Understanding scientific findings may prove difficult, but when presented through artistic images, they pique people’s curiosity and draw them to science. In one such attempt to make science exciting, the Creative and Advanced Research Based On Nanomaterials (CARBON) Lab in association with Indian National Young Academy of Science (INYAS) organised SciArt, the first Intra-IIT-H exhibition-cum-competition at Indian Institute of Technology, Hyderabad (IIT-H).
Chandra Shekhar Sharma, convener of the event, said SciArt was organised as part of the celebration of CARBON Lab annual day. The exhibition-cum-competition, which was open to all research scholars from IIT-H, saw students creating artistic scientific images based on their research.
A total of 34 entries were received and some tough concepts such as circos plots, evolution of defect in materials, micro and nano-fabrication in polymers, carbon and epidermal cell structures of leaf were illustrated beautifully through creative images.
A panel of five judges comprising Sanhita from L.V. Prasad Eye Institute, Arunasree and Vijay Kanawade from University of Hyderabad, Mithun Palit from DMRL, Hyderabad, and Kunal Chakraborty from Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services, Hyderabad, evaluated the entries and selected six best images.
‘Fuzzy Puppets’ by Mayur Ma. Gaikwad won the first prize followed by EBSD Grain Colour Map by Rameez Tamboli and IIT-H logo patterned on silk fibroin film by G.D.V. Santhosh bagged the second prize, while Nanopetals by Mamidi Suresh, Arrival of Monsoon through Nanofibers by Ahsana Sadaf and Sea Urechin of Cobal Oxide by Darshna Potphode won the third prize.
People’s Choice Award in special category based on an online poll was given to Nanofores of Mamidi Suresh. Awards were given away by Ch. Subrahmanyam, Officiating Director of IIT-H and Sumohana Channappayya, Dean (Research & Development).