Sunday, April 28th, 2019

Updates on Issue #5

UPDATES FROM E-SQUARED

E-Squared is currently in the midst of preparing Issue #5 for publication. As a one-person operation, I thought it was time to bring you up to speed with what I am currently doing…

As we celebrate the arrival of Spring in the U.S., I am wrapping up another semester of teaching at the University. By next week, my students and I will finalize a collaborative sci-art project pertaining to blood cells and in two weeks, I will give final exams in my Human Disease course.

In addition to my classroom full of students, I have been taking a programming and web development course to improve my skillset in that area. I am also writing and publishing for another organization. And, yes, I still have my own art practice! You can find my artwork on display at Recess Brewing in Edwardsville and just around the corner in May, I will be teaching a course in botanical illustration at the Missouri Botanical Garden.

All things considered, I am very eager to release Issue #5 into the world and see it in your hands, but I thought that I should inform you of all that is on my plate and let you know how much I greatly appreciate your patience.

This Friday, pre-orders for Issue #5 will open. A single issue of E-Squared retails for $35, but during this pre-order window, issues only cost $25. And, a gentle reminder that if you wish to pre-order, please select the correct country in which you reside (=destination for the magazine). Alternate destinations are always an option.

To track the progress of Issue #5, follow E-Squared on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
If you have any questions, please do no hesitate to e-mail me at info@esquaredmagazine.com.

Yours truly,

Emily A. Dustman
Founder & Director
E-Squared Magazine

Monday, April 8th, 2019

Leonardo Ricci: An Innovator of His Time

“True architecture is not about taking a piece of paper and designing forms and patterns. True architecture is about imagining a space and the movement of those who will live there.”––Leonardo Ricci

A leading figure in the Italian architectural scene of the Second World War, Leonardo Ricci rejected the idea of traditional architecture––he firmly believed in constructing buildings that stimulated new relationships in society and promoted interactions between the community and their landscape. Though most well-known for architecture, Ricci was also a writer and existentialist philosopher. He was born on June 8, 1918 and later went to school for architecture at Università degli Studi di Firenze (Italy).

To celebrate the centenary of Leonardo Ricci’s birth, an exhibition, Leonardo Ricci 100. Writing, painting and architecture: 100 side notes on the Anonymous, has been organized. The exhibition will open in Florence, Italy at the at the Refettorio di Santa Maria Novella on April 12 and will be open until May 26 2019. The exhibition features over 60 original pieces among paintings, drawings, sketches, photographs, and models. There will also be video and audio documents and magazine excerpts showcasing his theoretical research, artistic production, and design activities.

Curated by Maria Clara Ghia, Ugo Dattilo, and Clementina Ricci, the exhibition guides visitors through excerpts from Anonymous (20th Century), an existentialist book written by Ricci in the United States in 1957, “not a learned book for specialists but open to all,” as he called it. The location for the exhibition is quite spectacular: it’s the fourteenth-century Refectory of Santa Maria Novella in Florence. The exhibition design, conceived by Eutropia Architettura, offers an open, varied yet profoundly organic path that mixes the textures of the disciplines practiced by Leonardo Ricci.

Casa Balmain (1957-1959 Marciana - Isola d'Elba) — Casa Balmain (1957-1959 Marciana – Isola d’Elba)

Friday, March 22nd, 2019

Making a Positive Impact with Jennifer Doudna

“CRISPR is a surgical tool for changing the code of life. Our goal is to deploy this enabling technology to have a positive impact on the human condition.”–Dr. Jennifer Doudna

Southern Illinois University Edwardsville’s Department of Chemistry will host the 2019 Jean Dreyfus and 43rd Annual Probst Lecture series on Mar. 26 with Dr. Jennifer Doudna as the guest speaker. A Professor in the Department of Chemistry and the Department of Molecular and Cell Biology at the University of California Berkeley, Doudna is world renowned for her fundamental work on CRISPR-mediated genome editing.

One of the most monumental discoveries in modern biology, CRISPR (clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats) is a family of DNA sequences found within the genomes of prokaryotes. In conjunction with Cas9 (CRISPR-associated protein 9), it can be utilized to permanently modify genes in living cells and organisms at precise locations. The system is considered to be one of the most significant discoveries in the history of biology and Doudna is co-inventor of the technology. She will be presenting a public lecture, “The Future of Genome Editing,” on this simple, yet power tool that holds great promise for clinical and research applications.

Doudna has been included in Time: 100 Most Influential People in 2015 and awarded Time: Person of the Year in 2016. She is a member of the National Academy of Sciences and has received numerous prestigious fellowships and awards such as the 2015 Breakthrough Prize in Life Sciences and the 2016 Tang Prize in Biopharmaceutical Science.

For additional information on the lecture location and times please visit: https://www.siue.edu/artsandsciences/chemistry/probst.shtml or contact SIUE’s Chemistry Department.

