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biomedical art and visualization
Beyond the Classroom: How Two Students Blend Art and Science
In this edition of Beyond the Classroom, we discuss the founding of the ArtSci Symposium with Terry Nyugen, who recently graduated from the Biomedical Art and Visualization program, and Naman Srivisvatra, who recently graduated from the Biological Sciences program. While at Rowan, Terry was president of the Neurodiversity Club; Rowan Blog featured her in this interview. In our discussion with Terry and Naman, we learn of their ambition to blend the lines between art and science in order to create a more inclusive and understandable message within research exhibits.
What drew you to Biological Sciences? How do you think your program helped you transition to Biomedical Art and Visualization?
Naman: For me at least, I picked biology mainly because I had an interest in it for such a long time. I mainly picked biology because it serves as an intersection point between a lot of different fields. I was mainly interested in the ecological and environmental side of it. At some point, I had chosen to pursue medicine but at the same time keep the same interest in environmental and ecological sciences.
With the medicinal aspect, there are parts of it that involve a lot of complex molecular biology along with other aspects that deal with organic chemistry and various other “hardcore” sciences. The Biological Sciences major presented the opportunity for me to get both of those things without having to compromise schedule or taking multiple majors.
The reason I ventured into Biomedical Art and Visualization was because of Terry. Terry had introduced me to the program back in our freshman year. I always had an interest in visual arts, so to me it seemed like a perfect fit where I get to practice science while also working in visual arts and communicating science. At the time I had thought this to be such a unique opportunity that I would not get anywhere else.
How did you two meet?
Terry: We met each other freshman year and quickly became friends. Naman just so happened to be in a practice room in Wilson Hall, and I just so happened to be getting ready for a concert that day. We started to introduce ourselves and we found out that we were both pre-med students and an untold bond was formed! That’s how we just got to know each other.
I didn’t really have a lot of pre-med friends at the time and I was looking for them. Naman and I got acquainted and we started signing up for classes together. From there our friendship just kept growing as we started involving each other more in each other’s lives.
How did you introduce Biomedical Art and Visualization to Naman?
Naman: The way that I had found out about the program was the day we met when I was in the practice room. I did a lot of musical work as well, I was heavily involved with the Jazz Studies program and Terry was in Classical Piano. The day of that concert I was looking over the program booklet of the concert. In that booklet, it showed all the different names of the students that were involved in the concert as well as the major that they are affiliated with. When I saw Terry’s name and the major next to it, Biomedical Art, I had thought to myself, “I’ve never heard of that, especially at Rowan”. I started to do some research on my own and I found out that it was an entire major. I proceeded to ask Terry about the major and the different types of stuff that are involved with Biomedical Art and Visualization. I found an interest in it and then that following Fall semester I started taking those classes.
How did you (Terry) and Naman get involved with Biomedical Art and Visualization?
Terry: In high school I had a lot of different learning issues and curves that I had to overcome. For me, learning visually was a way for me to get the information and ingrain it into my brain. The reason why I specifically chose Biomedical Art was because deep down, I wanted to pursue medicine in high school but I didn’t have stellar performances. I still wanted to stick with science but not commit to it. My strengths were in art and I found ways, especially towards my senior year, to combine the two ideas.
My parents were the ones who found the Biomedical Art and Visualization program. My parents saw my efforts and wanted to find the environment that would put me in the best position to succeed. Even when I took AP Studio Art in high school, my portfolio was based around this idea of combining science and art. It wasn’t until I actually decided to commit to Biomedical Art that I found out it was much broader than I had previously anticipated. It deals with educating and creating different avenues of communication and not just creating beautiful illustrations.
Essentially, I chose Biomedical Art to help teach myself scientific information without outright saying “I go to medical school!” Eventually, once I feel more confident, I’ll say that. I had a love for art but also didn’t want to give up on the rigors of science classes.
What clubs/projects are you two directly involved in right now?
Naman: In the past, I was a founder of the American Physician Scientist Association, which was one of the main components of the ArtSci Symposium. Our goal was to help incorporate more vigorous research into medicine. A lot of the time with students that are going through the process of applying to medical school, they really do not have any scientific research experience. It’s not a prerequisite, but it is nice to have.
