Building Alliances @ #Microsoc24

As part of the strong NTU representation at the 2024 Annual Microbiology Conference, Dr Leanne Timpson and Mr Richard Perrotta’s abstract entitled “Building Alliances – An Interdisciplinary Approach to Learning about the Microscopic World” was selected for a Flash Talk at the Education and Outreach Symposium.
The project was initiated in 2023 by Dr Leanne Timpson, Lecturer in Microbiology at Nottingham Trent University, who, during her own PhD in working with extremophilic microorganisms, often wondered about visualisation techniques for structures and molecular level processes that were too small to observe with the naked eye!

Together with Mr Richard Perrotta, Lecturer in Art at the Confetti Institute of Creative Technologies, they created the “Building Alliances” interdisciplinary project between NTU and Confetti Institute. The collaborative project was possible as a result of Dr Timpson’s experience in working with microorganisms and Mr Perrotta’s experience in working as an inker and comic book artist for Marvel and DC comics. Both having experience in working in industrial and academic environments also supported the planning and running of this project.

The “Building Alliances” project involved students from foundation-year Biosciences at Nottingham Trent University and second-year Games Art undergraduate students from Confetti Institute of Creative Technologies. Instead of bringing superheroes like Wolverine and Iron Man to life, this project involved using traditional drawing methods and digital artwork to peer inside the world of biology to include cells, microorganisms and microscopic structures.

Artistic representation of a blood vessel and red blood cells. Credit: Laura Hatch, Games Art student at Confetti Institute. NTU Team: Hatch 9.

What might it be like to be inside a chloroplast? Credit: Ivett Berki, Games Art student at Confetti Institute. NTU Team: Triple X Y.

NTU Bioscience students developed professional identity and researching skills through teaching and providing editorial commentary on the work produced by the Confetti students. In turn, the Confetti students gained subject knowledge in an area they were previously unfamiliar with and developed their concept art drawing skills. Both cohorts developed essential work-like experience in terms of collaboration, communication, teamwork and compromise. Students realised the importance of the work-like element of the project in terms of meeting deadlines and working with others from disciplines and levels different to their own. One student commented “The ability to collaborate with people in very different fields of work and make something meaningful was great!” The work created was used by the Confetti students as part of their Games Art Toolkit portfolio. The Bioscience students also used the artwork as a resource when preparing for poster presentations on cells and their organelles.

Both Leanne and Richard are extremely proud of what the students achieved during the first stage of this project. They are thankful to Dr Sarah Rayment and Dr Michael Loughlin at Nottingham Trent University for inspiring conversations and support with the ethics application as well as Mr Simon Holland at Confetti Institute of Creative Technologies for his support with this work.

Concept art produced from the “Building Alliances” project. Left-hand image: Artistic interpretation of a golgi apparatus. Credit: Anita Nagy (The Winning Swimmers/MICRO FROG GAMES). Middle image: Artistic interpretation of an Escherichia coli cell. Credit: Grace Haywood (Synaptic Knobs/Bionic Ink). Right-hand panel: Artistic interpretation of a deep-sea smoker (an example of an environment where thermophilic microorganism may be found). Credit: Will Forsyth (Biowizards/CELLSHADED STUDIOS).

Dr Leanne Timpson presenting the “Building Alliances” project at the Education and Outreach Symposium, Microbiology Society Annual Conference 2024.