An eclectic group of striking scientific images will soon have viewers asking "What is that?" at a museum near you. These twenty photographs, submitted by photomicrographers from around the globe, are winners of the 32nd Annual Nikon Small World International Photomicrography Competition, and are touring 23 cities between October 2006 and October 2008.

October 6, 2006 to December 17, 2006 - NY Hall of Science, 47-01 111th Street, Corona, NY 11368

October 6, 2006 to January 21, 2007 - New Jersey State Museum, 205 W. State Street, Trenton, NJ 08608

January 12, 2007 to March 4, 2007 - Wistar Institute, 3601 Spruce Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104

March 9, 2007 to May 6, 2007 - Museum of Science & Technology, 500 S. Franklin Street, Syracuse, NY 13202

July 27, 2007 to September 2, 2007 - Marine Biology Laboratory, 7 MBL Street, Woods Hole, MA 02543

January 2008 to October 2008 - Rochester Institute of Technology, 1 Lomb Memorial Drive, Rochester, NY 14623

October 13, 2006 to February 26, 2007 - Maryland Science Center, 601 Light Street, Baltimore, MD 21230

November 1, 2006 to December 20, 2006 - Keck Gallery/National Academies, 500 Fifth Street N.W., Washington DC 20001

January 15, 2007 to May 30, 2007 - Upstairs Gallery/National Academy of Sciences, 2100 C Street N.W., Washington DC 20001

October 15, 2006 to October 18, 2006 - Georgia World Conference Center Society for Neuroscience, 285 International Blvd N.W., Atlanta, GA 30313

May 11, 2007 to July 8, 2007 - Fernbank Science Center, 156 Heaton Park Drive Northeast, Atlanta, GA 30307

June 8, 2007 to August 12, 2007 - American Museum of Science, 300 South Tulane Avenue, Oak Ridge, TN 37830

August 31, 2007 to December 16, 2007 - Adventure Science Center, 800 Fort Negley Blvd, Nashville, TN 37203

November 2, 2007 to January 13, 2008 - Museum of Science & Industry, 4801 E. Fowler Avenue, Tampa, FL 33617

August 24, 2007 to October 28, 2007 - Texas Freshwater Fisheries Center, 5550 F.M. 2495, Athens, TX 75752

November 16, 2007 to January 13, 2008 - The Museum of Nature & Science, 3535 Grand Ave, Dallas, TX 75210

December 9, 2006 to December 13, 2006 - San Diego Convention Center American Society for Cell Biology, 111 W. Harbor Drive, San Diego, CA 92101

March 30, 2007 to April 29, 2007 - Arizona Science Center, 600 East Washington Street, Phoenix, AZ 85004

June 1, 2007 to August 19, 2007 - New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science, 1801 Mountain Rd. N.W., Albuquerque, NM 87104

May 18, 2007 to August 19, 2007 - Utah State University Center for Integrated Bio Systems, 4700 Old Main Hill, Logan, UT 84322

August 31, 2007 to October 21, 2007 - Tech Museum of Innovation, 201 South Market Street, San Jose, CA 95113

December 29, 2006 to February 4, 2007 - Oregon Museum of Science, 1945 S.E. Water Avenue, Portland, OR 97214

February 16, 2007 to March 18, 2007 - The Science Factory, 2300 Leo Harris Parkway, Eugene, OR 97401

March 16, 2007 to May 27, 2007 - Pacific Science Center, 200 Second Avenue, N. Seattle, WA 98109

September 14, 2007 to November 4, 2007 - Science World, 1455 Quebec Street, Vancouver, BC, Canada V6A 3Z7

Celebrating its 32nd year, the annual Nikon International Small World Competition was founded in 1975 to recognize excellence in photography through the microscope. The competition's reputation has grown throughout the years and is regarded as the leading forum for recognizing the art, proficiency and photographic excellence involved in photomicrography.

This year's winning entries display a number of outstanding images covering a wide range of biological, chemical, and material substances including cells in culture, 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. More than 1500 images from around the world were submitted to this year's competition, which were evaluated by an independent five-person judging panel on their originality, informational content, technical proficiency, and visual impact.

"When the Small World gallery of winning images launches as an exhibit each year, what was once a science specimen under a microscope becomes curated art for public consumption and appreciation," says Lee Shuett, Executive Vice President of Nikon Instruments Inc. "We are proud to be able to educate people about the importance of photomicrography in scientific research while integrating science into mainstream art."

The annual competition is open to anyone with an interest in photomicrography. Past winners have included scientists, hobbyists, clergymen, gold prospectors, industrial photographers, and engineers. The contest is open for submissions until the end of June each year. Winners are announced and honored at a Nikon Small World celebration in New York City each Fall.