A lot of my friends, especially during the Covid period, were struggling to find space at labs and weren’t able to get the experience they needed for applying to medical school. And so, I had started working on setting out on an organization on campus that was dedicated towards getting students into research. For a lot of the time, what we figured out what was happening was that it was the students who did not feel comfortable directly reaching out to figures such as research supervisors. With getting into labs, it more than likely comes from word of mouth. It’s direct communication.
Especially since the pandemic hit, research took a huge blow. The pandemic created almost a vacuum, there were students who were actively looking for labs to participate in and you also had students who were leaving; there was no bridge between the two to get students into the labs.
I wanted to create an organization that was dedicated to helping students obtain the research experience that they needed, whether it was for medical school or just if they wanted to pursue science on a deeper level. That was one of the big initiatives that I had here at Rowan.
Naman: Another one was my protein work over at MIT. Although it doesn’t directly involve Rowan, I still did a majority of the work on that here at Rowan as well as using a lot of the skills that I had learned at Rowan as well. What we did was look for new ways to communicate science. In this process called protein solidification, it was becoming more and more popularized by scientists and faculty members at MIT. I took an interest in it immediately.
As someone who has a music and science background, I thought that my perspective would bring an interesting way to communicate molecular biology. What we did was, it was me, Terry and a couple other of my buddies who were actual music majors and we sat down and looked at the different sequences of protein. Proteins are built out of these tiny pieces called amino acids and there are 20 of them total. We were able to categorize all of these different amino acids into musical notes. Each of them correlates to a different note and what we did was string all of the different notes together into a musical composition.
There’s a level of artistic literacy that is needed to get this to work because of the sheer amount of musician skills needed. I will say it was extremely complex mainly because you get a random string of notes and it was our job to make a cohesive composition out of it and make it sound coherent. We did a lot of work on that, the first time we started on it was back in 2020.
That was for the American Society of Microbiology. The society was doing a bit of an art contest. They had expanded the different forms of submissions that they would accept and so my friends and I saw this as our chance. We sat down and wrote up a composition and even filmed a music video for it. We did not win, but we did manage to get into the finalists category; which, I’ll take! After we were done that one, the following year we saw that MIT was hosting a conference that was built around biological communication and new ventures into science. We sat back down and decided to start back from scratch. We went back at it and selected a new protein, solidified it, and got all of the musical data to start writing our piece for submission. We were planning on actually driving up to Boston, but with covid that really put our plans in awry. It was held virtually but it was a really good experience to be able to talk to so many different people from that area and get an idea of their thoughts when it comes to different projects and ideas. I’m planning on going back again this year. Our group really wants to keep our ideas fresh so we’ve been thinking of integrating new ideas with the project like animation or even being able to communicate how our thought process worked.
Could you tell us about the initiative, ArtSci, that you two co-founded?
Terry: It started off when we were having lunch outside the student center. I had approached the idea to Naman and said, “What if, and hear me out, we have a symposium where we revolutionize how research posters are presented?” We wanted to figure out a way to change the way in which research posters had been incorporated up to this point because at the time we were learning about having creative outlets for communicating certain things.
With research posters, we wanted to change the foundation of it and have them more focused on communicating the desired message in a more effective manner within the mathematical and graphic design portion of posters. For myself, I remember looking at the examples in classes versus the things that I see in the Science Hall.
I would just wonder what happened if you know, the traditional signs were posted? This mindset was an idea that came up before but it wasn’t as developed as we would have liked it. When I approached Naman with the idea I remember saying, “I really think you can do this.” I knew of Naman’s strengths and I knew that we both had skill sets that would complement each other as well compensate for our own weaknesses. After that lunch we decided to work together from then on.
Naman: The original idea was something that was proposed a year or two back. We wanted to hold our own research symposium. But at the same time, because we cater to such a broad range of research, we were very self aware and questioned as to how we can make this interesting or something new. The main research symposium that was held on campus had been canceled for the past two years due to Covid, and the person that ran it, Dr. Gregory Hecht, had retired. So there was this vacancy and we saw that kind of as an opportunity to capitalize on.
