See the pick of the pics in Thru the Lens

Aug 18 2016

As National Science Week draws to a close the judges have made their decision and the public votes are in ... the winners of the prestigious HMRI Thru the Lens Photography Prize for 2016 are:

LABORATORY:

"Ciliated Blue Dot" by Chamila Samarasinghe and Natalie Trigg from the University of Newcastle.

This stunningly lit photograph shows a nuclear-stained earthworm sperm attached to the pellicle (membrane) of a parasite known as Monocystis trophozoite which lives in the seminal vesicle of earthworms. Chamilia works in reproductive toxicology and pharmacy while Natalia Trigg is a Research Assistant with the School of Environmental and Life Sciences.

CLINIC/COMMUNITY:

The Mask” by Conjoint Associate Professor Joerg Lehmann, a clinical radiologist from the Calvary Mater Newcastle.

It shows a thermoplastic mask used to help keeping the patient’s head still and in place for the radiation beam to precisely hit its target.

PUBLIC VOTE:

The Spermy Night” by Chamila Samarasinghe, Sally Hall and Natalie Trigg, showing seminal vesicles of earthworm filled with sperm morulae (developing spermatocytes and spermatids) and flagellated whirl-like mature spermatozoa. They received 255 ‘likes’ ahead of Cytoskeletal Palette (Jacinta Martin) with 182 and Ciliated Blue Dot third with 63 likes.

The competition attracted almost 30 entries, all taken by researchers aligned with HMRI. While many showed science imitating art under a microscope, the community photos showed the lengths that researchers go to – one was of triplets born premature during an Indigenous kidney health trial but doing well today; another showed women in rural Nepal being educated on maternal mortality.

In thanking the judges and public voters, Chamilia Samarasinghe said: “As young scientists, this competition is an immense opportunity for us to participate and motivates us to enjoy the hard work.”

We hope you enjoy the full suite of submissions in the video below