[3] The New York Times described his Princeton lectures as follows: Dr. Alyea had a genius for bringing science to life in the classroom.
With his 'armchair chemistry', he endowed chemical principles with the drama and verve of a sound-and-light show, which now and then burned his suits beyond repair.
Amid explosions and swishing clouds of carbon dioxide he explained the mysteries of chemistry with contagious enthusiasm.
Life magazine reported "Grimacing with fiendish delight ... he sets off explosions, shoots water pistols and sprays his audience with carbon dioxide in the course of 32 harrowing experiments dramatizing complicated theory".
[5] A shortened version of the lecture was featured on a 1955 NBC TV series Princeton '55: An Exploration into Education through Television; it won an Emmy.