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The Art of Polymers concert series has transformed how society engages with polymer science and chemistry, creating unprecedented bridges between cutting-edge research and public understanding through immersive musical experiences.


The journey began with the Virtual Premiere of Art of Polymers, celebrating the 100th anniversary of artificial polymers while reaching 971 people through both live and recorded formats.


Slide showing the Virtual Premiere of Art of Polymers concert from January 2021. The slide displays impact statistics showing the premiere reached 300 people live, 671 on YouTube, for a total of 971 attendees, demonstrating how virtual events extend impact beyond the initial broadcast.


Building on this momentum, the Art of Polymers Concert Live at MIT brought together 115 in-person attendees and 187 YouTube viewers for an evening of original classical and electronic compositions interwoven with live science demonstrations.


Art of Polymers Live at MIT (Sept 2022) featuring trainee presenters Sophie Melvin, Jafer Vakil, and Clara Troyano-Valls. Reached 115 in-person and 187 YouTube attendees. Includes audience testimonial and concert performance photos.


The series gained remarkable visibility through national media coverage. Art of Polymers on WGBH Public Radio extended the concert's reach to over 100,000 listeners, with an additional 9,685 YouTube views amplifying the message. Media recognition was further amplified when Art of Polymers was published in Advanced Science News, introducing the innovative fusion of polymer research and musical composition to an international readership and legitimizing artistic science communication in mainstream scientific media.


Art of Polymers media coverage (Sept 2022): WGBH Public Radio with David Ibbett and Clara Troyano-Valls reached 9,685 YouTube views; Advanced Science News article gained 58,000 page views, featuring Ibbett's quote about rubber recycling research.


The Climate HOPE Concert exponentially expanded the series' impact, reaching over 800,000 people through NPR's WBUR Boston broadcast and engaging 300 live attendees. This multimedia performance wove together research on sustainable polymers with coral reef restoration, urban regeneration projects, and space exploration, demonstrating how polymer science connects to society's most pressing environmental challenges.


The Climate HOPE Concert (July 2023) reached 800,000+ through a WBUR NPR broadcast and 300 live attendees. Featured cellist Mike Block and MONET researchers connecting sustainable polymers with climate solutions on The Barr Foundation Stage.


The initiative's continued evolution is embodied in Planning and Delivering a New Art of Polymer Compositions & Performances, which charts an ambitious roadmap extending through 2027. This planning phase has produced new compositions based on cutting-edge research, including pieces on sacrificial bonds that challenge assumptions about material strength.


The timeline celebrates an exciting future, with a "Chemistry in the Universe" concert planned for June 2026 in Cambridge featuring a new composition for soprano and orchestra, followed by the development of a full-scale Polymer Symphony throughout 2026, culminating in a New England Philharmonic orchestra performance in 2027. This long-term vision demonstrates the series's sustainability and growing institutional support.

The Earthrise Concerto at the Christa McAuliffe Center, featuring 10^4 Rays of Hope from Art of Polymers as the finale, brought the Art of Polymers message to planetarium audiences, featuring "10^4 Rays of Hope" as the grand finale in a program exploring the "one earth" perspective and collective responsibility for global challenges.


Earthrise Concerto (March 2025) at Christa McAuliffe Center planetarium with sold-out shows. Featured "10^4 Rays of Hope" finale about how small sustainability projects make significant differences, presented in an immersive dome environment.

Most recently, piloting the new Musical Mechanophores Outreach Kit at the Cambridge Science Festival engaged over 250 participants in hands-on exploration of polymer networks.


Cambridge Science Festival pilot (Sept 2025) with team Vanessa Rosa, David Ibbett, and MONET trainees. Engaged 250+ participants using Multiverse app to play molecular structures as music and build polymer network models with beads and Velcro.

Using the innovative Multiverse app, participants "played" chemical structures as music before testing physical models with beads, fishing line, and Velcro to discover the counterintuitive principle that weak molecular crosslinkers can create stronger polymer networks.


Featured on the Science with Impact Podcast, Prof. David Ibbett was interviewed by MONET's Director of Broader Impacts, Vanessa Rosa, Ph.D. to discuss the the process and future of their collaborations.


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Together, these initiatives have created a scalable, research-grounded model for science communication that has reached over one million people across live performances, broadcasts, digital platforms, and hands-on outreach.


The Art of Polymers series proves that when scientists and artists collaborate authentically, they can transform abstract molecular concepts into experiences that resonate emotionally, intellectually, and culturally—ultimately strengthening society's relationship with scientific innovation and inspiring the next generation of STEAM thinkers.

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