Lectures on Tap - "The Chemistry of Color"

📍 Location: Exact address given in confirmation email

🧠 Lecture: "The Chemistry of Color"

🎤 Speaker: Dr. Chris Eckdahl

Join us for a colorful evening as Dr. Chris Eckdahl reveals how chemistry shapes the way we see the world—and great works of art. Using famous paintings by Monet, Picasso, and others, we will explore the physical, chemical, and biological processes behind our perception of color.

Why are some compounds brilliantly colorful while others appear dull or colorless? How do our eyes and brain work together to interpret color? How do chemists design and characterize new colorful compounds, and how do these discoveries drive new technologies?

You’ll walk away with a fresh way to appreciate artwork—through the eyes of a chemist.

Chris Eckdahl is a Lecturer in Chemistry at Columbia University, where he teaches General and Organic Chemistry and focuses on making chemistry accessible and engaging through active learning. He received his PhD from Northwestern University, where he synthesized molecules designed to interact with light in novel ways. His current research centers on Chemistry Education and alternative grading.

Get a drink, connect, and learn at Lectures on Tap! 🙌

Agenda

6:30 PM – Doors open: find a seat (open seating!), order food & drinks, and expect a bar line—arriving early is key.

6:55 PM – Host introduction

7:00 PM – Lecture begins

7:45 PM – Audience Q&A

8:00 PM – Have 1:1 time with the speaker, mingle with fellow guests, and order another round

8:30 PM – Wrap up.