Studying transparency in photos of water
inspired Dan Goods to create ways of linking
text to the digital Mouse Atlas.

Art Center students can now SURF

Many in the Caltech community, particularly faculty, are probably familiar with SURF—the Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowships program, which pairs students with mentors for several weeks of research each year. What they might not be aware of is the Institute’s recent agreement with Art Center College of Design. Art Center students are now eligible for the same research funding as are Caltech students.

“Art Center students could bring an interesting perspective and a highly creative skill set to SURF projects. Through visual expression, they can enhance the research being conducted in laboratories,” says Anette Asp, administration and research coordinator for Professor John Ledyard in Caltech’s Division of the Humanities and Social Sciences and for Michael Dobry at Art Center. “We are trying to make the Caltech faculty aware of this new agreement and to remind them of the March 3 deadline for mentor recommendation forms.”

According to Asp, the agreement began in 2002, and three Art Center students received research fellowships with Caltech and JPL mentors. Graphic design major Dan Goods, mentored by Russell Jacobs and David Kremers at Caltech’s Biological Imaging Center, is an example of how a creative visual perspective can solve a scientific problem. Goods began his research by “swimming like an otter,” taking photos of water, and gardening. These experiences served as visual references in developing ways to link lengthy text-based information to the Mouse Atlas, a digital map of mouse embryo development. The result, says Goods, enables the atlas to “intuitively communicate multiple dimensions of data in an immersive environment.” His project can be viewed at http://quad.bic.caltech.edu/~dangoods.

Morgan Corum, an illustration student, worked with Thomas George of JPL to redesign the website for the lab’s micro-electro-mechanical systems group, streamlining the site’s look and architecture and adding new animation and video technology. The third student, Lauren Swan, worked in the lab of Professor Steven Quartz, tracking physiological changes in participants as they watched a video art piece, in order to assess emotions evoked by an aesthetic experience.

Student Morgan Corum redesigned the website
for JPL’s micro-electro-mechanical systems group.

Asp is currently facilitating SURF appointments for Art Center undergraduates and, noting that more than 30 have expressed interest in taking part this summer, encourages potential mentors to consider these students. All faculty—including research and visiting faculty and associates, professional staff, and JPL technical staff—may serve as mentors.

Interested faculty should submit a mentor recommendation form to the Student-Faculty Programs Office (137 Beckman Institute, MC 139-74) by March 3. For more information, contact Asp at ext. 4371 or anetasp@hss.caltech.edu.
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