Presenter - Robin Kingsburgh

Robin Kingsburgh, Astronomer, Painter and Educator
Afternoon Breakout Session

Understanding Colour: a general education course on the science of colour

The study of colour and colour phenomena provides an ideal entryway into science, which not only helps cultivate science literacy, but also helps develop critical thinking skills. A ‘fear’ of science is unfortunately common in our culture, which paradoxically is full of science and technology. Colour is an engaging and compelling topic for many, and provides a good starting point for delving into more complex scientific ideas. The course entitled Understanding Colour is a full-year course offered at York University's Division of Natural Science in the Faculty of Science. The course was first presented by the author in 2000, to 50 students. Today, four versions of the course are offered yearly, to over 700 students across multiple sections, including online. A blended or flipped version is currently being developed. The course examines colour from multi-disciplinary perspectives, including history, physics, chemistry, biology, and astronomy, as well as art. This general education course presumes no prior background in science nor art, although many students taking the course are enrolled in various fine art programmes, including painting, and stage lighting. Single semester versions of this course have also been taught at Ontario College of Art & Design (OCAD) University in Toronto. The course has been highly successful at York University; it annually receives many positive reviews from students who are always surprised at how colour turns up in their everyday lives. This approach to teaching colour has value not only as a general education topic, to help improve science literacy, but also is useful for artists and designers, to give them a deep and comprehensive understanding of colour without feeling daunted by technical detail. Emphasizing the underlying physical concepts, which are easy to engage with, and to demonstrate, provides an entryway into science which can then enhance or augment artists' and designers' work in unexpected ways.

Bio

Robin Kingsburgh is a trained astronomer and painter. Her background in science comes from the University of Toronto (B.Sc. 1988) and University College London (Ph.D. in Astronomy, 1992). She worked as a postdoctoral fellow in Baja California at the University of Mexico from 1993-1996. Her painting experience comes from studies in Canada, France and the U.K, and has paralleled her scientific development. She has longstanding interests in the intersections of art, science and education. She currently teaches various natural science courses at York University, including Understanding Colour, The History of Astronomy, and The Nature of Time. She has curated numerous shows and events in the Toronto area, featuring artwork inspired by the ideas and methodologies of science. She is a member of Toronto’s Propeller Gallery, and the Ontario Society of Artists.