Mauro, a former inventor, is now a professor of engineering and materials science at Pennsylvania State University. He has been fascinated by glass since he visited the Corning Museum of Glass in New York at the age of 6. He recalled being fascinated by the colors and shapes. Today, he knows more about the function of glass than almost anyone, but he remains in awe of the substance. Glass is a unique thing, he said. It breaks the mold.