Science and engineering visualization contest winners (images)
The National Science Foundation and the journal Science announce the 2011 winners of a contest to create the best visualizations in the fields of science and engineering.
Metabolomic Eye
First place in the 2011 International Science and Engineering Visualization Challenge in the Photography category went to a detailed picture of the tissue from the eye of a mouse. University of Utah Moran Eye Center professor Bryan William Jones used a technique called computational molecular phenotyping (CMP) to delineate the different types of cells from a tiny slice of a mouse's eye.
Skin of an Immature Cucumber
Photographer Robert Bellinveau used a polarizing microscope to get a 800 times magnification of trichomes, a defensive tip of young cucumbers. His work got an honorable mention in the Photography category.
The Cliff of the Two-Dimensional World
It looks like the side of a mountain from Utah but it's actually tiny layers of titanium-based compounds. The team of photographers was able to capture this level of detail, with each strip only five atoms thick, in two dimensions for the first time, according to the journal Science.
Tumor Death-Cell Receptors on Breast Cancer Cell
This illustration depicts a dangerous-looking breast cancer. It was modeled in 3D software and painted in Photoshop. The green globs on the bottom left show a protein treatment which can shut down and kill cancer cells.
Variable-Diameter Carbon Nanotubes
Illustrator Joel Brehm creates the perspective of being within an array of carbon nanotubes, which are too small to see with the naked eye. He drew from the work done at the University of Nebraska in making variable diameter carbon nanotubes, which could be used for antennas or electronics.
Exploring Complex Functions Using Domain Coloring
This image is a visualization of a complex math problem. Each complex number in an equation is a color, and the farther they are from zero (the white area), the brighter the picture. The idea is to show the differences between complex numbers.
Separation of a Cell
Cell division is taught early on in biology but it's most often depicted in two dimensions. This illustration is an effort to create a more realistic three-dimensional image.
Gaming for science
Foldit is a computer game where people try to visually construct proteins that could be useful to medical research. Gamers, who don't need to be trained scientists, compete to make a protein from amino acids.
Powers of Minus Ten
Using a video game, students can delve into the biology under the skin. The students start at the skin on the hand and then enter a cell, then animated chromosomes and proteins. The developer hopes to refine the game so that students can visually see things at the atomic level, according to Science.
The Ebola Virus
Certainly not the prettiest sight, but one that reflects the complexity of the Ebola virus. This 3D model, put together by Russian-based group Visual Science, reflects the complicated structure of the virus.
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