Marine Life Technique

Dr. Igor Siwanowicz

2014

HHMI Janelia Research Campus

Ashburn, VA, USA

Specimen: Barnacle appendages that sweep plankton and other food into the barnacle's shell for consumption

Technique: Confocal microscopy, 100x

Mr. James Nicholson

2010

Coral Culture & Collaborative Research Facility, Fort Johnson Marine Lab

Charleston, South Carolina, USA

Specimen: Solitary coral, Fungia sp

Technique: Reflected illumination/epifluorescence without barrier filter

Dr. Christian Sardet

2012

The Plankton Chronicles Project

Villefranche-sur-Mer, France, and Montreal, Quebec, Canada

Specimen: Claw of crustacean amphipode Phronima sp. Muscles and rows of pigment cells (melanocytes) are visible.

Technique: Darkfield

Co-prizewinners: Sharif Mirshak

Mr. James Nicholson

2011

NOAA/NOS/NCCOS Fort Johnson Marine Resources Center

Charleston, South Carolina, USA

Specimen: Live coral Goniastrea sp., known as green brain coral. One full polyp in the center is shown with four surrounding polyps. Walled corallites are purple.

Technique: Phase contrast illumination

Mr. James Nicholson

2012

NOAA/NOS/NCCOS Center for Coastal Environmental Health & Biomolecular Research

Fort Johnson Marine Lab, Charleston, SC, USA

Specimen: Live mushroom coral Fungia sp. Close-up of mouth during expansion.

Technique: Autofluorescence

Mr. Harold Taylor

2005

Dunstable, United Kingdom

Specimen: Obelia Hydroids

Technique: Darkfield Illumination

Mr. Gist Croft

2009

Columbia University and Project ALS

New York, NY, USA

Specimen: Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis motor neurons

Technique: Epi-fluorescence

Co-prizewinners: Mackenzie Weygandt