Congrats to Hehnly Lab Seniors!

by Heidi Hehnly in , ,


Congrats to Alison Gerety who received a distinction in Biology, was a Renee Crown Honors student, and won an Outstanding Achievement in Biology award for her thesis on “Characterization of Vimentin in Zebrafish Lateral Line Development”!

Congrats to Abdalla W. Shamil who was awarded both Academic and Research Achievements, and was a Renee Crown Honors student!

We can’t wait to see all that you go on to do!

Abdalla, Heidi, and Alison before the Biology Award Ceremony.

Alison at her poster on her Thesis project.


BioArt Talk with Adam Zaretsky and Pop-Up Exhibit by Aksiniya Peycheva Recap

by Heidi Hehnly in , , ,


Last Friday, the Honors Program hosted a compelling BioArt talk by artist and educator Adam Zaretsky in the Lundgren Room. Known for his provocative work at the intersection of art and biology, Zaretsky captivated the audience with an engaging presentation that challenged traditional boundaries between scientific inquiry and artistic expression.

Following the talk, attendees gathered in the second-floor lunchroom of the Life Sciences Complex for refreshments and continued conversation. The event also featured a pop-up exhibit by Aksiniya Peycheva titled Trauma Mapping, which offered a powerful exploration of embodied memory and healing through mixed media.

It was a lively and thought-provoking afternoon of interdisciplinary exchange, drawing students and faculty from across campus.


Corfu chatting about building an Embryo 1 cell at a time

by Heidi Hehnly in , , ,


Dr. Hehnly had a great time visiting Corfu and talking about embryogenesis and possibly conditions where an artificial womb could be imagined. Dr. Hehnly went to Corfu, Greece, with her long time collaborator, Dr. Boryana Rossa, to be TTT fellows. You can find more here.

The Ionian University’s Department of Audio & Visual Arts successfully concluded the TTTfellows: Art and Science Residency Fall 2024, a dynamic fusion of artistic and scientific inquiry held from September 23 to October 4 (online) and October 7-18 in-person on the island of Corfu. Organized within the framework of Rewilding Cultures and co-financed by the European Union, this residency fostered cross-disciplinary collaboration and featured innovative projects by artists and researchers Dr. Heidi Hehnly-Chang and Dr. Boryana Rossa. Over the course of the residency, participants explored hybrid methods blending biotechnology, mythology, and marine biology. The event was hosted in collaboration with the Corfu Central Public Historical Library, Corfu Tech Lab, Corfu Aquarium, and the Bioinformatics and Human Electrophysiology Lab (BiHELab), creating a multifaceted environment for experiential learning and creative exploration. The residency included an online component where the fellows interacted on the topics of of human genetic engineering with the "oracles": curators Dr. Sunčica Ostoić and Dr. Olga Majcen Linn and artists Charlotte Jarvis and Laura Splan. You can find out more by visiting here.