Category: EquilibriUM

Photographed and written by Julianne Armijo
Edited by Naomi Raicu and Claire Shudde

I worked many years as a night shift nurse. Insidiously, I began experiencing unusual elation, recklessness, and impulsiveness, often followed by depression. For years, this cycle continued, and I didn’t know why. I was finally diagnosed with bipolar disorder when a new antidepressant medication catapulted me into a manic episode. After several hospital visits, I stabilized on lamotrigine, a ketogenic diet, and regular sleep. I’m now stable and thriving.

Continue reading “Night Shift/Day Shift” →

Written by Charukesi Sivakumar
Edited by Sheila Peeples, Jeremy Chen, Kate Giffin, Kristen Schuh
Illustrated by Adriana Brown

The lights dim as we, the Life Sciences Orchestra, lift our instruments. With the wave of our conductor’s baton, the music swells across Hill auditorium and enters the audience’s ears, lighting up the brain.

Continue reading “From Synapses to Symphonies: A Connection Through Sounds” →

Designed and written by Mirella Hernandez Lima
Edited by Sheila Peeples and Kendall Dean
Illustrated by Mirella Hernandez Lima and Kendall Dean

El Día de Muertos es una celebración que honra la memoria de los seres queridos que han fallecido. Donde se rinde homenaje a la vida y a la muerte, porque sin vida no hay muerte.

The Day of the Dead is a celebration that honors the memory of loved ones who have passed away, paying tribute to both life and death. 

Continue reading “Nematodes as Catalysts in Uniting Scientific Curiosity and Cultural Heritage” →

Written by Deanna Cannizzaro
Edited by Claire Shudde and Jessica Li
Illustrated by Jessica Li

Sitting down for a meal is a staple of being human. Memories and laughter are shared over food, allowing us to connect with friends and family. 

For me, food is no longer a simple part of everyday life; I’m forced to think about a chronic disease each time I want, or need, to eat something. It took months of severe abdominal pain and persistent fatigue in my early twenties to realize gluten had become my biggest enemy.

Continue reading “When the Immune System Goes Against the Grain” →

Written by Alex Ford
Edited by Hector Mendoza and Zoe Yeoh
Illustrated by Zoe Yeoh

I. The Tower of Babel

In the beginning, there was a stone. A stone by itself is simple. Monolithic in concept and function. But introduce a second stone. Place it upon the first. Add another. A stack forms and they become more than the sum of their parts. Before there was life, there were simply stones longing for more. Patient stones that awaited the first tumble to start an avalanche. 

Somewhere in the infant Earth, at the grinding edge of a sunken continental plate, magma oozes into deep water. Volcanic fires churn in the darkness and spew black clouds into the crushing depths. In this energy-rich crucible, a lone carbon finds hydrogen, finds nitrogen, and the first organic molecules begin to assemble in the deep.

Continue reading “Out of Many, One” →

Written and Sculpted by Emily L. Eberhardt
Edited by Kate Giffin

Amidst the global pandemic in 2020, I began to explore science through art. In my research, I studied mitochondrial proteins (mitochondria are small structures in cells that produce necessary energy), but with lab closures, my hands were idle. With a box of beads, a freshly-passed candidacy exam, and limitless time, I sat and considered the power of mitochondria. Fascinated by their complexity, I began to craft sculptures. 

Continue reading “Appreciating the Intricacies of Science Through Sculpture: The Powerhouse of the Cell” →

Written by Kate Giffin and Kristen Schuh

Dear Readers,

In this edition of EquilibriUM, we delve into the intricate ways that science and art connect and enhance each other.

In a world that often compartmentalizes disciplines, it is necessary to bridge these gaps to discover fresh perspectives, foster innovation, and enrich our collective knowledge. Both of us work in interdisciplinary fields studying how the brain and body interact in sometimes strange and nonsensical ways – connections are one of our favorite parts about research. 

Continue reading “Letter from the Editors” →

Cover Concept and Art: Naomi Raicu

In this piece, I explored  the neural network concept by connecting it to artistic and emotional aspects of the human experience: music, group dance, and a sense of community and interconnectedness. In the real world, a cognitive “dance” of changing neural connections not only determines who we are, but also inspires innovation in science and technology.

Continue reading “Neural Network Boogie” →