Images of specimens entered into the 2003 Small World contest included a rat brain, nematode worms, latex spheres, thin films, a snowflake, cells in culture, sperm cells, a computer chip, polymers, algae, several plants, and a variety of chemical crystals. Judges for the 29th annual contest were Carolyn L. Smith (National Institute of Neurological Diseases and Stroke), Paul Forscher (Yale University), Jennifer Waters Shuler (Harvard University), Kristine LaManna (Popular Science Magazine), and Michael W. Davidson (Florida State University).

2003 Contest Prize Winners

  • First Prize

    1st Prize - Dr. Torsten Wittmann

    The Scripps Research Institute - La Jolla, California, USA
    Specimen: Filamentous actin and microtubules (structural proteins) in mouse fibroblasts (cells) (1000x)
    Technique: Fluorescence

  • Second Prize

    2nd Prize - Dr. Greg W. Rouse

    Marine Invertebrates, South Australian Museum - Adelaide, Australia
    Specimen: Myrianida pachycera, a polychaete (worm) (60x)
    Technique: Darkfield

  • Third Prize

    3rd Prize - Dr. Heiti Paves

    Laboratory of Molecular Genetics - Tallinn, Estonia
    Specimen: Dorsal root ganglion neurons of an embryonic rat (100x)
    Technique: Fluorescence

  • Fourth Prize

    4th Prize - Thomas J. Deerinck

    National Center for Microscopy and Imaging Research - University of California at San Diego - La Jolla, California, USA
    Specimen: Stained rat brain section (600x)
    Technique: Fluorescence

  • Fifth Prize

    5th Prize - Vanesa Y. Rawe

    Pittsburgh Development Center, MWRI, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine - Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
    Specimen: Mouse spermatozoa (100x)
    Technique: Fluorescence

  • Sixth Prize

    6th Prize - Linda M. Strzegowski

    Materials Research Science and Engineering Center - Amherst, Massachusetts, USA
    Specimen: Homopolymer blend dewetting on patterned surfaces (200x)
    Technique: Brightfield

  • Seventh Prize

    7th Prize - Dr. John Runions

    Department of Plant Sciences, University of Cambridge - Cambridge, UK
    Specimen: Trichome (hair cell) of the leaf epidermis of Arabidopsis (a flowering plant) (600x)
    Technique: Confocal

  • Eighth Prize

    8th Prize - Dr. Jonathan D. Eisenback

    Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University - Blacksburg, Virginia, USA
    Specimen: Dorylaim sp., a plant-parasitic nematode (worm) (630x)
    Technique: Differential interference contrast

  • Ninth Prize

    9th Prize - Nasser M. Rusan

    Department of Biology, University of Massachusetts - Amherst, Massachusetts, USA
    Specimen: Epithelial cell in anaphase (stage of cell division) (100x)
    Technique: Confocal

  • Tenth Prize

    10th Prize - Alice C. Kilgo

    Sandia National Laboratories - Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA
    Specimen: Monodisperse latex spheres (100x)
    Technique: Brightfield

  • Eleventh Prize

    11th Prize - Ron Oldfield

    Department of Biological Sciences, Macquarie University - Sydney, Australia
    Specimen: Microchip (switch controller) (8x)
    Technique: Brightfield

  • Twelfth Prize

    12th Prize - John E. Hart

    Program in Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences, University of Colorado - Boulder, Colorado, USA
    Specimen: Crystallized acetaldehyde and carbon tetrabromide (7x)
    Technique: Polarized light

  • Thirteenth Prize

    13th Prize - Dr. Louise A. Aquila-Pastir

    Cleveland Clinic Foundation - Cleveland, Ohio, USA
    Specimen: Human cardiac myocytes (heart muscle cells) (126x)
    Technique: Confocal

  • Fourteenth Prize

    14th Prize - Jakob Jankowski

    Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, University of Bonn - Bonn, Germany
    Specimen: Mouse Purkinje (brain) cells (1400x)
    Technique: Differential interference contrast

  • Fifteenth Prize

    15th Prize - Dr. Lynn A. Boatner and Hu F. Longmire

    Oak Ridge National Laboratory - Oak Ridge, Tennessee, USA
    Specimen: Surface of titanium carbide crystal (64x)
    Technique: Differential interference contrast

  • Sixteenth Prize

    16th Prize - Megan J. Cordill

    Washington State University - Cheney, Washington, USA
    Specimen: Thin copper film surface (100x)
    Technique: Brightfield

