Vote for Contest Entries!
The photos can be viewed on the bottom of this page and in person in the Applied Technology building atrium. All voting will take place using the online form.
Voting will start on Monday, April 22 and it will end on May 3, 2024.
Vote for your favorite Photo Contest Entries
What?
Put your artistic talents to use while demonstrating your STEM knowledge and compete to have your photo displayed on campus. Your photo should reflect a concept, principle, theory, or phenomena of Science, Technology, Engineering or Mathematics.
The subject of your photo can either appear in nature such as everyday situations that may demonstrate STEM concepts, or be contrived to show a particular STEM based concept or related set of concepts. Need some examples? Below are a few photos alongside the descriptions that the photographers submitted to the American Association of Physics Teachers (AAPT) annual High School Physics Photo Contest.
Contrived Photos
The Colour of Soap Bubbles
Kelly Zhang
Description
Essay Title: The Colour of Soap Bubbles
Category: Contrived
Photo Number: 5917
School: Richmond Hill High School
Teacher Name: Julie Dean
The Colour of Soap Bubbles
This photograph is an example of thin-film interference. White light reflecting off soap bubbles displays a swirling pattern of colours. A soap bubble is an air-filled sphere surrounded by an extremely thin film made up of a sheet of water encompassed by two layers of soap molecules. Light behaves as a wave, much like ripples from a stone thrown into a pond, and different colours of light have different wavelengths. White light is a complete mixture of all the wavelengths of the visible spectrum at equal intensity. When white light shines onto the soap bubbles, the light reflected from the outer soap layer interferes with the light reflected from the inner soap layer. Depending on the thickness of the film and the angle of light, the reflected light waves can interfere destructively or constructively with each other, causing the iridescent colours on the soap bubbles’ surfaces.
Tensegrity
Ryan Wong
Description
Essay Title: Tensegrity
Category: Contrived
Photo Number: 6006
School: Temple City High School
Teacher Name: : Kevin Slatter
Tensegrity
While at first this table appears to be defying gravity, it relies on torques and one simple yet important quality of strings to pull off the illusion: strings can only be in tension–not in compression. The top piece, which has a weight vector pointing directly down, is being suspended by a cable at the center, which has a tension vector opposing that of the weight vector. In order for the table to remain still, the forces must remain in equilibrium. If there were only one cable at the center, and the center of mass of the table wasn’t in line with the tension vector, then there would be a net torque on the tabletop causing it to tip over. As a result, taut cables in the corners exert torques that counteract an off-centered weight of the top piece to retain equilibrium. Furthermore, they allow uneven loads on the tabletop, such as the weight of a cup or a book. Placing an object on one side of the table creates a torque through the center cable, about the center of mass of the table. Strings on the opposite side increase their tension while strings on the same side decrease their tension in order to counteract the torque caused by the top loads. Designing this table, I also considered how tension in a string pulls in both directions and inserted dowels into the joints to increase the torque that they could sustain before failing
Natural Photos
The Moon Setting over the City that Never Sleeps
Maya Singh
Description
Essay Title: The Moon Setting over the City that Never Sleeps
Category: Natural
Photo Number: 5971
School: Trinity School
Teacher Name: John Schober
The Moon Setting over the City that Never Sleeps
Astrophotography is a big hobby of mine, but living in New York City has unfortunately made it quite difficult. The one astronomical object that is (almost) always visible and people commonly leave out of astrophotography is the moon. This photo shows the a crescent moon setting over the New York City skyline. This is a composite image showing the location of the moon every few minutes as it sets. Half of the moon is always illuminated, meaning that a crescent moon (or any moon phase that is not a full moon) occurs because part of that illuminated half is not visible from Earth
Warning Lights
Ben Schmitz
Description
Essay Title: Warning Lights
Category: Natural
Photo Number: 6059
School: Minnetonka High School
Teacher Name: Kimberly Hoehne
Warning Lights
This image was captured on our recent trip to Mesa, Arizona while we were looking for scorpions using a black light. I selected it because It is also an example of energy transfer. Some types of scorpions have the strange trait of being able to glow under the influence of UV light. It comes from a special layer in their exoskeleton called the hyaline layer. Not much is really known about what sort of process actually causes this ghostly glow, other than somehow energy is being transformed into actual visible light. Some possibilities are that it absorbs the energy from the UV light and converts it into visible light, or it could also release visible light as some sort of reaction to the UV rays. Some scientists believe that the purpose of this glow is to alert the scorpion when it is not being covered. The UV rays could come from either the sun or its reflection against the moon, perhaps triggering some sort of chemical reaction inside the scorpion and alerting it. This is an example of energy transfer because whether the glow comes from a chemical reaction triggered by the UV light, or from the scorpion somehow recycling it into visible light, the energy is somehow being changed into the bioluminescent light that we see. Either way, the process results in an impressive blue-green glow and makes it a lot easier to find these small predators at night.
