BioZoom Ynou eed to see this: Pushing the boundaries of scientific

Rikke Schmidt KJÆRGAARD, Associate professor, Jens Chr. Skou Junior Fellow, Aarhus Institute of Advanced Studies and Interdisciplinary Nanoscience Center (iNANO), Aarhus University, Aarhus C, Denmark. [email protected]

In September 2012 a number of leading Before joining Nature Kelly Krause shared ideas for and processes of their scientists, designers, artists, animators, was Art Director for the journal Science. work in visualization across disciplines. and information designers met at the Having to work closely with hundreds Gaël McGill addressed how visual SciViz conference “You need to see this. of high profile scientists in almost every ideas and intentions are transformed by Pushing the boundaries of scientific scientific discipline imaginable to create the use of different tools and techno- visualization” at the Royal Danish Aca- dynamic, memorable covers and gra- logies. His case was molecular biology demy of Sciences and Letters in Copen- phics for publications in print and online and the development of the online hagen. The ambitious goal of the sym- each week, Kelly Krause shared with portal molecularmovies.org and the posium was to establish best practices us her vast experience and introduced Molecular Maya software toolkit. As for the community to create, perceive the project ENCODE, where interac- Digital Media Director for E.O. Wilson’s and understand scientific visualizations. tive graphics is used for navigating in Life on Earth next-generation digital bio- Speakers explored concepts and pro- a new publishing platform. As Senior logy textbook, Gaël took us behind the cesses in across disci- Illustrator, Nik Spencer has produced scenes and showed us the processes of plines, subjects and work experience. It thousands of graphics during his many molecular animation on a larger scale. was great fun. More importantly, howe- years with Nature, ranging from infogra- Gaël McGill’s paper included in this is- ver, it was immensely rewarding and phics, and , to , sue shows his high dedication of impro- instructive. The symposium opened up cartoons and logos. He works closely ving communication of science through for new and important collaborations, with editors to conceptualize artwork digital media. projects and friendships. for all sections of the journal. With a Textile and surface designer Ales- Scientific visualizations are essential background as a freelance artist on lo- sia Giardino focused on how to meet for the processes involved in genera- cal community projects and on private the challenges of cross-discipline col- ting and presenting scientific data. A commissions, and a degree in Molecular laborations and how to gain and apply glance at the most influential scientific Biology, Nik told us about the artistic inspiration through multidisciplinary journals and larger newspapers today processes he uses when he designs a processes. She told us about her design immediately shows how fundamentally scientific for the magazine. approach using nanotechnology on important scientific visualizations are. He also emphasized the use of 3D ani- concrete. Her understanding for the To address visualization processes in mation software in producing visuals. contemporary social aspects of design, journals and newspapers we were lucky Both Kelly and Nik have contributed to always approached with an experimen- to have Kelly Krause, Creative Director this issue of Biozoom on scientific visua- tal and innovative mindset, constantly at Nature, Nik Spencer, Senior Illustra- lization. pushes her to challenge boundaries of tor also at Nature, and Amanda Cox, a Traditionally, art and illustration have established design lines. You can enjoy graphics editor at The New York Times, played a key role in making scientific Alessia’s work in this issue of Biozoom. among the speakers. Amanda Cox told graphics. The field of data visualization As an artist-in-residence at the Niels us about some of the (for most part has grown with computer science, ani- Bohr Institute in Copenhagen, artist interactive) charts and maps that she mation and graphic software, advanced Mette Høst has collaborated and inter- has made with colleagues at The New art techniques and information design. acted with science and scientists on a York Times, both for the print and web New technologies give us far more daily basis, investigating what creativity versions of the paper. With a focus on sophisticated tools to handle graphic is. She has produced new visual expres- data visualization and a fondness for design and data analysis. sions of different scientific subjects and slightly conceptual pieces, her work The symposium explored how con- studied how visual working processes with colleagues has won several awards, nections between art, design and can enrich both the practice of science including top honors at Malofiej, the science inspire and advance research, and art. largest international com- innovation and working processes in Another influential example of fusion petition. scientific data visualization and speakers of art and science was presented by BioZoom

Figure 1. Nik Spencer and Kelly Krause Figure 2. David Goodsell, The Scripps Figure 3. Poul Nissen, Aarhus Uni- from Nature, Nature Publishing group, Research Institute, La Jolla, California versity, Denmark lectures at the SciViz United Kingdom between their talks at on the podium at Medical Museion. symposium venue: Royal Academy of the SciViz Symposium. Science and Letters.

