Advancing shark science through digital art Natalie Donato uses digital art to illuminate the anatomy and ecology of some of the ocean’s most misunderstood creatures — sharks. A junior Honors biology student and 2024 Goldwater Scholar, she works in Taylor Chapple’s Big Fish Lab, where she uses 3D photogrammetry to create accurate and detailed digital models of shark heads, mapping the electroreceptors that help them navigate their environment. By understanding where the pores sit, scientists can link that to how sharks capture prey, their habitats, head shape, evolutionary lineage and more. Donato’s art is also making waves outside the lab. She is the creative mind behind Oregon’s new “Vibrant Ocean” license plate, featuring salmon, thresher and blue sharks, to raise awareness and support for shark conservation. By merging science and art, she makes marine biology more accessible and memorable. “The ocean is this underwater forest that’s shrouded under waves,” she said. “It’s an alien world we don’t get to experience as often as on land.” Inspiring better pathways for AI, clean energy and the environment Two College of Science faculty members — Maude David and Oksana Ostroverkhova — helped bridge science and art in FutureFarmers: Silicon Forest, a thought-provoking exhibition examining the complex relationship between ecology, technology and human agency. During its stop at the Patricia Valian Reser Center for the Creative Arts, the exhibit invites visitors to reflect on the hidden costs of data usage Art brings discoveries to life These glowing shark pores make for artistic macro photos, but they also reveal much about the species’ habits. Seeing Science Differently Art by Natalie Donato, Nilanjana Das and Vaishnavi Padaki Photography by Aiden Burgess, Jason St. Clair, Faith Schell and Erica Martin IMPACT FALL 2025 5
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MTcxMjMwNg==