Wednesday, March 13th, 2019

Marching into Spring with Jarryd Lowder

Knee deep in the realities of climate change, I know that a little humor along the way is a huge relief from all of the doom and gloom that we are bombarded with on a daily basis. Of course, it is important to understand the consequences of climate change, but my god, if you are going to instill hope in humanity, stop with all of the fatalistic outcomes–I can hardly stand to look at the news these days!

So, I have a proposal…why don’t we waltz into spring with the knowledge of our already altered water cycle–and therefore weather patterns that we are all experiencing around the globe–and work towards some adaptive goals. Let us realize the current state for what it is, smile here and there, and continue on a path of optimism where you will meet people like Jarryd Lowder.

Hailing from Iowa, Jarryd Lowder now resides in Switzerland after having lived in New York City for nearly two decades. Lowder is an talented artist of many forms–he is a photographer, journalist, teacher, videographer, designer, tech-based artist, musician, and A/V technician. His new project, Monstercast, is an ongoing series of images that employ the phenomenon of pareidolia, or the tendency to perceive a specific, often meaningful image in a random or ambiguous visual pattern (think, the Man in the Moon or the Moon Rabbit). With his work, Lowder’s creates “monsters” from Doppler weather radar maps.

“It’s a universal human perceptual ability, an example of which would be a child identifying clouds as being shaped like animals. When viewing weather radar maps, I see how the shapes and colors of the precipitation take on figurative forms,” stated Lowder. With his phone, he snags screen shots and then draws on top of them using very limited drawing tools. In the beginning, his renderings depicted the local Alpine weather in Switzerland, but he has since branched out, looking for interesting radar images from around the world.

While living in NYC, Lowder taught Video, Sound and Music classes to graduate students in the MFA Computer Art department at the well renowned design college, SVA NYC (formerly known as School of Visual Arts) for 15 years. Within the field of art & music, he has done live audiovisual performances, live music and video art which has been shown in the US and other countries such as Spain, Austria, Japan, Finland, Korea, Germany and the Netherlands. Learn more about him here: http://www.jarrydlowder.com/

Thursday, February 7th, 2019

The Art + Science of Dessert

Photo courtesy of Eric Nemens

As a concept restaurant, The Chocolate Pig specializes in creative and contemporary plates. Tyler Davis, better known as “Chef Tai,” was recently named executive pastry chef at The Chocolate Pig and his desserts are sure to transport you to another world.

Recently, I had the opportunity to sit down and talk with Chef Tai one-on-one. As order after order came in, he described the ingredients and processes involved in creating his plated works of art. With a few spritzes and dusting of powdered sugar, he debut his new dessert, “Snow Globe,” featuring pain d’epices, chestnut crémeux, and gingerbread ice cream. Watching Davis carefully assemble and embellish desserts right before my eyes, I saw a spectacular convergence of art and science. Being a chef is not as easy as it may appear to an outsider looking in. In order to achieve the desired results, it takes numerous failures and successes. A successful chef will possess a vast knowledge base of food chemistry and be able to reach the creative climbs of the imagination. Chef Tai’s desserts certainly reflect an individual who has put in countless hours and effort to arrive at a destination of great expertise in both the arts + sciences.

Davis has created a menu that is undeniably a work of art. His current dessert menu is inspired by his nostalgia-filled childhood and features sweets with names like Milk & Cereal, Peanut Butter Bomb, and Affogato Caviar. Before his current position, he worked at a number of reputable St. Louis restaurants and even started his own dessert business, Alchemy Artisan Bakery. He has garnered national attention for his appearance on the Food Network’s Halloween Baking Championship and he was also nominated for Feast Magazine’s Top Pastry Chef of the Year.

You can follow Chef Tai on instagram @iofthetyler

Affogato Caviar; Photo courtesy of Feast Magazine

Sunday, January 13th, 2019

Call for Artists

ARTISTS, SCIENTISTS, AND INNOVATORS!

We’re archived in Stanford University Libraries and we think you & your work should be too!

OPEN CALL FOR ARTISTS // International Deadline: February 10, 2019.

Underlying theme: Architecture. Urban Decay. Street Art. Post-Industrial Society. Humanity. Technology. Metaphysics. Otherworldly. Outer Space. Terraforming. Extraterrestrial Colonization. New World.Robots. Artificial Intelligence. Cybernetic Revolt. Fermi Paradox. Science Fiction. Mystery.

More details here: https://esquaredmagazine.com/submit/

Tuesday, January 1st, 2019

Smart is the New Sexy

Dear Sapiosexuals,

This year, we think smart is the new sexy. We’re talking about art here, folks but not just any art…intellectual art. We have always felt that which is intellectual is attractive, exciting, provocative, and yes, we’ll say it again, sexy. It’s the kind of art that makes you think. Deeply ponder. Feel inspired. Of course, we’re not denying that aesthetic art has its place too. We have great respect for all art and art movements throughout history.