  • Seventeenth Prize

    17th Prize - Peter Webber

    Planapo Optical - Kavala, Greece
    Specimen: Arachnoidiscus sp diatom (microscopic algae) (800x)
    Technique: Jamin-Lebedeff interference contrast

  • Eighteenth Prize

    18th Prize - Dr. Eli Finkelstein

    Edison, New Jersey, USA
    Specimen: Crystallized oxalic acid and monosodium glutamate (MSG) (25x)
    Technique: Oblique illumination, darkfield, and polarized light

  • Nineteenth Prize

    19th Prize - Edward Kinsman

    Kinsman Physics Productions - Rochester, New York, USA
    Specimen: Snowflake (35x)
    Technique: Fiber optic illumination

  • Twentieth Prize

    20th Prize - Loes Modderman

    Science Art - Nijmegen, The Netherlands
    Specimen: Crystallized caustic soda (cleaning agent), Glauber's salt (multi-purpose chemical), and D76 (a photochemical) (40x)
    Technique: Polarized light

Honorable Mentions

  • Honorable Mention - Dr. Torsten Wittmann

    La Jolla, California, USA
    Specimen: Filamentous actin and microtubules (structural proteins) in mouse fibroblasts (cells) (1000x)
    Technique: Fluorescence

  • Honorable Mention - Rick C. Stahl

    Danville, Pennsylvania, USA
    Specimen: Nerve culture from dorsal root ganglia of an embryonic rat (100x)
    Technique: Confocal and fluorescence

  • Honorable Mention - Kevin Mackenzie

    Aberdeen, UK
    Specimen: Wing surface of Argema mittrei (Madagascar Moon Moth) (25x)
    Technique: Brightfield and fiber optic illumination

  • Honorable Mention - Dr. Thomas J. Deerinck

    La Jolla, California, USA
    Specimen: Stained rat brain section (1500x)
    Technique: Fluorescence

  • Honorable Mention - Edy Kieser

    Ennenda, Switzerland
    Specimen: Succinic acid and urea (40x)
    Technique: Polarized light

  • Honorable Mention - Dr. Jhodie R. Duncan

    Melbourne, Australia
    Specimen: Mixture of Zinnoberrot and Janus Green (coloring agents) (10x)
    Technique: Brightfield

  • Honorable Mention - Ian C. Walker

    Huddersfield, UK
    Specimen: Ascorbic acid (Vitamin C) (63x)
    Technique: Polarized light

  • Honorable Mention - Dr. Rong Wen

    Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
    Specimen: Rat retinal (eye) artery (200x)
    Technique: Fluorescence

  • Honorable Mention - Wim van Egmond

    Rotterdam, The Netherlands
    Specimen: Magelonid larva (a polychaete worm) (100x)
    Technique: Differential interference contrast

  • Honorable Mention - Aaron Messing

    West Orange, New Jersey, USA
    Specimen: Cross section of Pinus stem (pine tree) (40x)
    Technique: Brightfield

  • Honorable Mention - Dr. Marna E. Ericson

    Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
    Specimen: Sagittal section of a mouse foot (100x)
    Technique: Confocal

  • Honorable Mention - Adele J. Vincent

    Hobart, Australia
    Specimen: Cortical neurons (brain cells) of an embryonic rat (200x)
    Technique: Fluorescence

  • Honorable Mention - Loes Modderman

    Nijmegen, The Netherlands
    Specimen: Crystallized saccharine (25x)
    Technique: Polarized light

  • Honorable Mention - Dr. Pedro Barbosa

    Evora, Portugal
    Specimen: Predatory nematode (worm) feeding on a phytonematode (plant-parasitic worm) (100x)
    Technique: Differential interference contrast

  • Honorable Mention - Daniel Kirilly

    Kansas City, Missouri, USA
    Specimen: Section of a Drosophila (fruit fly) ovary (germarium) (120x)
    Technique: Confocal

  • Honorable Mention - John E. Hart

    Boulder, Colorado, USA
    Specimen: Crystallized acetaldehyde and methylene blue (25x)
    Technique: Polarized light

  • Honorable Mention - Dr. Dennis D. Kunkel

    Kailua, Hawaii, USA
    Specimen: Drosera sp. leaf (sundew plant) (14x)
    Technique: Darkfield

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