Extra Credit Event 1 I Discovery Cube OC

For this event, I decided to try something different and head out of LA to check out the Discovery Cube in Orange County. My first impression as I drove by and saw the massive cube structure was that the building itself was a work of art that publicized science. Although the museum was built as an education tool for children, I couldn’t help but be excited to check out the inside.

My outside view of the Cube as I drove by

Unfortunately, my visit was just a few days short of checking out the new exhibits as the center was preparing to open it’s new expansion and my phone died as I prepared to enter so I couldn’t capture all the photos I wanted. Despite these set backs, there was still a ton to see. There were different sections dedicated to a variety of scientific and technological concepts from global ecology to rocket ships. These exhibits are tailored to make children scientifically literate and you could feel their excitement and interest as they ran around trying every set up they could get their hands on.

                                             

                Me preparing to enter the Discovery Cube

I feel that places like the Discovery Cube are a perfect example of how art and science can be melded in order to advance public knowledge. A ton of scientific concepts were put on display in aesthetically pleasing, interactive exhibits in a way that made kids excited to play and learn. Getting children into science early on using art is important in ensuring the development of a scientifically literate population.

The Dino Quest exhibit outside of the Discovery Center

Event 3 I This is the End

A few days after checking out the Provocations exhibit, my cousin and classmate, Martina Dorff, and I decided to head back to the Hammer Museum to see some of the other unique pieces on display.  We came across the special video curation of This is the End and checked out “Even Pricks” by Ed Atkins. I think it is safe to say that this piece was one of the weirdest videos I had ever seen and me and Martina are still talking about it weeks later.

Me and my cousin Martina

“Even Pricks” seemed to cycle between several featured themes. As we watched we noticed the repetition of intense forms of word art, thumbs/arms, and a talking monkey. To me the most enjoyable of these was the monkey as some of the word art and arm presentations made me feel uneasy. I could feel the intense surround sound in the room during these two themes and with the simultaneous oddities on screen, I experienced the work with three different senses. When the monkey came on screen in between the arms and words, I actual felt a relative relief.

The monkey during one of the more relaxing scenes

My thumb superimposed over one of the thumb shots

I am unsure if Atkins’ purpose in creating this work was to stir discomfort in his audience but what I do know is that his use of different technologies in creating this art makes it effective at stirring a response. The room’s surround sound certainly added to the high quality albeit weird visuals presented on screen. I think that whatever he was trying to convey, be it the uneasiness I felt or otherwise, the art would have been less effective without the use of cutting edge technology.

An example of some of the word art to which I responded, "No thanks."

Event 2 I Provocations

After class, my friends and I decided to make our first trip to the Hammer Museum of our undergraduate careers in order to check out the Provocations Exhibit. The work featured there was created by Heatherwick Studio, an architecture/design group led by Thomas Heatherwick. The studio follows a collaborative and creative process when designing anything leading to the unique pieces we saw there.

Me at the Exhibit Entrance

The Heatherwick Studio philosophy when creating anything focuses on the “human scale” as they put it. They wanted their work to be centered on the people that would be using it.  From handbags to buildings, their designs centered on this idea.  This philosophy, combined with their approach to the architectural process led to some of the most unique building models I have ever seen.

The stuff on display ranged from designs for a multi-spiraled building to handbags.

The way that each model was one of a kind baffled me at points. As I wondered about the artist’s intent in creating certain statues out of tin foil and how cool a two story desert oasis park would be to visit, I remembered the actual title of the exhibit, Provocations. Each piece at the exhibit provoked some sort of thought in me.  Additionally, the whole process of designing each piece depended on provoking and challenging the team.

Me by some sculptures I didn't fully understand.

Ultimately, the way in which the Heatherwick Studio approached their designs reminded me of how creativity and technology can meld to create amazing things, the theme of our class. These architects used the conventional methods for construction and melded them with an artistic influence that led to such works of art as the Cauldron at the 2012 London Olympic Games.

Event 1 I UCLA ArtSci Exhibit at the CNSI

A couple weeks ago I had the opportunity to visit the UCLA ArtSci exhibit put on at the CNSI by a few of my fellow undergrads.  It seemed the perfect chance to see some of the actual work we had been studying in DESMA9 as well as support my peers. I discussed with some of the presenters about their experiences and many of them were science students who sought to tap into the third culture to maintain a creative outlet in the midst of their studies.

