UCLA SCI|ART NanoLab

Yes, it is the second day of the Sci/Art Nano Lab and although I may be tired right now, I should expect a lot more. The primary activity we did was take a usual visit to the auditorium. Expecting another long lecture, I was bewildered to enjoy the time with Mattia ad Rita. When I came into the room I was not conversant with the subject of waves. Nevertheless, when I found out the unique variations in each, I was entirely astonished. Speakers Rita and Mattia explicated how sound can depict an image and vice versa. There are mechanical waves, which are influenced by sound (change in pressure) and it was also ascertained that the different wave lengths can affect the shape and color of each wave. http://paws.kettering.edu/~drussell/Demos/waves/wavemotion.html.

During the conception of the lecture, I did not comprehend what an octave really had to do with waves. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Octave. I grasped, after the presentation, that an octave is the interval between one pitch and another pitch and half (or double) the frequency. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s9GBf8y0lY0. Therefore, with the example of the plant reacting to different sounds, I perceived an idea of the impact sound has on different species.

http://healthyhomegardening.com/images/orchidman/mimosa_pudica.jpg

An additional topic encrusted in class was, ferrofluids. I knew that some time during my stay here we would be conducting experiments, but I never really surmised something so artsy/scientific at the same time. So, with that theme in mind we all conducted an activity in class, which was the ferrofluid lab. http://www.ferrotec.com/technology/ferrofluid/.
I was informed that a ferrofluid is a liquid that responds to a magnetic field=colloidal (nano-particles) suspension of superparamagnetic magnetic material. There are also three processes involved 1.) Nucleation 2.) Growth 3.) Termination. At first, while completing the experiment, we had a little mix up with the chemicals involved. I was really anxious to see what kind of reaction would befall. Generally, yes it was a little disappointing to wait and receive not a single chemical change, but in the end the right substance was replaced with the mistaken one. The final product was genuinely amazing. I had never seen such art with a hint of scientific approach at the same time.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zpBxCnHU8Ao .

http://sciencegeekgirl.files.wordpress.com/2007/11/800px-ferrofluid_large_spikes.jpg

With all of the other lab visits that we visited, I enjoyed seeing all of the different nano-systems at work!

http://www.research.ibm.com/atomic/nano/abacus.gif

The second day is over, or at least partially over; I’m sitting in the auditorium now about to watch Sleeper. It turns out that my passion for sleep exceeds my passion for Woody Allen films so I’m trying to kill this blog here.

Today started with a lecture on waves by Mattia and Rita. It started with, what for me was, reviews of waves and optics: things such as transverse and longitudinal waves. Stuff got pretty heavy pretty fast though. I was particularly interested in Cymatics, I find that Cymatics do much in the way of bridging the gap between art and science. The visualization of sound waves through a thin film seems to lend itself well to the artistic community. In fact most of the work that I have found in Cymatics seems to be of an artistic nature.

On the more sciency side of what  we learned about was sonoluminescence. There is currently not much content in the ways of using sonoluminescence in art. What images that do exist are of long exposures to a container undergoing sonoluminescence. I feel like there is a great deal of potential in this field, though.

This afternoon we learned about ferrofluids. There is already a great deal of art existing using the science behind ferrofluids. Adam presented some videos of a Japanese artist using the technology to great effect. What’s more interesting though is work that I’ve seen using ferrofluids as an interactive display media.

It seems that the future of new media is closely linked with technological innovation. With each new innovation in nanotechnology, especially those which work if the display fields, new developments in art become possible. This, I think, is, at least in part, the link we’ve been discussing in the Sci|Art program.

Today was very interesting. I learned that this class is definitely for me, as I was unaware of how difficult the curriculum was going to be. Today the lectures were interesting too. I learned a little about what we were doing for the next few days and I really enjoyed the schedule Adam had created. I am really looking forward to working on the group project explained briefly and just during the lecture my partner and I discussed ideas that we could do, and we both now know each others skills and we can work together to make something great. Our best idea so far is using carbon nanotubes in a steel car frame, allowing the owner to morph the car into different shapes or forms. On one day the owner could have a racy sport car to impress, but the next he may change it to a pickup truck to carry large cargo. With both our brains thinking we even came up with a better idea; we decided that the cars body would also be able to realign itself using some type of electric force. So if the consumer were to get into a minor car crash the nanotubes could return to their original positions, essentially replacing the empty space left by the dent from another car or obstacle such as a concrete barrier in a parking structure. I am pretty confident about our plan to make a video and we were encouraged to keep our minds open to new possibilities that may come across us that could be better than the carbon nanotube frame design.  After the combination of my partner and I’s ideas and maybe talking to students and counselors about it I hope we will have a good project idea ready by thursday. Below are some sources relating to some of our ideas such as photovoltaic paint to be used on urban houses, and just general research on carbon nanotubes.

