The winners of the University of Wisconsin-Madison's annual Cool Science Image contest have just been chosen, placing the spotlight on some of the most stunning natural phenomena that escape our gaze on a regular basis. Open to the university's faculty and students, the winners include 10 images and two videos, covering the full spectrum of scientific disciplines, from microbiology to astronomy.
Chosen for their scientific value and aesthetic beauty, the victorious entries were captured by both undergraduate and graduate students, as well as staff members. Praising the incredible quality of the winning images, contest judge Kevin Eliceiri said they “represent not only the great research of UW–Madison but remind us of the great creativity and artistic eye so many of our scientists have.”
Here's a selction of the winning entries. You can view all the winners here.
Wei-hua Lee
Postdoctoral fellow Wei-hua Lee created this image using a technique called immunostaining to mark antibodies and proteins involved in an immune response in human tissue.
Sarah Swanson
Botany department staff member Sarah Swanson’s environmental scanning electron micrograph of the hypostome – or mouth – of a tick was selected as one of the winning entries.
Scott Bachmeier
This satellite video of a massive storm system moving across the Atlantic was captured by Scott Bachmeier from the Space Science and Engineering Center.
Garrett Frankson
Using nothing more than a basic pinhole camera, physics and astronomy undergraduate Garrett Frankson traced the Sun’s transitions across the sky from solstice to solstice.
Ethan Heyrman
Captured in September 2015, undergraduate Ethan Heyrman’s image shows the incredible result of a coincidence of a “super moon” and a total lunar eclipse. The Moon appears blood red because the light falling on it has been refracted through the Earth’s shadow, shifting it towards the long wavelength end of the spectrum.
