NIST and Lab on a Chip - Art in Science Award

Since the earliest publications of the scientific world, the aesthetic value of scientific illustrations and images has been critical to many researchers. The illustrations and diagrams of earlier scientists such as Galileo and Da Vinci have become iconic symbols of science and the scientific thought process. In current scientific literature, many scientists consider the selection of a publication as a "cover article" in a prestigious journal to be very complimentary. Often, one figure or illustration is selected to draw attention to the article and increase the "window appeal" of the journal.

To draw attention to the aesthetic value in scientific illustration while still conveying scientific merit, the µTAS Conference is featuring an award titled, "Under the Looking Glass: Art from the World of Small Science." Applications are encouraged from authors in attendance of the µTAS Conference and the winner will be selected by a panel of senior scientists in the field of µTAS. Applications must show a photograph, micrograph or other accurate representation of a system that would be of interest to the µTAS community and be represented in the final manuscript or presentation given at the Conference. They must also contain a brief caption that describes the illustration's content and its scientific merit. The winner will be selected on the basis of aesthetic eye appeal, artistic allure and scientific merit. In addition to having the image featured on the cover of Lab on a Chip, there will be a financial award at the Conference.

Award Details

• Financial award for best image
• Image will be featured on the cover of an upcoming issue of the journal "Lab on a Chip"
• Must show an illustration, photograph or micrograph of a system or device of interest to the µTAS community.
• Must appear in the final manuscript in the µTAS Technical Digest or presentation given at µTAS.
• Must contain a caption describing the scientific merit of the featured item.
• Must be submitted and (co)authored by a µTAS Conference Speaker and a registered µTAS Attendee.
• Must be submitted in a high resolution digital format (JPEG or PNG).
• All submissions are submitted on the basis that they may be used by LOC/NIST for promotional purposes in any form.

Guidelines

• Applicant must be an author/co-author of the image.
• Applicant must be a registered attendee of MicroTAS. You will need your Abstract/Manuscript Number in order to submit your image.
• Any author submitting a manuscript and attending MicroTAS may submit an image for the competition.
• The image MUST appear in the final manuscript or presentation of work at MicroTAS.
• Images that have been submitted by authors who have not registered for the conference prior to the registration deadline will not be considered for the award.
• An author of the image must be present at the conference to receive the award.
• An author may only submit one (1) image for consideration in the competition.
• All images submitted must be submitted as a JPEG (.jpg) or PNG (.png)
• All images must be 3MB or less in size.
• All images must be accompanied by a caption submitted on the electronic form on the website. The caption should contain no more than 100 words.
• The image must show an illustration, photograph, micrograph or conceptual rendering of a system or device of interest to the µTAS community.
• Applicants may revise their artwork as many times as needed up until the deadline.
• Submissions should be original captures or compositions. Normally you, or your employer, should be copyright holder of the image(s) used. If this is not the case, we are unlikely to be able to use the image.

Art in Science Submission form

Past Winners

MicroTAS 2023 Conference, Katowice, POLAND
Ryan Johnston, University of Queensland, AUSTRALIA


MicroTAS 2022 Conference, Hangzhou, China and Virtual
Tiancong Lan, Southeast University, CHINA


MicroTAS 2021 Conference, Palm Springs, California, USA
Yang Du, Fudan University, CHINA


MicroTAS 2020 Conference, Online
Qinyu Li, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, CHINA


MicroTAS 2019 Conference, Basel, SWITZERLAND
Joseph de Rutte,University of California, Los Angeles, USA


MicroTAS 2018 Conference, Kaohsiung, TAIWAN
Nam-Trung Nguyen, Griffith University, Australia


MicroTAS 2017 Conference, Savannah, Georgia, USA
Maria Cristina Letizia, EPFL, SWITZERLAND


MicroTAS 2016 Conference, Dublin, IRELAND
Vaibhav Jain, Purdue University, USA


MicroTAS 2015 Conference, Gyeongju, KOREA
Matteo Cornaglia, EPFL, SWITZERLAND


MicroTAS 2014 Conference, San Antonio, Texas, USA
David Castro, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, SAUDI ARABIA


MicroTAS 2013 Conference, Freiburg, GERMANY
Ye Wang, Eindhoven University, THE NETHERLANDS


MicroTAS 2012 Conference, Okinawa JAPAN
Yi Zhang, Johns Hopkins University, USA


MicroTAS 2011 Conference, Seattle, Washington, USA
Dong Jin Shin, Johns Hopkins University, USA


MicroTAS 2010 Conference, Groningen, THE NETHERLANDS
Nicholas Gunn, University of California, Irvine, USA


MicroTAS 2009 Conference, Jeju, KOREA
Jungkwun Kim, University at Buffalo, The State University of New York, USA


MicroTAS 2008 Conference, San Diego, California, USA
Yu-Wen Huang, Texas A&M University, USA