GNSI's Annual Juried

Members' Exhibit

Every year, GNSI members have the opportunity to submit their work to a juried exhibit, representing the best and most recent work created by practicing visual science communicators. Judged by a panel of experts, our exhibit recognizes two categories of work: traditional science illustration and broader visual scicomm.

Join our mailing list or follow us on social media to be up to date with the latest news.

Our Jurors

TRADITIONAL SCIENCE ILLUSTRATION

Dr. Janine N. Caira

Dr. Janine N. Caira received her M.Sc. from the University of British Columbia in 1981 and her Ph.D. from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln in 1985. She joined the University of Connecticut in 1985 and is currently a Board of Trustees Distinguished Professor Emeritus in the Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology at the University of Connecticut, and Director of the Connecticut State Museum of Natural History.

Dr. Caira is a parasitologist whose research focuses on the taxonomy, systematics and phylogenetic relationships of tapeworms and their elasmobranch (shark and stingray) hosts using both morphological and molecular approaches. Her work is global and over time has included fieldwork in more than 30 countries. It has led to the discovery of over 200 new species and 30 new genera, the reconfiguration of tapeworm ordinal-level relationships and, perhaps most surprisingly, little evidence of cospeciating between tapeworms and their elasmobranch hosts despite exhibiting extremely high levels of host specificity.

TRADITIONAL SCIENCE ILLUSTRATION

Jay Block

Jay Block is an Associate Director of Collections and Exhibitions at Bridgewater State University where he has spent over ten years implementing a progressive arts program centered on the areas of diversity, collection development, exhibitions, conservation, and research. He has collaborated with community leaders in the development of a recognized Arts District and sought university and community partners in the development of grant funding sources. Jay mentors individual students in curatorial studies, business practices within the arts, exhibition design, and collection management practices. He has also developed and implemented strategic goals, policies, and objectives related to collection and exhibition management that adhere to the highest museum standards and best practices.

Jay received his BA in Fine Arts from Sonoma State University, CA. His graduate studies were in printmaking and he received his MFA from the Pratt Institute in NY. He received his USPAP Certificate in Fine Art Appraisal Studies from New York University. Jay has worked as an Operations Manager and Collections Manager at the Whitney Museum. He has also been a Collections Manager and Exhibitions Designer at the Neuberger Museum, as well as managed various Private Collections in New York City. Most recently Jay has been part of the Steering Committee for the Town Hall Art Center to restore the historical Town House Building, which served as the first Town Hall of Bridgewater, MA. He is helping to develop a master plan that would provide the community with a full range of community-based arts programming.

BROADER VISUAL SCICOMM

Sharl Heller

Sharl Heller is the co-founder and president of the Southeastern Massachusetts Pine Barrens Alliance, Inc. (SEMPBA), an all-volunteer organization committed to preserving the unique habitats within the globally rare Massachusetts Coastal Pine Barrens Ecoregion. SEMPBA operates a climate and nature center at the picturesque Center Hill Preserve on Cape Cod Bay in Plymouth, Massachusetts. Under Sharl’s leadership, SEMPBA has been at the forefront of conservation efforts, including organizing impactful community events like "The Horseshoe Crab: Against All Odds" art exhibition at the Plymouth Center for the Arts, where over 60 artists contributed to raising awareness about wildlife conservation.