Credit: Josephh Kleinkopf
Three winners have been selected in the 2023 Faces of Biology Photo Contest, sponsored by the American Institute of Biological Sciences (AIBS) and the Society for Integrative and Comparative Biology (SICB).
“Photography is an effective tool to help communicate the process of scientific research,” said Scott Glisson, CEO of AIBS. “This contest provides a visual forum for expression, inspiration, and technical skill that can have a positive impact on how the public views research and science.
The competition showcases, in a personal way, biological research in its many forms and settings. With the images, we are able to help the public and policymakers better understand the value of biological research and education.
Joseph Kleinkopf, a PhD student at the University of New Mexico, won first place. In his photograph, he collects alpine plants from the steep north face of Sheepshead Peak (12,696 ft elevation), situated in the heart of the Pecos Wilderness of New Mexico.
Heather Krumholz, from the University of Florida – Whitney Laboratory for Marine Bioscience, won second place by showing postdoctoral associate Dr. Jessica Alice Farrell extracting environmental DNA or eDNA from hundreds of sand samples collected from Florida’s sea turtle nesting beaches. From just a few grains of sand, the Duffy Lab is able to do their research without ever needing to sight or interact with the endangered animals themselves.
Third place went to this photograph by Allaire Barte, from Yale University, showing Swathi Manivannan using a water sampling probe at Martin Luther King Park in Orlando, Florida. The research depicted is for National Science Foundation postdoctoral fellow at Yale University Andrea Ayala’s project, “In Hot Water: Waterfowl, Climate Change, and Vibriosis.”
A forthcoming issue of the journal BioScience will feature the first-place photograph on the cover and the second- and third-place photos in an article. All of the winners receive a one-year subscription to BioScience. Joseph Kleinkopf will also receive $250.