GREENWICH, CT — The Bruce Museum is pleased to host a virtual presentation by photographer Don Komarechka and physicist Kenneth Libbrecht on the art and science behind one of winter’s most elegant creations: the snowflake. Learn about the physics behind how snowflakes form and the incredible technology used to capture their beautiful crystalline structures by joining the Bruce Experiences webinar The Art and Science of Snowflakes on Tuesday, February 23, 2021, 7:00 – 8:30 pm, via Zoom. A Q&A session will follow the presentation.
Sponsored by Bank of America, Bruce Experiences programs are offered free of charge, though advance reservations are required. Visit brucemuseum.org or call 203-869-0376, ext. 311 to reserve your place at the February 23 webinar, starting at 7:00 pm. Donations are appreciated to help support the Museum’s exhibitions and programs.
Exploring the world that we cannot see with our own eyes has been a common thread in Don Komarechka’s career as a nature, macro, and landscape photographer based in Barrie, Ontario. From auroras to pollen, insects to infrared, much of Komarechka’s photographic adventures reveal a deeper understanding of how the universe works.
Always science-minded but never formally trained, Komarechka uses photography as a way to explore and understand the world around him. His work often pushes up against the technical limitations of modern camera equipment and the physical limitations of light itself. Photographing something unusual or unknown or as ephemeral as a snowflake is the perfect excuse to learn something new.
Kenneth Libbrecht was raised in North Dakota and educated at Caltech and Princeton, receiving his PhD in physics. He subsequently joined the faculty at Caltech, where he is currently Professor of Physics. Dr. Libbrecht's interest in the molecular dynamics of crystal growth led him into a detailed study of how ice crystals grow from water vapor, which is essentially the physics of snowflakes. He has authored several popular-science and photography books on the topic, including The Snowflake: Winter’s Secret Beauty, The Art of the Snowflake, The Secret Life of a Snowflake, and Ken Libbrecht’s Field Guide to Snowflakes.