Students from across campus take part in Syracuse University’s first-ever Bio-Art class.
June 29, 2022, by Dan Bernardi

Somewhere deep inside a laboratory on the Syracuse University campus, students gather in a dark room, the only light coming from the glow of a computer. The pixels on the screen visualize an up-close view of a cell, uncovering a striking, never-before-seen image full of vibrant colors. This must be a course just for science majors, right? Think again!

In Bio-Art (Bio400/600 and TRM500), cross-listed between the College of Arts and Sciences (A&S) and the College of Visual and Performing Arts (VPA), STEM students join art majors in a first-of-its-kind course at Syracuse, where students explore and create their own bio-art.

Offered for the first time in Spring 2022 and co-taught by A&S biology professor Heidi Hehnly and VPA film and media art professor Boryana Rossa, the course included students from VPA, the College of Engineering and Computer Science, A&S’ Departments of Physics and Biology, and from the SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry. The unique collaborative structure promotes cross pollination of skillsets – where scientists gain valuable tools from artists, such as art theory, semiotics, image processing and video editing, and in return artists learn new scientific methods from STEM faculty and students, including microscopy and genomics. The result is visually inspiring art rooted in science that tells a personal story.