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See the top shots in the Woman Science Photographer of the Year award

From bioluminescent marine algae to soap bubbles, these stunning images are some of the winners and finalists for the inaugural RPS Woman Science Photographer of the Year competition

By Gege Li

1 March 2023

RPS Woman Science Photographer of the Year a small group of atmospheric scientists move a fluxsled to the ice, this was the first instrument deployed on the new MOSAiC floe. ?Leap of Science? by Lianna Nixon (USA)

Lianna Nixon; Leap of Science

Lianna Nixon

FEMALE scientists are still a minority, making up a third of all researchers. In celebration and support of the UN’s International Day of Women and Girls in Science, the UK-based Royal Photographic Society held its first Woman Science Photographer of the Year competition.

?Watershed Triptych? by Margaret LeJeune (USA) Watershed Triptych harnesses the light of bioluminescent dino?agellates to illuminate watershed maps from the United States Geological Survey Hydromap project. These organisms, colloquially known as sea sparkle, are also the same marine life that generate red tide algal blooms. Though sometimes naturally occurring, these harmful blooms have been increasing in numbers over the past 30 years as larger and more powerful storms ?ood factory farms causing excessive nutrients to spill into the waterways from CAFO over?ows. These maps represent the three largest watersheds in the United States and the outflow areas where algal blooms have been recorded. RPS Woman Science Photographer of the Year

Margaret LeJeune

“Representation helps to invite the next generation to follow their curiosity and get involved in the fields of science and art,” said Margaret LeJeune, who took the adult category’s top prize for her image titled Watershed Triptych (pictured above). It shows maps of the three largest watersheds in the US, lit by bioluminescent marine algae called dinoflagellates. Though their glow looks dazzling, the toxins some of them release can pose a threat to ocean life.

Winner ? Young Woman Photographer (under 18) RPS Woman Science Photographer of the Year ?The Beauty of Soap Bubbles? by Kelly Zhang (USA) I took this photograph of soap bubbles in 2022 and was genuinely amazed by their iridescent hues and rich textures. The swirling pattern of colours is caused by thin-?lm interference, where light re?ected from the outer soap layer interferes with light re?ected from the inner soap layer.

Kelly Zhang

The Young Woman Science Photographer award, open to under-18s, went to Kelly Zhang for The Beauty of Soap Bubbles (pictured above) – a trippy shot of the iridescent surfaces of these delicate spheres. Finalists also included Lianna Nixon for Leap of Science (main image), which provides a snapshot of the recent MOSAiC Expedition that probed how the Arctic will be affected by climate change. Here, researchers are searching for a spot to measure the surface reflectivity of sea ice.

Some shortlisted photos are shown in the trio of images below.

Finalist RPS Woman Science Photographer of the Year ?Colony? by Jindra Jehu (UK) Colony 2022 is a sculptural work made from paper and engine oil which has been transformed by the growth of Pink Oyster Mushrooms. The work questions the ability of the ?grey kingdom? to convert hydrocarbons into fungal sugars. Land and water cleansed through mycoremediation.

Jindra Jehu

A paper and engine oil structure transformed by the growth of pink oyster mushrooms, by Jindra Jehu (above);

RPS Woman Science Photographer of the Year ?Nanosatelite? by Lina Yeleuova (Kazakhstan) On March 27, more than 150 female participants of the UniSat educational program from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Uzbekistan launched three state-of-the-art nanosatellites into the stratosphere. The nanosatellites, which belong to a class of small spacecraft, are equipped with several cameras, one of which is capable of capturing elliptical images of the Earth in 4K resolution. Girls and I were selected from 2,000 young women who had previously completed the UniSat online course to create and launch nanosatellites.

Lina Yeleuova

A nanosatellite launched in 2022 to analyse air pollution, by Lina Yeleuova, runner-up in the under-18 category (above);

Finalist RPS Woman Science Photographer of the Year ?Portrait of an Alien? by Irina Petrova Adamatzky (UK) A photo of the skin of a corn snake (Pantherophis guttatus). It was made using ultraviolet light. It's a scientific fact that snakeskin glows in ultraviolet light which herpetologists use to find snakes in the dark since the end of last century.

Irina Petrova Adamatzky

The skin of a corn snake under UV light, by Irina Petrova Adamatzky (above).

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