July 19, 2012

ScienceArt Conference Hopping

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This article was published in Scientific American’s former blog network and reflects the views of the author, not necessarily those of Scientific American

Reports of last week's Guild of Natural Science Illustrator's Annual Conference in Savannah, GA are in and it was another successful meeting. If you weren't able to attend or you're already jonesin' for your next sciart fix, don't stress. Across the border to our north is the next big scienceart convention. This time, it's the Association of Medical Illustrators' Annual Conference which will be held July 26th-28th in Toronto, ON. Toronto modestly claims to be the "cultural, entertainment and financial capital of Canada" (what say you, Winnipeg?! Hmmm??) and although I'm not in a position to confirm or refute this claim, I daresay they're about to host over of 400 of the most talented professionals working today at the crossroads of science and art.

This year, the AMI is trying out a new format for the conference: themed days. Thursday's lineup will cover the role of visuals in educating people on scientific and medical topics. Speakers will include the famed E.O. Wilson on his vision for electronic textbooks of the future. Friday's focus will be on scientific visualization and will bring, among others, illustration legend James Gurney on board to talk about illustrating scenes from the imagination. For a lucky few who sign up for his workshop, he will give hands on instruction later that afternoon. Saturday will focus on animating for gaming and medical applications with insights into how we can best use games and animation in science education.

Personally, it tears my heart out that I won't be able to attend, but my co-blogger and native Torontonian, Glendon Mellow, will be there to absorb, interview, and report back on the happenings here at Symbiartic. Registration is open to members of the general public as well as active professionals and students.

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You can check out the full lineup of events at the conference website. To whet your appetite for what's in store, these are examples of last year's awards winners. Wowsah.

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