BioEASI was founded by three graduate students at the University of California, San Diego who have been enthusiastically seeking innovative ways of pushing science from the lab into the community.
BioEASI Team 2010
Suzy Szumowski
Stacy Erickson
Katherine LeVan
Kelly Lo
Ryan Natan
Jennifer Tsau
The Founders
Julia Claggett
Jose Morachis
Jason Rogalski (Art/Science Educator)
Chihunt Wong
Judges for 2010:
Rachel Franklin – Professional photographer
Rachel was trained at the Brooks Institute of Photography and photographs the natural world we live in. She has photographed for the San Barbara Zoo and has done many underwater photo shoots along the California Coast.
Ananda Goldrath - Associate Professor of Biology, UCSD
Ananda's lab researches the immune system in mice, specifically the cellular and molecular interactions involved in T-cell survival. Additionally, Ananda teaches an undergraduate course on Immunology and encourages creative thinking in her students by giving them extra credit for immunology-inspired art or videos.
Daphne Hill - Professional artist
Daphne's art often closely examines biological phenomena using a variety of different media. William Zimmer, a long-time contributing critic for the New York Times, describes one such example of Daphne’s art on her website: “She looks closely at mold and this results in a painting in which spores dance almost festively.”
Torrey Trust – Wellness Coordinator, UCSD
Torrey graduated with a B.A. in Visual Arts: Media from UC San Diego. She is currently pursuing a M.A. in Educational Technology at SDSU. She has done graphic design work for many companies, including the Athletes Agency, Speedburners (Nike), Surf eCo Surf School, and Trixie Surf Company. Torrey is the student Wellness Coordinator for UC San Diego, where she is developing a “LiveWell UCSD” marketing campaign which focuses on integrating and improving eight dimensions of wellness in order to help students live a healthy, balanced lifestyle.
Jen Zee - MS, Ecology, Behavior & Evolution, UCSD and MFA, School of Art & Design, University of Michigan
In an effort to combine her interests in science and art, Jen has since worked with the Education Department at the Scripps Birch Aquarium, providing them with illustrations, graphic design and exhibit planning. Additionally, she is the sole scientific illustrator on board the San Diego County Mammal Atlas project team.
Past Judges:
Amy Alexander - Associate Professor of Visual Arts, UCSD
Amy has a background in music and information technology, as well as visual media. Much of her current work focuses on software and its relationship to contemporary culture and politics. In addition to displaying her artwork in museums, Amy extended her exposure to international festivals, clubs, and the street. She co-founded an online software art repository, Runme.org, in 2003 and was involved with the Read_Me software art festival as a juror and reviewer from its inception in 2002.
Larry Bock - Serial Entrepreneur
Larry is especially interested in the life sciences industry and science education. Along with his wife, Diane, Larry established the first endowed chair in nanotechnology at the University of California in Berkeley, and regularly provides scholarships for disadvantaged high school students at The Bishop’s School in La Jolla. Additionally, Larry is the leading organizer and financer for the first ever San Diego Science Festival in March 2009.
Monica Boyle - Scientist
Monica received her Ph.D. in Biology from Rockefeller University, worked as a post-doctoral fellow and as a staff scientist at the Salk Institute, and is now an investigator in industry. She has been using the fruit fly, Drosophila melanogaster, to study various topics including developmental biology, genetics, neurobiology, and adult stem cells.
Bill McGinnis - Professor of Biology, UCSD
Research in Bill's lab uses Drosophila (fruit fly) embryos to study embryonic morphogenesis and the response pathway triggered by epidermal injury. Using differently colored fluorescent probes, the McGinnis lab has not only developed a means of visualizing multiple molecular events in the embryo simultaneously, but as a result has also developed quite a reputation for producing some of the most beautiful microscopy images in the field.
