Scientific research often produces beautiful images. These pieces, judged by a panel of local artists, scientists and community leaders, are representative of real Northwestern research across a wide range of disciplines, including medicine, chemistry, engineering and nanotechnology.
We invite you to enjoy both the beauty and innovation of Northwestern science.
CLICK ON AN IMAGE TO SEE IT IN FULL.
Want to see even more images? Check out the 2013 winners here.
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Graduate Student, Department of Materials Science and Engineering
“Tryptophan Labyrinth”
Molecular self-assembly is the process by which molecules come together to form structures, arrangements and shapes without any outside guidance or interference. Scientists can learn a lot about the inherent properties of molecules by studying how they self-assemble.
In this image, molecules of L-Tryptophan (L-Trp), a biologically necessary amino acid, have self-assembled into rows on the surface of a copper single crystal. The orange section of the crystal is elevated higher than the purple section, indicated by the change in color.
Thus far, Mannix and his colleagues in the Hersam Laboratory at Northwestern University and the Guisinger Laboratory at Argonne National Laboratory have found that L-Trp is the only amino acid to form a maze-like structure. The ordered channels formed by the maze are potentially useful as a template to direct the motion and interaction of other molecules on the surface.
Technique: Scanning tunneling microscopy, computer rendition
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Postdoctoral Fellow, Simpson Querrey Institute for BioNanotechnology
“Neurons in Nanofiber Gel”
Parkinson’s disease manifests when the brain cells that make the neurotransmitter dopamine begin to die off. Dopamine is essential for the control of movement, and without it even the simplest daily activities can become very challenging.
The replacement of dopamine neurons is emerging as a promising therapy for Parkinson's disease. Sur and his colleagues in the Stupp Laboratory are working to regrow dopamine neurons in an artificial matrix environment, which can then be transplanted into the Parkinsonian brain.
In this image, the neurons from a mouse embryo have been encapsulated in a nanofiber matrix (vertical cylinder), and then allowed to grow embedded in a block of collagen gel. After a few days of culture, these neurons (blue lines) grew out of the nanofiber matrix into the surrounding collagen gel.
Technique: Confocal microscopy, false coloring
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Postdoctoral Fellow, The Ken & Ruth Davee Department of Neurology
"Intermediate Filaments Accumulation in Disease"
Giant Axonal Neuropathy is a rare inherited genetic disease that severely affects the nervous system. Affected nerve cells accumulate an excess of cytoskeletal proteins, which cause the axons (branches of nerve cells) to swell and prevent the cells from functioning properly.
This image shows the abnormal accumulation of the cytoskeletal proteins (stained bright green) in nerve cells, which have been cultured in a lab. The nuclei have been stained blue.
The disease occurs when the body lacks a functional protein whose job it is to break down unwanted cell components. Israeli and his colleagues in the Opal Laboratory aim to uncover why the functional protein is lost and how it can be replaced.
Technique: Confocal fluorescence microscopy
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Postdoctoral Fellow, Department of Physics and Astronomy and the Center for Interdisciplinary Exploration and Research in Astrophysics
“Star Cluster Evolution in Stereo3D”
Our sun likely formed in a cluster of about 100 stars that dissolved billions of years ago. Geller and his colleagues use computer-simulated models to study how such star clusters form and evolve.
This image shows a 500-million-year time lapse of a model star cluster similar to our Sun’s birthplace. Points indicate where stars formed, and the lines trace their motion under the force of gravity. The colors of the lines indicate the temperature of the stars, with blue being hotter than red. The two yellow regions toward the right mark two supernovae – stars that exploded. And, the thick white line highlights the path of a Sun-like star escaping from the cluster, as Geller believes our own Sun did many years ago.
The two side-by-side images are from different vantage points, and can be combined to create a “cross-eyed” 3D image in the middle. Click on the image for the full version, which is easier to view in 3D.
Technique: NBODY6 and Partiview softwares, computer generated
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Staff, Northwestern University’s Atomic and Nanoscale Characterization Experimental Center (NUANCE)
“Enamel Crystals”
Tooth enamel protects our teeth from daily wear and tear. But, as we age, enamel can erode, leaving our teeth exposed and vulnerable. Professor Tom Diekwisch, Head of the Department of Oral Biology at the University of Illinois at Chicago College of Dentistry is working to develop new methods of regenerating tooth enamel.
This image, taken by Miller, shows a control experiment in which enamel proteins are being used to grow enamel-like calcium phosphates called hydroxyapatite crystals.
The image resulted from a collaboration between the NUANCE Center at Northwestern University and Prof. Diekwisch. Many outside companies and universities come to the NUANCE Center to image and process their samples due to the center’s large array of advanced electron microscopes and other imaging equipment.
Technique: Scanning electron microscopy, false coloring
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Graduate Student, Department of Materials Science and Engineering
"3D-Printed Graphene"
3D printing has become a valuable tool in medicine, engineering and design. Scientists are now able to print with more than just plastic, and are using new materials to test the limits of 3D technology.
One such material is Graphene, which is ideal for making implantable “scaffolds” around which stem cells can grow because it is electrically conductive and compatible with human tissue.
This image shows a portion of a 3D-printed Graphene scaffold, which could be used to help with tissue regeneration in the heart, muscle, brain and nerves. Graphene is just one of the many “3D-inks” that Jakus and his colleagues in the Shah Laboratory use in their innovative work.
