Flowering Plant Anther Captures Top Honors in 2009 Nikon Small World Competition
October 8, 2009
Annual Competition Honors Top Photomicrographs from Around the World
MELVILLE, NY, October 8, 2009 – A magnificent depiction of the essence of floral life, a gorgeous photograph of a thale cress anther (the male sex organ of a small flowering plant) is the winning image in the 2009 Nikon Small World Photomicrography Competition. Heiti Paves of Tallinn, Estonia took the top honor with this image, which was magnified 20 times and taken using a confocal microscope.
Nikon Small World recognizes Dr. Paves’ image, along with the other winners from this year, for showing both scientific and artistic qualities. More than 2,000 entries were received this year, the most ever for the competition, from scientists and artists across the world. The winning images were selected by a distinguished panel of judges.
“As part of my work as a research scientist, I have been taking photographs through the microscope for almost 30 years to observe the processes in living cells. I have spent a lot of time to capture nice pictures worthy of submission to the Nikon Small World Competition,” said Heiti Paves, a scientist of Tallinn University of Technology. “I am honored to receive this recognition and am excited for the opportunity to share my work broadly.”
Now in its 35th year, Nikon Small World is the oldest and most respected competition of its kind. The competition, which has become the preeminent forum for showcasing the beauty and complexity of life as seen through the light microscope, celebrates the world's best photomicrographers who create beautiful imagery while showcasing a wide variety of advanced scientific disciplines. Nikon Small World recognizes photomicrographers for their achievements in capturing dynamic images at the intersection of science and art.
“We are lucky to see some of the most unbelievable things under the microscope. This competition is truly the world’s gallery, giving researchers and photographers globally the opportunity to share their amazing work,” said Lee Shuett, executive vice president, Nikon Instruments. “Every year the competition gets better and better. It is clearly reflecting the discovery process – not in just life science but in industry as well.”
The top five images this year include Dr. Paves’ thale cress anther, Gerd Guenther’s picture of a spiny sowthistle’s stem, Dr. Pedro Barrios-Perez’s image of a wrinkled photoresist, James Hayden’s colorful, spiraling image of an anglerfish ovary and Bruno Vellutini’s photomicrograph of the oral surface of a young seastar. Nikon has also awarded several “Honorable Mentions” and “Images of Distinction” this year to outstanding photomicrographs that demonstrate superior technical competency and artistic skill.
“The Nikon Small World competition provides a premier opportunity to have your work seen by an enormous amount of international venues,” said Mr. James Hayden, manager of the microscopy facility at the Wistar Institute in Philadelphia and 2009 Small World 4th Place winner with a colorful, spiraling image of an anglerfish ovary. “As the competition has grown through film and digital techniques, it has showcased amazing new technologies like confocal and 2-photon imaging, and it has helped create that spark of interest in a new generation. These images are ambassadors – introducing the scientific accomplishments of the research world to the general public.”
This year’s judges again represented top industry experts and included Gary Borisy, Ph.D., Director and Chief Executive Officer, Marine Biological Laboratory; Charles Krebs, Photographer, Charles Krebs Photography; James Shreeve, Science Editor, National Geographic; and Clive Thompson, Journalist.
Top images from the 2009 Nikon Small World Competition will be exhibited in a full-color 2010 calendar and through a national museum tour. For additional information, including tour cities and dates, please visit www.nikonsmallworld.com.
THE OFFICIAL 2009 NIKON SMALL WORLD WINNERS
The 2009 gallery of winning images can be viewed at www.nikonsmallworld.com.
1st Place
Dr. Heiti Paves
Tallinn University of Technology
Tallinn, Estonia
Arabidopsis thaliana (thale cress) anther (20x)
Confocal
2nd Place
Gerd A. Guenther
Düsseldorf, Germany
Sonchus asper (spiny sowthistle) flower stem section (150x)
Darkfield
3rd Place
Dr. Pedro Barrios-Perez
Institute for Microstructural Sciences
National Research Council of Canada
Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
Wrinkled photoresist (200x)
Brightfield
4th Place
James Hayden
The Wistar Institute
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
Anglerfish ovary (4x)
Two-channel Autofluorescence
5th Place
Bruno Vellutini
Centro de Biologia Marinha
Universidade de São Paulo
São Paulo, Brazil
Oral surface of a young seastar (40x)
Darkfield
6th Place
Dr. Havi Sarfaty
Israel Veterinary Association
Ramat-Gan, Israel
Discus fish scales (20x)
Transmitted Light
7th Place
Dr. Shirley Owens
Michigan State University (retired)
East Lansing, Michigan, USA
Hair-like trichomes on Thunbergia alata (Black-eyed Susan vine) (450x)
Confocal Fluorescence and Reflection
8th Place
Dr. Lloyd Donaldson
Scion, Next Generation Biomaterials
Rotorua, New Zealand
Cotton fibers stained with berberine sulphate and color depth shaded
(200x)
Confocal Fluorescence
9th Place
Dr. Bernardo Cesare
Dipartimento di Geoscienze
Università degli Studi di Padova
