Hannah Burnett

Obsessed

Obsessed (1985) reflects my journey through BIO130 labs (of which at the core is universal for all BIO130 students - mimicking the genetic code and its own universality). Depicting PCR and the subsequent uses of amplified DNA (bioinformatics, gel electrophoresis, etc), my piece heavily leans into the retro style to spotlight the period of time PCR was invented. Furthermore, the title of my art ties into that idea with 1985 being the year PCR was invented by Kary B. Mullis.

I wanted Obsessed (1985) to highlight what goes through my mind when preparing for a lab as well as the outcome of some labs as both are equally important (even if this took some time to learn). The cluttered nature of Obsessed (1985) shows the obsession I have for biology while also portraying the amplification process of PCR as some symbols that are depicted are heavily repeated and grow in size. I think at the core (healthy) obsession can produce breakthroughs – especially in the scientific sphere – and Obsessed (1985) helped me to realise and communicate how BIO130 felt like my very own breakthrough, as not only the labs but the content taught in lecture has solidified biology as a field that I’m eager to study in further.

Meghan Cao 

Exploring the Cell

Being raised in a stem-oriented family who also put emphasis on my artistic education, my everyday life has always been filled with a combination of both art and stem. Before coming to UofT, I spent a long time at the cross path deciding whether I was to dedicate my life to the sciences or the arts. As I navigated through my first year of university, all the new changes and challenges that I faced has made it harder for me to integrate my love of art into my busy academic schedule. However, this project has unexpectedly given me the opportunity to combine these two seemingly unrelated paths. It has helped me perceive a better understanding of my abilities and how I can use them to create something innovative and unique.

For my digital art piece, I designed an abstract version of myself exploring the complex world of the cellular system. The piece serves as a visual metaphor for the way we process knowledge and interact with intricate systems. I included a variety of key cellular components such as the process of DNA translation, the function of mRNA, the organelles and other structures that form the cell. The use of colour evokes a feeling of mystery thus promoting curiosity towards the subject. By combining these biological components with art, I tried to portray the beauty of life at the molecular level and the personal journey of understanding alongside the insights I have undergone throughout the course. This fusion of art and science not only strengthens the links between the two domains, but also enables the audience to recognize how the intricate systems and processes of cells are essential to our daily lives, illustrating their fundamental role in the world around us.

Jocelyn Choi

Doodles in the Data

Doodles in the Data is an artistic expression inspired by Lab 4, specifically the in-lab assignment of making observational drawings of Paramecium. During the lab, I noticed that my fellow peers often stayed focused and tracked their work by making little doodles in their lab manuals, following the steps of the experimental procedure. No two drawings submitted in Lab 4 are going to be identical, as each student has their own personal style and representation. Therefore, the style of my piece resembles a sketch-like process, highlighting the creative freedom and unique understanding that individuals express through their drawings.

In this specific piece, every choice and thought made behind each element has meaning in both the biology and art world. For example, the variation in font styles serves an aesthetic purpose while also symbolizing the connection between following instructions and how students are able to respond in the lab. The straight font is like the instructions in a lab manual needed to be followed, while the cursive font expresses individuality in student responses. Furthermore, the bright pink doodles represent single alpha-helix transmembrane proteins (single-pass), yet also in an artistic viewpoint, the pink doodles resemble the vibrant markings made by a Highlighter.

This piece celebrates the rawness and progression of the work that students dedicate to their learning experience. The chosen concept encompasses everything within BIO130, capturing elements from both sections of the lectures and the lab. Rather than concentrating on a single concept, integrating various elements helps to form a broader, nuanced understanding of the significance of BIO130. This course covers topics ranging from DNA and chromosomes (section 1) to lipids and the cell membrane (section 2), and includes practical skills, like for example, learning how to use a pipette. This labelled version of the artwork showcases the detailed representation and source of inspiration for each element.

Doodles in the Data not only recognizes the individuality and creativity inherent in the learning process but also invites the profound impact of personal engagement in scientific discovery. As students navigate the intricate pathways of molecular and cell biology, every sketch, doodle, and moment of expression adds to the ever-evolving fabric of knowledge.

Yu Wei Fu 

Stellae Minutissimae

Fascination with the celestial world is innate to human nature. The beauty of the night sky seems to promise us answers to our most fundamental question: what is our place in this vast and confusing world? But the stars have provided us few answers about life, as opposed to what we have observed on Earth. If we zoomed in instead of out, we would see that we are in fact composed of trillions of miniature star systems: our cells.

My piece, Stellae Minutissimae, meaning "tiny stars" in Latin, seeks to reflect this observation by painting the microscopic world with galactic colours. A student floats inside a eukaryotic cell, dressed in the uniform of discovery: a lab coat and gloves. The student gazes at the multitude of proteins that line the membrane before turning their eyes towards the distance. Unlike space, it is far from empty. Various molecules drift around them like stardust. They admire the tangle of microtubules and actin filaments in the cytoskeleton. Finally, their attention shifts to the centre, the star: the nucleus, shrouded in layers of the endoplasmic reticulum. The student is struck by the scenery before them and stops in their journey to admire this vibrant landscape.

