Gayle Price Scientific Glassblower University of Leicester

Tucked away in our Department of Chemistry is a workshop where Gayle Price, the University’s Scientific Glassblower, spends her time creating specialised glassware and apparatus for research and teaching purposes.

The BBC’s One Show recently came by to film Gayle in action and talk to her about her work. As one of a small number of glassblowers working in a university, Gayle’s work sees her creating a variety of glass forms for different purposes and her passion for the craft comes through in her knowledge of the history of glasswork, as well as the science of it.

During the filming, Gayle assembled a heat exchanger (referred to as a coil condenser in the interview) in its entirety, demonstrating and explaining many of the techniques and methods she uses to meet the complex and often unusual requirements of our staff.