BCA News: Spring 2021
 

Tomorrow’s BioImages

What a year it has been. 12 months of living in a pandemic has changed everything for everyone. It has forced individuals and organizations to rethink how they do everyday things and to examine their futures. BCA has not been immune to these forces and has also needed to adapt and evolve.

In late 2020, I was invited to lead the BioImages competition because of my experiences with the Images from Science project I started in 2000. After some persuasive conversations with Adam Cooper and Jamie Hayden, I agreed to assist the organization moving forward with its ambitious work on creating an entirely new website and leading BioImages, the longstanding professional exhibition of the association.

I am working hard on building upon the foundational work that Charlene Baron created when BioImages went from its print salon to its current version online. There are SO MANY moving pieces that are in play for this work and that must be addressed when envisioning how BioImages will be.

In conjunction with Adam and Jamie, we are building a schedule for the Association's yearly activities and the BioImages event taking into account there again will be no in-person annual meeting this year. This reality and the association's complete rebuild of the website is leading the process. For the moment, the tentative goal is to create an online exhibition that will debut in late fall at a date TBD.

Agua Nueva Agate, with quartz spicules growing at the core x5 © Norm Barker, MA, MS, RBP, FBCA
Winner of a Citation of Merit in the BioImages 2020 Specimen category.

Since BioImages will be able to take advantage of the features being designed into the new website, we are hopeful, the image submission, judging, and display will be more efficient and effective. These are a few of the many considerations I am wrestling with. To assist me in evaluating how to best invent the future, I have created a BioImages Advisory Committee. My committee includes Norman Barker, Ted Kinsman, Paul Crompton, Bob Turner, Hannah Ely, a medical illustrator, and Teri Zgoda, who currently works for Phase One. We have met and there are plans for one additional meeting as we hone in on a workflow for Tomorrow's BioImages. It is very exciting and challenging work.

As part of this work, we created a simple mission. To enhance and grow the BCA's BioImages, a juried online exhibition of biomedical and scientific imaging, by building on its historically important traditions to create new member engagement and establish best practices for tomorrow's competitions. We are examining categories, voting processes, terms of judges, how to identify awards and just about everything else.

In closing, thank you for your interest in this important BCA activity and we hope you will take full advantage of the opportunity to showcase your best work in the near future.

Professor Michael Peres
Rochester Institute of Technology
BioImages Chair
 

As the new BioImages competition develops throughout the year we will be bringing you updates on BioImages entry dates and submission details. Watch out for the exciting developments.

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