Research Symposium

BIO

Brianne is a first year undergraduate student currently on the Physics major track. Originally from Illinois, she is enjoying her first year and the nice warm weather. She appreciates this opportunity to be a part of UROP, as it let her dip her toes into the world of research.

Microscopes and Bioart: Using Microscopy to Create Art

Abstract

Bioart is a subfield of art focused on living systems. This field is often aided by the use of microscopes to form aesthetically interesting images. In this UROP project, we learned and used various types of bright field microscopy in order to create Bioart pieces. Through the use of upright and inverted light microscopes, we applied wide-field, reflected, polarized light, phase contrast, and differential interference contrast imaging modes for creating aesthetically striking images. My personal focus of this project is the local Spanish moss, Tillandsia usneoides, and an interesting strain of slime mold, Physarum polycephalum. The moss was chosen for its local significance and the slime mold for personal interest. The end goal of this work is to eventually create a piece to be submitted to the annual Nikon Small World Competition for microscopy. The purpose of this work was to train in microscopy and to create a piece of art in a scientific setting, as scientific partnerships with art can create better understanding of scientific concepts and bring science and art closer together.

Keywords: Bioart, Microscopy