A Flier for the UCLA ArtSci Organization

One of the presenters that I met was Christina Kong. Her project was called “The Brain-Book” and involved making a flipbook in the shape of a brain.  Each section was divided into the major sections of the brain and the cartoons in each flipbook depicted the function of each region. We talked about the amount of effort she had to put in to portray each function and to be honest, I did not understand how she pulled it off on top of all her other obligations as a student. As a microbiology student, I do not get much exposure to this kind of information and Christina’s project made it both easy and fun to learn.

Me, Christina Kong, and her work, "The Brain Book"

Another project on display that interested me was “Crossroads” by Mickey Shi. Unfortunately, Mickey was not present while I attended but the description of the work was straightforward enough. People at the exhibit used pieces of yarn to denote their path through campus that day.  Seeing the paths cross from north to south campus depicted the prevalence of both the humanities and the sciences in the lives of the UCLA student.

Another piece of work that I enjoyed, "Crossroads" by Mickey Shi

In all, the ArtSci exhibit proved an exciting first event for me as I got to meet different artists who represented the material we learned about in class. I did not fully understand the effort that went in to being a part of this frontier in the art and science world so meeting some fellow students definitely put the movement into perspective.

Week 9 I Space and Art

            As stated in this week’s lecture, space is a concept that has captivated humanity from the beginning (Vesna). People have always looked up to the stars and wondered what is out there.  The awe has inspired the imagination for generations and has lead to the creation of numerous pieces of art in all sorts of mediums. From Vincent van Gogh's Starry Night, to sci-fi literature, connections to space are everywhere (Trachtman).

 Van Gogh's iconic "Starry Night"

            To me, perhaps one of the most interesting points made in this week’s lecture was how novelists and other creative thinkers were able to call so many significant space milestones before they occurred.  For example in the 1865 novel From The Earth to the Moon, Jules Verne predicted and constructed a model of the lunar landings a century before they happened (Jensen). This tradition continues today as scientists searching for life in space come closer and closer to doing so after wondering for generations if we are alone in the universe (Presto).

Jules Verne's From the Earth to the Moon

            Today, some scientists like to call science fiction rational fictional speculation instead of just dismissing the ideas as something that cannot be done (Spaleta).  Because of how heavily intertwined space-themed literature is with science, the sci-fi genre of art seems to have a predictive power for future scientific and technological advancement.  So many inventions that were once a creative thought have been brought to life and as long as these developments continue, humanity might one day find itself flying amongst the stars like in the great sci-fi classics.

A recent sci-fi film about space travel, Interstellar

Works Cited

Jensen, Thor. "The Moon Landing: Futurists Were Right: 10 Predictions Made By Sci-Fi Writers That Came True - Tested.com." Tested RSS. N.p., n.d. Web. 31 May 2015. <http://www.tested.com/tech/concepts/460223-futurists-were-right-10-predictions-made-sci-fi-writers-came-true/item/moon-landing/>.

Presto, Suzanna. "Scientists: We're 'very Close' to Finding Another Earth - CNN.com." CNN. Cable News Network, n.d. Web. 31 May 2015. <http://www.cnn.com/2014/07/14/tech/nasa-search-for-life/>.

Spaleta, Steve. "Space Tech Realizes Sci-Fi Dreams | Space.com." Space. N.p., n.d. Web. 31 May 2015. <http://www.space.com/11542-space-tech-realizes-sci-fi-dreams.html>.

Trachtman, Paul. "Van Gogh's Night Visions." Smithsonian. N.p., n.d. Web. 31 May 2015. <http://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/van-goghs-night-visions-131900002/?no-ist>.

Vesna, Victoria. "8 Space Pt1 1280x720." YouTube. YouTube, n.d. Web. 31 May 2015. <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ZIqTR332l8>.

Week 8 I Nanotech and Art

            The different allotropes of carbon described by Dr. Gimzewski seemed to me to be works of art created by nature.  The way that these atoms of the same element could be connected in different ways in order to create substances with different physical properties is a fascinating principle. Additionally the microscopy technologies used to identify these structures are to me, a symbol of human ingenuity being utilized in order to decode nature’s art (Gimzewski).

            My interest in the allotropes of carbon led me to do additional research into the allotropes of other elements to see how different structures could influence function. Perhaps one of the most famous allotropes of oxygen is the ozone layer that exists in our atmosphere.  Oxygen exists primarily as O₂ but ozone has an extra atom connected into O₃ (Shakhashiri). his layer is required to protect the Earth from excessive UV radiation (What is Ozone?).  Another cool allotrope is the black form of selenium that connects in a structure with up to 1000 linked atoms (Stewart).

