Each year, the UC San Diego Library hosts the Art of Science contest to showcase the aesthetic beauty that can emerge from scientific research and elevate awareness of the groundbreaking research taking place at UC San Diego. The contest also highlights the Library’s Research Data Curation Program and the services it provides to UC San Diego researchers and affiliates, free of charge, to publish and preserve the work taking place on campus each year for future access.
Now in its fourth year, this year’s Art of Science contest resulted in seven winning images, five of which are from the Scripps Institution of Oceanography. Winners were chosen by a panel of judges from various departments on campus and representatives from the local San Diego community. We also conducted an open-voting period, in which the wider campus and San Diego community could select their favorite image–this resulted in the Open Voting Winner, which is the image featured above.*
The 2024 Art of Science winners are:
The By-the-Wind Sailor, Velella
Artist: Gregory Rouse, faculty, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, Marine Biology Research Division
Category: 2024 Judges’ Award Winner, Faculty/Project Scientist Participant
More Than Just Coral Glow
Artist: Or Ben-Zvi, postdoctoral researcher, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, Jaffe Laboratory for Underwater Imaging and Smith Lab
Category: 2024 Judges’ Award Winner, Postdoctoral Participant
Intertidal Constellation
Artist: Ethan G. Staats, graduate student, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, Deheyn Lab
Category: 2024 Judges’ Award Winner, Graduate Student Participant
12-Day-Old Fluorescent Sea Urchin Larva*
Artists: Svenja C. Kling, graduate student; Elliot Jackson, postdoc; and Emilio Romero, graduate student; Scripps Institution of Oceanography, Hamdoun Lab
Category: 2024 Open Voting Winner
Hansbreen Glacier
Artist: Dale Stokes, faculty, Scripps Institution of Oceanography; International Partnership for Acoustic Monitoring of Glaciers (IPAOMG)
Category: 2024 Judges’ Award Winner, Honorable Mention
Walking Through Windows
Artist: Sakina Lemieux, postdoctoral researcher, UC San Diego Department of Neurosciences
Category: 2024 Judges’ Award Winner, Honorable Mention
Living Materials Made With Algae Glow Under Stress
Artists: Chenghai Li, Ph.D. student; Shengqiang Cai, doctoral advisor, UC San Diego Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, CAI Research Group
Category: 2024 Judges’ Award Winner, Honorable Mention
Special thanks to this year’s judges:
- Stuart Sandin, Professor, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, UC San Diego
- Erik T. Mitchell, Audrey Geisel University Librarian, UC San Diego
- James C. Nieh, Professor, Department of Ecology, Behavior, and Evolution, UC San Diego
- Clarissa Chevalier, Ph.D. Candidate, Visual Arts Department, UC San Diego
- Michael Field, Director of Experience Design, San Diego Natural History Museum
- Lynda Claassen, Director, Special Collections & Archives, UC San Diego Library
Stay tuned for our September announcement, which will unveil the remaining winning images from the 2024 Art of Science contest and detail the exhibition dates. This year’s images will be displayed at the Faculty Club at UC San Diego, which is free to enter and open to the public. A digital exhibit will also be available for those unable to attend in person and will remain permanently online.
If you are interested in the Art of Science program and would like to donate to the Library to support it, please reach out to Jennifer Brown at jgbrown@ucsd.edu.
Image Credit: Svenja C. Kling, graduate student; Elliot Jackson, postdoc; and Emilio Romero, graduate student; Scripps Institution of Oceanography, Hamdoun Lab