Goodson Prize for Art in Science
Dr. Jim Goodson was a vibrant and integral part of the CISAB community, and his loss in August 2014 continues to be felt deeply. Jim was of course a consummate neuroscientist and critical thinker. In addition, he was extraordinarily gifted at capturing the beauty of his science via images, of both his study subjects—birds—and his histological material. These images were striking enough to grace the covers of many journals, and made for beautiful artwork on the walls of Jim’s lab, as well as on many CISAB brochures and webpages. Jim happily spent hours at the microscope in pursuit of the image that would bring his science to life. His multi-colored images of the brain were not only stunningly beautiful, but were tremendously effective in communicating the complexity and organization of the nervous system.
To honor Jim’s memory and his belief in the explanatory power of a compelling scientific image, we have established the Goodson Prize for Art in Science. This yearly competition will recognize outstanding research images that are not just scientifically meaningful but are also beautiful. In science as in life more generally, beauty comes in many forms, including compelling representations of data (e.g., data represented as heat maps, 3D topological graphs), stimuli, subjects, histological images (fluorescent or nonfluorescent), and more. Thus, submissions can include, but are not limited to, study species, histology, and visually interesting presentations of data or stimuli.
In selecting prize recipients, judges place importance on not just the aesthetic qualities of the image, but also the extent to which the image captures/illustrates the science of animal behavior. The latter can take many forms. Examples include but are not limited to an image of neurons that are involved in particular behaviors, an animal interacting with stimuli in a field study, or a visually pleasing cladogram or phylogenic tree relevant to the evolution of a behavioral trait.
Winners are announced at our annual Animal Behavior Conferences held in March. Winning images are showcased on our website and may also be showcased in the CISAB house. In Addition, winners will receive a professionally printed and mounted image suitable for display.
Deadline: March 9, 2026
The College of Arts