Naman: During our discussions of the research symposium we knew that we wanted to make it unique in some way because a lot of the supervisions that are held on campus are a one-and-done type of ordeal where you make your poster, present and then you’re done. For both Terry and I, we wanted to put some sort of spin on it, something that would help people actually understand the message of what is trying to be conveyed.
If you go to a standard research symposium it has a lot of texts, a lot of diagrams and a lot of graphs. You’ll be standing there and trying to absorb all that information from somebody who’s not from that specific field which only makes it increasingly more difficult in such an arduous environment. If you’re looking at multiple research posters in the same day, that’s a lot of information for anybody to take in; so, we wanted to distill that process down and make it easier for anybody and make it more accessible for people from all backgrounds to understand the work that’s being put forth by the researchers and the artists.
Our rationale for this idea was to pair together scientists and labs with artists and graphic designers so that two to come can come together and sort of create posters and presentations that effectively communicate the type of work that the researchers are doing in a cohesive and synthesized manner. We sat on that idea for a long time. Before we could get to the point where we wanted to be we had to do a lot of pre-planning. Any idea after thinking critically on it is exceptional in theory, but the nuts and bolts of the idea is extremely intensive. For us, we had to think of ideas such as “Where is it going to be held and when is it going to be held? How much is our budget going to be? Where are we going to spend the money? How are we going to spend the money? How can we get other organizations at fault to potentially either help out, either on the artistic or the scientific aspects? What are additional sources of funding? What are other concerns?”
As most Rowan students know, the university is continuing to get larger within the most immediate sense as well as its general presence. We saw this as a potential joining of the Rowan University students and Glassboro community where people of all backgrounds regardless of circumstances can come and appreciate the work that other researchers have done in an accessible manner. For us, we wanted to make it so that anybody can walk in. Our whole goal was to make it so that even someone as young as a sixth grader can walk in and understand everything that’s being presented. This is a very unique opportunity for us to get engaged within the local community, specifically Glassboro and the different communities around it.
There was a lot of planning that we did and there were a lot of people that helped us out along the way. The team ended up being close to around 15 people. We had divvied up the work where there were volunteers who were strictly involved with just the planning committee. Thankfully, our head of volunteers, David Lee, did a lot of work in organizing potential volunteers who were there for both setup and teardown. David and his group helped with reaching out to different departments and finding different sorts of researchers, as well as people who can sort of help us out in this heavy endeavor. We did a lot of work in just [getting] the word [out] on our project and letting both communities know that the symposium was happening.
You previously stated that accessibility is one of your core values. What made you come to this realization that the current standard of art and scientific diagrams are not as accessible as it should be?
Terry: I think one of the core motivators for us that I forgot to mention was this whole thing sort of was born out of the tension that was between health care and politics that sort of arose from the pandemic. With some people, they shared their own opinions such as not wanting to get vaccinated or not wanting to wear masks for several reasons, such as personal values and beliefs. Although people are allowed to think what they wish, there’s also a degree of not really understanding the scientific aspect of why it’s so important to have this certain action be done as a community.
There are some people you won’t be able to convince no matter what, but there are some who are willing to listen, as long as they understand what you’re trying to communicate. There is an abundance of research that’s being done and a lot of times, you don’t hear about it. Because for instance, you either don’t understand the ideas that are being argued or the information just isn’t accessible. For us and ArtSci, we want to sort of have a centralized place where the research was going to be presented in a way that people could easily understand it with no exclusions.
You two provide an interesting perspective with Biomedical Art, what made you think of incorporating art into your studies?
Terry: For me, it’s always been about how easily you can communicate things. If you think of an art museum, or even like a location such as the Natural Science Museum, everything that you see there, you’re not going to see paragraphs and paragraphs of texts. Instead, you’re going to see vibrant exhibits, diagrams and models which are all presented to help visually communicate what the researcher is attempting to argue or convey. At these sorts of spots, you’re not going there to read articles on whatever it is that they are presenting, instead it is presented in a physical concept. A lot of these creative disciplines are very linked to the way we think and the way we talk and the way we communicate with each other. If I say the word apple, you’re not going to think of the word apple; you would think of the actual physical object associated with the word.
