TXMoST Welcomes 'Nikon Small World' Photomicrography Exhibition
Central Texas -- Beginning today, March 25, Central Texans will have the opportunity to personally view the winning images of the 2015 Nikon Small World Photomicrography Competition.
The exhibit, with 19 stunning images included, is now on its North American tour of select museums and science centers, arriving at the Texas Museum of Science & Technology (TXMOST) today, March 25 through June 12.
Nikon's Small World is regarded as the leading forum for showcasing the beauty and complexity of life as seen through the light microscope. Combining skills in microscopy and photography, a photomicrographer is able to capture an image of the world that the naked eye cannot see.
The competition is celebrating over 40 years of excellence in photography and digital imaging though the microscope. It is open to anyone with an interest in microscopy and photography. The sister video competition, entitled Small World In Motion, encompasses any movie or digital time-lapse photography taken through the microscope.
The 2015 competition received over 2,000 entries from more than 83 countries. First place was awarded to Australian Ralph Grimm for his close-up image of a bee eye covered in dandelion pollen grains. Grimm is a high school teacher, self-taught photomicrographer and former beekeeper. While bee colonies continue to dwindle worldwide, Grimm hopes his image can serve as a voice for these insects that play such a critical function in pollinating the world's crops.
The top five images from this year's competition include:
- Ralph Claus Grimm, Eye of a honey bee (Apis mellifera) covered in dandelion pollen.
- Kristen Earle, Gabriel Billings, KC Huang & Justin Sonnenburg, Mouse colon colonized with human microbiota.
- Igor Siwanowicz, Intake of a humped bladderwort (Utricularia gibba), a freshwater carnivorous plant.
- Daniel H. Miller & Ethan S. Sokol, Lab-grown human mammary gland organoid.
- Giorgio Seano & Dr. Rakesh K. Jain, Live imaging of perfused vasculature in a mouse brain with glioblastoma.
The panel of judges who selected the winning images included:
- Jacqueline Howard, Science Associate Editor, Huffington Post
- Ernie Mastroianni, Photo Editor, Discover Magazine
- Dr. Tim Mitchison, Vice-chair of the Department, and Co-chair of the Ph.D. program in Systems Biology, Harvard Faculty and Sciences in Cambridge
- Dr. Hari Shroff, Chief and Tenure-track investigator, Section on High-Resolution Optical Imaging, at the National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering (NIBIB)
The Nikon Small World exhibit arrives on the heels of the new, permanent Genesis exhibit -- a dinosaur and fossil collection recently gifted to the museum. Torvald Hessel, TXMOST founder and Executive Director is thrilled to host the exhibit. "These photomicrographs offer a rare glimpse into the complexity and beauty of life beyond what the naked eye can see," he says. "It is truly remarkable and the perfect fusion of artistry and science."
TXMoST is located at 1220 Toro Grande Drive, in Cedar Park just off Whitestone Boulevard (FM 1431) and Parmer Lane.
For more information on the Nikon Small World Photomicrography Competition visit www.nikonsmallworld.com or join the conversation at or follow the conversation on Facebook and Twitter @NikonSmallWorld.
TXMOST hours are Monday - Thursday 10 am - 7 pm, Friday and Saturday 9 am - 9 pm and Sunday 11 am - 6 pm. Tickets may be purchased online at www.txmost.org or at the box office. Tickets are $15 for adults (18+), $13 for seniors (62+) students (18+ with student ID), and $11 for children aged 3-17. Admission price includes all the exhibits as well as the planetarium. To reserve a group visit, contact groups@txmost.org or school groups can contact fieldtrip@txmost.org; or call 512-691-5333.
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