The interaction of theory and practice is of critical importance for understanding the relationship of science to society. Ms. Sarah Lowengard, under the direction of Dr. Garber, is undertaking doctoral dissertation research that examines the relationship between color production techniques and ideas about the nature of color in chemistry and physics. Their relationship becomes obvious when color-making practices (dyestuff- pigment- and glaze-making) are examined together with theoretical explanations for color. Transfer of information about practices and about theories was constant and multi-directional, reflecting typical styles of social and intellectual exchange. To understand these connections, Ms. Lowengard is uniting the disparate groups of theorists, practitioners and entrepreneurs in, what she calls for her research purposes, the "color industry." She is especially examining the search for new colors and new techniques to produce colors. This dissertation aims to show the way information transfer in the color industry enhanced its crafts and altered its theories. It will provide a model to understand these and similar intellectual and practical interactions.
