The Elegance of Science 2009

1st Place: Mycorrhizas in Full Color – Megan M. Smith

2nd Place: Orderly destruction – Hannah Vander Zanden

3rd Place: Fatal attraction: when the immune system goes bad – Yaima Luzardo, Clayton E. Mathews, & Molecular Pathology Core

Alumni Award: Lightning Over the Rappahannock – Alumni Award

Honorable Mention: Fullerenes – Victor V. Albert

  • magnified fungal threads and root
    Mycorrhizas in Full Color, Megan M. Smith
  • sawflies laying eggs
    Orderly Destruction, Hannah Vander Zanden
  • magnification of stained mouse pancreas tissue
    Fatal Attraction, Yaima Luzardo, Clayton E. Mathews, & Molecular Pathology Core
  • Lightning strike at night
    Lightning Over the Rappahannock, Wes Marston
  • magnification of graphene molecule
    The Roads of Graphene, Victor V. Albert
  • Two-image overlay of magnified brain tissue
    The Brain Revealed, Adam Mecca
  • Magnification of the mineral feldspar
    Two of Spades, Amy Washuta
  • scorpion in sand
    Scorpion, Anastasia Kozak
  • 80-million-year-old fossil ammonite
    Ammonite, Anastasia Kozak
  • Snail on leaf
    The Snail, Anastasia Kozak
  • butterflies on fruit
    The Feast, Anastasia Kozak
  • albino American alligator
    Albino Alligator, Anastasia Kozak
  • blue butterfly wing
    Between Life and Death, Andrei Sourakov
  • fly specimens
    Alien Attack, Andrei Sourakov
  • butterfly wing refraction
    A Black Hole in the Butterfly Wing, Andrei Sourakov
  • fractal image of a butterfly wing
    Butterfly-Brain-Butterfly-Brain, Andrei Sourakov
  • metallic orchid bees
    Orchid Bees, Andrei Sourakov
  • leaf with eaten sections
    Nature's Breadcrumbs, Ashley Vaniska
  • close up of eye
    Focus, Ashley Vaniska
  • condensation macro photo
    Condensation, Ashley Vaniska
  • photo of representative tree
    Common Thread, Ashley Vaniska
  • a reflective chlorine bubble
    Pin-Sized Globe, Ashley Vaniska
  • Silica nanoparticles
    Gator Island, Kannan Balasundaram
  • magnification of stained tissue cells
    B3 lysenin multiple fin, Daniel Witter
  • magnification of stained cells
    contCHOH1w lysenin final, Daniel Witter
  • magnification of stained tissue cells
    B1 lysenin fin, Daniel Witter
  • Fluorescence microscopy picture of stained cells
    control H1 B nile red fin, Daniel Witter
  • Fluorescence microscopy picture of stained cells
    cont7WD10 w lysenin DAPI (multiple)1 fin, Daniel Witter
  • magnified image of a single grain of the pollen
    Magnificent Pollen, David M. Jarzen
  • magnification of esophageal cancer cells
    Cancer Cells on Nanorods, David Lovett
  • painting of specialized glial cells
    The Neuron's Assistant, Emily Korszen
  • A 60 million year old fossil leaf
    The Meal of an Insect, Fabiany Herrera
  • large pink leaf
    Alien Leaf, Fabiany Herrera
  • 60 million year old fossil leaf
    Yellow Fossil Leaf, Fabiany Herrera
  • Transversal section of a fruit
    Buoyant Fruit, Fabiany Herrera
  • fossil flower
    Exceptional Flower, Fabiany Herrera
  • interpretive art of cells
    Gradients in Space, Fady Paul Marji
  • stills from a digital 3D multi-user immersive environment
    Faces of Second China, Paul Fishwick, Ryan Tanay, Hyungwook Park, Julie Henderson, Rasha Kamhawi, & Amy Jo Coffey
  • stained rat cells
    Ms-GFAG2-3, Gerry Shaw
  • A neuron from an adult rat
    Neuron-Small, Gerry Shaw
  • magnification of stained cells
    5C11-NF-H, Gerry Shaw
  • magnification of stained rat neurons
    Chk-NF-m-2000, Gerry Shaw
  • magnification of stained rat cells
    Rab-CoroA2 reg-Chi-Vim(4109) -G-2, Gerry Shaw
  • painting representing two nitrogen atoms bonding
    Life is Nitrogen, Hamilton Jones
  • Green and red Bromelia pinguin plant
    Blushing Bromeliad, Hannah Vander Zanden
  • Morning Glory flower with water drops
    Beach Morning Glory, Hannah Vander Zanden
  • tree driftwood on a beach
    Driftwood, Hannah Vander Zanden
  • sea grape leaf section
    Sea Grape, Hannah Vander Zanden
  • flagella of pathogen Listeria monocytogenes
    Glowing Edge, Harald Messer
  • magnification of stained L. monocytogenes
    Flagella RYB, Harald Messer
  • negative stain of human foodborne pathogen, 'L. monocytogenes'
    Flagella Blue, Harald Messer
  • albumin microspheres under scanning electron microscope
    Spherical Chaos, Hung-Yen Lee
  • Lacewing eggs
    Lacewing Eggs, Ijy Chen
  • white flower with dew
    A Dewed Flower, Iju Chen
  • Anthers of Rhododendron
    Anthers of Rhododendron, Iju Chen
