MELVILLE, N.Y., Oct. 7 -- Seth A. Coe-Sullivan, a graduate student at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), won first place in the 30th Annual Nikon International Small World Competition, which recognizes excellence in photography through the microscope, for his image of quantum dot nanocrystals deposited on a silicon substrate.
First place, Seth Coe-Sullivan, MIT, Quantum dot nanocrystals deposited on a silicon substrate (200x), polarized reflected light
Second place went to Shirley Owens, a microscopy instructor at Michigan State University's Center for Advanced Microcopy, for her confocal laser image of a spiderwort flower anther and immature pollen. Torsten Wittmann, a research associate at The Scripps Research Institute of Cell Biology, won third place for a fluorescence image of differentiating neuronal cells. Wittman placed first in the 2003 Small World contest.
Twenty winners were selected from 1200 images submitted from around the world. They will be part of Nikon's Small World Photomicrography exhibit, which will tour science and art museums across the US beginning in January.
Second place (top photo at right), Shirley Owens, Michigan State University, Tradescantia virginiana (spiderwort flower) anther and immature pollen, confocal laser. Third place: Torsten Wittmann, Scripps Research Institute (La Jolla, Calif.), Differentiating neuronal cells (actin, microtubules and DNA, 1000x), fluorescence
The competition is open to anyone with an interest in photomicrography.
This year's competition "represents a range of new possibilities using nanotechnolgy to transform our physical world in ways never before imagined," said Nikon. "It recognizes the world's best photomicrographers who make critically important scientific contributions to life sciences, bio-research and materials science."
Judges included Michael Davidson, a senior research engineering support specialist, optical microscopy, at the National High Magnetic Field Laboratory at Florida State University; Michael Peres, PhD, program chairman, Biomedical Photographic Communications, at the Rochester Institute of Technology; Bonnie Stutski, photo editor of Smithsonian Magazine; Ellis Rubenstein, president of the New York Academy of Sciences; and cell biologist and biophysicist Ted Salmon, PhD, a professor at the University of North Carolina.
To view all of the winning images, and for more information, visit: www.microscopyu.com/smallworld/gallery/contests/2004/index2004.html