Research Art Competition 2024
Seeking the Artistry in Research
Jefferson’s 2024 Research as Art Competition celebrates all Jefferson faculty, students, and staff who have an eye for the beauty in their research or scholarship. Our panel of judges selected a winner from two categories: life under the microscope, reflecting cellular and molecular work; and conceptual art that shows renderings of research observations, experiences and concepts in various media. They judged each piece based on aesthetic quality, meaning, and originality.
This year, we had 32 submissions with representation from disciplines including neuroscience, population health, engineering and art therapy. Each work depicts the creative aspects of academic study that often go underappreciated. The images also do something that is rare in research: they invite the novice or uninitiated to interact with the topic, to bring their own experiences to bear in the interpretation and appreciation of research as art. We hope you will enjoy this year’s images.
Cellular Molecular Winner Bridget Boyle
"Celestial Memories: Hippocampal Neurons in the Cosmos."
"Celestial Memories" presents three different hippocampal neurons that look like they are floating in a cosmic setting. We used fluorescent markers that show vibrant colors, highlighting the complexity of these neurons, key players in learning and memory. Set against a starry backdrop of fluorescent puncta, the neurons resemble constellations, symbolizing the way our memories connect and shape our understanding of the world. This artwork merges the science of the brain with the vastness of space, reflecting the importance of understanding how these neurons communicate.
Conceptual Art Winner Maribeth Kradel-Weitzel
"Spinal Cord Injury Care Team"
This image was created to introduce the “Your Care Team and Resources” section of a patient-facing informational binder for the Jefferson Moss-Magee Rehabilitation Hospital’s Spinal Cord Injury Program. The concept demonstrates multiple care providers with different specialties collaborating to support a patient in their journey to grow and flourish in the aftermath of a spinal cord injury. This hopeful image demonstrates that it is possible to find a place of joy after such a traumatic life event, and the spinal cord injury team makes sure no patient is alone in that pursuit.
Illustration: Maribeth Kradel-Weitzel
Spinal Cord Injury Program team collaborators: Ben Ayzenberg, Erin Freimuth
2024 Research Art Competition Submissions
Browse a selection of additional entries below, and explore all of the 2024 submissions via downloadable PDF that includes images and descriptions from the artists.
Sorry, no results found.
This Year's Judges
-
Meghan Kelly
Meghan Kelly is the Interim Program Director of MS Textile Design graduate program at Thomas Jefferson University and primary knitting professor, specializing in advanced knitting techniques with manual and electronic machines. She holds a BFA in Fibers and Art History from Kansas City Art Institute and an MS in Textile Design from Philadelphia University
-
Robert Irion
Robert Irion (he/him) teaches science journalism in the UC Santa Cruz Science Communication Master's Program, which he directed from 2006 to 2017. He has covered physical sciences for Science, Smithsonian, National Geographic, and many other publications. In September 2024, he was inducted as a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.