http://www.forbes.com/2004/10/21/cz_jw_1021soapbox.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carbon_nanotube

http://nanotube.msu.edu/

http://www.chimica.unipd.it/enzo.menna/pubblica/nanobookmark.html

http://www.research.ibm.com/nanoscience/nanotubes.html

http://www.ipt.arc.nasa.gov/nanotechnology.html

http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/rea/news/article/2008/10/solar-paint-on-steel-could-generate-renewable-energy-soon-53714

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2005/01/0114_050114_solarplastic.html

http://nextbigfuture.com/2009/10/exoskeletons-power-loaders-and-morphing.html

Today we learned about many different types of waves, including magnetic, sound and light waves. Different types of scientific studies cover all these types of waves, while art covers mostly only visible light and sounds in the audible range.

http://csep10.phys.utk.edu/astr162/lect/light/spectrum.html -here is a link to a page describing the electromagnetic spectrum

Here is an image of the electromagnetic spectrum. Art involves mostly the plavement and sometimes the motion of different patterns of visible light. Also, audio art can be broadcast on radio waves. Art cannot generally be made involing light outside of the visible spectrum if it is to be viewed with only the naked eye. However light from outside the visible spectrum can be made visible through the use of special equipment. Here is an artistic photograph taken with an infrared camera:

Here is a link to a website with more examples of artistic infrared photography: http://infrareddreams.com/

Art can also be made by the arrangement of sound waves to create music or audio dramas, and sound waves can be combined with light waves in the form of pictues to make films. Sound waves are not visible waves, but they can be represented by visuals. Here is a piece of art inspired by sound:

http://api.ning.com/files/*3pYSQybkAee2wbU0fMD8oc11TtH-64IomtP0kyV9BEavVo7rIlUhz-nIEIBkvwr*9RmMHKZf1ElkDxAI*ydV*CpJRrTMaFk/sound_wave.jpg -here is a link to the image as my computer did not allow me to post it

http://www.soundwavesart.com/ -here is a link to a site with more examples of art inspired by sound waves and a description of their inspiration and the music they were inspired by.

http://dataisnature.com/?p=233 -here is a link to a site featuring art created by sound vibrations that create geometric forms

http://mysite.du.edu/~jcalvert/waves/soundwav.htm -here is a page describing the properties of sound waves

Today’s lecture began with a topic I was not previously aware of: waves of all sorts. The initial subtopic primarily defined and exemplified mechanical wave lengths, which I learned were disturbance that moves/propagates via medium.
The lecture also elucidated electromagnetic waves, which are wave lengths of energy that can be found within the electromagnetic spectrum.
An understanding of the basic concepts of waves acted as a good prelude to the upcoming subtopic of cymatics, the study of visible sound.
Astounding video clips were shown, created by intellectual minds that have dedicated a considerable amount of research on the science/art.
After being lectured on the topic, I decided to research further, in order to have a clearer understanding of cymatics. I found the works of Carsten Nicolai to be most intriguing and related to this sci/art nanolab coarse.
He acts as a pillar of the bridge that connects the science and art fields, seeing as though all of his work with regard to cymatics was inspired by science, yet presented itself in a musical fashion.
The portion of the lecture that fallowed cymatics was beyond interesting, and without a doubt deserves to be discussed, however I feel the need to focus my blog upon topics that are at the utmost peak of my interest, forcing me to skip to the tour of the labs.
The lab tour was essentially a series of explanations about the various microscopes that actually preform the nanoscience.
The first microscope I viewed was the scanning tunnel microscope, which principally is used to view the chemical reactions that take place on the surface of metals.

Another microscope that I found to be astonishing was the STED microscope, which is a noninvasive tool that uses lazers and light to view different molecules. Scientists explained the standard process of taking multiple images through the STED microscope and putting them together in order to form an intricate, three dimensional image of whatever is being viewed (they showed a three dimensional figure of neurons from a fish’s brain).

    This morning we started the day talking about waves. I have never thought that waves would be this interesting. Basically waves divide into 3 groups; mechanical waves, electromagnetic waves and gravitational waves which are like the waves in the ocean. The videos we watched about waves were really interesting. I learned how powerful a sound wave can be. Its even strong enough to move objects and I believe its amazing. Once again, we learned that waves lie on that thin line which seperates art and science. It is a part of art because waves play an important role in music (the video we watched in the beginning of the lecture was amazing).