What has become important to us though is art that is intellectual, progressive…art that moves humanity forward in some kind of way. We’ve been busy saying no to all the candy art. There’s a place for that. What we desire though is the kind of work that isn’t just about the wow factor, but the kind that makes you really think and then the double wow comes after you comprehend it. Honestly, in just six months of opening our minds to the art + science scene, we haven’t been able to think about art the same way.

We’re currently working hard on the fifth Issue of E-Squared Magazine. We look forward to our fresh group of artists and romanticizing you with new and inspiring content. Stay tuned for behind the scenes at E-Squared Studios during the making of Issue #5 and while you wait, consider ordering a copy of Issue #4

Because smart is the new sexy.

Cheers!

Emily A. Dustman

Founder & Director
E-Squared Magazine

Thursday, December 20th, 2018

New Findings on Alcohol & Memories

Cover Photo: Brain of Drosophila. Green areas show cells where Notch has been activated. Photo credit: Dr. Petruccelli.

“Our findings in flies help mammalian researchers understand how it may be a driving mechanism that underlies alcohol, and possibly other forms of addiction.”—Dr. Emily Petruccelli

As we approach winter break and begin to participate in the festivities of the holiday season, a new study by Assistant Professor Dr. Emily Petruccelli at Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville may have you thinking twice about your celebratory toasts. Outside of instructing in the Department of Biological Sciences, Petruccelli spends time in her laboratory researching flies and getting them drunk.

Yes, you read that right and by now, you might be wondering how on earth you even go about getting flies drunk. To do this, Petruccelli exposes her candidates to ethanol vapor paired with an odor. “What I really seek to answer with my research is, ‘do flies like getting drunk?’ We found that flies avoid odors associated with intoxication right after training, but after 24 hours, the [now] sober flies seek the odor they remember being paired with intoxication,” said Petruccelli.

Flies are a favorite model organism of many geneticists as they are equivalent to humans in many ways, including understanding how alcohol is metabolized in the body. Petruccelli’s findings are groundbreaking as they indicate that when flies get drunk, they are actually making memories in association with alcohol that can be long-lasting, possibly even permanent. “When flies get drunk, Notch—the pathway associated with learning and memory—becomes activated. When I ‘ask’ the flies 7 days later if they want alcohol, they still do,” she stated in regards to her findings.

Petruccelli’s research has wide implications when thinking about addictions like alcoholism—it is possible that after just one drink, your brain chemistry has changed and potentially, for the long-term. “Many people think alcohol is a choice—this is clearly not a choice, this is a disease—the brain has undoubtedly been altered,” said Petruccelli. She plans to continue testing flies in her lab to try and determine what causes the shift from having a seemingly ‘harmless’ social drink to ending up with a full-blown dependency. “I want people to still be able to drink socially and casually—to keep that a possibility,” said Petruccelli. Answers to questions that she poses in her research will likely provide insight into treatment options for those with alcohol dependency and potentially be applicable to other addictions as well.

Numerous news sources picked up on Dr. Emily Petruccelli’s findings, which were recently published in Neuron. See below for the list: Newsweek, The Independent, Forbes, Inverse, DailyMail, News-Medical.net, Earth.com, Science Daily, Infosurhoy, Medical Xpress, Futurity, WILX-TV, TheFix.com, The University Network, Interesting Engineering, Global News Radio, Yahoo News, Wine Spectator, Tribune India, Sun Star Times, CBS News Radio, VICE, MSN, Economic Times, Financial Express, Business Standard, Technology Networks, Outlook India, Neuroscience News, Lab Manager, Midibulletin, NDTV, The Boar, Science Trends, The Spirits Business, Inquirer.net, Devdiscourse, Daily Pioneer, the fix, the Brown Daily Herald…

Wednesday, December 19th, 2018

CALL FOR Images from Science 3

Project Overview

Images from Science 3 is being organized to celebrate the production of extraordinary images featuring science. At its core mission, the project seeks to explore the interface of science, technology, art, design, and communication. Science images unlike most other genres of images rarely find their way into art museums.

Rochester Institute of Technology Professors Michael Peres, Ted Kinsman, Bob Rose, and Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine Professor Norman Barker are passionate and talented scientific photographers. They have enjoyed long and storied careers in this unique field as photographers, but also as authors, educators, and industry leaders. Because of their interests in science images, they are collaborating to produce the third traveling exhibition sharing some of the world’s most extraordinary images and image makers who explore science.

Images from Science 3 will build upon the successes of the Images from Science I and II exhibitions. Images From Science I premiered fall 2002 in the School of Photographic Arts and Sciences at Rochester Institute of Technology. Launched at the infancy of the Internet and digital photography, it contained 59 photographs and traveled to 22 venues in 7 countries until 2007 when it was retired.

