Allison Fleshman brings the energy as she celebrates curiosity in science at Honors Convocation

An energetic talk by chemistry professor Allison Fleshman celebrating the joys of scientific exploration was the centerpiece of Lawrence University’s 2025 Honors Convocation, held Friday afternoon in Memorial Chapel.

It followed Thursday’s Honors Award Ceremony and Reception, where 132 students, two student organizations, and five faculty and staff were celebrated with awards that spanned the university experience—from academic honors in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences and Conservatory of Music to Student Life and Athletics leadership. The Convocation offered a round of applause for the award winners before turning the stage over to Fleshman, associate professor of chemistry and this year’s recipient of the Faculty Convocation Award.

Fleshman’s talk, “The Science of Paint Drying: It’s more fascinating than it sounds,” was an entertaining blend of scientific insight, chemical processes, and humor, all wrapped around the notion that being inquisitive about science can add layers to the ways we enjoy the beauty that’s around us.

Fleshman teaches a course on the chemistry of art. And she’s taking some of those lessons on the road this summer for a Chemistry of Art seminar at Björklunden.

“This is not an art talk, it’s a science talk,” she told those gathered in Memorial Chapel.

She started with the idea of watching paint dry, which she called the “poster child for boredom,” and proceeded through scientific breakdowns of ink diffusing, the processes of curing paint, the bending of light via refraction, and insightful lessons in color derived from protons, electrons, and the Periodic Table of Elements—all carrying messages that make science anything but boring if we’re willing to listen.

If you ask questions along the way, Fleshman said, you can learn a little—or a lot—about colors, art, and why things look or feel or react as they do. She encouraged those in the audience to think about times they’ve had certainty on a particular topic, then ponder what else they might explore. Embrace your curiosity, she said.

She suggested people apply that the next time they are walking on Main Hall Green and see vibrant colors in the roses or tulips. Remember what you just learned about the role electrons play in creating those colors, she said.

“Or the next time you see a rainbow,” she said, “I’d like you to think, ‘Oh wow, that’s refraction.’ You got light hitting an interface and the refractive index of water separating that light out is giving you a rainbow. And that you picked up from learning about paint drying.”

Fleshman ended her talk by noting that paint doesn’t actually dry in the way we think it does; it cures. Paint curing is a chemical process, one that takes time, so be patient while celebrating the science behind it, she said. And on that note, she played “The Waiting” by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, a band she loves almost as much as chemistry.

View the livestream of Honors Convocation

The Honors Convocation, the third of three annual convocations during the academic year, also featured a beautiful piano selection from senior Benjamin Keating.

Faculty and staff were recognized for annual awards: The Babcock Award for outstanding service to students (voted on by students) to Nicole Schultz for her work as a custodian; Mortar Board Honorary Award to Claudena Skran, Edwin & Ruth West Professor of Economics and Social Science and professor of government; University Award for Excellence in Advising to Matthew Stoneking, Alice G. Chapman Professor of Physics; and First-Year Studies Teaching Award to Sarah Gamalinda, assistant professor of French and Francophone studies.

“We can all take great pride in these students, faculty, and staff and the many ways they have enriched our community,” President Laurie A. Carter said. “Thank you for your leadership, and congratulations on your impressive accomplishments.”