Summer student's image win top prize in USask 'Images of Research' competition

Organized by Research Profile and Impact, the Images of Research competition serves as an annual reminder of the beauty in creating new knowledge. This year’s contest featured 92 entries across five categories, with seven multi-disciplinary panels of judges sharing their expertise and more than 2,000 public voters sharing their input to determine this year’s winning images. In total, more than 13,000 people visited the contest online.

With imagery submitted representing the work of 11 colleges, one school, one research centre and the library, USask researchers — from undergraduates, to faculty, to staff — have demonstrated the local, national, and international impacts of their work.

In 1966, the iconic biohazard symbol was designed to instil immediate fear in whoever saw it. Looking under the microscope, I found uterine tissue shaped like the biohazard symbol and I was immediately reminded of the fears people face during pregnancy. Preterm birth is the leading cause of newborn death, disability, and developmental delays. Despite these burdens, around half of preterm births occur due to unknown causes. In this cross-section of the uterus obtained by epifluorescence microscopy, proteins which may have a role in initiating labour have been made to fluorescently glow. By investigating these proteins, we can possibly learn to predict and even prevent preterm birth – helping to put an end to the hazards of pregnancy.

Funder: Natural Sciences and Engineering Council of Canada

View all winning images here and see all 2022 submissions here.