Author: Kristan Reynolds
Date: April 4, 2025
At its core, research is a tool for progress — driving innovation, improving lives, and solving problems. Upon closer examination, it’s also something entirely different: a quiet, powerful art form.
Florida Atlantic University's Division of Research recently hosted the sixth annual Art of Science exhibition, which was open from March 11 to April 2, 2025. This visual art (video, sculpture, and photography) competition offered FAU researchers from various fields the opportunity to showcase the intersection of science and art.
“Blending art and science is a powerful tool to engage the public with complex topics,” said Chelsea Bennice, a Postdoctoral Fellow at the FAU Marine Lab studying animal behavior and ecology with an expertise in octopus biology. “Capturing dynamic animal behavior and sharing these experiences with the public ignites curiosity beyond the scientific community. It helps us communicate our science stories and how scientific inquiry is important and relatable.”
Bennice’s submission, “Arm Signals,” displayed a mating octopus pair, illustrating animal communication. Bennice says that in this photo, the male octopus’s raised arm could be signaling towards the female or warning a male competitor to stay away.
“I hope viewers are immersed in this underwater scene, and it brings a smile to their face,” Bennice remarked. “My goal for this art is to showcase how dynamic and bold animal behavior can be, especially illustrated by these marvelous mollusks — octopus.”
Jamie Knaub, a Ph.D. Candidate in the Florida Atlantic Biomechanics Lab, studies cetacean (whales, dolphins, porpoises) skeletons. Her submission, “Porpoise with a Purpose,” was a micro-CT scan image of a vaquita’s pectoral fin.
“I hope to educate viewers about the vaquita and its story,” Knaub said. “It is a small porpoise species that is extremely endangered and is believed to soon become extinct. I’m incredibly fortunate and thankful to have been part of a collaborative project with a vaquita skeleton, and I hope my display will be an educational resource to expand interest in vaquita conservation.”
Knaub works almost exclusively with bioimaging equipment and says that many of the images utilized for research are “artistic.” She believes that research can be extremely satisfying as it can contribute to data collection while also being “appealing to the eye.”
Colleen Hecker is a current Ph.D. student in the Biological Sciences department but studied taxonomy (the science of classifying organisms) and phylogeny (evolutionary relationships) of octopuses during her master’s degree. Her submission, “Octo-Chainsaw,” captured a ribbon of octopus teeth — known as a radula — as seen through a scanning electron microscope.
“Photos like this help scientists discover traits that are unique to individual octopus species that otherwise look very similar to one another (known as cryptic species),” Hecker noted. “Microscopy is both a scientific tool and an art medium. Merging these two uses helps advance our understanding of octopus diversity while engaging the public with beautiful imagery.”
Hecker believes that blending art and science can make complex topics more approachable and understandable. She hopes that viewers walked away with a new appreciation of octopuses and their unique anatomy. “Octopuses are soft-bodied organisms that eat hard-bodied prey; that’s a tall order to ask of these squishy animals,” Hecker exclaimed. “The radula is an incredible tool that helps octopuses chew their food into tiny pieces.”
Hecker, Knaub, and Bennice recognize the importance of scientific visualizations and their ability to allow broad audiences to learn and understand scientific concepts. “A picture is worth a thousand words,” as Bennice and Knaub said.
“I think no matter if you are a scientist, or an artist, or anything else, you can appreciate art, so it was nice to see everyone enjoying the displays,” said Hannah Mauer, a visitor to the Art of Science event and a Glenn W. & Cornelia T. Bailey Marine SEA Scholar.
Research is not always rigid; in fact, creativity is an integral part of research. The ability to think outside the box to reveal something brand new is not confined to the Arts, and this unique Art of Science exhibit helped to showcase the overlooked overlap of these fields. At the FAU Marine Lab, we value art as it relates to research and science communication. Through programs like the GW&CTB SEA Scholars — where the ‘A’ stands for art — we communicate science to the public in a variety of ways for maximum understanding. Hecker was a previous SEA Scholar, and Bennice currently oversees the SEA Scholars, continuing our mission of using art and other creative strategies to connect people to the work that we do.
