Art and science: A winning combination

Not one, but two images took top honors in Pacific Northwest National Laboratory's 2017 Science as Art contest.  Online voting by staff and the public resulted in a tie this year.  The Science as Art contest has been a regular fixture at the Department of Energy laboratory since 2010. The winners of the Popular Choice Award were selected from a group of 94 images on PNNL's Facebook page.   

One, submitted by scientist Venkateshkumar Prabhakaran, is part of research that will contribute to the design of new energy generation, conversion and storage technologies. The second, submitted by researcher Luis Estevez, is part of an initiative to develop new carbon-fiber based materials with wide-ranging applications from catalyst supports to electrodes for flow batteries.

The Director's Choice Award winner, selected by PNNL Director Steven Ashby, represents research that will contribute to the development of materials to treat and reduce vehicle exhaust or power plant emissions. It was submitted by materials scientist Radha Kishan Motkuri.  

Additionally, one submission from this year was selected as a finalist in the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology's BioArt contest. The image of a microbial community living on the surface of ancient glass will deepen our understanding of how nuclear waste glass disposed of in shallow soil will change over time.

To view all of the entries received in this year's contest, visit PNNL's Facebook page.