Art, biology students present picturesque side of science
Plants and insects that make good specimens for biology
research can double as good subjects for creative photographers, as groups of
art and biology students learned earlier this semester.
Students taking Art 492 (the photograph as document) teamed
up with students in Biology 432 (microscopy) to create a vibrant exhibit of
plant and insect life discovered along Black's Run in downtown Harrisonburg.
The results of their collaboration are now on display on large panels hanging
adjacent to the main lobby of the new bioscience building on the JMU campus
east of Interstate 81.
The two-week project began with the art students
accompanying the biology students to study and photograph objects found along
the urban creek. The teams then moved to the microscopy lab in the bioscience
building for some close-up photography—and a display of one of the new
building's most useful features. In addition to taking photos, the microscopes
are hooked to monitors so groups of students can see what is on a microscope
slide without having to huddle around the device to take turns looking.
The final step involved a trip to the photography lab, where
photography students showed microscopy students various ways to make images
from the different specimens. The students used high-resolution scanners,
macro-lens photography and ventured into the darkroom to make photograms.
"I like my students to get some exposure to photography
so that they can see some of the parallels between microscopes and cameras and
I hope that they will then translate some of the things they have learned in my
class into everyday acts when they are taking pictures or noticing a curious
property of light," said Alex Bannigan, an assistant professor of biology who
teaches the microscopy class. "Secondly, I aim to use my class as a way of
re-introducing students to a sense of wonder about the world around them, the
kind of wonder that a child has and that makes children natural scientists. By
looking at objects we find in our environment, and by sharing the knowledge
they have from their biology classes with non-biology majors, the students get
a chance to appreciate the little things all around them that make our planet
amazing."
Corinne Diop, professor of art, said, "Photography has
been a medium that combined science and art ever since its invention in the
19th century, so it makes sense for us to continue to collaborate as scientists
and artists. Photography has such a wide range of processes and applications
attached to it, and doing this project allows the photography students to see
beyond how we typically use photography as artists over in our lab."
Diop also said that composing through a microscope was like
having a "mini photography studio where the background can be changed from
light to dark, the angles of light or the subject can be controlled, and the
areas kept in and out of focus can be manipulated. The science students have
really developed their skills at how to best capture their subject in the best
way, and this is something the photo students continually challenge themselves
on as well."
Diop lauded the students for the way they worked together
and noted that although their disciplines may seem very different, they
discovered they had plenty in common.
The exhibit will be on display until after the Thanksgiving
break, when an annual display of microscopy images will go there. Some of the
images that microscopy students are taking can be seen on the class blog.
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