NSF SciVis (2nd of November, 2012)
I just received a mail from NSF (National Science Foundation) which says:
Your entry to the International Science & Engineering Visualization Challenge (SciVis) has been chosen as one of the top 10 in its category! A panel of judges will now choose winners from this select group of finalists.
The public will also be given a chance to vote as well. By logging in to our online voting platform, anyone can vote for their favorite entries in each of the five categories. The top vote-getters in each category will be designated the People’s Choice.
So, tell your friends, family, and colleagues to vote. You can also promote your entry on Facebook and Twitter (#scivis). With a little help, your entry just might be the People’s Choice!
Sincerely,
The NSF SciVis Team
P.S. Having trouble using the embedded link above? Copy and paste http://bit.ly/Q8YqKe into your web browser to access the voting page.
The work of mine which passed to the final of the SciVis competition is shown in the image which opened this post. Whether
I pass through the competition or not, I am in any case satisfied that I made the infographics because I think it may be of
use in the classroom. The infographics explains the Caspar-Klug classification of viruses and the meaning of T-number. You
can download it in high quality and in PDF format >> HERE.
The description of my work says:
The entry explains the mathematics behind the structure and geometry of simplest icosahedral viruses. This is also known as Caspar-Klug quasiequivalence principle.
Who is the intended audience for your entry?
High-school kids, but also students, and even scientists not familiar with the subject.
What is the purpose or intended use of the entry?
The purpose is to explain the geometry and mathematics behind the shapes and structures of viruses. The entry could be used as a poster, a classroom teaching aid, or even as a reminder, placed on the wall of the researcher's office.
Visual Impact: The emphasis here is on the mathematics and geometry, so the visuality is relatively strict, explaining form and shape using mostly line art. This reminds one of the illustrations in mathematics textbooks. Yet, there are also 4 'line drawings' constructed on the basis of experimental (PDB) data, but also rendered in a fashion amenable to mathematical simplification, as the poster illustrates - there is a clear path from complex experimental structure to simple geometrical construct.
Effective Communication: The essence of the geometrical classification of simple icosahedral viruses, the T-number, is illustrated with the concept of 'jumping on the structure'. All the T-numbers can thus be calculated by simply counting the jumps from one pentamer in a virus to another one. This represents a clear and easily remembered way to comprehend the essence of mathematics of viruses. The 'jumping paths' are illustrated on the shapes by arrows which unite all different structures and representations.
Freshness/Originality: The virus is usually rendered in three-dimensional, spectacularly shaded and colored fashion (I have done it also). While this certainly excites the viewer and raises interest, it may also hinder the comprehension of a simple mathematics beyond even a seemingly very complicated virus. The aim of the poster is to simplify and to teach. It thus deliberately avoids spectacular renderings of virus shapes, urging the student to recognize the general and generic, the mathematical essence of a virus.
By the way, all until 8th of November, 2012 you can vote for the entries to SciVis competition by following >> THIS link, and I certainly warmly recommend my work :) So, please do vote for me if you like it.
A high-quality PDF file of the poster can be downloaded >> HERE.
UPDATE: (25th of March, 2013) OK, I didn't win, but today I got a nice certificate from NSF and Science (see below):
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Last updated on 2nd of November 2012.