Technique: Scanning electron microscopy, false coloring
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Graduate Student, Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering
“Nanofiber Niches for Stem Cells”
Stem cells are quickly becoming a viable strategy to treat all sorts of diseases and injuries. In collaboration with Stanford University scientists, the Stupp Laboratory is combining stem cells with synthetic nanofibers to treat muscular degenerative diseases.
The strategy is to locally deliver stem cells into muscle tissue by encapsulating the stem cells in nanofibers, which makes them stick in place wherever they are injected. The nanofibers will also protect the cells and encourage them to divide into new muscle cells.
In this image, one of these stem cells (purple) rests on top of the nanofibers (brown). It represents the convergence of the most powerful techniques available in regenerative medicine, nanotechnology and stem cell therapy.
Technique: Scanning electron microscopy, false coloring
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Graduate Student, Department of Materials Science and Engineering
"Nano-Micro Building Blocks"
Nanomaterials are playing an increasingly important role in engineering and medicine. To better understand and design these tiny materials, researchers strive to assemble predictable nanoparticle crystals of a regular shape and size, which are easier to measure, simulate, and control.
This image shows such crystals (in blue and bronze), which are rhombic dodecahedra, meaning they have 12 congruent rhombic sides.
To make the crystals, Ku and her colleagues in the Mirkin Laboratory attach complementary DNA strands to gold nanoparticles. The DNA strands bind together, guiding the gold nanoparticles into blob-like formations. The blobs are then cooled to below their melting temperature, causing them to crystallize into these more stable shapes.
Technique: Scanning electron microscopy, false coloring
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Postdoctoral Fellow, Department of Physics and Astronomy and the Center for Interdisciplinary Exploration and Research in Astrophysics
"Gravitationally Unstable Flame"
A white dwarf is a star (about the size of the Earth) that has reached the end of its life cycle, as our own Sun will one day. Most white dwarfs eventually cool down and fade away. But, as one theory has it, a white dwarf may gather matter from a red giant companion star and consequently explode as a Type Ia supernova.
During a supernova, the elements carbon and oxygen fuse into heavier elements, including nickel and iron. This nuclear reaction takes place inside the star, in a very thin, quickly moving, burning zone called a “flame.”
This image shows a computer simulation of a model supernova flame (red). Hicks creates simulations that measure how fast the flame burns and how changes in the gravitational field affect the speed of the reaction. She uses that data to better understand Type Ia supernova explosions, which can tell astronomers more about the expansion of the universe.
Technique: VisIT software, Nek5000 code and Northwestern Quest facility, computer generated
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Graduate Student, Department of Plant Biology and Conservation
"Vector"
In order to reproduce, stationary plants need help to transport pollen. The earliest flowering plants were pollinated by insects, but in many cases evolved to rely on wind pollination. Wind pollinated plants tend to lose traits such as showy flowers and sticky pollen since they’re no longer needed to attract pollinators.
It was believed that without showy flowers, these plants would seldom revert back to insect pollination. But, Gardner and his colleagues believe that the jackfruit (Artocarpus heterophyllus) may be an exception to this rule.
In this image, a grain of jackfruit pollen (purple) is stuck to the side of a midge (an insect the size of a fruit fly), whose long hairs are shown in yellow. Jackfruit evolved from a wind-pollinated ancestor and has tiny inconspicuous flowers typical of wind-pollinated species. It appears, however, that the flowers' strong smell attracts midges whose tiny hooked hairs are able to snag the pollen despite its lack of sticky coating.
Technique: Scanning electron microscopy, false coloring
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Staff, Department of Otolaryngology
"Inside the Mouse Cochlea"
The cochlea is a spiral-shaped sense organ in the inner ear that is responsible for hearing. Within the cochlea are “hair cells,” which get their name from the hair-like structures that protrude from their surface, called stereocilia. Hair cells respond to sound, but die when exposed to loud noises, thereby causing hearing loss.
This image shows a portion of a cochlea from a genetically modified mouse. In this image, structural cells glow green from the expression of Green Fluorescent Protein (GFP). The hair cells have been labeled red and the nuclei are stained blue.
Homma and her colleagues in the Zheng Laboratory use this microscopy technique to track cell health and better understand how cochlear hair cells die.
Technique: Confocal fluorescence microscopy
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Graduate Student, Department of Chemistry
"Cell Patterning to the Rescue"
Human cells live in a complex environment. They receive information from chemical cues, their neighboring cells, and the surface that they’re attached to. Researchers are interested in how cells respond to changes in their environment. Cabezas and her colleagues in the Mirkin Laboratory are particularly interested in how changes to a surface affects the way that cells attach to that surface.
In this image, HeLa cervical cancer cells (yellow squares) were placed onto a gold-coated surface (black) that contained patterned adhesive proteins that act as Velcro-like anchors. The aim was to get one cell to attach to each protein, and to understand how pattern density and arrangement affects cell attachment and spreading. The surrounding area was decorated with a molecule that prevents cell adhesion.
In some instances, two cells attached to the same spot, which was not ideal. And, during sample preparation an air bubble got trapped between the sample and the glass coverslip, thus resembling the iconic Batman signature.
Technique: Fluorescence microscopy, false coloring