Inspirational Illustrations

Some of the most beautiful images come from the wonderful world of science. Anywhere from the fractal imagery of bacteria to the swirling patterns of colliding galaxies to the double helix configuration of DNA, the beauty of nature is breathtaking. These images speak to both scientists and non-scientists in a way that both can understand and appreciate.

The International Science and Engineering Visualization Challenge is a competition sponsored by the journal Science (and the AAAS) and the National Science Foundation (NSF). Judges are appointed by these organizations, and they select winners in each of five categories: Photography, Illustrations, Informational Posters and Graphics, Interactive Games, and Non-Interactive Media. Winners have their art/media featured in a special section in Science and Science Online as well as on the NSF website, with one of the entries appearing on the front cover.

Watch the video below for the highlights on past winners and some images below from this year's and last year's winners:

Winner 2010 in Photography. Credit: Seth B. Darling and Steven J. Sibener

Winner 2009 Photography. Credit: Sung Hoon Kang, Joanna Aizenberg and Boaz Pokroy

Winner 2009 Illustration. Credit: J.E. Sabin, P.L .Lloyd, A.L. Lucia, A. Fierro.

For more information, including more images and how to enter, visit the National Science Foundation's website and Science/AAAS:
http://www.nsf.gov/news/special_reports/scivis/challenge.jsp
http://www.sciencemag.org/site/special/vis2010/show/index.xhtml

You can also click these links to visit a slide show put together by the New York Times:
http://www.nytimes.com/slideshow/2011/02/17/science/20110217-visualize.html
http://www.nytimes.com/slideshow/2010/02/18/science/021810-VISUALIZE.html

And revisit my Earth as Art post for more beautiful pictures from Mother Nature:
http://storiented.blogspot.com/2010/11/earth-as-art.html