This page is no longer being updated and remains online for informational and historical purposes only. The information is accurate as of the last page update.
For questions about page contents, contact the Communications Division.
Adding to the multidisciplinary nature of the “On Ice” exhibit, a team of Lafayette students created a musical instrument called an ice theremin.
They will host a brown bag discussion on how it was created noon Thursday, Feb. 8 in the Williams Center for the Arts lobby.
The team includes Marquis Scholar Sean Nowlan ’07 (Haddon Heights, N.J.), an electrical and computer engineering major; Taha Jiwaji ’08(Dar-Es-Salaam, Tanzania), who is pursuing a B.S. electrical and computer engineering and A.B. with a major in economics and business; Serdar Benderli ’08 (Ankara, Turkey), who is pursuing a B.S. electrical and computer engineering and A.B. with a major in economics and business; and Marquis Scholar Katie Pitz ’08 (Millers, Md.), a mechanical engineering major.
Biology major Jonathan Esser ’09 (Downingtown, Pa.) is composing a musical piece to be played on the theremin. There will be a performance of his composition at the exhibit’s closing reception 4:30 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 11 in the Williams Center lobby.
The theremin works through an electrical circuit between a block of ice, the musician, and an input box. The final display will include a block of ice, external circuitry, and a link to a computer connected to speakers.
“The circuit starts at the ‘box’ and is connected to the ice,” Nowlan explains. “The artist holds a metal contact that is also wired to the ‘box.’ When the musician moves the metal contact around the ice, the electrical signal changes and therefore, the pitch of the music can be changed. The ‘box’ converts the raw electrical signal into one that can be understood by a computer, and then notes are played over the computer’s speakers.”
Nowlan believes the ice theremin is a unique project that allows the team to apply classroom knowledge to create a device that is both technical and artistic.
“We are learning about technologies used in the professional music industry, such as MIDI, a technology used in electric keyboards,” he says. “We are also learning how to collaborate on an interdisciplinary project.”
“On Ice” runs through Feb. 11 in the Williams Center for the Arts gallery, and features artistic, literary, and scientific works that use ice as their theme or inspiration.
Also in conjunction with the exhibit will be a glacier flow demonstration by David Sunderlin, assistant professor of geology and environmental geosciences, 5 p.m. Friday, Feb. 9 in the Williams Center lobby. Sunderlin and students will model alpine glacier flow and morphology using flowing plaster of Paris.
Gallery hours are noon-5 p.m. Monday; 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday; 10 a.m.-8 p.m. Wednesday; 2 p.m.-5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday; and noon-5 p.m. the first Sunday of each month for First Sunday Easton.