Multimedia Gallery
"Aquatic Antenna," by Daniel Torelli
"Aquatic Antenna," by Daniel Torelli. This scanning electron microscope micrograph of the antenna of a ladybug, pictured here upside down, was entered in the 2010 Chapel Hill Analytical and Nanofabrication Lab Scientific Art Competition. The blue background was added for artistic purposes.
More about this image
This image was taken by Daniel Torelli, an undergraduate at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and a work-study student at the Chapel Hill Analytical and Nanofabrication Lab (CHANL).
Every year, CHANL participates in outreach events including Nanodays, a National Science Foundation-sponsored public outreach program focused on educating the public about nanoscale science and engineering.
This scientific artwork, the "Aquatic Antenna," was used to show what the world around us looks like on the nanoscale level, as well as to demonstrate current microscopy techniques. An FEI Quanta 200 FEG environmental scanning electron microscope was used to take the image and to display the capabilities of electron microscopy.
This image is from the second annual scientific art competition held by CHANL. CHANL is home to a series of electron microscopes; an X-ray photoelectron spectrometer; a cleanroom with photolithography, deposition and etching systems; and many other powerful imaging tools and equipment. The scientific art competition takes place in the spring and is open to anyone on campus. Entries this year came from students and faculty across the university, including many in pharmacy, biomedical engineering, medicine, computer science, studio art, physics and astronomy, and chemistry. Additional information on the competition and CHANL can be found on the CHANL website. (Date image taken: October 2009; date originally posted to NSF Multimedia Gallery: Sept. 14, 2017)
Credit: Daniel Torelli, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
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