     After the lecture about waves, we made a trip to the labrotories in the building. Mostly, we checked out the microscopes and other systems. Those microscopes were the largest microscopes I’ve ever seen. I also realised that those microscopes and systems cost more than millions of dollars. I think what makes them valuable is that they can give all the smallest details about the data we’re looking. A big microscope also needs a big power supply but too much of power might be harmful therefore scientisits should be really careful about it. I figured out that microscopes play a huge role in genetics. The fish experiment was really interesting and probably thats what I liked most in the trip.

     Finally, we made a really interesting experiment. It was about ferrofluids. Ferrofluid is a magnetic liquid which responds to a magnetic field. The video we watched made me really excited but I would never tought that I could make a ferrofluid. It was a group work and everyone in the group played a huge role. What I learned about todays experiment is, patience. In some experiments, if you can’t be patient you can’t have a result but what we had in the end was amazing. I realised the power of the magnetics and the things it can do to the liquids. With no doubt, the masterpiece that Liz made was the art part of this experiment. At the end of the day, I had a lot of fun and learned about really interesting things that I will probably never be able to see again.

http://www.mrsec.wisc.edu/Edetc/background/ferrofluid/index.html

http://www.popsci.com/diy/article/2009-09/making-ferrofluids-work-you

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microwave

http://www.globalspec.com/learnmore/labware_scientific_instruments/microscopes/microscopes_all_types

Learning, really for the first time,  in a funtional college campus and scientific community has been extremely satisfying, even this first day has dramatically inspired me. I arrived at CNSI and met Adam, who took us into the lecture hall and explained the program. He elaborated on the meaning of the the Art|Sci symbiosis. He explained how, with the help of Victoria Vesna, art and science had once been the same field of study and only diverged a little over a century ago. Leonardo Da Vinci is the most striking example of this concept that I had never fully considered before, both an amazing artist and a brilliant inventor. I had mearly assumed it was a coincidence that his artistic ability came with his scientific creativity.

Da Vinci’s Airplane, a design he rendered but never produced, like many of his drawings

I had known that the goals of the Sci|Art program were to bring the artistic, creative community together with the scientific community to produce cross-disciplinary studies and knowledge, but I had not known that a fundemental duality already existed between the two. I was truely inspired when Adam began explaining the direction of the program, it

I go to a girls’ school. Our teachers teach us to live with a certain self-righteousness: they feed this righteousness by introducing us to more and more of the successful women who were able to break the boundaries of social expectations that came with our gender. Every year, we found ourselves wading deep into women oriented projects, and after essays, paintings, puppets, monologues, and photographs that emerged from these projects, I grew to love and admire women including Gwendolyn Brooks, E. Nesbit, Lynda Barry, Cindy Sherman, and Carol Miller. Sure, we know of the extreme social restraints forced upon women. Half of our English reading assignments, such as The Awakening and The Doll House, echo this. Our history classes never fail to remind us of worldwide authority figures raping and murdering women to emphasize their power. Rosalind Franklin, according to our biology class, was the rightful discoverer that DNA was formed as a double-helix.

But today, when I sat in a lecture here at Sci|Art among a majority of females, I couldn’t conceptualize the idea of women still being underrepresented in the arts and sciences. I have been bombarded with the statistics that women are gaining eminence in the workforce; although women only make up for 46.5%  of the U.S. labor force, the U.S. Department of Labor’s “Women in the Labor Force 2008” states “Women accounted for 50.8 percent of all workers in the high-paying management, professional, and related occupations.” I, like my fellow girl school students, grew weary, almost offended at the question, “What do these names have in common?” posed by Victoria Vesna. But it intrigued me – this was no girl power exclusive environment that I have grown to love – there was no lack of testosterone. The argument I have heard over and over had suddenly solidified – the gender crisis is real, and even though I find myself to participate in classes practically dominated by brilliant girls, this inequality is in no way over. I thought of the people I considered my heroes. On the top of my head, I could not name one female composer, one female architect, or one female physicist. Although my favorite cartoonists, cellists, and poets happen to be women, most have no chance in a world where only the stereotypical white man is welcome to become a household name.

