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National Science Foundation Mural

The History of ScienceNational Science Foundation Mural

Client: National Science Foundation
Industry: Government Agency
Science Historian: Leo Slater

Goals and Challenges

In 2018 the National Science Foundation rebuilt its headquarters. To commemorate the move, and the societal impact that the National Science Foundation has, NSF commissioned SayoStudio to create an epic mural. The art would represent the key science and societal advances that NSF has made possible since 1952. 

The monumental mural was designed to spread across the employee entrance, in a space 11 feet high and 52 feet long. It had to represent the broad scope of NSF research, including biology, chemistry, sociology and economics, computing, education, physics, engineering and math.

We needed to convey NSF’s historical and ongoing societal impacts, and what current key research may lead to tomorrow’s technology. It needed to feel cohesive and accurate to the many scientists who regularly flow through NSF’s doors. In other words, the illustration needed to be epic…  an adjective we love at SayoStudio!

Process and Solution

Initially, NSF imagined a linear historical representation. But as we discussed the subjects they wanted to focus on, Nicolle suggested a less linear approach. One of the things we love about working with the National Science Foundation is learning about their cross-cutting initiatives that draw different disciplines together. We’re fascinated by how different parts of life, our world, and the greater universe are tied together—often in ways we are only just discovering. We wanted to evoke that connectivity in this homage to the National Science Foundation.

National Science Foundation Mural sketch

As Nicolle worked to conceptualize different options, she came up with the idea of undulating waves and swoops to weave all of these ideas together and to represent the interplay between subjects and time. NSF historian Leo Slater shared the discoveries and events that needed to be included. Next, Nicolle started filling in potential representations so that NSF could review the sketch before proceeding to the final color artwork. NSF signed off, and piece by piece, color illustrations came to life using a combination of 3D modeling in Cinema 4D and Zbrush, and digital painting in Photoshop. Photographs were also incorporated in a few key areas.

 

Results and Achievements

Visiting the National Science Foundation Mural
Pictured in front of the finished NSF History of Science Mural (left to right): Artist Nicolle R. Fuller; Project manager Kathi Kensill; NSF Deputy Director (August 2005 – January 2009) Dr. Kathie L. Olsen; NSF Video Team manager Cliff Braverman; and NSF Image Researcher Marnie Briggs.

After a year of work, we printed and installed the mural in time for the National Science Foundation Building Inauguration. The history wall is 52 feet wide and 11.5 feet tall, spanning 52 subject areas that NSF has impacted. These include the structure of HIV, the research that led to Google, ongoing earthquake and hurricane research, gravity wave detection and the first black hole image, education statistics and innovation, and much more. Check out the key NSF published explaining each illustration within the mural and what it represents.

 


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sayostudioscience

#sciart—microbes 🔬to galaxies 🔭—Nicolle Fuller leads SayoStudio creating art & animation of science wonders. #scienceillustration

SayoStudio
Did you know you can make a free, DIY water filter Did you know you can make a free, DIY water filter out of wood?! 

Trees naturally have xylem -- a straw like tubing -- to transport water and nutrients into the tree. The pores inside these xylem tubes are very complex on a nanoscale. Water molecules can flow freely through the tubing, but larger bacterial cells get trapped inside the xylem structures.
Because this filtration system removes rotavirus and E. coli, these filters meet the standards set by @WHO for clean, drinkable water. 

Learn more about nanoscientist Krithika Ramchander and Dr. Rohit Karnik's (@mit_engineering) research and see an animation of the xylem catching bacteria on our blog: https://sayostudio.com/science-diy-water-filter-animation

Art and animation created by Nicolle R. Fuller, SayoStudio
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#waterfilter #diywaterfilter #xylemwaterfilter #treefilter #tree #xylem #mit #engineeringweek #engineering #mitengineering #nanoscience #scicomm #sciart #scienceillustration #scientificillustration #sayostudio #animation
Is #ScienceFriday a thing on social media..? It is Is #ScienceFriday a thing on social media..? It is? Then allow us to introduce you to the basics of #StringTheory! ⠀
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String theory is a Theory of Everything (Grand Unification Theory) that seeks to unite the gravitational force with the other fundamental forces (electromagnetism and nuclear forces) that are already described by quantum mechanics at the atomic level. ⠀
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Gaining a foothold in the theoretical physics community during the 1970's, string theory states that fundamental particles such as quarks + electrons are not points of energy or matter, but result instead from the vibrations of one-dimensional ‘string-like’ entities on a far smaller scale. ⠀
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Although string theory is highly debated and very complex, it poses very interesting solutions to why our observed universe acts the way it does. ⠀
What's your take on string theory? ⠀
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Artwork by Nicolle R Fuller, SayoStudio ⠀
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#stringtheory #granreunificationtheory #theoryofeverything #physics #quantummechanics #nuclear #multidimensions #dimensions #sciart #scienceillustration #scicomm #electromagnetism #energy #matter ⠀
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Could neurodegenerative diseases really be caused Could neurodegenerative diseases really be caused by ancient viral infections? ⠀
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The recent discovery of viral proteins in the brains of MS/ALS patients created a mysterious link between human genes and neurodegenerative disease. ⠀
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Researchers are just now beginning to understand how ancient human endogenous retroviruses (or HERVs) affect our immune responses today. HERV proteins cause disruptions of nuclei in cells; triggering the cells to mount an immune response in the central nervous system. This disruption spreads from cell to cell progressively; and is shown to cause significant motor neuron deterioration. ⠀
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You can read more about this research here: https://loom.ly/_uTOBvc ⠀
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Artwork by Nicolle R. Fuller, SayoStudio for @the_scientist_magazine. ⠀
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#msawarenessweek #multiplesclerosis #neurodegenerative #neurodisease #als #ms #medicalillustration #cell #sciart #scicomm #scienceillustration #medart #stem #sayostudio ⠀
Having your heart flutter on Valentine's Day might Having your heart flutter on Valentine's Day might seem normal...but for some, it's a common symptom of atrial fibrillation. 💓

Afib is a heart arrhythmia characterized by irregular or fast beating. Electrical signals in the heart dictate how often your heart pumps-- and for some this can get out of whack, causing palpitations and dizziness. 

Luckily  treatment exists to manage Afib. To learn more, visit the American Heart Association or click the link below: https://www.heart.org/en/health-topics/atrial-fibrillation

Artwork by Nicolle R. Fuller, SayoStudio for @popularmechanics
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#AmericanHeartMonth #NationalHeartMonth #Scienceillustration #sciart #hearthealth #americanheartassociation #afib #atrialfibrillation #arrhythmia #valentinesheart #heartart #medicalart #medicalillustration
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