The Darshan Project - photo art of Hindu deities

I found out about this project through Yoga Journal - and I had to post it here because this photography is absolutely stunning:

THE DARSHAN PROJECT, an ambitious work in progress from New "Vork artist Manjari Sharma, features the Sanskit word dar shan, meaning "vision" or "view." In this case, says the Mumbai-born Sharma, the term can be denned as "an experience that ignites an understanding of the spiritual realm." Her goal is to install nine four-by-five-foot prints of meticulously staged photographs of Hindu deities in a gallery, along with text, incense, lamps, and taped invocations. It is an enormousand expensive- task. Dozens of craftspeople need at least four weeks and require elaborate sets, jewelry, and prosthetics to create each photograph. (Yoga Journal, March 2013 issue)

"Maa Laxmii", by Manjari Sharma

Initial funding for this project was raised through Kickstarter, and Sharma is now selling prints on the Darshan Project website to raise further capital in order to continue this gorgeous series.

"Truth Values" - a one-woman show about Gender and Science

I've been dying to see this one-woman show ever since I met Gioia De Cari at a party on the Upper East Side last Christmas (sidenote: This is why I love parties. You never know who you'll meet.)

The show is called "Truth Values: One Girl's Romp Through M.I.T's Male Math Maze". Given the increasing scrutiny on gender bias in science, I thought that shedding light on this issue through theatre was a fantastic and novel idea. A synopsis:

Created as a response to former Harvard President Lawrence Summers' now infamous suggestion that women are less represented than men in the sciences because of innate gender differences, Truth Values: One Girl's Romp Through M.I.T.'s Male Math Maze is a true-life tale that offers a humorous, scathing, insightful and ultimately uplifting look at the challenges of being a professional woman in a male-dominated field. Performed barefoot on a bare stage with only a chair and small table, writer/performer and "recovering mathematician" Gioia De Cari brings to life more than 30 characters in a hilarious and deeply touching performance that has earned raves from critics and stirred audiences to standing ovations.

You can find out more (performance schedules and photos) on the show website, Facebook page, or Twitter account.

When I talked to Gioia she indicated that she'd bring the show to wherever there is interest. I would LOVE to bring this to UC Davis...anyone want to start a petition with me?

The interplay of science and society, as told by Brecht's "A Life of Galileo"

Alice Bell over at the New Left Project has some great reflections about a new Royal Shakespeare Company production of Bertolt Brecht's play, A Life of Galileo, running through the end of this month in Stratford-Upon-Avon. Ian McDiarmid (a.k.a. Emperor Palpatine) plays the title role

I haven't read any Brecht, but it's on my reading list now for sure. This is one play--written in the 1940s but still relevant today--which raises some serious discussion points about the role and responsibility of scientists in society:

On the surface, it's a play about the clash between science and religion...The point of the play isn’t to privilege scientific thinking over others, it’s a critique of the way science can be captured by particular interests, a tale not of a hero but a complex, flawed man who wants to give science and its power over it to people and (crucially) improve science by listening to the people too. 

Our scientist is an anti-hero not just for dramatic reasons or historical accuracy, but because Brecht wants to argue for collective rather than individual agency when it comes to understanding our world and working out how to make it better. The rallying cry of this play is to build a science and technology for the people, by the people, not simply defer to experts. 

...the RSC have announced a new partnership deal with BP. Indeed, the BP deal invites us to think about one of the plays key themes: the corrupting role of patronship. More relevent, perhaps, is the role of BP in university-based scientific research and or science education, which invite us to consider the ways in which the play's are still relevant. As Galileo bitterly declares in his closing speech: "Surely the purpose of science is to ease human hardship. If scientists follow the orders of those in power, if they store up knowledge for the sake of storing it up, then science will be crippled and your new machines will bring new forms of oppression.” 

We should expect scientists to share their work and be public[ly] accountable, but non-scientists should be proactive in the processes of opening it up too: stand up for the public funding of science and actively go forth and ask questions of professional researchers and their managers so you might be part of their research. Work with scientists and put them to work because other people already are. Check they’re building machines for liberation, not oppression.

H/T to @forestdim for the link to this awesome blog post.

Artsy: a new site for discovering art on the internet

Artsy has been my guilty pleasure for a few months now - perfect for procrastination, but also very educational and a great way to keep track of my favorite artists.

