdisciplinary approaches, but also enhances the visibility and impact of our work,” Dee said.
Zovinka is proud of the group’s efforts and looking forward to continuing the scientific process.
“It has been a joy to work with Alex, JJ, and our alum Anne Arnold to bring the project from idea to publication,” said the longtime SFU Chemistry professor.
“Now we hope to extend the research to focus more on viscosity.”
