PEOPLE

Hangarter, Sterling Win Visualization Awards

The National Science Foundation and Science magazine recently announced the winners of the Science Engineering Visualization Challenge, in which the nation’s scientists were asked to come up with ways to make science visually appealing.

Top honors go to Indiana University at Bloomington professor and ASPB past president Roger Hangarter and documentarian Samuel Orr for their short film about Brood X periodical cicadas.

Hangarter and Orr’s short film, Return of the 17-Year Cicadas, won in the Non-Interactive Media category for its visual impact, its novel use of cameras (mixture of live and time-lapse footage), and its scientific accuracy.

A streaming version of the video is available at http://www.iuinfo.indiana.edu/bem/media_relations/cicadas.rm. (The video requires RealPlayer software to view.)

Hangarter’s interests in science, art, and education led to an IU School of Fine Arts exhibit titled "sLowlife" (http://dennis4.fatcow.com/lowlife/slowlife_intro.html) and the website “Plants-in-Motion” (http://plantsinmotion.bio.indiana.edu), which was featured in Science NetWatch in 2002 and was awarded a MERLOT Classic Award for Biology in 2004 (ASPB News, September/ October 2004, page 7). Hangarter’s sLowlife exhibit debuted at the U.S. Botanic Garden on October 26, 2005 (see story on page 25).

Those interested in obtaining high-quality video or in talking to Hangarter and Orr should contact David Bricker, IU Media Relations, at 812-856-9035 or brickerd@indiana.edu.

In addition to Hangarter’s first-place award, ASPB member Tracy Sterling of New Mexico State University captured the honorable mention award in the Interactive Media category. She received the only award presented in that category.

Science reported September 23 that Sterling and animator Matt Byrnes created with “Transpiration: Water Movement Through Plants” a friendly, interactive activity with a playful design—from water absorption through a plant’s roots to water vapor lost through its leaves.

To speak with someone at AAAS or Science about the contest, please contact Science press package staff at 202-326-6440 or scipak@aaas.org. To reach NSF, please contact Susan Mason at 703-292-7748 or smason@nsf.gov.