Eberly researchers among winners of 15th annual Materials Visualization Competition

image of epitaxy, approach to fabricate thin crystalline film — The "Best of Show" award went to Maria Hilse, assistant research professor, Thin Films-MBE, Materials Research Institute, for the entry, “TETRIS – Materials Research Style. This image depicts epitaxy—approach to fabricate thin crystalline film. Credit: Maria Hilse

Two Eberly researchers were among the winners of the 15th annual Materials Visualization Competition (MVC), a scientific visual and artistic competition sponsored by the Department of Materials Science and Engineering (MatSE) and the Materials Research Institute (MRI) at Penn State. MVC celebrates the quality of research in materials at Penn State and promotes awareness of materials science through visualization.

Images were judged by a panel of professionals in materials and the arts. Participants chose which imaging category their image would be judged in — scientific imaging or computer rendering. The judges selected winners in the following categories: best of show, visual appeal and scientific imaging or computation rendering. Cash prizes for the competition totaled $1,800, with the best in show receiving $500. In all other categories winners received: $250 for first place, $100 for second place, and $50 for third place.

The best of show award went to Maria Hilse, assistant research professor, Materials Research Institute, for the entry, “TETRIS – materials research style.”

The Visual Appeal award winners are:

First place: “The white cliffs of Dover” by Benjamin Aronson, graduate student, materials science and engineering.
Second place: “Waves: In the deep end of additive manufacturing” by Nancy Huang, graduate student, materials science and engineering.
Third place: “An OH1 crystallization in a galaxy far, far away” by Martin Terrazas Lopez, graduate student, electrical engineering.

a vague green smiley face appears in biological sample — Zhi-Chun Lai, professor of biology and biochemistry and molecular biology, was awarded second place in the Scientific Imaging category for this image reminiscent of a smily face that depicts expression of a fruit fly gene in the developing brain.

The Imaging: Scientific Imaging award winners are:

First place: “Nano cookie” by Hyunju Ahn, visiting scholar, electrical engineering.
Second place: “A smiling face: an image displaying enhancer-driven expression of a bacterial reporter gene in the optic lobes of fruit fly’s brain” by Zhi-Chun Lai, professor of biology and biochemistry and molecular biology.
Third place: “A micro citadel under siege” by Lidan Zhang, undergraduate student, electrical engineering.

four smaller images depicting metallic bonds — Chemistry graduate student Alyssa Santos received first place in the Computational Rendering category for her image depicting how molecules bond. Credit: Alyssa Santos

The Imaging: Computational Rendering award winners are:

First place: “Electronic soup: a peek at the fundamental bonding of molecules” by Alyssa Santos, graduate student, chemistry.
Second place: “Study on lithiation of S8 on Ni2P nanoparticle’s (001) surface to improve Li-S battery cathode kinetics and stability: depiction of sulfur’s transformation via Li polysulfide intermediates and associated charge density difference over the catalyst surface” by Ricardo Amaral, graduate student, energy and mineral engineering.
Third place: “T7- phage plays PacMan with E. coli microcolony” by Andres Valdez, postdoctoral scholar, biomedical engineering.

The Materials Visualization Competition celebrates the quality of research in materials at Penn State and promotes awareness of materials science through visualization. Credit: Nathan Reinhold/Penn State

The People’s Choice Award judging took place online by the general public, and more than 3,000 votes were cast. The winner of the 2023 People's Choice Award and $100 was the image “Who loves the sun” by Furkan Turker, graduate student, materials science and engineering.

All MVC winning entries may be viewed online at sites.psu.edu/mvcs. Entry is open to all current Penn State undergraduates, graduates, postdocs and faculty working on materials-related topics. Call for submissions for the MVC16 will be posted in early 2024.