Faculty of Medicine researcher a finalist in national photo contest

May 23rd, 2023

Virginia Middleton

A Memorial researcher’s image is among the 20 finalists for this year’s Science Exposed contest.

A high-resolution 3D render of bone. The image includes many colours.
A Living Record, Dr. Janna M. Androwski’s Science Exposed image.
 PHOTO: DR. JANNA M. ANDRONOWSKI

Science Exposed is a contest organized by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada and devoted exclusively to images of scientific research, in all fields of study.

The image, submitted by Dr. Janna M. Andronowski, assistant professor of biomedical sciences, Faculty of Medicine, is titled A Living Record.

As a biological anthropologist and anatomist, Dr. Andronowski’s research focuses on the high-resolution, 3D imaging of bone microstructure and the related study of bone adaptation, aging and disease.

Profile photo of Dr. Janna Andronowski.
Dr. Janna M. Andronowski
 PHOTO: SUBMITTED

Dr. Andronowski’s description of A Living Record follows:

“A biographer of our lifespans and biological archive, bone is a dynamic living tissue constantly changing over individuals’ lives while recording life history information along the way. Bone’s ability to adapt to adjustments in our diets, activity regimens and the substances we ingest (e.g., drugs), are recorded and edited by teams of bone cells during the remodelling process. This high-resolution 3D render of bone generated using Synchrotron micro-Computed Tomography at Canada’s only synchrotron facility – the Canadian Light Source – visualizes the thickness of bone’s vascular canals (blue/purple) and provides a snapshot into the bone remodeling process (gold orb). Through demolishing damaged bone, bone cells demonstrate their remarkable ability to adapt to ever-changing physiological demands, leaving behind a preservable and readable record even centuries after death.”

Visit now to vote for the People’s Choice Award; winners of the Jury Prizes and the People’s Choice Award will be announced in the fall.