Digital imaging competition brings bug-eyed splendor
The Olympus BioScapes competition has honored images and movies of human, plant and animal subjects as captured through light microscopes for the past eight years. Entries are judged based on the science they depict, their aesthetics, and their technical merit.
"These images and movies tell stories about some of the most important and compelling research being done today," Osamu Joji, Group Vice President and General Manager, Scientific Equipment Group at Olympus America Inc., told BioOptics World.
First Prize in the competition went to Dr. Igor Siwanowicz of the Max Planck Institute for Neurobiology (Munich, Germany), whose eye-popping image of a Daddy Longlegs reveals the wide-eyed wonder of the specimen, also known as a Harvestman or Phalangium opilio (see Fig. 1). This depth color-coded projection of a confocal microscope image was selected from about 2,000 images and movies to earn First Prize–$5,000 worth of Olympus equipment.
The Second Prize-winning image by Thomas Deerinck of the University of California-San Diego's National Center for Microscopy and Imaging Research reflects advancements in cell biology and neuroscience. His image of a rat hippocampus, the part of the brain involved with spatial navigation and memory, resembles a beautiful, undulating ocean wave as it might have been painted by an Impressionist artist a century ago (see Fig. 2).
Throughout 2011, 20 of the winning and Honorable Mention images are being exhibited at museums of science and industry and on university campuses, and other exhibits of BioScapes images simultaneously will tour cities across the U.S., Mexico, South America and Canada. All images and the names of honorees may be viewed online at www.olympusbioscapes.com.
Lee Dubay | Managing Editor
Lee Dubay is managing editor for Laser Focus World. She is a seasoned editor and content manager with 20 years of experience in B2B media. She specializes in digital/print content management, as well as website analytics, SEO, and social media engagement best practices.