Science and technology are continuously advancing in the modern world, and for effective education of the public about complex scientific topics, one needs to get creative. A great way to do so is using art as a medium. Misha Hegde, a student in 10b SISS won two awards for her artworks at the Heidelberger Life Science Lab.
The first prize she won is the Wiss-Komm Prize, a prize which promotes the communication of scientific research topics through creative media such as videos, podcasts, cartoons or magazine articles. Misha made a cartoon to explain the life cycle of phages, otherwise known as bacteria viruses, and to demonstrate how they can be used to fight antibiotic-resistant bacteria. Antibiotic resistance is one of the top ten deadliest diseases in the world. Misha has also dedicated her Jugend forscht project to phage research, which she does in the school’s MakerLab.
The second prize she was awarded was the Hannah-Novatschkova-Gedenkpreis, in honor of Hannah Novatschkova, who was an integral part of the Heidelberger Life Science Lab for 13 years. The prize is awarded for any creative artwork which is related to a scientific theme. Misha decided to stick with her theme of phages, and thus crocheted a 3D Model of a T4 Phage which infects E. coli bacteria.
Text and Picture: Dr. Petra Leidert