Many important objects in science are also beautiful. Astronomers can captivate the public with deep space images of swirling galaxies, while biologists can brag about zoomed-in butterfly wings or dappled forest paths.
Materials science may not be the first field people think of as being intrinsically beautiful. However, the visualization methods key to analyzing and presenting scientific work are often surprisingly picturesque.
The Materials Research Society (MRS), an international professional organization dedicated to advancing technical excellence in materials science, recognizes the beauty of materials research through its annual Science as Art competition. The University of Tennessee chapter of the MRS first brought the contest to the Knoxville campus in the fall of 2022. Each student-submitted entry is accompanied by a plain-language abstract explaining the science behind the photo, helping researchers showcase both the surprising aesthetic qualities of their work and its scientific relevance to the public.
This spring’s Science as Art competition received more than 20 entries from students working in a variety of research labs and disciplines across campus.
The judges awarded first place to Joseph Bawah, a PhD student in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering. His entry is almost psychedelic, with twisting stripes of neon blue and purple against a fiery pink, red, and orange background.
“What looks like a painted landscape is a hidden world in motion,” Bawah explained in his submission abstract. “Inside high-entropy alloys (HEAs), atoms glide, fold, and bend through dislocation slip, twinning, and kink band formation, leaving behind these flowing traces. Each color marks a path of stress, a memory of force, a moment of transformation. These microscopic patterns show how matter adapts, strengthens, and endures, much like rivers shape the globe. The beauty of materials is revealed in this silent, invisible dance, where structure becomes story, and physics becomes art.”
Second place was awarded to Emma Morton, an undergraduate in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, for an art piece that illustrates how resin particles capture and hold critical metals.
Third place went to Eli Christoph, a PhD student in UT’s College of Veterinary Medicine, for his photo of human stem cells growing on a nanoparticle-treated scaffold for regenerative medicine application.
A public reception, including a gallery featuring the top 10 entries in this year’s contest, will be held in the Mary Greer Room of Hodges Library on Tuesday, June 9th, at 5:30 pm.
Contact
Izzie Gall ([email protected])