Dr. Ahna R. Skop
Interview by Mia Cardenas, Colloquium Manager
Interview by Mia Cardenas, Colloquium Manager
|
Ahna Skop is a geneticist, artist, science communicator, and champion for the underrepresented in science. Ahna majored in biology and minored in ceramics at Syracuse University, obtained her Ph.D. in Cell and Molecular Biology at UW-Madison, and her post-doctoral work at UC-Berkeley. Ahna is a Professor in the Laboratory of Genetics and an affiliate faculty member in Life Sciences Communication and the Division of the Arts at the UW-Madison. ”. Her science and art have been featured by Apple, The Scientist, USA Today, Smithsonian, PBS.org, NPR and Science magazine. |
|
Mia Cardenas: Hi Ahna! Please tell us a little bit about your background and journey as a scientist working with art. Ahna: I was the child of artists. My father, Michael Skop, was a bit of a Renaissance man and was a classically trained fine artist who studied with Mestrovic (a pupil of Rodin) and also taught college-level anatomy. My father operated an art school at their home studio for over 30 years and attracted artists, musicians, and philosophers from all over the world. My mother was a high school art educator, ceramicist, and has dabbled in fiber art, sculpture and painting. My two sisters and brother are also graphic and industrial designers. I have embraced my family's love for creativity in everything I do. My lab seeks to understand the molecular mechanisms that underlie cell division during embryonic development using the nematode, C. elegans as a model system. Failures in cell division often lead to birth defects, cancer, and age-related neurodegenerative diseases. Understanding how cells divide is highly dependent on in vivo microscopy and large amounts of visual data, which dovetails perfectly with one of her other passions, art. I mentors both scientists and art students in my lab, and also serve on the board of the Wisconsin Science Museum, where many of my artscience collaborations are on display. |
Genetic Reflections
|
MC: What is your process and how do you go about incorporating your work as a Professor of Genetics with your art?
Ahna: I use imagery from cell biology and genetics in my work in collaboration with art graduate students that I mentor in my lab to accomplish my pieces. We also include undergraduate film majors to help document the making of the pieces. We also have a maker space on our campus that is run by the Engineering department and funded by the NSF MRSEC program that we utilize if we need to.
Ahna: I use imagery from cell biology and genetics in my work in collaboration with art graduate students that I mentor in my lab to accomplish my pieces. We also include undergraduate film majors to help document the making of the pieces. We also have a maker space on our campus that is run by the Engineering department and funded by the NSF MRSEC program that we utilize if we need to.
|
|
N is for Nucleus image: Image drawn by Elif Kurt (one of the authors of “Genetic Reflections: A coloring book”)
MC: Have you encountered any obstacles while developing your career as a visual artist working with science, and how have you overcome them?
Ahna: Yes I have encountered many as I am a professor of genetics that is also in the art department mentoring and doing very large science art pieces as part of my NSF funded science program and broader impacts. The main issue is how I get credit as a scientist as part of my tenure for such pieces. There really isn’t a mechanism to include such broader impacts beside in my outreach part of my tenure packet.
MC: Do you have a favorite piece of artwork? Tell us more about it!
Ahna: Genetic Reflections is my current piece that was funded by the NSF. This work was a collaboration by my former art student, Angela Johnson, and myself and is installed in the UW-Madison biotech center.We also decided to disseminate this science art piece more broadly by having my 2 undergraduate genetics majors make a coloring book with the same name
"Be authentic and persistent." - Dr. Ahna Skop
Leonardo da Vinci's helicopter pendant, sold on Skopology
|
Boveri's centrosome chandelier, sold on Skopology
|
MC: With the increasing popularity of Science-Art, more people are incorporating both Science and Art into their careers. What words of advice would you give to up-and-coming SciArtists?
Ahna: Be authentic and persistent. Have your own Etsy store.
Ahna: Be authentic and persistent. Have your own Etsy store.
MC: Any plans or projects for the future that you'd like to share?
Ahna: I’m currently working on some drafts of my next science art piece for a new NSF grant submission with my entire lab and a graduate student in sculpture that I will be mentoring. I also recently started a science art home decor store called Skopology.com where I’m not only highlighting science artists from around the world on our blog, but also selling and curating home decor items that look like something in science. Each item for sale has a definition of what it looks like in science.
Ahna: I’m currently working on some drafts of my next science art piece for a new NSF grant submission with my entire lab and a graduate student in sculpture that I will be mentoring. I also recently started a science art home decor store called Skopology.com where I’m not only highlighting science artists from around the world on our blog, but also selling and curating home decor items that look like something in science. Each item for sale has a definition of what it looks like in science.
Genetic Reflections is a public science art installation created by Madison-based artist Angela Johnson in collaboration with UW-Madison genetics professor Ahna Skop.
To learn more about Ahna Skop, check out her website or her instagram @foodskop! You can also visit skopology's instagram @skopology!