Who?
Current students, faculty, and staff are all invited to participate. Prizes for 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place will be awarded in the student category, and 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place will be awarded in the faculty/staff category. You can submit as many photos are you’d like, but you can only win once.
Questions? Email stemphotocontest@sunybroome.edu
Photo Submission Finalists
Student Category
Florida Everglades Trip
Entry # 63
The photo of a crocodile can be related to STEM through the study of biomechanics. Analyzing the structure of a crocodile’s jaw and its powerful bite force contributes to understanding mechanical principles in biology. Additionally, exploring the reptile’s behavior in its ecosystem provides insights into ecological interactions, making the image a window into both biological and environmental aspects of STEM disciplines.
Chicken of the Woods
Entry # 67
In nature (for the most part), a brightly colored organism means it is toxic. But that is simply not the case for this fungus. This is Laetiporus Sulphureus, also known as sulphur shelf, the chicken mushroom, or chicken of the woods. As the name suggests, this mushroom has a high sulfur content. The sulfur content may play a part in its chicken-like flavor. This mushroom grows in shelf-like clusters or in a floret pattern like the picture shown. Caps can range from a few inches to a foot across! The cap is bright orange on the top. In this particular species, the cap has a bright yellow
porus underside that looks smooth. It’s internal flesh is white. It typically grows from late spring through fall. The only look a-likes are the chanterelle mushroom, which grows singly on the ground and is also edible, and the toxic jack o lantern mushroom that has an orange gilled underside and can glow in the dark! The chicken of the woods is a hidden gem in the woods of the U.S. If you wish to eat a wild mushroom, seek a professional to ensure it is safe to do so.
The ‘Star’ of Acadia National Park
Entry # 70
The starfish is known to be a keystone species within the coastal tidepools. A keystone species refers to an organism (typically a predator) that keeps populations of other species within the ecosystem regulated. This regulation increases biodiversity.
Mendenhall Glacier
Entry # 72
This photo was taken in Juneau Alaska and shows the Mendenhall Glacier. The Mendenhall Glacier is a valley glacier and that has been receding.
Going Home After a Long Day
Entry # 80
Times Square is a prime example of the intersection between technology and urban development. The brightly lit signs result from advanced electrical engineering and the principles of optics and
photonics. Moreover, the programming behind the synchronization of these vivid displays is an application of computer science, highlighting how software can be utilized to manage complex systems in real time. This image showcases the practical applications of STEM disciplines in everyday life.
Mohammed Ali Mosque B
Entry # 96
Light Reflectives in the round off Alabaster floors, walls and pillars illuminates shadows. The depth of colors in the stone decreases when radiance of the 365 suspended lights increase across the surface of the stone.
