Artist and illustrator Lucy Smith helps botanists to identify new species. Usually they request a set of drawings, she says, with a detailed set of requirements.
But Smith, who joined London’s Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, more than 20 years ago, says: “We also feed back to the scientists and say, 'I’ve seen what you’ve asked me to see. But do you know what, I’ve also seen this? Did you know that this flower has this structure.'”
In the second episode of this six-part Working Scientist podcast series about art and science, Smith is joined by other artists with experience of science collaborations. David Ibbett, resident composer at the Harvard and Smithsonian Centre for Astrophysics in Cambridge, Massachusetts, says:
“By trying to synthesize these different perspectives on what the science means, we arrive at something new.”
Diana Scarborough, artist-in-residence in bionanotechnolost Ljiljana Fruk’s lab at the University of Cambridge, UK, says that the best collaborations are long term ones, requiring also curiosity and passion. “Looking at their research from a different angle opens up opportunities. If I can make a difference at that point, that will be superb.”
Each episode in this series concludes with a follow-up sponsored slot from the International Science Council (ISC). The ISC is seeking perspectives from science fiction authors on how science can meet societal challenges, ranging from climate change and food security to the disruption caused by artificial intelligence.
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Meet the retired scientists who collaborate with younger colleagues
A dumpster full of mercury and other things to avoid: lab closures made simple
Pension planning and psychosocial support: how institutions can help academics at the late career stage
“Who am I if not a scientist?” How to find identity and purpose in retirement
Choose your own adventure: navigating retirement after an academic career
The last few miles: how to prepare for the late-career stage in science
Counting the cost of fashion’s carbon footprint
Why female students at an inner London school are seeing scientists in a different light
Using live transport data to deliver sustainable cities
How artificial intelligence is helping to identify global inequalities
Infrastructure projects need to demonstrate a return on investment
Decent work for all: why multinationals need a helping hand
How artificial intelligence is helping Ghana plan for a renewable energy future
How a young physicist’s job move helped Argentina join the ATLAS collaboration
How to plug the female mentoring gap in Latin American science
‘Maybe I was never meant to be in science’: how imposter syndrome seizes scientist mothers
‘Hopeless, burnt out, sad’: how political change is impacting female researchers in Latin America
How we connect girls in Brazil to inspiring female scientists
‘There is no cookie cutter female scientist’
How Tiger Worm toilets could help to deliver clean water and sanitation for all
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