果冻影院

XClose

果冻影院 Institute of Healthcare Engineering

Home
Menu

鈥淧lacental Pop-Art鈥 image wins prize in the EPSRC Photography Competition鈥檚 Weird and Wonderful cate

8 February 2018

We are pleased to announce that a placental image submitted by GIFT-Surg researchers from WEISS has come second in the Weird and Wonderful category of the EPSRC Photography Competition 2017.

Placenta pop art

The competition is a chance for EPSRC-funded researchers to share another side of their work. The image entitled 鈥淧lacental Pop-Art鈥 uses different colour iterations of six segmented high resolution placental photographs, to demonstrate the diversity of placental shapes and appearances that resulted in a successful pregnancy.

Placental Pop-Art by Dr Rosalind Aughwane, 果冻影院鈥淧lacentas are fantastically diverse in shape and appearance, but each one of these examples in this montage successfully supported a new life. These images show automatically segmented chorionic vascular trees obtained from high resolution photography. The research investigates how these tree structures relate to successful placental function. The simple colour palette reflects how diversity can arise whilst providing this vitally important life-creating role.鈥

These photographs were captured by Dr Rosalind Aughwane and Dr Andrew Melbourne as part of a wider collaborative project led by Professor Sebastien Ourselin in the 果冻影院 Department of Medical Physics and Biomedical Engineering and Professor Anna David at the 果冻影院 Institute for Women鈥檚 Health, alongside colleagues Dr Owen Arthurs and Professor Neil Sebire from Great Ormond Street Hospital Institute of Child Health. The project is developing novel methods to image placental blood flow and perfusion.

One of the judges Professor Dame Ann Dowling, President of the Royal Academy of Engineering, said:听鈥淲hat I think is remarkable about the photographs submitted is that they are linked to projects supported by EPSRC and demonstrate the sheer breadth of the technical areas being funded and the opportunities for real change for people, businesses and society through the innovations that are coming from this work.

鈥淣ot only do we have really strong, attractive photographs, the stories behind them about the research and why it is being done are inspiring.

鈥淢uch of this work will lead to innovations that transform lives and, in this Year of Engineering, it鈥檚 marvellous to see these great examples of transformational research.鈥

Congratulating the winners and entrants, Professor Tom Rodden, EPSRC鈥檚 Deputy Chief Executive, said:听鈥淓very year we are stunned by the quality and creativity of the entries into our competition and this year has been no exception. They show that our researchers want to tell the world about the beauty of science and engineering. I鈥檇 like to thank everyone who entered; judging was really difficult.

鈥淭he images help the public engage with the research they fund, and I hope they will spark interest in science and engineering among people, young or older.鈥

Dr Rosalind Aughwane and Dr Andrew Melbourne鈥檚 placental image has already attracted media coverage, including a feature as the headline banner in this听.