Which of us has not stood in awe before the grandeur of this tiny world? Despite being invisible to our eyes, we behold it with the same wonder as the galaxies above. Standing before all its complexities, we suddenly become very small. Space and the universe have always symbolized the promise of endless knowledge, curiosity, and hope; but what can promise us more than the very matter that forms ourselves? Isn't the universe that thrums through our fingertips just as fascinating?

Sylvia Shen 

A Field of Life

As someone deeply passionate about both biology and painting, I have always enjoyed capturing natural landscapes, flora and fauna in my artworks. The main motivation behind this digital piece is to explore the deeper connection between biology and art; more specifically, how we can appreciate life within cells through a combination of macroscopic and microscopic perspectives.

I chose to depict a sunflower field because sunflowers remind me of life. They are vibrant, energetic, always facing the sun – the source of life and vitality on Earth. I placed the structure of a sunflower side by side to a detailed illustration of its cell. Through this contrast, I hope to highlight the parallel and interconnectedness between a higher life form and its basic units of Life.

I researched the details of ray flower cells and attempted to illustrate their components as accurate as possible. Looking closely, you will find chromosomes, mitochondria (pink), the Golgi apparatus (dark blue), the endoplasmic reticulum (purple), plasmids (yellow), and many more. I also included the cytoskeleton and intracellular and extracellular transport processes through vesicles, which reflects the dynamic movement within a living cell.

For many biology students, including myself, the more intricate and complex the mechanisms we learn, the more distant they can feel from our own lives. With this painting, I hope to remind viewers that the molecular and cellular processes we study are not abstract; they are happening all around us, within us, and beyond us. Every living being, from sunflowers to insects to humans, is composed of cells, so these processes should not be viewed in isolation. This idea also aligns with the purpose of biology labs: we not only learn about the function and composition of a cell through theoretical concepts, but also bridge knowledge with experience to understand life in its entirety. Life inside cells is also life within us.

Khaviyaa Suthaharan

Unwinding DNA, Unwinding Ourselves

The incredible processes that happen in our bodies every single moment are nothing less than magnificent: DNA replication, transcription, and translation. It is not often we think about how connected we are to the very DNA that makes up our being. Using mixed media—oil-based pencil crayons, watercolor markers, and paint, this piece reminds us all that DNA is not merely a part of us; it is us.

The hand composed of DNA symbolizes that our entire being, from our physicality to our mentality, is built on this detailed set of instructions. As the hand unravels further, it decondenses into its chromatin, containing nucleosomes made of four core histone proteins. On the bottom side of the hand, a single-strand DNA molecule, representing mRNA, eventually forms a polypeptide chain composed of various amino acids. Naturally, this chain folds into secondary structures, including alpha helices and beta sheets, representing the conversion of genetic information into structural levels of proteins.

The background of the artwork subtly forms the shape of a head, a symbol of life, in its many forms. As both a visual artist and a scientist, I see the beauty of the central dogma not only in its ability to perform complex functions, but also in its architecture: the double helix of DNA, the pleated strands of beta sheet, and the histone proteins carefully wrapped by DNA. These structures are masterpieces themselves, yet they come together to carry out important functions. That is the undeniable beauty of it: existing uniquely both in its form and function. My goal is to help viewers appreciate that the magnificence of DNA lies beyond its surface. It is in the processes, shapes, and forms taken at every step of the way.

Emily Wu

The Smallest Unit of Life

The earliest memory I have of biology was when I was in my 8th grade science class, labelling an animal cell worksheet; writing down the names of where the nucleus, mitochondria, and rough endoplasmic reticulum were in the boxes they provided for me, which inspired me to do something similar in my artwork. Now, instead of labelling organelles, I have the opportunity to work with cells directly in a lab, learning how to use a micropipette, and other laboratory techniques, which is also why I included a micropipette in my artwork. I was always fascinated over how such a small cell could hold so many things! How could 2 meters worth of DNA fit itself into the nucleus? Or how so many organelles work together to sustain life?

To me, the cell is much more than the “smallest unit of life”, it’s a work of art. As someone who has been drawing and painting throughout my life, the first time I was introduced to a diagram of a cell made me think how aligned everything was, and how it perfectly fit together like a puzzle. How every organelle works together in such an intricate network, from how DNA twists into a double helix due to hydrogen bonds, and how it wraps itself around histone proteins to form nucleosomes to compact the amount of DNA in a cell, this inspired me to use so many vibrant colours in my artwork, showcasing the vibrant network of a cell. This piece represents my journey with biology, and my admiration over the beauty of life at its smallest level.