Nine entries, each telling a scientific story with a careful balance of accuracy and beauty, have won the 2005 Science and Engineering Visualization Challenge, sponsored jointly by the National Science Foundation and the journal Science, published by the nonprofit science society, AAAS.
Currently in its third year, the contest recognizes outstanding achievement in the use of visual media to promote understanding of research results and scientific phenomena. The judges' criteria for evaluating the entries included visual impact, innovation and accuracy.
The winning entries communicate information about the brilliant spectrum of fluorescing molecules, the fleeting moment when one neuron prepares to signal another, the spectacular emergence of the 17-year cicada, and more. A news story in the Sept. 23, 2005 issue of Science presents all of the entries. Winning entries may also be viewed on the magazine's web site and on the NSF web site.
The winning entries are in five categories:
ILLUSTRATION
First Place: Graham Johnson, Graham Johnson Medical Media, The Synapse Revealed
INFORMATIONAL GRAPHIC
First Place: Cheryl Aaron, Omega Optical, Inc., Fluoressence: The Essence of Fluorescence
PHOTOGRAPHY
First Place: James S. Aber, Emporia State University, Autumn Color, Estonian Bog
INTERACTIVE MEDIA
Honorable Mention: Tracy M. Sterling, New Mexico State University, Transpiration: Water Movement Through Plants
NON-INTERACTIVE MEDIA
First Place: Roger Hangarter, Indiana University, Return of the 17-Year Cicadas
Note: A web version of this movie, plus a "Science News for Kids" story about this entry, is available online at the EurekAlert! Kids Portal.
Honorable Mentions:
Mogi Massimo Vicentini, Civico Planetario Di Milano, Planetary Motion From Euxodus to Copernicus
Steve Deyo, Kevin Fuell, Katherine Olson, Dan Ritter and Seth Lamos, UCAR/COMET, Rip Currents: Nearshore Fundamentals
Leslie Ann Aldridge, National Geographic TV & Film, Forces of Nature Interactive Website
Nina Amenta, University of California, Davis, Evolutionary Morphing: Statistical Interpolation of Ancestral Morphology
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