Art Lab
About the Art Lab Project
Hutch United Outreach created the Art Lab program to highlight “art” in the S.T.E.A.M. fields (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Mathematics). We pair students with Hutch scientists to recreate a scientific image in the student's chosen art medium. Students meet with the scientist to discuss how the original image was created and ask questions about their research.
In 2021, students from Bremerton High School were paired virtually with a Hutch scientist to learn about their work. The result of this creative collaboration is featured in the beautiful images below!
In 2022, elementary school students from the Bureau of Fearless Ideas (BFI) were able to visit the Hutch, participate in Art Lab, and interview scientists. Their "newspaper" including expert reporting and artwork is featured on the BFI website.
Lung 20x
Scientific Image
Christine Watson, Comparative Pathologist, Experimental Histopathology
As a veterinary pathologist, Christine Watson's role at the Hutch is to read research studies performed by Fred Hutch investigators and to assist them in developing different macroscopic and microscopic techniques that will allow them to further advance their research.
Student Artwork
Diego Clemen
Art description: The rough lines represent the damage on the lung.
What was your favorite part of talking with your scientist?: Learning about her occupation and how interesting it was.
DNA Gel Trial and Error
Scientific Image
Yu-Hsin Wan, Research Technician III, McGuire Lab
Yu-Hsin Wan works on verifying vaccine candidates against HIV virus in mouse models, and screening potent SARS-CoV-2-specific antibodies from convalescent patients.
Student Artwork
Ella Marie Renon
Sarscov2
Scientific Image
Melody Campbell, Assistant Professor, Campbell Lab
The Campbell lab wants to understand how cells communicate with each other and their environment by studying proteins on the surface of the cell that can communicate signals from outside of the cell in, and signals from inside of the cell out. These proteins are often used by viruses to gain entry into the cells.
Student Artwork
Claire Cortez
Art description: This shows a scientist adding their own colors and interpretation of a tiny sars cov virus that does not have any color due to the fact it is too small. This shows the importance of a scientist's creativity and how it can help art thrive in S.T.E.M subjects.
What was your favorite part of talking with your scientist?: She gave me a lot of advice on my AP classes and how told me about how she got into science.
Gorgeous Field of Tubulin
Scientific Image
Jake Herman, Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Biggins Lab
Jake Herman studies cell division to understand how each new cell gets the accurate number of chromosomes and why that process goes wrong in a majority of tumors.
Student Artwork
Avery Herold
Art description: The original picture had more softer green bits, but I decided to make them sharper to give it a more tropical plant feel. Almost as though they were berries or volcanic rocks. I wanted to keep the same colors because they just worked together so well and gave it such beautiful contrasting characteristics.
What was your favorite part of talking with your scientist?: I really liked when he started talking about how he got into the career and the field. It was interesting to hear that he didn't initially decide to go into that specific career.
Ras UO126
Scientific Image
Jake Herman, Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Biggins Lab
Jake Herman studies cell division to understand how each new cell gets the accurate number of chromosomes and why that process goes wrong in a majority of tumors.
Student Artwork
Myka Renon
Riley Holden
Art description: I used sharpies to portray my drawing and show what story I felt was coming from the image. The story being the revenge of the centromeres (green) onto the microtubules (purple). Rather than the microtubules binding to the centromeres, I felt that it looked like the centromeres was being trapped. Then that's when I believed the centromeres wanted revenge. And so the centromeres switched shapes, and got revenge.
What was your favorite part of talking with your scientist?: When he explained how different scientists are trying to see all 40 or so different proteins at the same time, and had only done so with yeast cells. (not sure if this is exactly right, but it's what I remember) and what he had to do in order to come to where he is today. THANK YOU JAKE HERMAN!!
Caudal Fin Somatosensory Nerves
Scientific Image
Rosalind Bump, Upper School Associate Teacher - Biology at The Nueva, Former Graduate Student, Rasmussen Lab
Rosalind Bump worked on deciphering the developmental relationship between bones, nerves, and blood vessels in the zebrafish caudal fin.
Student Artwork
April Jones
What was your favorite part of talking with your scientist?: I like when we were talking about how they were trying to tell if the nerves and blood vessels were talking to each other using RNA.
Nerve Markers Bonyrays
Scientific Image
Rosalind Bump, Upper School Associate Teacher - Biology at The Nueva, Former Graduate Student, Rasmussen Lab
Rosalind Bump worked on deciphering the developmental relationship between bones, nerves, and blood vessels in the zebrafish caudal fin.
Student Artwork
Alexia Ojeda-Gaffney
What was your favorite part of talking with your scientist?: Well I was successfully able to say that I left the meeting understanding the picture much more. I feel like she definitely answered my questions to the best of her ability. Now when I think of nerves I think of this picture haha!
Zebrafish Osteoblasts Nerves
Scientific Image
Rosalind Bump, Upper School Associate Teacher - Biology at The Nueva, Former Graduate Student, Rasmussen Lab
Rosalind Bump worked on deciphering the developmental relationship between bones, nerves, and blood vessels in the zebrafish caudal fin.
Student Artwork
Alejandra Reyes
Art description: The real inside of a fishes tail.
What was your favorite part of talking with your scientist?: They were very nice and patient.
Zebrafish Bloodvessels Nerves
Scientific Image
Rosalind Bump, Upper School Associate Teacher - Biology at The Nueva, Former Graduate Student, Rasmussen Lab
Rosalind Bump worked on deciphering the developmental relationship between bones, nerves, and blood vessels in the zebrafish caudal fin.
Student Artwork
Attianna Cabato
Art description: When I got the chance to speak to my scientist, she told me to be creative. When I saw the zebrafish image I was using, I was inspired to go a different route and use an image I remembered from her presentation. I enjoyed learning the biology of the fishtail and wanted to get deeper into the description. I know my watercolor painting is not accurate but I went for a zoomed interpretation of the bone structure and blood vessels.
What was your favorite part of talking with your scientist?: My favorite part of talking with my scientist was being able to ask questions about their job title and be able to ask questions about more of what they do. I myself want to one day be in the medical science field and it was really nice to hear how all the schooling and hard work is worth it.
Suprachiasmatic Nucleus (SCN)
Scientific Image
Alex Neitz, Graduate Student, De La Iglesia Lab
Alex Neitz is interested in the mechanisms the master pacemaker, located in the Suprachiasmatic Nucleus (SCN) of the hypothalamus, uses to create a robust circadian oscillator. Specifically, she is looking into how neurons in the SCN communicate with each other to remain synchronized both to one another and to the environment. Her current project is looking at circadian dependent structural plasticity of SCN neurons.
Student Artwork
Rebecca McCown
Art description: The clock represents the circadian rhythm which is the natural time your body tells you to do certain things. The blue and green splatter show the computer interpretation of a photo of the brain activity of a circadian rhythm in action.
What was your favorite part of talking with your scientist?: She showed me slides that she would show to her colleagues and really helped explain what a circadian rhythm is.
CTC Cluster
Scientific Image
Ami Yamamoto, Graduate Student, Cheung Lab
Circulating tumor cells could give researchers insight into tumors or risk of patients with metastatic cancer to relapse. I am researching factors that contribute to increase in circulating tumor cells.
Student Artwork
Loralyn Gordon
Art description: I drew some tumor cells all over, using some of the colors in the image i had chosen, and I thought about how much scientific research saves so many lives so this image was created.
What was your favorite part of talking with your scientist?: I like how open she was about her life and why she became a scientist, and helped me understand the photo better.
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