Padova, Italy
Olivine inclusions in gabbro (magmatic rock) (5x)
Polarized Transmitted Light
10th Place
Dr. Arlene Wechezak
Anacortes, Washington, USA
Algae and diatoms (10x)
Darkfield
11th Place
Dominik Paquet
Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München
Adolf Butenandt Institute
Munich, Germany
“Alzheimer” Zebrafish, stained for Tau (red), neurons (green), and
pathologic Tau (blue) (10x)
Confocal
12th Place
Dr. Tsutomu Seimiya
Tokyo Metropolitan University
Tokyo, Japan
Flow pattern in draining soap film (10x)
Simple Microscope
13th Place
Dr. John Hart
Hart3D Films
Boulder, Colorado, USA
Recrystallized melted mixture of acetanalide, resorcinal and
carbon tetrabromide (33x)
Transmitted Polarized Light
14th Place
Tora Bardal
Department of Biology
NTNU Center of Fisheries and Aquaculture
Trondheim, Norway
Lobster egg (3.2x)
Darkfield
15th Place
Fabrice Parais
DIREN Basse-Normandie
Hérouville-Saint-Clair, France
Atherix ibis (fly) aquatic larva (25x)
Stereomicroscopy
16th Place
Massimo Brizzi
Microcosmo Italia
Empoli, Firenze, Italy
Snail eggs (200x)
Differential Interference Contrast
17th Place
Dr. Rebekah R. Helton
Department of Biological Sciences
University of Delaware
Newark, Delaware, USA
Stopwatch (2.5x)
Confocal (with Depth Coding)
18th Place
Dr. Julia Sero
Children’s Hospital Boston
Harvard Medical School
Boston, Massachusetts, USA
Human skin on fibronectin with growth factor (60x)
Confocal
19th Place
Yanping Wang
Beijing Planetarium
Beijing, China
Snowflake (40x)
Reflected and Transmitted Light
20th Place
Dr. Havi Sarfaty
Israel Veterinary Association
Ramat-Gan, Israel
Rusted old coin (40x)
Reflected Light
Honorable Mentions
Dr. Dylan Burnette
National Institute of Child Health and Human Disease
National Institutes of Health
Bethesda, Maryland, USA
Ciliated protozoa (1700x)
Confocal
Dr. Kirk Czymmek
Department of Biological Sciences
University of Delaware
Newark, Delaware, USA
Fungal infection of Arabidopsis (flowering plant) root (25x)
Confocal 3D Maximum Intensity Projection
Thomas Deerinck
National Center for Microscopy and Imaging Research
University of California, San Diego
La Jolla, California, USA
Rat cerebellum (200x)
2-photon Excitation Fluorescence Microscopy
Dr. Nils O. E. Krutzfeldt
School of Medical Sciences
University of Auckland
Auckland, New Zealand
Whole finch testicle (4x)
Brightfield
David Millard
Austin, Texas, USA
Fire agate (10x)
Diffused Incident Illumination
Larry Millet
Dept. of Cell and Developmental Biology, and Micro & Nanotechnology
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Urbana, Illinois, USA
Aspergillus mold in a microfluidic device (20x)
Differential Interference Contrast
Dr. Juan Alberto Morales
Departamento de Patología, Escuela Medicina Veterinaria
Universidad Nacional Autónoma
Heredia, Costa Rica
Aspergillus sp. (250x)
Nomarski Differential Interference Contrast
Dr. Heiti Paves
Tallinn University of Technology
Tallinn, Estonia
Arabidopsis thaliana (thale cress) anther (20x)
Confocal
(Different version than the winning image)
Juergen Pfleiderer
Heilbronn, Baden-Württemberg, Germany
Radula of Buccinum undatum (sea snail) (100x)
Dr. Jugal Gupta
University of Wisconsin - Madison
Madison, Wisconsin, USA
Biosensing liquid crystals (20x)
Polarized Light
Viktor Sykora
Institute of Pathophysiology, First Medical Faculty
Charles University
Prague, Czech Republic
Hoya carnosa (wax plant) flower (10x)
Darkfield
Bruno Vellutini
Centro de Biologia Marinha
Universidade de São Paulo
São Paulo, Brazil
Pluteus larva of a sea biscuit (echinoderm) (200x)
Differential Interference Contrast
Dr. Uwe Weierstall
Department of Physics and Astronomy
Arizona State University
Tempe, Arizona, USA
Water droplets ejected from a vibrating glass nozzle (200x)
Stroboscopic LED Illumination
Dr. Ting Xie
Stowers Institute
Kansas City, Missouri, USA
A fruit fly ovariole containing different stages of developing egg chambers
(400x)
Confocal
Dr. Robert Zucker
USEPA
Research Triangle Park, North Carolina, USA
Mosquito larvae (100x)
Confocal
ABOUT THE NIKON SMALL WORLD PHOTOMICROGRAPHY COMPETITION
The Nikon Small World Photomicrography Competition is open to anyone with an interest in photography. Participants may submit their images in traditional 35mm format, or upload digital images directly at www.nikonsmallworld.com. The first, second and third prize winners will receive a selection of Nikon products and equipment worth $3,000, $2,000 and $1,000, respectively. For additional information, contact Nikon Small World, Nikon Instruments Inc., 1300 Walt Whitman Road, Melville, NY 11747, USA or phone (631) 547-8569.
ABOUT NIKON INSTRUMENTS INC.
Nikon Instruments Inc is a world leader in the development and manufacture of optical and digital imaging technology for biomedical and industrial applications. Now in its 91st year, Nikon provides complete optical systems that offer optimal versatility, performance and productivity. Cutting-edge instruments include microscopes, precision measuring equipment, digital imaging products and software. Nikon Instruments is the microscopy and digital imaging arm of Nikon Inc., the world leader in digital imaging, precision optics and photo imaging technology. For more information, visit www.nikoninstruments.com. Product-related inquiries may be directed to Nikon Instruments at 800-52-NIKON.
CONTACT: Nicole Mudloff, Peppercom, 212-931-6168, nmudloff@peppercom.com
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