David Goodsell, a molecular biologist red with us processes behind visualizing and Interaction (Aarhus University), The and artist, with his talk at the Medical genomes and considerations inspired by Alexandra Institute, and the Department Museion. David is trained as a crystal- his monthly column on data visualization of Computer Science. lographer. His research covers com- for Nature Methods. During the course of the two days putational chemistry and biomolecular Søren Brunak, a physical and biologi- we had many examples of the fruitful . He combines his cal scientist working in bioinformatics, interactions and constant breach of the extraordinary talent in painting with Ebbe Sloth Andersen, a scientist work- barriers between art and science. Artists his professional interest in molecules ing with biomolecular design and RNA/ are using current scientific knowledge in unique watercolours of complex cell DNA origami, and Poul Nissen, a profes- as a creative repository, but also provi- environments. David’s molecular wa- sor in molecular biology using X-ray cry- ding inspiration to see and understand tercolours are meticulously prepared to stallography to study processes of the things differently. Scientists are relying be scientifically correct with regards to biomembrane that relate to transport in on design principles combining key scale and design. He uses a combination and out of the cell, all gave us a view of elements of their research with visual of computer graphics and hand-drawn how a scientist works with processes of imagery. Bringing these two groups ink and watercolour illustrations to fuse art and design. Ebbe’s group has pio- together brought about a wonderfully art and science. Many of David’s illustra- neered the design of three-dimensional inspiring meeting. We are happy to tions are made in collaboration with the DNA origami structures, where a long present some of the thoughts and ideas Protein Data Bank and are used as both DNA strand is folded into a designed that were exchanged on that occasion in research and educational resources. You nano-scale shape by several hundred this issue of Biozoom. will see an example of David’s work on DNA helper strands. In the complex de- The meeting was organized by associ- the cover of this issue of Biozoom. He is sign process of DNA origami the group ate professor Rikke Schmidt Kjærgaard, also contributing to this issue. develops principles for biomolecular iNANO and AIAS, Aarhus University, Colin Ware took a more theoretical design and devices for practical ap- director Thomas Söderqvist, Medical approach. Most people in data visuali- plications such as multiplex biosensors Museion, University of Copenhagen, zation make use of Colin’s book Visual for small molecule detection. Ebbe is and creative director Bang Wong, the Thinking for Design when taking about also a cartoonist and uses his gift to Broad Institute of MIT & Harvard. The the psychology of how we think using communicate science to the public, for organizing committee would like to graphic displays as tools. Colin combi- education, and within science. Poul’s thank professor and chairman Flemming nes interests in both basic and applied group has shown how the calcium pump Besenbacher and professor and dean research and he has degrees in both works through transitions between Niels Chr. Nielsen for their academic computer science and in the psychology well-defined states in the membrane advice. of perception. He told us about visual representing “snapshots” of a molecular We would also like to thank the admi- thinking processes for interactive data movie of conformational changes of a nistrators and the president of The Royal analysis. To further explore how infor- molecular pump. Poul also contributed Danish Academy of Sciences and Let- mative visual encodings of data coupled to this issue. ters in Copenhagen. A special thanks to with the researchers’ knowledge of the On the second day we had a tech our sponsors the Carlsberg Foundation, subject under investigation is a potent demo showing how novel technology Medical Museion, and Aarhus Univer- combination for discovery. Bang Wong can bring scientific visualizations bey- sity (Visualization Lab, AU IDEAS). Wit- introduced to his research focusing on ond the confinements of personal com- hout them this important meeting would the analytical challenges posed by the puters and hereby embrace science as not have been possible. unprecedented scale, resolution, and a collaborative activity. The tech demo variety of data in biomedical research. was done in collaboration between the For more information on the meeting With a combination of degrees in immu- Interdisciplinary Nanoscience Center, see http://projects.au.dk/sciviz/ nology and medical illustration he sha- The Centre for Advanced Visualisation

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