2013 International Science & Engineering Visualization Challenge

2013 International Science & Engineering Visualization Challenge

First Place—Illustration “Cortex in Metallic Pastels” In a stylized section of cerebral cortex, axons, dendrites, and other features create a scene reminiscent of a copse of silver birch at twilight. Thinning out the forest of cells reveals their delicate branching structure. The image was created by blowing pigments across the canvas and highlighting some cells in gold and palladium.

Honorable Mention—Photography  “Stellate Leaf Hairs on Deutzia scabra" These exuberant starbursts shoot from the leaves of Deutzia scabra, a shrub sometimes known as “Pride of Rochester.” Polarized light microscopy highlights the tiny hairs, tipped by stars a quarter-millimeter across; filtering the light through a crystal of selenite (calcium sulfate) adds the blue cast.

People’s Choice—Illustration  “Human Hand Controlling Bacterial Biofilms” A photograph of a1.5-meter-high human hand sculpted by British artist Francis Hewlett was the starting point for this illustration of the power of microbes. The artist overlaid the photo with micrographs of cultured biofilms, stained with molecular probes to indicate their resistance to antimicrobial treatment.


People’s Choice—Photography  “Polymer Micro-structure Self-assembly” Digitally enhanced micrographs reveal the microstructure of a 2-millimeter-long fragment of self-assembled polymers, which researchers are using to build miniature “lab-on-a-chip” devices for diagnostic applications. Processing combinations of polymers at various temperatures or humidities creates a variety of textures, which can help control the movement and proliferation of cells.


First Place—Photography  “Invisible Coral Flows” Water swirls in a vortex above two millimeter-sized coral polyps. To highlight the flow, scientists tracked suspended particles by video and superimposed successive frames. The vortex, driven by the polyps’ wafting cilia, helps the coral draw in nutrients and sweep away waste products.

Source:
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2014/02/140206-pictures-coral-plants-passwords-visualization-science/