Images From Science 2 premiered in the Fall of 2008 and was displayed in 13 venues before being lost in shipping from the UK to the Netherlands in 2014. A complete listing of these exhibitions history can be found by following this link. Both exhibitions were produced as experiments to explore the power of the Internet as the sole tool used to advertise, identify and ultimately display some of the world’s most powerful photographs of science at the time of their production.

Much has changed since those exhibitions were displayed including the explosion of new applications of imaging technologies. Coupled with new optical and other imaging software, nothing seems out of the realm of what is possible in the creation of images for science. The dynamic release of new imaging equipment including the smartphone coupled with the explosive use of social Media including Twitter®, and Instagram® for example, has allowed for images to be shared worldwide synchronously. One could make a compelling argument that imaging has become a science unto itself and is an integral part of every contemporary research center.

Images from Science 3 seeks to identify and showcase up to 75 extraordinary examples of both still and moving images that reveal science in new and unique ways. Similar to past projects, it too will use the Internet as its primary voice to promote IFS 3 but this exhibit will feature computer generated images (CGI) including animations and illustrations. The organizers hope to include student images as a part of the exhibition as well. The images that will comprise the exhibition will be selected by an international panel of experts from around the world.

Images from Science 3 invites both new and recognized image-makers to submit their extraordinary illustrations, animations, photographs, and short-run videos for consideration in this unique collection of work. Nothing like this has ever been undertaken.

Download the IFS 3 Poster by clicking on this LINK

Sunday, December 2nd, 2018

Issue #4–On Sale Now!

Purchase Issue #4 — $35.00 USD SOLD OUT!

Issue #4: Letter from the Founder

Lately, the parable of the boiling frog has come mind. If unfamiliar, the story is about a frog placed in a pot of lukewarm water. The water warms, but as it does, the frog remains tranquil, unaware of any temperature changes. The temperature continues to warm, and eventually, too late to change its fate, the frog boils to death.

The parable of the boiling frog has not always been a fictional story though – it was first realized as a series of experiments conducted by German physiologist Friedrich Goltz in an attempt to locate the soul. In 1860, Goltz removed cerebral regions from frogs and immersed them in gradually warming water, comparing their behavior to that of normal frogs that were exposed to the same environmental conditions. As it turns out, the frogs with portions of their brains removed did not react to the warming water and boiled to death while the normal frogs, with brains fully intact, leapt out of the water when it began to warm. Though Goltz did not scientifically find the soul, his experiment has lived on and has been reinterpreted and utilized by philosophers and artists alike.

So, why has this specific parable come to mind? I think the frog in the gradually warming pot of water is an incredibly relevant analogy for humans, with an invaluable lesson at core. Last year scientists at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) ranked 2017 as the second-warmest year on record since reliable record-keeping began (ca. 1880). “This is the new normal,” stated Gavin A. Schmidt, director of the NASA’s Goddard Institute for Space Studies in New York. Temperatures are not likely to plateau, either. How do we find hope? Though humanity may sometimes appear to act in stupor and without a cerebral brain, hope lies in our awareness – of the gradually warming pot of water that not just the frogs are in, but that we are in.

Does this translate to development of advanced rockets and spacecraft so that we can eventually jump ship? Maybe, but I hope that living on other planets is not our only backup plan. I hope, instead, that we as humans choose to shift our focus and energy onto restoration. As human activity continues to transform most of Earth’s natural ecosystems, restoration of these dramatically altered spaces is our last beacon of hope. How do you plan to help? On an individual level, when faced with a problem, I try to remain solution-based. If the solution does not lend itself to an idealized outcome, I ask, “How can I do this differently?” So, here we are… how can we do this differently?

One solution can be found through cross-fertilization. It is time we bring multiple disciplines together with people from diverse backgrounds to exchange and formulate new ideas. Let us work together in this forest of creative hopelessness and develop innovative solutions for the problems that we have created, take necessary measures to preserve what remains, and inform future decision-making regarding the future of our natural resources.

Thus far, the underlying topics of E-Squared have encompassed the animal and what it means to be human (Issue #1); the environment and human impact (Issue #2); and man, machine, and the future of humanity (Issue #3). As E-Squared closes out its first volume, Issue #4 reminds us of our connection to planet Earth, grounding us in the sobering realities of our future. Together, let us begin… again.

Resolve to be a radicle* – emerging differently than before, giving rise to new and groundbreaking roots.

*The first root of the plant

Emily A. Dustman

“A normal frog if immersed in water which is gradually heated, speedily becomes violent in his attempts to escape. In striking contrast to this phenomenon is the behaviour of a brainless frog, which… sits motionless until it is dead from the excessive heat.” – Friedrich Goltz