Things like that are very important. Just in the way that we communicate as people, presenting things in a way that’s like all very technically correct, in terms of, you know, lots of text, lots of figures, diagrams, and statistics, it doesn’t always immediately click in terms of like, what’s actually being presented and it being completely understood. For myself, I’ve had experiences like this happen such as when I was sitting in a lab meeting, and I was being shown tons of graphs and charts. At the time, I was listening to my lab mates discuss the research that they were doing and I zoned out completely. I had no idea what they were talking about, even though everything was written I had retained none of the information. This is something that I face on a day-to-day basis, but with creative disciplines, it delineates from this monistic way of thought.
How do you feel as if you’re going to adapt and integrate new ideas into the art side? What is the vision like for that right now?
Naman: That’s a great question for our future team. They are very much interested in expanding our original vision. I will say our first plan was a little bit delusional and a little bit naive. We were thoughtful in our planning, but we were overshooting the hell out of it. But I think the new team realizes the mistakes that we made because the people who were on the new team also worked on the old team.
The new team was there to watch which steps we took in order to actualize our original vision. For example, the new team is already aware of hiring more people to help out with communication, because there are plenty of scientists and researchers at the University, but there’s not enough people to actually sit down and communicate the ideas. So being able to have a more diverse group of people to communicate that research to me, is very important.
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Story by:
Lucas Taylor, graduate English education
Photography by:
Ashley Craven, sports and communication major
Beyond the Classroom: Emerson Harman, Graphic Design Intern at Stantec
Today we spoke to Emerson Harman, a junior Biomedical Art and Visualization major with minors in Biology and Technical and Professional Writing, a concentration in Honors, and a certificate of undergraduate study (CUGS) in Paleo-Art and Visualization. They are an on-campus resident from Dodgeville, Wisconsin. Emerson tells us about their internship, how Rowan helped prepare them for the internship, and where they see themselves in a future career.
Tell me about your internship. What was your day-to-day like?
I interned for the summer at Stantec, an architecture, design, engineering, and environmental science design and consulting firm. The company is based in Canada. The company had 23,000 employees across 23 countries. I was the graphic design intern for the summer, and it was an 8-week program. I worked 40-hour weeks.
I worked on a few different projects both within the Philadelphia office and with interns from across North America. I worked on two projects with two elementary schools in Philadelphia that are getting renovated and added to. One has an existing mural through the MuralArts program of Philadelphia, and I made designs for the new main entrance and cafeteria based on their existing mural. That school is in the very initial design phase and once they get further in with the client, they will present my designs to the client as possible design options for the space. I made designs based on murals that already exist in the other school, as well. On the second to last day of my internship, the people working on this project with me presented my designs to that client, and they actually went forward with my designs, which is pretty exciting.
I did a few smaller graphic projects for different proposals for different projects that people were working on and the intern-wide project. There were 91 interns from across North America on ten teams this summer, and we got paired with an organization in North Carolina that is creating a farmstead summer camp for people with learning disabilities, particularly teens and adults with autism. Five teams worked on each half of the property. As the only graphic design intern, I helped create the presentations and the final booklets that were given to the client and created renderings and animations of the final architectural plans. At the end of the internship, all 10 groups presented our work both internally to the broader Stantec community, and to the client. Throughout this internship, we also had groups and seminars on a variety of topics just for the summer interns, including a counter transition from school to the workplace or innovative technologies and urban planning and climate change adaptation and how they structure sustainability into such a large global company.
Can you tell us a bit about Stantec as a company?
Stantec has many offices that work independently of each other, but sometimes they collaborate. They do architecture, so just like any other architecture firm, they do large and small-scale projects, and then they have design and interior design areas where they work on architectural projects and individual consulting-type projects.
The Philadelphia office where I work didn’t have any environmental scientists, but some offices have environmental scientists that worked with the construction crews or different building projects such as making sure that they’re not getting rid of habitat for endangered species, working near wastewater treatments, or doing anything damaging to the environment. There are many kinds of people working in one company. It’s an all-inclusive firm for these different areas.
How did you find and secure this internship?
