Horizons 113 - Snapshots of research

Snapshots of research The photos that Swiss researchers submitted to the SNSF Scientific Image Competition offer a surprising, nuanced picture of science. They prompt astonishment, they inspire and they tell stories. The image editor for Horizons, Valérie Chételat, has chosen her own favourites from among them, independent of the jury’s decision.

Swiss National Science Foundation – Swiss Academies: Horizons No. 113

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Swiss National Science Foundation – Swiss Academies: Horizons No. 113

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Images: (Top row: left to right) Electronic microscopy of a fly’s eye, Carole Seum (University of Geneva).

Beijing underground at rush hour, Max Bergman (Univ. of Basel).

Hyena with tranquilliser dart, Dominik Behr (Univ. of Zurich).

Lining up mirrors, Bogdan Dereka (Univ. of Geneva).

Radiotelemetry tracking of ­meerkats in the Kalahari Desert, Hector Ruiz (Univ. of Zurich).

Robot hand holding an egg, Tobias Bützer (ETH Zurich).

Cape Town: an installation made of string in the botanical gardens (jury favourite), Melanie Boehi (Univ. of Basel).

Installing a Go-Pro camera on a grab crane at a waste tip, Flavia Caviezel (Basel School of Design, FHNW).

Board game based on shifts in ­rural culture, Swen Bos (ETH ­Zurich).

(Central row: pp. 25 –28) ▸▸ A microbiologist transferring liquid nitrogen (winner in the Men and Women of Science category), Jürg Sigrist (Eawag). ▸▸ Binaural sound recording (jury ­favourite), Ludwig Zeller (­Basel School of Design, FHNW). ▸▸ Setting up a drone for an ­archaeological study in ­Kurdish Iraq, ­Susanne Rutishauser (Univ. of Bern). ▸▸ Digital interactive model of titan arum, a flower that can grow to 3 metres in height, Alessandro Holler (Zurich Univ. of the Arts).

Swiss National Science Foundation – Swiss Academies: Horizons No. 113

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SNSF Scientific Image ­Competition They illustrate what researchers experience in their work, and show who they are: these are the images, photos and videos that were submitted for the new SNSF competition for scientific images. Some 239 people from all regions of Switzerland took part. In total, 437 images and 60 videos were submitted in the four categories ‘Object of study’, ‘Men and women of science’, ‘Locations and instruments’ and ‘­Video loop’.

“The images submitted illustrate the fascinating ­diversity of scientific research”, says Pascal Hufschmid of the Musée de l’Elysée in Lausanne, who was the president of the international jury that selected one winner from each of the four categories. There were no microscopy images among the winners. “This may come as a surprise”, says Matthias Egger, the President of the National Research Council of the SNSF. “In fact, it highlights the visual richness and the scope of scientific practice today”.

The jury’s selection and links to the images submitted can be found at: www.snf.ch/bilder-wettbewerb. hpa

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Swiss National Science Foundation – Swiss Academies: Horizons No. 113