Six winning images have been selected in UNMC’s inaugural “Research Revealed: Art of Discovery Contest,” which invited members of the research community to showcase their work through images highlighting scientific discovery, creativity and innovation.
The winning images are now on display on the Infinity Wall in the atrium of the Davis Global Center. The 23-foot-tall LED wall offers the UNMC community an opportunity to see the award-winning images on a larger-than-life scale.
Held as part of Research Month in October, the contest drew 28 submissions across three categories: “Hidden Worlds,” “Data Revealed” and “Research in Action.” Five judges evaluated the entries based on criteria specific to each category, with additional awards recognizing Best in Show and Emerging Researcher. Members of the UNMC community also selected a People’s Choice winner through online voting.
Gunjan Misri, a doctoral candidate in the UNMC Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, received the Best in Show award for “The Heart of Cellular Traffic.” The image captures lung adenocarcinoma cells with unexpectedly heart-shaped nuclei.
The contest’s Emerging Researcher Award went to Priyanka Radhakrishna Bhargav, a second-year PhD student in the Cancer Research Graduate Program affiliated with the Eppley Institute for Research in Cancer and Allied Diseases, for her image “Caged in Gold.”
“Microscopy is much more than taking a picture,” Bhargav said. “Learning to capture the intricate structures of a living cell takes time, perseverance, practice and patience. This recognition honors that process.”
Other contest winners were:
- People’s Choice: Bidya Mondal, PhD, a postdoctoral research associate in the UNMC Department of Surgery-Transplant’s Holland Regenerative Medicine Program, for “Candy-shaped Biopolymer Microneedles.”
- Hidden Worlds: Donghee Lee, PhD, an instructor in the Holland Regenerative Medicine Program in the UNMC Department of Surgery, for “Finding the Way Back.”
- Data Revealed: Eli Piilonen, senior immersive reality developer in the iEXCEL program, for “Volumetric Scans: Big and Small.”
- Research in Action: Rupsha Das, a second-year PhD student in the UNMC Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, for “Cancer Cell Culture, Experimental Analysis, and Microscopic Visualization.”