Biology Through Art

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Bonita, CA
Biology Through Art

NSF-funded interdisciplinary network of biologists and artists. Exploring the integration of biology education and artistic expression.

08/03/2026

Great student art exhibition in June at the Imperial Beach Library. Students of Ecology at National University (nu.edu) presented drawings and mixed media portraits of the "future evolution" of California animals. Students of General Biology at Eastern Illinois University (eiu.edu) contributed drawings on the theme of "symmetry" in organisms. Students of the School of the Art Institute of Chicago (saic.edu) contributed original 3D works on flower petal morphology.

Local organizations and schools contributed hands-on activities and fun: ArtScience Collective (artsciencecollective.org), Imperial Beach Charter School.

Tony Washington Art (tonywashingtonart.com) created animations of "interference competition" among the imagined animals of the Ecology course.

Special thanks to course instructors and Bio Art project members for supporting this show: Mike Maxwell (NU), Paul Switzer and Jenny Chi (EIU), Anna Edlund (SAIC), Veronica Ardi, Stacie Greene, Erica Merrell, Jim Melli, Jason Rogalski, Collete Tamayo, Tony Washington.

04/29/2026

Recent outreach events for kids and families -- stencil drawings, puzzles, Pokemon-Invertebrate matching, collectible card bingo. Biology through Art paired with ArtScience Collective at both events (www.artsciencecollective.org), who explored symmetry and butterflies.

At Children's Museum of Discovery in Escondido (visitcmod.org), and Palomar Elementary in Chula Vista.

03/21/2026

Early spring project activities. 5th Annual Workshop for teachers at San Diego Mesa College, and co-sponsor of Art Pavilion at the San Diego Festival of Science & Engineering at Petco Park.

Thanks to:
San Diego Mesa College -- https://www.sdmesa.edu/
San Diego Festival of Science & Engineering -- https://lovestemsd.org/

01/08/2026

Great time at the Biology through Art student art exhibition on Dec 20 at the Mission Valley Library in San Diego. Students at National University and Northeastern Illinois University displayed paintings, drawings, and 3D print-outs of various invertebrates, bat species, and microscopic cellular structures.

Participating courses: Invertebrate Zoology (National University, Fall 2025, instructor Mike Maxwell), Cell Biology (National University, Fall 2025, instructor Veronica Ardi-Pastores), Local Fauna (Northeastern Illinois University, Fall 2025, instructor Beth Reinke).

Thanks to Bio Art members Sheena Rae Dowling (art instruction), Tony Washington (animations of invertebrates), and Jim Melli, Maria Rodriguez-Aguirre, Collete Tamayo (event support).

10/07/2025

Had a blast at the annual STEM student research conference in San Diego hosted by the AAAS (American Association for the Advancement of Science). Biology through Art was invited to host interactive tables on all three days, with quick drawing lessons, creation of chimeric (hybrid) animals, tangram puzzles, collectible card bingo, and the ever-popular "Pokemon Challenge." Thanks to biology professors Mike Maxwell and Veronica Ardi-Pastores (National University), biologists Maria Rodriguez-Aguirre and Erica Merrell (NU alumni), and local artists Sheena Rae Dowling, Stacie Birky Greene, Jason Rogalski, and Tony Washington.

https://sstemrec.aaas.org/event/2025-s-stem-scholars-meeting/

09/04/2025

Looking back on summer outreach events -- drawing workshops and the “Pokemon Challenge.” At National University’s Harmony Center, University of San Diego’s STEAM Youth and Community Conference, Southeast San Diego Science & Art Expo (Elementary Institute of Science).

https://usdsteamteam.wixsite.com/2025-conference

https://www.southeastsdsteamexpo.com/

07/02/2025

Great time at our June student art show at the Bonita Museum! In addition to the vibrant artwork, we had a couple of firsts -- live snakes (San Diego Herpetological Society) and short animations of the students' imaginary species (Tony Washington Art).

Thanks to the students for their hard work, to Bio Art members for their collaborative cooperation, and to the visitors!

Participating schools and organizations:
National University
Emory University
University of North Florida
Patrick Henry High School
Tony Washington Art (tonywashingtonart.com)
San Diego Herpetological Society (sdherpsociety.org)

Address

4355 Bonita Rd
Bonita, CA
91902

Website

https://www.biothruart.org/

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