ART OF SCIENCE FINALIST
Madeline Martinez, doctoral student,
Stiles-Nicholson Brain Institute
Mentor: Lawrence Toll, Ph.D.
This composition presents three solvent-cleared mouse brains; each row represents one brain captured from the same perspective seconds apart. Nothing has changed, yet everything appears different. Inspired by Andy Warhol’s pop-art style, the repetition reflects both the rigor and rhythm of scientific imaging, where precision meets unpredictability. Each brain was made transparent through a chemical clearing process that preserves its structure while revealing uncommon transverse views. The result captures both beauty and disarray — an elegant reminder that even in controlled systems, variation persists and within the delicate architecture of the brain lies the same tension between order and chaos found in art.