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Student pGLO Artwork | Bacterial Art | Pipetting Art | Photo Frames | DNA Bracelets | Glass Microbiology | Coloring Pages | Submit Artwork |
How can science be represented through art? Have you or your students produced some artwork that you want to share? Show the rest of the community your ideas and creativity. Artwork can be anything from instructional diagrams to abstract designs, and from serious to comical. We've included links to some interesting science artwork to stimulate your creativity. See the creations of artists who use science in their art and add your contributions. Inspire and be inspired! See the instructions for submitting your artwork and other materials at the bottom of this page.
STEM + Art/Design = STEAM
Perhaps you are using art as a science teaching tool. There is increasing evidence that the arts and creativity can increase innovation and, as important, achievement in science. If your curriculum includes STEAM, share your art and design. You can also share STEAM lesson plans, curricula, or other materials with the community.
Student pGLO Artwork
Have your students make artwork using pGLO transformants!
These fun pGLO plates were made by students in Valerie May’s AP Biology course at The Woodstock Academy in Woodstock, Connecticut.
These pGLO plates were made by 7th grade students in the class of Essy Levy at the Bankstreet School for Children in New York.
After any pGLO Bacterial Transformation Kit activity, students can use their imagination and bacterial streaking skills:
- Create different patterns of growing and glowing GFP-expressing bacteria onto LB/Amp/Ara plates
- Weave gene regulation into art by having students thinking about art not as a static glowing image, but one in which the glow changes over time: paint with pGLO bacteria on LB/Amp plates, then add arabinose in specific places and watch it diffuse and induce GFP expression by bacteria over time and space. For example, draw a flower with the bacteria and then drop arabinose in the center of the flower to watch the petals start to glow!
- Use a laser cutter or 3D printer to create stamps for the pGLO bacteria – how intricate can you make your pGLO art?
To learn more about how pGLO bacterial transformation works, see our pGLO Plasmid Map and Resources.
Bacteriography and Other Bacterial Art
A former microbiologist, Zachary Copfer, calls himself a bioartist, and he thinks science is beautiful. He combines microbiological procedures with the photographic process to make portraits and other images using bacteria.
Read more and watch this video about his work.
Artist Hunter Cole has made living drawings with bioluminescent bacteria. See the drawings emerge as the bacteria grow.
Pipetting Art
Download, print, and use these practice sheets to add color and fun to your lessons on micropipetting.
Download this Microplate Art Pipetting STEAM Activity so your students can make microplate artwork while practicing accurate pipetting skills. This activity will teach them to pipet microliter volumes, assess pipetting accuracy, and navigate 96-well microplates.
SDS-PAGE Gel Cassette Photo Frames
Sherry Annee from Brebeuf Jesuit Preparatory School shares her idea for making SDS-PAGE gel cassette photo frames as gifts for her students!
After students conduct a lab investigation to study proteins using SDS-PAGE gels, you can repurpose the used gel cassettes into photo frames. Take photos to document students’ time in class, frame them in the used SDS-PAGE gel cassettes, and give them to the students at the end of the year as keepsakes. Simply print and adhere photos between the two halves of the cassette (i.e., the photo is sandwiched between the front and back covers of the cassette) and glue a magnet to the back of the cassette!
DNA Bracelets
Make a DNA bracelet to go with your DNA necklace from the Genes in a Bottle™ kit. There are several options depending on resources available, time and skill.
A simple fun bracelet involves taking two pieces of elastic about 30 cm long and 4 differently colored beads, one corresponding to each DNA base. Decide which color is which DNA base, one color each for A, C, G, and T. Then pick a DNA sequence. Here are some suggestions from genome.gov. The two pieces of elastic are knotted together a few centimeters from the end and then the chosen sequence is threaded on one piece of elastic, which is then knotted to keep the beads in place. Using base pairing rules (A with T, and C with G) the complementary sequence is threaded on the other piece of elastic. After threading on all the beads, knot the second piece of elastic and then knot the two pieces of elastic together. Then knot the ends together to form the bracelet.
Spell Your Name with DNA
Another suggestion is to have the students spell their names (or something else) in DNA, using the single-letter triplet code. Give the students a table of the single-letter code for the triplets, and first have them find the six letters that do not have a triplet code. Decide what to do about these letters (sometimes B (Asx) is used to denote either asparagine and aspartic acid, and Z (Gsx) for glutamine and glutamic acid). Then make a bracelet as above.
Make a Double Helix Bracelet
There are a number of methods for making a friendship-style bracelet that spirals and looks like a double helix. This short video illustrates a simple pattern; this video provides detailed instructions and diagrams.
Glass Microbiology
Luke Jerram produces amazing glass artwork that accurately represents a selection of disease-causing organisms. Browse Jerram's gallery and check out a video about the artist and his work.
Coloring Pages
Relieve some stress and add some color to your science classroom.
Download the following coloring pages.
Download
How to Submit Artwork or Other Materials
Please complete the submission form and email your materials to explorer@bio-rad.com.
Types of artwork could include cartoons, photographs, drawings, paintings, computer-generated art, posters, images of three-dimensional art, and video. Let your imagination and science go. Acceptable formats are .txt, .doc/.docx, .jpg, .gif, .png, .mp4, .flv, .swf, .mov, .xls/.xlsx, .ppt/.pptx, and pdf.
Describe the background/concept of the artwork in the Comments section, including which Bio-Rad Explorer products are relevant to the creation of the artwork and what led to the inspiration for the artwork. Please make sure that contact details are filled in. If you want to provide any other credits (other educators, etc.), please state this in the Comments section along with any other relevant information.