ORONO, Maine — Students at the University of Maine are looking to bridge the gap between the art and science worlds with their newest exhibit, demonstrating the dangers of microplastics in our environments.
Titled "Co-Translation: Making the Invisible Visible Nanotechnology & Art vs. PFAS and Microplastics," each piece in the exhibit demonstrates the research and dangers of PFAS, also known as forever chemicals, and microplastics.
Associate research professor of art and graduate coordinator Susan Smith aided students in their work who previously unveiled a similar mobile art lab, demonstrating paintings made with PFAS-contaminated soil taken from spots across the state.
Both art and science students collaborated with each other across classrooms, laboratories, and art rooms to translate their research into art.
Graduate student Kenneth Mensah said the exhibit aims to explain environmental issues and develop solutions for the future in different forms that are easy to understand.
"Scientists don't have much information about art, but it was a good challenge you know; it was a good opportunity for me to learn," Mensah said. "I worked with two music students and we came up with some ideas about how to show nanobubbles through music, how to show PFAS, how to talk about the challenges of current water treatment processes."
Pieces of work range from paintings created from PFAS-contaminated soil sampled here in Maine to the student's own research notes they took when creating the exhibit.
Research associate Manisha Choudhary said that oftentimes seeing is believing, which can bring more attention to a problem than simple word of mouth.
"When you look at an image, or if you look at a movie, or if you look at an art piece, or a sculpture, or any kind of art exhibition then you will realize, 'OK, this issue is serious.' That's when it hits you," Choudhary said.
The exhibit is featured at the Innovation Media Research and Commercialization Center all of Thursday, where it will partially be put on display this Friday for the university's symposium.