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CORVALLIS, Ore. - From art to clothes to entertainment, color shapes modern life. At the Corvallis Science Pub on Monday, April 6, Oregon State University chemist Mas Subramanian will present the art and science of color as it has affected culture and even generated economic opportunity.

Subramanian's lab discovered a brilliant blue pigment in 2009 and has continued to develop applications with artists, paint manufacturers and other companies. In addition to blue, his lab has developed purples, greens and oranges with durable, environmentally beneficial qualities.

Subramanian will describe the chemical and physical origins of color in pigments and light. He'll span the uses of colors in nature such as geology (gems and metals), biology (butterflies, peacock, hummingbirds, flamingos, eyes) and botany (plants, flowers, berries), and explain the origin of color in pigments used in art and industry.

The Science Pub presentation is free and open to the public. It begins at 6 p.m. at the Old World Deli, 341 S.W. 2nd St. in Corvallis. Sponsors of Science Pub include Terra magazine at OSU, the Downtown Corvallis Association and the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry.