Energy is theme for 'Art of Science' contest

"Given Princeton's deep strengths in cross-disciplinary energy research and the recent establishment of the Andlinger Center for Energy and the Environment , we felt that energy would be a terrific topic for 'Art of Science' 2010," said Adam Finkelstein, associate professor of computer science and a co-organizer of the competition. Co-organizer Andrew Zwicker, head of science education at the Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (PPPL) and lecturer in the Princeton Writing Program, said energy is arguably the most important concept in all of science. "Nearly every system is defined by how it regulates the production and consumption of energy, whether it is as small as a single-cell organism or as large as a galaxy," Zwicker said. "On a more practical scale, how this country consumes and produces energy is not only a crucial scientific question but it is also clearly a political and sociological one. For all of these reasons and more, it seemed particularly appropriate to choose energy as the theme for the 2010 'Art of Science' competition." The organizers are soliciting images made in the course of scientific research that have aesthetic value. This "found art" might include photographs from a microscope or a telescope; photographs taken for purposes of field research; images generated by computer simulations; 3-D renderings of data sets; and data plots. It also may include photographs of physical objects related to science, such as a piece of equipment. Entries should be scientific images created during an actual research project, rather than art that is inspired by science.