MultiColor LED Lights
Entry # 98
Modern technology’s wonder, multicolor LED lights, provide an abundance of options for illuminating rooms with vivid colors and dramatic visual effects. Multicolor LEDs, in contrast to conventional single-color LEDs, are made up of several light-emitting diodes, each of which is able to emit a distinct hue of light. Given its adaptability, users can design compelling lighting displays for a variety of uses, including stage lighting, architectural accenting, and mood enhancement. Multicolor LED lights give you unmatched versatility and control over ambiance and aesthetics since they can be controlled remotely via smart devices or controllers to change colors, brightness settings, and even program sequences. Multicolor LED lights enlighten the imagination and illuminate environments in astonishing ways, whether they are used to improve the ambiance of a house, add flair to an event location, or transform the atmosphere of a commercial space.
The Pillars of Creation
Entry # 99
M16, also known as the Eagle Nebula, is home to the iconic feature known as the Pillars of Creation. These pillars were formed over one million years, carved out by stellar winds from large nearby O-type stars. Located just right of the center portion of the nebula, there is an open star cluster NGC 6611, which contains young stars around the age of 5.5 million years old. The stars themselves are massive, hot blue stars with surface temperatures of about 35,000 K. They emit powerful solar winds and radiation which have carved away at the surrounding regions of gas. However, dense pockets of gas, also known as evaporating gaseous globules, have blocked the stellar wind from the area behind them, allowing gas to gather around those regions leading to the iconic shape of the Eagle Nebula that we know today!This image was taken with over one hour’s worth of total camera exposure time. The red color shows areas that predominately contain Hα gas, and the blue-like shade represents regions containing OIII gas.
Organic Housing
Entry # 100
Mud daubers are a solitary species of wasp. After mating, females select an area near soil, water, and their prey of choice: spiders, to build their nest. The female wasp collects mud by vibrating her mandibles (insect mouthpart) with her wing muscles, forming the soil into a small ball that she carries back to the nest. Upon returning, she lays down the small ball and compacts it by tapping with her front legs and vibrating her mandibles. It takes about thirty to forty small balls of mud, laid down over several hours to a day, to construct the nest. Finally, the nest is covered with a thick layer of soil to protect it from predators and rain. The nests consist of tube-like brood cells, in which the wasps lay their eggs within spiders that later serve as food for their offspring.
Preying Eyes
Entry # 101
The European Praying Mantis is one of the species of praying mantises that can be found in New York State. This carnivorous predator mainly relies on its sight while hunting. The Praying Mantis is equipped with two large compound eyes and three more eyes placed between them on top of the mantis’s head. This, along with their ability to rotate their heads 180°, gives praying mantises the unique ability to see in three dimensions. When hunting, mantises utilize their raptorial arms, armed with spikes, to hold onto and grab their prey.
Faculty/Staff Category
Frosted Picture Frame
Entry # 66
A cold, clear night produced a frost-framed view through a northwest-facing window. Differential radiative cooling along with variations in thermal conductivity of the frame and glass produced the viewing shape. The color bands visible in the frost are the result of thin-film interference off the double-pane window glass.
Oculus Spine
Entry # 69
This view of the ceiling inside the Oculus Transportation Hub in Lower Manhattan showcases the concept of symmetry. Inside this unique multipurpose space (transit hub, retail, dining and more), you appear to be within a human chest, its spine and ribcage arching over you. From the outside, the building appears as a ribcage or heart, depending on your angle. The carefully-considered architecture speaks to the unique role of this building as both a functional municipal space and a memorial to what was — it occupies the space of the former World Trade Center PATH Station, which was destroyed during the collapse of the towers on 9/11.
Fractured Marbles
Entry # 75
When it’s not catastrophic, thermal stress can produce interesting effects. These cats-eye marbles were heated at 200°C for 30 minutes, then dropped into ice water. The outside of the marble cooled rapidly but the low thermal conductivity of the glass kept the inside hot. The resulting shrinkage of the outside produced intense internal pressure which resulted in internal fracturing which rarely reaches the surface. Although the cause of the internal pressure is different, the effect is similar to that used in compressing the D-T pellets that are used in the inertial confinement fusion process which is currently being studied as a potential source of nuclear power.
