“Art of Science” Competition Results

The winners of the first MMU’s postgraduate research photography competition.


Busy research students at the Graduate School of the Faculty of Science and Engineering were asked to capture their work on camera. After receiving 23 submissions from across the Faculty, a panel of judges and students selected their winners.





Judges’ favourite photograph
The judging panel, comprising Dr. Keeley Crockett (GradSchool representative), Dr. Martyn Amos (crossdisciplinary faculty research project NanoInfoBio), Sam Gray (public engagement), Matt Davies (painter) and Rachael Barker (photographer and art teacher) settled on two first prizes, both to receive £75 each:







Sunset in a bottle (left) by Angelique Laurent








Micro‐Solar system (right) by Justyna Sutula






All entries, anonymised, were evaluated on their originality, artistic value, quality and relevance of content.

The winning picture Sunset in a bottle (left). According to one of the judges “the colour and composition are foremost the most powerful aspects of this picture”. The co‐winner photograph Micro‐Solar system (right) impressed painter Matt Davies, with “great depth and precision”.


Winners’ comments
Angelique Laurent when asked about her artistic inspiration for the popular photographs said: “I tried to see in what way these pictures could be artistic and gave them the title of what they were making me think of (...). I'd say my favourite one is definitely Sunset in a bottle because it reminded me of the nice sunset in summer when the sky darkens and the clouds become red but there is still some yellow light from the sun getting through.”

“Microbiology is not just a repetitive work and long hours in the laboratory. It can be so much fun too! The beauty of microbes usually needs a close‐up to be appreciated. From there, your imagination’s the limit. Looking at all the entries it is clear that science and art can go hand in hand regardless the subject area!” says the author of the “Art of Science” competition and co‐winner of the judges’ favourite photograph, Justyna Sutula.

Students’ favourite photograph
Sunset in a bottle by Angelique Laurent (microbiology student) was indisputably voted the favourite picture amongst students by the MMU Faculty of Science and Engineering Graduate Students Group on Facebook. “It looked interesting and I loved the colours. I never thought it would be so popular!” says Angelique. She was rewarded with £100 cash prize. Congratulations to the winners!

The overall standard of photography was fantastic. We would like to thank everyone who entered pictures and voted on the Facebook website. Special thanks to the panel of judges for their time and comments.

Other entered pictures and some of the judges’ comments:

Right: Topiltzin Contreras “While surveying freshwater cosystems in Mexico, I’ve come across some very beautiful species such as these flamingos in Celestún Yucatan, arriving early morning to their feeding site.” Judge Rachael Barker, who teaches art and photography, said “it’s a beautiful moment ‐ the flamingos fly elegantly into the photograph ‐ a perfect capture”.



Other entries by Topiltzin Contreras. Left: “I have been involved in teaching undergraduate students vertebrate field biology. Here a group of Mexican students are observing the behaviour of Gobies in a shallow stream in the Pacific Coast of Nayarit, Mexico.”





Right: “I photographed these water snakes (Tammophis sp) gathering in a dead tree to take the morning sun in a temperate lake (Tonatiahua) in Zempoala National Park, Central Mexico”, says Topiltzin Contreras from the Environmental & Geographical Sciences at MMU.




Oral microbiology student Justyna Sutula captured Beautiful Mystery (left) snapshot of a strange hyphal forms produced by yeast Candida, found in human mouth. Light micrograph x60







Fungi in the Field (right) by Angelique Laurent was commented by one of the judges as “a lovely abstract image, which creates something beautiful, thanks to the photographers creative eye”. Angelique pictured mould unusually growing between the wall and a green carpet, to show a diversity of places for microbial growth.





Alan Lee from the Environmental & Geographical Sciences has, for the past four years, been studying dynamics in populations of parrots (left). He says “claylicks are sites where animals go to consume soil. Here a flock of parrots and macaws are taking flight from the world’s largest claylick, possibly due to the presence of a predator “.


Solid, liquid, gas and ... plasma. PhD student from Surface Engineering Group, Paul Barker photographed plasma – the 4th state of matter (right). Here, blue light of plasma is shining through the substrate drum inside a high vacuum chamber.









On the left, Blood Sea by Angelique Laurent was a popular image amongst voting students. The redness of the solution was achieved by dissolving a food dye powder in water.

Right: Finding the Green Spot is a micrograph of crosssectioned muscle fibers in red with bluelabeled nuclei. “It was quite a struggle to get those stains to work...I then searched through hundreds of similar mazes looking for green spots (muscle stem cells)”, says pleased with the result, Sander van der Meer from the Institute for Biomedical Research into Human Movement
and Health.

Alan Lee came across South America's most powerful eagle‐

Harpy Eagle (left). He says “this bird of prey is capable of catching
a macaw. They are a reason birds are nervous around the Amazon's claylicks”.

Right: Ka Lun To submitted SEM micrograph of Rabbit look‐alike made of wood plastic composite. Judge Matt Davies commented “the black and white works perfectly to emphasise the texture and complexity of the material”. This photograph also received many votes from students.









Left: Biofilm rainbow received from Devine Akhidime
presents FISH stained nitrifying bacteria in a biofilm
from expanded bed biological treatment of
wastewater.









Written by Justyna Sutula from Manchester Metropolitan University