Daniel Alvarez blowing glass in the studio.

If Daniel Alvarez had not attended Ohio State as a freshman, he may have never discovered his passion for glass artwork. Daniel enrolled at Ohio State as an undecided student. Not knowing what major to choose, he began exploring some possibilities. One of Ohio State’s greatest strengths is that it offers a multitude of options and opportunities in one place.

Daniel became involved in the art and technology program and decided to take a class in glassblowing to fulfill requirements for an art major. Daniel laughed when he was asked if he had always loved art. He said, “I was not planning on doing this at all. I didn’t even take art in high school. I had zero exposure to glass before coming to Ohio State. But after one quarter of glass, I switched my major.” After he graduates from OSU in June, Daniel said, “The next step for me is graduate school. I am interested in being a professional studio artist.” He also works at one of the biggest glass sculpture galleries in the Midwest, located here in Columbus.

As both of Daniel’s parents are scientists at Ohio State, Daniel also had some interesting insights about research. He said, “Research is making something new that no one has made before. Being in the art world, there are so many parallels between science and art, as far as the research side and the commercial side, and they both relate to innovation. Looking at a medical journal, for example, you can see works of art. Somebody created an artificial heart, and that sure is a work of art.”