How to describe Artsy? Think of Pandora (the internet radio that touts itself as the "music genome project") for the art world.  On artsy, you can follow a list of artists (the ones you know you like) and also follow "genes" (a specific movement, theme, medium, or subject). Artsy also tells you if a particular artwork is for sale--although as a postdoc most of the pieces I like are waaaay out of my budget...

I've discovered so many new artists lately through Artsy! One feed I definitely recommend is Contemporary Chinese Art.

AAAS/NSF Visualization Challenge - 2012 winners

This morning I've been perusing the winners of this year's International Science & Engineering Visualization Challenge, run by the National Science Foundation and Science magazine. All the content is free to access - there's some gorgeous pieces as well as podcasts.

My favourites this year come from the Illustration category (the other categories are Video, Games/Apps, Posters/Graphics, and Photography). There's something innately soothing about wisps of colour hinting at complex neural signals. The first place winner (show below) comes from McQuinn et al. at IBM research,  entitled "Connectivity of a cognitive computer based on the Macaque brain"

http://www.sciencemag.org/content/339/6119/512.full

#scioStyle at #scio13 - Impressions Matter: Embracing art & design in research and science communication

@LizNeely and I are excitedly preparing for our upcoming session at ScienceOnline2013, entitled "Impressions Matter: Embracing art & design in research and science communication" (scheduled for the 10:30-11:30AM slot on Thursday, January 31st). Liz comes as a science communicator, and I come from the tower of Academia: we're trying to blend our two viewpoints to come up with some commonalities and differences surrounding this topic in our two respective worlds. Here is the session description:

Lets face it--according to stereotypes, scientists aren't known for their dress sense, sleek presentation style, or jargon-free articulation. Yet planning and executing small touches of design can make people take notice. In this session we'll discuss how incorporating art, music, and design can have transformative effects for research, outreach, and career prospects. From dress sense to website design, fostering a personal style can help you build a professional brand. Having a visible public profile (and making a unique impression) as a researcher or journalist can lead to myriad opportunities.This session will NOT discuss specific art/visualization methods as a tools for effective scientific outreach (e.g. comics, visual metaphors, etc), although it will touch on how failing to think about such concepts can impact career opportunities and your personal brand.

Part of our job as moderators was to come up with a couple succinct discussion questions, to facilitate pre-/post- session discussion and help guide the session. We've already had some initial responses on Twitter:

1.) How important is personal branding, and in what ways can it impact career advancement?

2.) How do you tailor scientific presentations to different audiences (balancing style vs. substance)?

3.) What are some easy tips for incorporating touches of design into research/academic pursuits?

4.) How does a scientist's personal style affect the public's perception of their research?

We're curious to hear everyone's viewpoints (and thanks to those who have contributed so far) - please help us keep the discussion going under the hashtag #scioStyle. For those who can't make it to #scio13, keep an eye out for the presentation materials and audio recording that we'll post after the session.

Looking forward to a vivacious discussion next week in North Carolina!

101 Things to Learn in Art School - A Book for Scientists

I was thrilled to receive this book under the Christmas tree, "101 Things to Learn in Art School" by Kit White.

Its an inexpensive, chunky little book that I had originally thumbed through in a museum gift shop. The advice in this book struck me as immediately relevant for scientists--the pages are filled with short thoughtful snippets, such as:

Art is a form of description 

How it describes is its form and what it describes is its content. When looking at your work, ask "What does this describe?" And then, "What form should that description take?" Be flexible in deciding the medium you choose; it must be appropriate for what you are saying. Choose the right form for the content. 

Here, if you replace the word "Art" with "Science Communication", you have a piece of advice that is critical for any researcher attempting to disseminate their work. The rest of the book is equally thought provoking. Even the Author's note on page 1:

"Art [science] is an idea that belongs to everyone...Lessons learned in puruit of art [science] are lessons that pertain to almost everything we experience. Art [science] is not separate from life; it is the very description of the lives we lead. And so, this book is really for everyone who cares about art [science] and the way it enriches our being."

Often I think that what distinguishes artists from scientists is that artists are fully aware of their own creative tendencies, and embrace the process of creativity as integral to their personal output. I'm sure many scientists attribute their success to hard work (rather than their own creative nature), because that claim seems more logical. Personally, I like to think of myself as a "creative director of science",  rather than just a researcher who puts their head down and toils away. Books like this help me to dissect the nuances of the scientific profession, evaluate my own approach, and look at problems in a completely new light.