Nouvelles

MELVILLE, NY, October 8, 2009 – A magnificent depiction of the essence of floral life, a gorgeous photograph of a thale cress anther (the male sex organ of a small flowering plant) is the winning image in the 2009 Nikon Small World Photomicrography Competition. Heiti Paves of Tallinn, Estonia took the top honor with this image, which was magnified 20 times and taken using a confocal microscope.

Nikon Small World recognizes Dr. Paves’ image, along with the other winners from this year, for showing both scientific and artistic qualities. More than 2,000 entries were received this year, the most ever for the competition, from scientists and artists across the world. The winning images were selected by a distinguished panel of judges.

“As part of my work as a research scientist, I have been taking photographs through the microscope for almost 30 years to observe the processes in living cells. I have spent a lot of time to capture nice pictures worthy of submission to the Nikon Small World Competition,” said Heiti Paves, a scientist of Tallinn University of Technology. “I am honored to receive this recognition and am excited for the opportunity to share my work broadly.”

Now in its 35th year, Nikon Small World is the oldest and most respected competition of its kind. The competition, which has become the preeminent forum for showcasing the beauty and complexity of life as seen through the light microscope, celebrates the world's best photomicrographers who create beautiful imagery while showcasing a wide variety of advanced scientific disciplines. Nikon Small World recognizes photomicrographers for their achievements in capturing dynamic images at the intersection of science and art.

“We are lucky to see some of the most unbelievable things under the microscope. This competition is truly the world’s gallery, giving researchers and photographers globally the opportunity to share their amazing work,” said Lee Shuett, executive vice president, Nikon Instruments. “Every year the competition gets better and better. It is clearly reflecting the discovery process – not in just life science but in industry as well.”

The top five images this year include Dr. Paves’ thale cress anther, Gerd Guenther’s picture of a spiny sowthistle’s stem, Dr. Pedro Barrios-Perez’s image of a wrinkled photoresist, James Hayden’s colorful, spiraling image of an anglerfish ovary and Bruno Vellutini’s photomicrograph of the oral surface of a young seastar. Nikon has also awarded several “Honorable Mentions” and “Images of Distinction” this year to outstanding photomicrographs that demonstrate superior technical competency and artistic skill.

“The Nikon Small World competition provides a premier opportunity to have your work seen by an enormous amount of international venues,” said Mr. James Hayden, manager of the microscopy facility at the Wistar Institute in Philadelphia and 2009 Small World 4th Place winner with a colorful, spiraling image of an anglerfish ovary. “As the competition has grown through film and digital techniques, it has showcased amazing new technologies like confocal and 2-photon imaging, and it has helped create that spark of interest in a new generation. These images are ambassadors – introducing the scientific accomplishments of the research world to the general public.”

This year’s judges again represented top industry experts and included Gary Borisy, Ph.D., Director and Chief Executive Officer, Marine Biological Laboratory; Charles Krebs, Photographer, Charles Krebs Photography; James Shreeve, Science Editor, National Geographic; and Clive Thompson, Journalist.

Top images from the 2009 Nikon Small World Competition will be exhibited in a full-color 2010 calendar and through a national museum tour. For additional information, including tour cities and dates, please visit www.nikonsmallworld.com.

THE OFFICIAL 2009 NIKON SMALL WORLD WINNERS

The 2009 gallery of winning images can be viewed at www.nikonsmallworld.com.

1st Place

Dr. Heiti Paves

Tallinn University of Technology

Tallinn, Estonia

Arabidopsis thaliana (thale cress) anther (20x)

Confocal

2nd Place

Gerd A. Guenther

Düsseldorf, Germany

Sonchus asper (spiny sowthistle) flower stem section (150x)

Darkfield

3rd Place

Dr. Pedro Barrios-Perez

Institute for Microstructural Sciences

National Research Council of Canada

Ottawa, Ontario, Canada

Wrinkled photoresist (200x)

Brightfield

4th Place

James Hayden

The Wistar Institute

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA

Anglerfish ovary (4x)

Two-channel Autofluorescence

5th Place

Bruno Vellutini

Centro de Biologia Marinha

Universidade de São Paulo

São Paulo, Brazil

Oral surface of a young seastar (40x)

Darkfield

6th Place

Dr. Havi Sarfaty

Israel Veterinary Association

Ramat-Gan, Israel

Discus fish scales (20x)

Transmitted Light

7th Place

Dr. Shirley Owens

Michigan State University (retired)

East Lansing, Michigan, USA

Hair-like trichomes on Thunbergia alata (Black-eyed Susan vine) (450x)

Confocal Fluorescence and Reflection

8th Place

Dr. Lloyd Donaldson

Scion, Next Generation Biomaterials

Rotorua, New Zealand

Cotton fibers stained with berberine sulphate and color depth shaded

(200x)

Confocal Fluorescence

9th Place

Dr. Bernardo Cesare

Dipartimento di Geoscienze

Università degli Studi di Padova

Padova, Italy

Olivine inclusions in gabbro (magmatic rock) (5x)

Polarized Transmitted Light

10th Place

Dr. Arlene Wechezak

Anacortes, Washington, USA

Algae and diatoms (10x)

Darkfield

11th Place

Dominik Paquet

Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München

Adolf Butenandt Institute

Munich, Germany

“Alzheimer” Zebrafish, stained for Tau (red), neurons (green), and

pathologic Tau (blue) (10x)

Confocal

12th Place

Dr. Tsutomu Seimiya

Tokyo Metropolitan University

Tokyo, Japan

Flow pattern in draining soap film (10x)

