By Jaimi Gray
On October 11, the Jackson School of Geosciences held its annual art exhibit in the Holland Center. Here, the line between work and leisure was blurred. Students, researchers and faculty contributed art pieces to display in the exhibit, and others in the Jackson School are invited to come and view the art pieces and chat with the artists.
As a newcomer to the Jackson School, I used the art exhibit as an opportunity to meet other staff and students in the community, and what better way to make new friends than to bond over a shared love of science and art! During these conversations, I noticed that some of the Jackson School artists use their art to dive deeper into their science, while others use it as an escape.
I have always considered my science a form of art. So of course, I contributed pieces made using CT scans. I enjoy creating artistic images to represent my research, and they don’t necessarily have a place in scientific papers, so I’ll use them elsewhere. One of my pieces was one of these, large canvas print featuring CT images of the Gopher tortoise anatomy from my 2023 publication on the world’s first full body contrast enhanced CT scan of a turtle.
I also contributed a set of three 3D models of vertebrate brains on removable stands. These models were created using contrast-enhanced CT scans, 3D printed with PLA, sanded, and painted with acrylics to demonstrate comparative brain anatomy. These models demonstrate my passion for education and outreach. Not only do they demonstrate the striking variation in brain morphology among vertebrates and just how strange looking non-human brains are (many people have no idea what a fish or reptile brain looks like!), but they can also be used in vertebrate anatomy classes to teach the finer details of brain anatomy. In the future, I hope to add more brains to the set, and loan them out for comparative anatomy courses. I had some useful conversations with the JSG art exhibit attendees about what other brains to add to the set!
From Photographs and prints, to comic strips, sculpture, and board games, and even a handmade superhero costume, the range of media was wide ranging. We dove deep into conversation about mysterious dodecahedrons, underwater worlds, and materials for movie costumes. The level and range of creativity in the Jackson School is striking.
The event was well attended and a great evening was had by all. I personally went home full of new ideas and inspired to keep on creating art from science!
