Scenic views of fieldwork, the inner workings of crystals, and explorations in personal identity were just some of the depictions of student research displayed at Illinois State’s fourth annual Image of Research competition exhibit.
University Galleries hosted the Office of Student Research’s reception and awards presentation on February 2, highlighting the 24 finalists (15 graduate and nine undergraduate students). Each image included a QR code linking to a description of the work. Submissions came from students studying in the hard sciences, social sciences, and the arts, in academic areas within the College of Arts and Sciences, College of Education, and Wonsook Kim College of Fine Arts.
“Some scholarly works get the label of creative much more easily than others,” said Dr. Craig McLauchlan, associate vice president for research and graduate studies. “But there’s always creativity in the work.”
Participants were charged with creating one compelling, static image of their research along with a brief narrative. McLauchlan said the ability to communicate research succinctly and clearly is becoming more and more important in society.
“It’s really hard for anybody to talk about their job or project and to say it succinctly with nontechnical language in 150 words,” said Dr. Gina Hunter, director of the Office of Student Research. “And then to capture that one image and make it compelling is hard to do. So this is really a creative and intellectual exercise that engages students.”
A panel composed of Dennis French, Illinois State professor emeritus of metals and jewelry, and Kristin Smith ’01—Illinois State alum, copywriter, and creative team manager at a Fortune 10000 company—evaluated the submissions for visual impact, originality, and the connection between the student’s image, narrative, and research project. The public voted on the day of the exhibit for the People’s Choice award winners.
A crowd numbering at least 50 people, including Dr. Aondover Tarhule, vice president for academic affairs and provost, viewed the exhibit and attended the awards presentation.
“We’ve been involved with the Image of Research since the first year as one of the collaborators, and so it’s been really thrilling to see it develop and to see the range of student participation and the support for what they’re doing,” said Kendra Paitz, MBA ’06, M.A. ’11, University Galleries director and chief curator. “One of the exhibitions that is on view right now is Anna Von Mertens. She’s an artist who does really research-intensive work and thinks a lot about astronomy, for instance, which is feeding a lot of the works that are on view at the moment. And when she left this morning, she was able to see all of this student research set up within her own research-based exhibition. And so that was really special.”
Below is the list of winners. The images will be exhibited at several locations throughout campus, including Milner Library, the Vrooman Center in Hewett-Manchester Halls, the Board of Trustees meeting, and the 2023 University Research Symposium. View all of the finalists’ images online through Milner Library’s ISU ReD digital repository.
Graduate category
First place ($200)
naked farm by Cooper Gibson (sculpture and expanded media)
Second place ($150)
Self-portrait with áo dài by Jade Nguyen (fine arts)
Honorable mention ($50 each)
Evolutionary History of an Island Mouse by Rachel Berg (biological sciences)
Lobelia & Friends by Sydney Metternich (biological sciences)
Prospects for Heterologous Expression in Neurospora crassa by James Mierendorf (biological sciences)
People’s Choice ($100):
In the Face of Awe by Autumn Chall (psychology)
Undergraduate category
First place ($200)
Measuring Mountains by Gracie Stevens (geology)
Second place ($150)
Creating Safe Spaces by Rachel Meister (psychology)
Silver Winter Crystalscapes: Where Molecules Lay To Be Discovered by Isabella Rohrig (biochemistry)
Honorable mention ($50 each)
Urban Streams Syndrome — An Infectious Disease by Joseph Hoberg (geology)
Neuralized Mania by Katelyn Tenuto (psychology)
People’s Choice ($100):
Silver Winter Crystalscapes: Where Molecules Lay To Be Discovered by Isabella Rohrig (biochemistry)
Image of Research winners react
Cooper Gibson took home first place in the graduate category after entering the competition for the second consecutive year: “I wanted to enter again because I think it’s important that art shows up at events like this because art is research.” Gibson’s image was inspired by a visit to a nudist retreat for men in Kentucky.
“My visual work is about being queer and being from Kentucky,” said Gibson, who is set to graduate this spring. “And so a big part of how I work is autoethnography or the study of yourself. And to do that, you have to go places and do things. So connecting with my community and taking the chances and meeting new people is a huge part of how I get inspired to make work.”
Isabella Rohrig, an Illinois State BirdFEEDER grant recipient, won two awards for an image based on the undergraduate’s work as a crystallographer in Dr. Gregory Ferrence’s lab. Rohrig grows crystals and uses Single Crystal X-Ray Diffraction methodologies to collect data to identify the structure of the molecules at the atomic scale.
“I thought (the competition) was a great opportunity to be able to share what I’m doing in the lab,” said Rohrig, a sophomore who plans to enter medical school after graduating from Illinois State.
The Image of Research is sponsored by the Office of Student Research, the Office of Research and Graduate Studies, Milner Library, and University Galleries. For more information about the competition, visit the Office of Student Research’s website.
