Illawarra scientists will shine the spotlight on their incredible research in a novel way in a new exhibition opening Friday.
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The natural beauty and intricacies of the cells and proteins researchers regularly scrutinise through their microscopes will instead adorn the walls of the TAEM Gallery at the University of Wollongong for all to appreciate.
The exhibition was the concept of Illawarra Health and Medical Research Institute (IHMRI) PhD candidate Rachelle Balez and research assistant Clare Watson.
“We want to communicate the fantastic but often hidden artwork that we capture in our line of work,” Ms Balez said.
“What we see through our microscope is so abstract but at the same time has such a powerful message behind it – the story of the research that’s been undertaken.
“So the image captured through the microscope might be brain cells being grown in a dish to study Alzheimer’s disease; or it might represent the stress a cell goes under in the course of disease which creates an image that looks like a multi-coloured barcode.
“At first glance we’ve seen people view the images and go ‘oh wow!’ because they are beautiful, then they furrow their brow and move in closer to try and understand what they’re actually looking at.”
There’s another aim of the show, and that’s to pay tribute to one of IHMRIs most prominent researchers.
Dr Justin Yerbury is internationally renowned for his research into motor neurone disease or MND – a degenerative condition which he himself lives with.
All of the 55 images in the upcoming exhibition have been donated, with the proceeds of their sale to fund an emerging MND researcher to attend an international conference at the end of the year.
“We also wanted to organise this exhibition as a testament to the legacy of Dr Justin Yerbury – to recognise his ongoing contribution to the scientific community,” Ms Balez said.
“And the proceeds will give a young MND investigator the opportunity to share their work on an international stage, to meet collaborators and keep in touch with advances in their scientific field.”
More than 30 UOW and IHMRI researchers from a range of fields – also including materials science, chemistry, engineering and environmental biology – have contributed to the exhibition.
The TAEM Gallery is in Building 25 at UOW. The exhibition will be open 9am to 5pm Monday to Friday, and noon to 5pm on Saturday, until July 20.