2020 Winners Announced, Cool Science Images Contest

Steenbock staff is pleased to spread the word about the Cool Science Images contest and its online gallery of current winners. We invite you to examine the intersection where one might say “art meets science” with a visit to the 2020 announcement and online gallery.

Photo credit and description: Michael Petersen, Edward Williams and Ray Collier, all staff of the Wisconsin Crop Innovation Center; and Frank McFarland, graduate student, Agronomy
Smartphone with specialized filter

Thanks to a gene similar to one that makes some fish glow, leaves of the first transgenic — that is, augmented with genes from another species — hemp plants appear red when seen through a special filter, while leaves of an unaltered plant are a familiar green. Successfully engineering changes in hemp opens the door to alterations that could affect disease resistance, crop yield, fiber quality and cannabinoid compounds. It offers potential benefits for farmers, consumers and medical applications.