An image of the ozone layer that protects the life on Earth below it

A bead of black selenium

            With humanity’s ability to visualize the different structures of allotropic compounds came their ability to influence them.  This has led to the ability to manufacture the favorable allotropes that have uses in our society.  One such new method was developed at MIT recently in order to create graphene.  Because of the substance’s potential uses in electronic devices and solar panels, this could prove a significant technologic advancement (Chandler).  As we continue to find ways to control molecular structure, it might prove interesting to assemble the atoms in different ways to see if we can develop a new allotrope of an element that is both stable and useful.

A sheet of carbon atoms forming a large graphene molecule

             

Chandler, David. "A New Way to Make Sheets of Graphene." MIT News. Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 14 May 2014. Web. 24 May 2015. <http://newsoffice.mit.edu/2014/new-way-make-sheets-graphene-0523>.

Gimzewski, Jim. "Nanotech Jim Pt2." YouTube. YouTube. Web. 24 May 2015. <https://www.youtube.com/watch?t=1058&v=HEp6t0v-v9c>.

Shakhashiri, Bassan. "Chemical of the Week -- Ozone." Science Is Fun. Web. 24 May 2015. <http://scifun.chem.wisc.edu/chemweek/ozone/ozone.html>.

Stewart, Doug. "Selenium Element Facts." Chemicool. Web. 24 May 2015. <http://www.chemicool.com/elements/selenium.html>.

"What Is Ozone?" NOU Belize Website. Web. 24 May 2015.
<http://www.noubelize.gov.bz/sites/nou-belize/default.asp?site=nou-belize&page_id=A8D8B934-55B4-47BE-B04F-7CA86B0351A6>.

Week 7 I Neuroscience and Art

As a microbiology, immunology, and molecular genetics student, fluorescent labeling techniques are not something completely foreign to me.  The Brainbow pictures however were unlike any microscopy I had ever seen. The structure of neural pathways gave these images a unique and beautiful order that I cannot imagine being matched by histological analysis of any other bodily system. Because of the complexities of the brain and nervous system, I thought other ways of imaging it must also produce amazing results. My search turned up several other brain visualization techniques known as diffusion magnetic resonance imaging (dMRI), cerebral angiograms, and immunohistochemistry.

Immunohistochemical analysis of a human brain

            Immunohistochemistry is actually a widely applicable technique that is used to look at various different body tissues.  It involves the use of fluorescent antibodies that are targeted to and tag surface proteins to produce a picture. Cerebral angiograms are a little different in that they look at the blood vessels of the brain rather than the brain itself.  This technology has medical applications in that it can be used to detect problems such as aneurisms.  The dMRI process depends on the diffusion of water molecules, and reflects their movement in vivo.  As the water interacts with objects such as your neurons, the dMRI can pick up on this to produce an image.

A cerebral angiogram produces a map of the brain's blood vessels

A 3D model of axon pathways produced from dMRI data

            The multitude of technologies used to look at the nervous system and the beautiful images all have their different clinical advantages and drawbacks.  But their widespread use shows the importance of imaging technology for medical professionals to deal with the brain.  Physicians need these pictures in order to effectively assess a situation.  Researchers need them in their experiments.  Photographs are an art form closely intertwined to the success of  neurology, both for scientists and doctors alike.

Works Cited:

Carl Schoonover & Michelle Legro. "Portraits of the Mind: Visualizing the Brain." The Atlantic. Atlantic Media Company, 28 Oct. 2010. Web. 17 May 2015. <http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2010/10/portraits-of-the-mind-visualizing-the-brain/65292/#slide7>.

"Cerebral Angiography (Angiogram)." Radiologyinfo.org. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 May 2015. <http://www.radiologyinfo.org/en/info.cfm?pg=angiocerebral>.

Haggman, Jonasson, et al. “Understanding Diffusion MR Imaging Techniques: from Scalar Diffusion-weighted Imaging to Diffusion Tensor Imaging and Beyond. Radio Graphics. 26.1 (2006). Web. <http://pubs.rsna.org/doi/citedby/10.1148/rg.26si06551>.

Vesna, Victoria. "Neuroscience-pt1." YouTube. YouTube, n.d. Web. 17 May 2015. <https://www.youtube.com/watch?t=834&v=TzXjNbKDkYI>.

Waldvogel, Curtis, et al. “Immunohistochemical Staining of post-mortem adult human brain sections.” Nature Protocols. 1.6 (2006) : 2719-32. Web. <http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17406528>.