Every year, creative grad students from across the disciplines submit compelling images of their research and scholarship to the Image of Research competition. To accompany each image submission, the creator writes a short paragraph explaining how the image relates to their wider academic work, giving us a glimpse behind the scenes.
We caught up with some of the award winners from the 2024 Image of Research competition to ask them more about their process. Enjoy this interview with Bayezid Baten, a graduate student in Civil and Environmental Engineering and Honorable Mention winner in this year’s contest, and then view the video to hear Baten read his award-winning submission, "The Invisible Architecture: Decoding Concrete's Micro-World."
Why did you enter Image of Research this year?
I entered the Image of Research competition this year to showcase the visual beauty and complexity of my field's research. I believe that engaging visuals can bridge the gap between specialized scientific communities and the general public, making the intricate details of our work more accessible and appreciated. The “Image of Research” was an ideal platform to highlight the innovative aspects of my research and share its impact in a visually compelling way.
What was the process of coming up with your image?
In the field of materials characterization, my expertise lies in enhancing material properties at the microscale to enhance their properties at the macroscale. It was intriguing for me to figure out all the inhomogeneity of material at such a scale that we see regularly but don’t usually think of what's lying in their micro-world. Hence, we used the Scanning Electron Microscope of a small piece of my sample, to portray the inner beauty of concrete and show the world the underlying mystery.
What did you learn or take away from this experience?
Participating in this competition taught me the importance of visual communication in science. It challenged me to think creatively about how to represent complex data and concepts in an intuitive and engaging manner. It has also allowed me to learn and appreciate the beauty of other research fields. Overall, this experience has been enriching, providing me with a new perspective on the interplay between art and science in research dissemination.
This interview was conducted by Brandon Stauffer, Videographer here at the Graduate College. Brandon came to the Graduate College with a background in journalism and is now working to showcase the impact of Higher Education at Illinois.
