The Teva and Karabots Fellows Explore the Small World of Microphotography

Recently, students in the Karabots and Teva programs took a trip to the Wistar Institute where they got to get a close look at a mixture of photographic art and microscopic science.

was founded in 1892 as a anatomical museum (not unlike the Mütter Museum) and evolved into a state-of-the-art biomedical research facility. Today the site is designated as a National Cancer Institute Cancer Center in basic research. Scientists at the Wistar have played a role in identifying the genes associated with a variety of cancers as well as breakthrough research into vaccines, antibodies and other aspects of medicine.

The Wistar is also a host for the . The Small World Exhibit is the culmination of an annual photography contest where contestants submit artistically-treated microscopic images. The images cover a variety of subject matter, including plants, animals, insects, and microorganisms (). Through complex photo editing techniques, the photographers bring the microscopic images to life in vibrant color.

The students met with James Hayden, Managing Director of Imaging Shared Resource, who took them through the exhibition and the technical and scientific work that made it possible.

If you would like to explore the Small World exhibition for yourself, it will be at the Wistar Institute through March 6 before heading to the Texas Museum of Science & Technology in Cedar Park, TX (). For more events and activities at the Wistar Institute, check their .