  • an unidentified insect
    Ready To Jump!, Iju Chen
  • fossil pollen grains
    Fossil Pollen, Iju Chen
  • fractal illustration a mathematical concept
    (1+0.4i)sin(z) iterated, Jason Harrington
  • pink rose with bee
    The Floral Stork, Jis Joseph
  • An albino aligator
    Gator Ghost, Jis Joseph
  • fungus on a dead tree
    Fungal Steps, Jis Joseph
  • golden orb spider in web
    Web of Gold, Jis Joseph
  • magnification of cancer cells
    Aberration, Joanna Scian
  • EEG (“brain wave”) frequency bands
    EEG Time-Frequency Plot for English Speakers Listening to Thai Lexical Tones, Edith Kaan, Walid Kara, & Andreas Keil
  • electron microphotograph of dinoflagellate
    Pyrodinium bahamense, Karen Kelley
  • Incorrectly oriented section of mouse tissue
    Histology Is Where the Heart Is..., Kelley Durden
  • protein model
    Protein Christmas Wreath, Kit Fuhrman
  • Sea Anemone close up
    Sea Anemone, Machel Malay
  • red blood cells
    Red Blood Cells, Maria Christina Vasquez
  • artistic rendition of damselfly eye and section of plant
    Damselfly Catches Glimpse of Running Clubmoss, Mirelle Majas
  • interpretive art of fly eye and plant section
    Striped Horse Fly Makes Out Prickly Pine, Mirelle Majas
  • artistic rendition of damselfly eye and section of plant
    Hanging-Thief Robber Fly Detects Hyacinth, Mirelle Majas
  • Macro of muscle and connective tissue of a snake
    Muscle Rivers, Molly Womack
  • magnification of sea snake cloaca
    Tissue Whirlpool, Molly Womack
  • Ants on an Acacia tree
    Mutualism, Molly Womack
  • magnification of tissue of snake cloaca
    Muscle Rapids, Molly Womack
  • researchers walking along a fence line
    Enclosure, Molly Womack
  • fossil angiosperm wood
    Beauty of Fossilized Wood, Nareerat Boonchai
  • A spider enjoys a meal on a leaf
    Nature’s Plate, Nareerat Boonchai
  • cicada molt on the bud of a flower
    New Summer Life, Nareerat Boonchai
  • Crystals of a Breast Cancer Drug
    Crystals of a Breast Cancer Drug, David Ostrov, Arieann DeFazio, & Shun Lu
  • Crystals of a Breast Cancer Drug
    Crystals of a Breast Cancer Drug, David Ostrov, Arieann DeFazio, & Shun Lu
  • Crystals of a Breast Cancer Drug
    Crystals of a Breast Cancer Drug, David Ostrov, Arieann DeFazio, & Shun Lu
  • Crystals of a Breast Cancer Drug
    Crystals of a Breast Cancer Drug, David Ostrov, Arieann DeFazio, & Shun Lu
  • Crystals of a Breast Cancer Drug
    Crystals of a Breast Cancer Drug, David Ostrov, Arieann DeFazio, & Shun Lu
  • magnified mouse kidney tissue
    Kidney Sand Dollar, Pedro E Cruz
  • laser studying wing flapping of hummingbirds and bees
    Solving the Mystery of Flapping Flight, Pin Wu
  • butterfly on laptop
    Looking Past, Sarah Saavedra
  • magnification of two combined viruses
    Vibrant Neural Chimera, Sue Semple-Rowland, William Coggin, Rachel Ludlow
  • interpretive painting of research experience
    PML Protein in the Laboratory: 1st step, Sheryl
  • abstract painting of molecules
    Interactions, Sheryl Chocron
  • interpretive painting of a human eye
    In Depth, Sheryl Chocron
  • Magnification of a wasp venom gland
    It's Great to BEE a Florida Gator, Steve McClellan
  • magnification of a graphene molecule
    Between the Layers, Victor V. Albert
  • smashing mollecules
    Fullerene Fragmentation, Victor V. Albert
  • lasers in darkness
    The Beauty in Lasers, Yan Chen
  • mouse eye close up
    An Eye for Excellence // Mouse Eye 5, Zachary Cohen
  • mouse eye close up
    An Eye for Excellence // Mouse Eye 1, Zachary Cohen
  • mouse eye close-up
    An Eye for Excellence // Mouse Eye 2, Zachary Cohen
  • mouse eye close up
    An Eye for Excellence // Mouse Eye 4, Zachary Cohen
  • mouse eye close up
    An Eye for Excellence // Mouse Eye 3, Zachary Cohen
  • magnification of protein crystals
    Interleukin 8 Flower, Arieann DeFazio
  • diffraction pattern from a single protein crystal
    Interleukin 8 diffraction, Arieann DeFazio
  • magnification of Interleukin 8 crystals
    Interleukin 8 abstract, Arieann DeFazio
  • magnification of cat skin cells
    Colony, Heather Wamsley
  • magnified cells and infection
    A Padlock Hunts for Hidden Infection, Heather Wamsley
  • magnification of cow tissue
    Red Fire River Seen from Above, Heather Wamsley
  • magnification of stained mice tissue
    Filamentous Creation, Dana Catalfamo
  • magnification of stained mice tissue
    Osteoclast's Garden in the Light, Dana Catalfamo