Links:

1. http://www.nybooks.com/articles/archives/2009/nov/19/breaking-a-conspiracy-of-silence/?pagination=false
2. http://www.dol.gov/wb/factsheets/Qf-laborforce-08.htm
3. http://articles.latimes.com/2008/feb/08/entertainment/et-comics8
4. http://news.bbc.co.uk/today/hi/today/newsid_8015000/8015827.stm
5. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/education/4183166.stm

<a href=”http://photobucket.com/images/guerrilla%20girls%20met” target=”_blank”><img src=”http://i276.photobucket.com/albums/kk34/feministing/guerrilla-girls.jpg” border=”0″ alt=”guerrilla girls met Pictures, Images and Photos”/></a>

http://www.salon.com/life/comics/2003/05/19/lynda_e_ntymologytv

http://www.photography-now.us/02/artphotogallery/database/peter_gasser_da01.jpg

Day One:

Everything today has been mind boggling. I want to kick things off with something that I heard in class today- “scientists can interact with the observed”.   As I report and analyze what I observe, I feel like the best way to interact and connect is by cutting down the science lingo and putting my blogs in the most accesable form( unless the authorities prefer I use more formal vocabulary-I would gladly oblige- all of our instructors are amazing).  We learned about stereotypes, society, education and their connection to and effect on  science  from Professor Victoria Vesna.  She made an important point, that science needs to be something the general public can feel a connection with. Everyone who we heard spoke today reminded me of the separation of facilities on campuses, check out the cartoon.                                                                                                                                                                      ART    + SCI     = Da Vinchi

Today reminded me that some people arent clued in to technologies like nanoscience because they simply aren’t educated in the area or informed by scientists.  I want to format my blog in a way that is entertaining and scientific, because after all, science is fun.  When we started talking about collaboration between scientists and artists,  our lab director Adam Steig mentioned artists portraying the war in Iraq which automatically reminded me of this article about the Guernica project that I learned about in Spanish.  http://www.guernicaproject.org/articles/jz.html The project is aobut remembering the Spanish Civil War, but the article is really interesting on how the power created when scientists and artists united helped in the success of the Spanish Civil War.  I was checking out sites that would be neat for kids or classrooms to help spread education about nanotechnology and this one http://nanozone.org/ was quite entertaining, but it doesn’t bring up any  of the legitimate possible problems that could be caused by nanotechnology as well.  I think the best way to spread the word is human-to-human connections or online connections with real humans, like blogs.  Meeting fellow students interested in science and art has been great. Its nice to see that there’s a bunch of people genuinely enthusiastic about becoming well-rounded, educated members of society.  When I heard that the topic for our final presentations was to “imagine the impossible” I wanted to check out some cool things that seemed too cool to exist and came across this really neat video of an engineer/sculptor, Theo Jansen, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RJvzpdOj8wc.  A picture could never capture Jansen’s work. I find it really moving and inspirational even though I am a bit perplexed as to what I will do for my final project….. Anyhow, I found the connection of students from all around the world really exciting.  I feel like with our numbers and knowledge, the forty-something of us can harness the power to save the world here, no joke. every step we take I meet someone new who could be the next supergenious.  We could be walking alongside future members of the third culture. Or the third culture could be us, right now right here. Embarking on a search for a good link to share, I came across this site ttp://thethirdculture.wordpress.com/ which is about the third culture somewhat, but open to other creative branches.  Also, in the following weeks I will be checking out http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=4111499, a NRP special series on science and art.  It should be an big-nano week!

It has been a pleasure serving up some science

-Liz Brajevich,

Junior, Beverly Hills High School, UCLA nano art/sci program

My first sight of the California Nano Systems Institute on the UCLA campus this morning left me breathless, literally. This could have been attributed not only to my anticipation to start the course I had been dreaming about for months but also to the modern architecture of the building itself and all the hills we climbed to get across campus to the institute (Look at all those hills using this map!). After running with friends the night before and going to the gym early this morning, I was high on endorphins and ready to dive into the course material as soon as we arrived. Fortunately, our counselors got us there an hour early so we had plenty of time to prepare!

During our lectures throughout the day I was intrigued by the fact that there is no concrete definition of the “third culture”. The fact that this phrase is so open to interpretation makes me feel more inclined to shape this culture into my own using my own creative thinking while applying nanotechnology while working on our final presentations. To me, art is a form of imagination that has the capability to inspire audiences to think past what is physically presented by the artist. I truly believe that science and art go hand in hand. There is no possible way that the atomic model or double-helix DNA structure could have been conceived without some form of creative thinking. Just as the paradigm shifted when scanning probing microscopes were first introduced, I expect the correlation between scientific culture and artistic culture to evolve as soon as an extraordinary advancement is made in the nano science field that effects the whole of society. A significant advancement such as this will not be reached without imaginative thinking.

As Professor Vesna spoke to us today about stereotypical artists and scientists, I began to imagine what the stereotypical specimen of the third culture would look and act like. I believe that a female member of the third culture may look like a stereotypical scientist but, have the creativity of Lady Gaga‘s stylists.