Sunset: Hex Code #F89880
Entry # 76
The orange color of the sky during sunset is due to the scattering of sunlight by particles and molecules in the Earth’s atmosphere. During sunset, sunlight has to travel through more of the atmosphere, which scatters shorter blue and violet wavelengths more than longer red and orange wavelengths. This scattering effect causes the sky to appear orange or red during sunset and in this case reflects orange/pink on the rippling water of Cayuga Lake.
Night / Day
Entry # 82
Dandelion flowers eventually wilt and drop and are replaced by a fluffy white seed head consisting of up to 250 seeds. In the “… and Day” photo, the seed head appears as the dark sphere in the center. In the “Night, …” photo, the seed head is less evident and appears white. Individual seeds are carried by small, downy “parachutes,” or pappi, that enable them to be carried by the wind. This method of dispersal allows the seeds to travel up to several meters, and in rare cases, up to a kilometer to new territory. (Text courtesy Dr. Tracy Curtis, Biology)
Astrophysics
Entry # 83
NGC 3324 is an open cluster in the southern constellation Carina. It is associated with the emission nebula IC 2599, and together they have been nicknamed the “Gabriela Mistral Nebula” due to the resemblance to the Chilean poet. In this image taken with the Prompt 6 telescope at Cerro-Tololo Inter-American Observatory, you can see the bright blue stars at the center of the nebula whose stellar winds have pushed most of the remaining gas outward forming the bright red shockwave that represents the boundary between the stellar winds and the surrounding gas and dust. The hotter green area in the center is seen through emission from doubly ionized oxygen, while the shock front contains the bright pink of hydrogen alpha on the inside and the darker red of singly ionized sulfur on the outside showing that this is a region of high-density gas.
Water Gathering
Entry # 84
This picture illustrates the concept of surface tension, which is defined as the property of a liquid surface to act as an elastic sheet. The way that the water from a fresh rainfall gathers on the leaves of this Spiraea Japonica ‘Froebelii’ plant illustrates one example of surface tension. The surface tension of the water droplets keeps them intact, and each leaf consists of grooves and microscopic hairs. This combination of surface tension along with the leaves’ anatomy enables the water to gather and eventually glide down the leaves. Because plants absorb water through their roots,
rather than their leaves, this process is important for thirsty plants as it will lead to the plant absorbing that rainwater once it rolls off the leaves and reaches the soil.
Building Bridges
Entry # 85
Deception Pass Bridge at Deception Pass State Park, Washington State, USABridges are built to allow people to travel more easily between places and to span a certain space without disturbing the location beneath. A bridge may be classified based on how tension, compression, torsion, bending, and/or shear are utilized within that particular structure. The pictured bridge is commonly known as the Deception Pass Bridge, but it actually consists of two separate bridges: the Deception Pass Bridge, a cantilever truss bridge, and the Canoe Pass Bridge, an arch bridge. Canoe Pass spans a shorter amount of space and has cliffs ideal for an arch anchored to those cliffs while Deception Pass spans a much larger distance and lacks the cliffs, which makes its design with piers and cantilevers more appropriate. The bridges appear visually similar but are very different structurally.
Sunflower
Entry # 91
Sunflowers produce seeds through pollination and fertilization. This plant contains both male and female reproductive structures. During pollination grains from the male part of the flower are transferred to the female part, assisted by bees, birds, and butterflies. Fertilization occurs when a pollen grain travels down the style, combines with an ovule in the ovary, and forms a seed. This photo shows the male and female structures in various stages of pollination and fertilization.
Biology Of A Leaf
Entry # 93
This photo was taken at just the right time and right angle to display the vascular system in this leaf. The midrib, veins, and the venules all work to carry water, food, and minerals throughout the leaf and to other parts of the plant can be seen without magnification.