A Collision of Art and Biochemistry

Ask Clarke University faculty members Sunil Malapati, Ph.D. and Eric Wold, MFA and they will tell you that art and science can definitely live in harmony. Malapati, an assistant professor of chemistry, and Wold, an assistant professor of art, are teaming up two of their classes to create a suite of digital imagery related to molecular modeling. In a unique project titled ‘Form Exposes Function,’ the students in Wold’s Digital Imaging course are serving as art directors as the biochemistry students model molecular structures. Through this collaborative project, the art students add visual dynamics allowing the biochemistry students to bring the molecules to life. This enhances biochemical understanding of protein function as digital imaging students get a real-world case study. The teams of students will present their work tomorrow, Wednesday, November 16, from 6-7 p.m. in Room 304 of Clarke’s Catherine Byrne Hall. As part of the project, Wold’s students will also adapt their images to create a series of postage stamp designs. For more information, contact the Clarke University Marketing and Communication Office at (563)588-6318.