Brave New World

Up close and personal with pollen, crystal and cells at the State Museum.

By: Susan Van Dongen

Planarization of patterned silicon-nitride-coated-silicon-substrate

Crystallized glycine, tartaric acid and resorcinol.

   Veteran photographer Irving Penn went for the obscure and unnoticed
with his recent collection of photos, Underfoot. The exhibit, which ran
at the Philadelphia Museum of Art until November, focused on discarded chewing
gum, cigarette butts and other detritus found on the sidewalk. The artist’s intention
was to present the sculptural elements within the tiny pieces of trash and encourage
viewers to look closer at what they might otherwise miss.
   For Shirley Albright, assistant curator of Natural History
at the New Jersey State Museum in Trenton, Nikon’s annual exhibit of photomicrography
has a similar purpose. The State Museum presents the 30th anniversary tour of
Nikon’s Small World in the Galleries at 225 W. State St. through Feb.
4. This is the only venue in New Jersey to host the exhibit.

Dandelion stigma with pollen.

   "As scientists we’re taught to observe but as non-scientific
adults we’re kind of missing a lot," Ms. Albright says. "When you see something
like this, it reminds you to look a little bit closer. It’s difficult enough
to observe things at the macro level. How many times have you walked on a sidewalk
and failed to see what might have been captured in the concrete — leaves
and pebbles, for example."
   The Nikon International Small World Competition is dedicated
to furthering creativity and excellence in photomicrography. Combining microscopy
and photography — making pictures through the microscope — a photomicrographer
is able to capture an image of the world the naked eye cannot see. This year,
there were 1,200 entries from around the world, whittled down to 20 winners.
Nikon makes the top photos accessible through a national tour, as well as a
calendar and screen saver.
   The top three images include a work by Seth Coe-Sullivan (first
place) of Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge, Mass. He captured
quantum dot nanocrystals deposited on a silicon substrate, magnified 200 times
and shot with polarized reflected light.

Interference image of a microscopic flow pattern in draining soap film.

The image looks like a piece of fine fabric, with patterns that resemble batik.
Second place was a photo of immature pollen by Dr. Shirley Owens of Michigan State
University for Advanced Microscopy. Dr. Torsten Wittman of the Scripps Research
Institute of Cell Biology in California took third place, with an image of differentiating
neuronal cells, magnified 1,000 times.
   Dr. Wittman’s shot is almost psychedelic with its amorphous
blobs of yellow, surrounded by strands of vivid neon blue and purple. Ms. Albright
says fluorescence is what gives the photo its "blacklight" quality.
   "With something like this, the fluorescence is what causes
those parts of the cell to show up," Ms. Albright says. "The scientist bombards
the slide with ultraviolet light. Then, the electrons get excited … and change
their shell levels — and that change of energy is interpreted by us as
color."

Micrasterias rotata undergoing cell division.

  Another far-out photo is by Swiss researcher Edy Kieser, who captured
a crystal of acetominaphen and ascorbic acid, magnified 40 times. Essentially
a nodule of pain reliever and vitamin C, the shot looks like an iridescent orange
and yellow aurora breaking over cliffs.
   Ms. Albright, who curated an exhibit focusing on iridescence
in nature and art two years ago, was drawn to this photo, as well as Dr. Tsutomu
Seimiya’s 13th place winner.
   "It’s draining soap film and there are interference images
in the (segment) at the top — that’s what iridescence is," Ms. Albright
says. "I also love the 19th place winner, which reminds me of a Navajo blanket.
It has that kind of geometric pattern. My favorite is the 15th place winner,
though — an image taken from fresh water algae. It’s very simple, but it
has this black background, which makes a wonderful contrast."
   The photomicrographers don’t set out to "make a beautiful
microscopic photograph" and win the annual contest — these are images they
stumble upon in the lab.
   "They’re mostly research scientists and fairly sophisticated
— they’re taking these photos anyway," Ms. Albright says. "These pictures
represent the best of the best. These (participants) are just like any other
kind of photographer — he or she might take thousands of shots and just
one or two might stand out. This isn’t just about what ‘looks cool under the
microscope.’ The image itself is judged for its visual impact, technical proficiency
and composition."

Quantum dot nanocrystals deposited on a silicon substrate.

    This year, the panel of judges includes Ellis Rubenstein, president
of the New York Academy of Science; Michael Peres, department chair of Biomedical
Photographic Communications in the division of photography arts and sciences at
Rochester Institute of Technology; Dr. Ed Salmon from the University of North
Carolina’s Department of Cell Biology; Michael Davidson, director of the Optical
and Magneto Optical Imaging Center at the National High Magnetic Field Laboratory
at Florida State University; and Bonnie Sputski, photography editor of Smithsonian
Magazine.
   "It’s quite a distinguished group," Ms. Albright says. "Every
year the panel changes. They’ve all been outstanding photographers and photo
editors in their own right."
   Although the main galleries of the State Museum will be closed
for renovations until 2006, Nikon’s Small World is on view at one of
the galleries in the Department of State building at 225 W. State St.
   "We’ve been participating since 1996," Ms. Albright says.
"We try to have it at the museum about the same time every year. People look
for it and it’s interesting to watch them return to see the new entries."
   She gets excited too.
   "When these photographs arrive, I feel like a kid again,"
Ms. Albright says. "When I open up the crate and pull the first image out, I
feel like it’s Christmas. Actually, I feel like a baby when I look at them every
year. This is how a baby must feel when they open their eyes for the first time."
   Ms. Albright says Nikon’s Small World is an especially
good show for families because it encourages children to look more closely at
a hidden world.
   "It helps them to see there’s a world beyond what we can see,"
Ms. Albright says. "If a parent introduces a child to the world beyond, then
the child’s imagination can be fired. But they don’t have to be scientists to
get a kick out of the exhibit. We show them the techniques scientists use to
explore the world. Who knows? Maybe we’ll inspire someone to go exploring a
brave new world of their own."
Nikon’s Small World is on view at the New Jersey State Museum galleries, 225
W. State St., Trenton, through Feb. 4. Gallery hours: Mon.-Fri. 9 a.m.-5 p.m.
Free admission. For information, call (609) 292-6308. On the Web: www.state.nj.us/state/museum.
Nikon’s Small World on the Web: www.nikonsmallworld.com