Simple Microscope

13th Place

Dr. John Hart

Hart3D Films

Boulder, Colorado, USA

Recrystallized melted mixture of acetanalide, resorcinal and

carbon tetrabromide (33x)

Transmitted Polarized Light

14th Place

Tora Bardal

Department of Biology

NTNU Center of Fisheries and Aquaculture

Trondheim, Norway

Lobster egg (3.2x)

Darkfield

15th Place

Fabrice Parais

DIREN Basse-Normandie

Hérouville-Saint-Clair, France

Atherix ibis (fly) aquatic larva (25x)

Stereomicroscopy

16th Place

Massimo Brizzi

Microcosmo Italia

Empoli, Firenze, Italy

Snail eggs (200x)

Differential Interference Contrast

17th Place

Dr. Rebekah R. Helton

Department of Biological Sciences

University of Delaware

Newark, Delaware, USA

Stopwatch (2.5x)

Confocal (with Depth Coding)

18th Place

Dr. Julia Sero

Children’s Hospital Boston

Harvard Medical School

Boston, Massachusetts, USA

Human skin on fibronectin with growth factor (60x)

Confocal

19th Place

Yanping Wang

Beijing Planetarium

Beijing, China

Snowflake (40x)

Reflected and Transmitted Light

20th Place

Dr. Havi Sarfaty

Israel Veterinary Association

Ramat-Gan, Israel

Rusted old coin (40x)

Reflected Light

Honorable Mentions

Dr. Dylan Burnette

National Institute of Child Health and Human Disease

National Institutes of Health

Bethesda, Maryland, USA

Ciliated protozoa (1700x)

Confocal

Dr. Kirk Czymmek

Department of Biological Sciences

University of Delaware

Newark, Delaware, USA

Fungal infection of Arabidopsis (flowering plant) root (25x)

Confocal 3D Maximum Intensity Projection

Thomas Deerinck

National Center for Microscopy and Imaging Research

University of California, San Diego

La Jolla, California, USA

Rat cerebellum (200x)

2-photon Excitation Fluorescence Microscopy

Dr. Nils O. E. Krutzfeldt

School of Medical Sciences

University of Auckland

Auckland, New Zealand

Whole finch testicle (4x)

Brightfield

David Millard

Austin, Texas, USA

Fire agate (10x)

Diffused Incident Illumination

Larry Millet

Dept. of Cell and Developmental Biology, and Micro & Nanotechnology

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Urbana, Illinois, USA

Aspergillus mold in a microfluidic device (20x)

Differential Interference Contrast

Dr. Juan Alberto Morales

Departamento de Patología, Escuela Medicina Veterinaria

Universidad Nacional Autónoma

Heredia, Costa Rica

Aspergillus sp. (250x)

Nomarski Differential Interference Contrast

Dr. Heiti Paves

Tallinn University of Technology

Tallinn, Estonia

Arabidopsis thaliana (thale cress) anther (20x)

Confocal

(Different version than the winning image)

Juergen Pfleiderer

Heilbronn, Baden-Württemberg, Germany

Radula of Buccinum undatum (sea snail) (100x)

Dr. Jugal Gupta

University of Wisconsin - Madison

Madison, Wisconsin, USA

Biosensing liquid crystals (20x)

Polarized Light

Viktor Sykora

Institute of Pathophysiology, First Medical Faculty

Charles University

Prague, Czech Republic

Hoya carnosa (wax plant) flower (10x)

Darkfield

Bruno Vellutini

Centro de Biologia Marinha

Universidade de São Paulo

São Paulo, Brazil

Pluteus larva of a sea biscuit (echinoderm) (200x)

Differential Interference Contrast

Dr. Uwe Weierstall

Department of Physics and Astronomy

Arizona State University

Tempe, Arizona, USA

Water droplets ejected from a vibrating glass nozzle (200x)

Stroboscopic LED Illumination

Dr. Ting Xie

Stowers Institute

Kansas City, Missouri, USA

A fruit fly ovariole containing different stages of developing egg chambers

(400x)

Confocal

Dr. Robert Zucker

USEPA

Research Triangle Park, North Carolina, USA

Mosquito larvae (100x)

Confocal

ABOUT THE NIKON SMALL WORLD PHOTOMICROGRAPHY COMPETITION

The Nikon Small World Photomicrography Competition is open to anyone with an interest in photography. Participants may submit their images in traditional 35mm format, or upload digital images directly at www.nikonsmallworld.com. The first, second and third prize winners will receive a selection of Nikon products and equipment worth $3,000, $2,000 and $1,000, respectively. For additional information, contact Nikon Small World, Nikon Instruments Inc., 1300 Walt Whitman Road, Melville, NY 11747, USA or phone (631) 547-8569.

ABOUT NIKON INSTRUMENTS INC.

Nikon Instruments Inc is a world leader in the development and manufacture of optical and digital imaging technology for biomedical and industrial applications. Now in its 91st year, Nikon provides complete optical systems that offer optimal versatility, performance and productivity. Cutting-edge instruments include microscopes, precision measuring equipment, digital imaging products and software. Nikon Instruments is the microscopy and digital imaging arm of Nikon Inc., the world leader in digital imaging, precision optics and photo imaging technology. For more information, visit www.nikoninstruments.com. Product-related inquiries may be directed to Nikon Instruments at 800-52-NIKON.

CONTACT: Nicole Mudloff, Peppercom, 212-931-6168, nmudloff@peppercom.com