VT College of Science Magazine Annual 2012 | Page 14

(left) The audience is captivated by Robert Lang. (below)
Cell and molecular biology class: Students folding proteins and folding cranes.

Bridging

science

art

with

So, the College of Science invited Robert J. Lang, a physicist and
world-renowned origami artist, to Blacksburg to inspire the campus and community to understand the delicate relationship between science and art. His lecture, entitled “From Flapping Birds to
Space Telescopes: the Modern Science of Origami,” captivated a diverse
audience with sophisticated origami art and the importance of applied
mathematics in artistic designs. His art has resulted in the deployment
of novel lenses in outer space and safer air bags in vehicles here on
Earth. His lecture concluded with an interactive folding session that
included students from Virginia Tech and visiting Richmond-area high
schools.

Science

by Tim Long, Associate Dean and Professor

12

Scientists are looking to artists
for inspiration of novel molecular
shapes at the nanometer dimension because understanding how
these molecular shapes fold and
unfold upon demand remains an
active area of research for faculty
and students at Virginia Tech. Cultivating working relationships between
artists and scientists is necessary to catalyze many emerging technologies, ranging
from alternate energy and energy storage to
biomedical and drug-delivery devices.

Origami is the Japanese art of folding paper into complex shapes and
structures. Most of us recognize the familiar origami crane as a symbol
of peace and healing. Lang has transformed origami art with his application of mathematics. He left a successful career as a researcher
in prestigious national laboratories to be a full-time origami artist
and consultant. He recently received the 2009 Distinguished Alumni
Award from Caltech, where Lang earned his Ph.D. in applied physics.
His professional transformation stems from his passion for origami as
a young boy, decades before an international society of origami artists
was formed.
His truly interdisciplinary lecture, which marked the college’s launch
of a strategic vision to bridge art and science, was co-sponsored with
the School of Performing Arts and Cinema, the Institute for Critical
Technology and Applied Science, and the Fralin Life Science Institute.

Robert J. Lang, physicist and worldrenowned origami artist

In addition to his campus-wide lecture that attracted more than 200
attendees, Lang visited a class in a cell and molecular biology SCALEUP classroom and co-presented a session with biochemistry professor
David Bevan to describe the relationship between protein folding and
origami folding. This lecture also coincided with the launch of the college’s Integrated Science Curriculum and nanoscience program in an
attempt to highlight the importance of effective communication and
collaboration within interdisciplinary teams.
Lang returned to campus on June 28, 2012, as an invited speaker at
the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry Macromolecular Congress. This prestigious congress, under the auspices of the VT
Macromolecules and Interfaces Institute, assembled more than 1,400
scientists from around the world to discuss recent advances in macromolecular science and engineering. Lang described the interaction of
the international community of origami
artists in the advancement of origami
art and its implications on macromolecular science and engineering. Prior
to this, Lang attended the annual
OrigamiUSA conference of origami
artists.

Science

and

13
COLLEGE OF SCIENCE MAGAZINE

www.scien