Agar art – drawing with pigmented microorganisms -- has garnered international attention through the yearly American Society for Microbiology Agar Art contest. Since the creation of agar art by penicillin discoverer Alexander Fleming, agar art has played a role as an insightful and aesthetic activity for scientists and educators alike. But, despite its prevalence as an activity in microbiology laboratories, agar art’s potential for scientific discovery and data mining has yet to be explored. Moreover, creativity and student-led discovery are often omitted from university scientific curriculums despite national calls to have the science classroom experience mirror genuine scientific practice.

Sarah Adkins

After completing degrees in biology and art, Sarah Adkins was awarded a National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship. Her work as a PhD Candidate working in a microbial physiology laboratory and as an artist out of Ground Floor Contemporary explores how BioArt can be used to inform cross-disciplinary discussions related to education.