From the frumpish mug of an oyster toadfish to delicate crystalline "flowers" of cobalt pyrite, 12 winners of the 2014 University of Wisconsin-Madison Cool Science Image contest were announced March 25.
Ten still images and two videos were recognized for their portrayals of science and for the stories the pictures embody. Videos are recognized this year for the first time. Click here to view all of the winning images.
"As is true each year, we had amazing participation and many beautiful and insightful pictures," says Steve Ackerman, a UW-Madison professor of atmospheric and oceanic sciences and a contest judge. "We continue to be astounded by the quality of the images submitted and the fascinating stories they tell."
The College of Letters & Science was well-represented. L&S winners included:
- Angie Derr of the Department of Botany's Newcomb Imaging Center, for her environmental scanning electron micrograph of a spore-producing capsule in moss.
- Matthew Faber, graduate student in chemistry, for his scanning electron microscope portrait of cobalt pyrite.
- Audrey Forticaux, graduate student in chemistry, for her electron micrograph of the element molybdenum.
- Amy Uhrin, graduate student in zoology, for her close-up of an oyster toadfish, an unusual model in biomedical research.
This year's contest drew 94 entries from faculty, staff and students from nearly all corners of campus.
Sponsored by Promega Corp. with additional support from DoIT's Digital Publishing and Printing Services, the contest is intended to provide a showcase and more broadly share the work of Wisconsin researchers. Winners receive $100 gift cards for Downtown Madison and, for still image winners, a poster-sized print.
All of the submissions for the 2014 contest will be incorporated into a slide show to be shown on the media wall in the Town Center of the Wisconsin Institutes for Discovery during the 2014 Wisconsin Science Festival.
For the full list of winners from across campus, read the University Communications story.