At the PLACE lab, we blend science and the arts to reflect on, and gain new understandings of the research we engage with. Visual understanding of ecological information through art is essential and accessible! It is often a helpful teaching tool for understanding things like plant anatomy, or visualizing systems within the plant. Zines, paintings, photo-collages, songs, plays…the list of the art we make in the lab could go on forever!

Combining science and the arts provides an opportunity to engage with environmental ideas, biological systems, and the beauty of the natural world in more humanistic, subjective and visually stimulating ways! Creating and viewing science art is also a great way to break down complex ideas and systems and view them from a different angle, increasing scientific understanding, and connecting more emotionally to topics that have historically been divorced from human feeling. There are also therapeutic and mental health benefits from creating art; this helps to mitigate stress and burnout, and allows us to continue being excited about research!