[1] Tandem Press, http://tandempress.wisc.edu/ (accessed 2/11/2010).

1. UW MRSEC DMR-0520527 Juan J. de Pablo, PI NanoArt: Reaching Broader Audiences through Art and Alterative Venues Juan J. de Pablo and Greta M. Zenner Petersen, University of Wisconsin MRSEC Toward sharing nanotechnology and materials science with a broader audience, the University of Wisconsin-Madison (UW) MRSEC has created and contributed to several nano-art exhibits that use authentic images from nanoscale research conducted at UW . Evaluation has shown that the breathtaking images draw people in and give a glimpse into the daily lives of nanoscience researchers, while generating awareness, teaching a simple lesson on scale, and sparking curiosity. In February 2008, Greta Zenner Petersen and Prof. Wendy Crone, presented the MRSEC’s developing NanoArt concept at “Visualizing Science: A Research Colloquium”, a day-long event sponsored by the UW Visual Culture Center. Paula Panczenko, director of the UW-affiliated print-making studio Tandem Press[1], attended Zenner Petersen and Crone’s talk and was so impressed by the group’s work that she approached the MRSEC about collaborating in a future, campus-wide science-as-art exhibit, sponsored by Tandem Press. Figure 1. Postcard image used to advertise the Sights Unseen: Images of the Nanoscale exhibit at Mother Fool’s Coffee House in Madison, WI. • MRSEC’s NanoArt Curated Shows • Sights Unseen: Images of the Nanoscale, (2008) which brought scientific images to an unexpected setting – the walls of a Madison-area coffee shop. Sights Unseen featured 14 images of nanoscale phenomena by MRSEC (and NSEC) faculty, staff, and students. (Fig. 1) • UW Ebling Health Science Library (early 2009) seven of the images were included in an exhibition held in collaboration with Tandem Press. • TINY: Art from Microscopes at UW-Madison, (May 2009) has been on display at the Dane County Regional Airport. (Fig. 2), which averages approximately 1.6 million passengers annually. Since the exhibition’s opening, TINY has received national press attention through media outlets such as Facebook, travel blogs[2], NPR[3], and USA Today. Figure 3. Example of NanoArt image and description (for TINY): “Tiny nanorods of zinc oxide are being explored for use in experimental solar cells. The diameter of the nanorods can be controlled by the addition of oligomers (short chain polymers) during the growth process. An equipment malfunction limited the oligomer addition during this experiment, resulting in nanorods with an unusual club-like shape. Name of scientist(s): Ryan Franking, Affiliation: MRSEC on Nanostructured Interfaces Figure 2. One of the cases at the Dane County Regional Airport highlights four research images from MRSEC scientists. [1] Tandem Press, http://tandempress.wisc.edu/ (accessed 2/11/2010). [2] “Tiny art at Madison’s Dane County Airport,” Stuck at the Airport, Harriet Baskas, posted on 4/21/2009 ttp://stuckattheairport.com/2009/04/21/tiny-art-at-madisons-dane-county-airport/ (accessed 2/9/2010). [3] “Teeny Tiny Art”, Claire O'Neill, NPR, http://www.npr.org/blogs/pictureshow/2009/05/teenytinyart.html (accessed 2/9/2010).