I watched a piece a couple years ago about a super talented glass blower that was working for a university. Something something dying breed and he was the last of his kind. It's actually a pretty interesting career opportunity because of all the intersections it has with materials, science, design, and art. I can hardly believe there was a vacuum there, I'd jump to do it if I had the opportunity to actually learn the trade.
> "Laboratory glassware is extremely expensive – and we drop stuff from time to time," said Dempster.
> Dempster estimated the glass shop charges 1/10 to 1/20 of what companies would, with a much faster turnaround.
> Nevertheless, scientific glassblowing is a dying art.
> "It's slowly been dwindling. Like, lately, if people retire, they kind of shut down the shop and start outsourcing. But us glassblowers are trying to change that," said Roeger.
> Roeger is working to reestablish the apprenticeship program in which she learned her skills.
> "The apprenticeship program is a four-year, full-time, hands-on training with a master glassblower, and it really does take that much to be able to produce glassware that customers can use."
> For now, she's glad to see more women entering a historically male-dominated field.