I first applied for Stantec’s Equity and Diversity scholarship last year, without really knowing who Stantec was or what they did. I ended up receiving the scholarship, and from there, they invited me to interview for an internship position. Stantec gives about 22 scholarships and from there they select some interns for the summer. During the interview, I met with the Senior Vice President of Design and Innovation of Stantec, the Director of the Office of the CEO, and one of the Principal Architects of the Philadelphia office, who ended up being my supervisor. I received the internship offer, and after school was out, I moved to Philadelphia for the summer.
How does this internship tie in with your major?
My major isn’t directly correlated with the architecture and design industry, but I found that a lot of the skills transferred into this internship as a graphic design intern. I worked a lot in software like Adobe Illustrator, Photoshop, and InDesign, all design software that I use in my classes. Often having to learn new software in my major helped me with learning AutoDesk, Revit, and Enscape that I used a lot during and needed for the internship. Having an outside look at a lot of the design problems my supervisors gave me brought a unique perspective someone trained in architecture might not have.
Do you have any mentors at Rowan that helped you with this internship?
There are a lot of professors and faculty on campus that I definitely have close connections with, but the two that come to mind are initially Professor Amanda Almon, who is the head of the Biomedical Art and Visualization department, and Professor Jenny Drumgoole of the Photography department. I know I can go to them with questions I have. They’re helpful and supportive and help me with applications and just creating a professional profile for myself. When I’m applying for these opportunities, they can help me along the way. Professor Almon, and Professor Drumgoole, having people like them push you to develop your skills and encourage you to apply for internships, and find new opportunities that you might have otherwise missed is important. The most important thing you can do is to connect with those professors. They’re the start of your network, and from there they can help you with so much more.
How will this internship help you achieve your career goals?
I might apply for a master’s program in scientific illustration. Many people in this field wait and do their master’s after some years of experience in the workforce. Ideally, I want to work in infographic design and scientific illustration. I definitely lean more towards the natural science side, rather than the medical side of the biomedical art program, whether that’s working for a museum, a publishing company magazine, like National Geographic or Nature, or something along those lines.
Through this internship, I gained a ton of new connections, met a lot of amazing people, and learned a lot. I went from living in a small town in Wisconsin to living in Philadelphia, which was a very good experience, and significantly different. Now I know I can feel comfortable living anywhere. I also learned new programs and new techniques that I might not have learned if I hadn’t taken the internship. I also learned how to communicate and talk to new people on all levels.
Do you have any advice for Rowan students that are looking for internships?
I would first reach out to professors who work in the areas that interest you and see if they know of any campus or external internships they would recommend applying to. Beyond that, look up companies and organizations in your field and see if they advertise internships on their website. If not, it’s worth emailing them to ask! Make sure you have an up-to-date resumé, and just keep applying. It’s discouraging to be turned down, but the more you apply, the more chances you have of being selected.
Now that you have completed this internship, what’s next?
I just received an offer for a nine-month internship (the duration of the school year) with the U.S. Forest Service. I will create illustrations and graphic design for a visual field guide to endangered species and communications about old-growth forests. It’s through the Virtual Student Federal Service program, so it’s a virtual internship.
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Story by:
Rachel Rumsby, senior communication studies and public relations major
Bridging The Gap In Health Literacy Through Graphic Design [VIDEO]
Rowan’s Biomedical Art and Visualization (BMAV) major is one of a select few programs of its kind offered nationwide. As a biomedical artist, you will apply your knowledge of art, medicine, science and technology to create educational illustrations, animations and interactive media for specific audiences.
“BMAV is a program that is geared towards students who are artistic but also have an affinity for the sciences,” says senior Terry Nguyen. “We take scientific data or any sort of data and interpret it visually.”
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A Q&A with Terry Nguyen, Co-President of Rowan’s Neurodiversity Club
What brought you to the Biomedical Art and Visualization program? A little background information about myself would be that I always loved art. But I also really valued the importance of scientific endeavors, and just general scientific literacy. I wanted something that could combine the two of them. But … I didn’t want to fully […]
4 Out-Of-State First Year Students Share Why They Chose Rowan
Today we speak with four out-of-state first year students about why they chose a university further from home and their experiences here at Rowan. Abby Riley, a first-generation student and Exercise Science major from Elkton, Maryland, shares the value of attending an out-of-state university. Abby says, “I considered and chose an out-of-state university because I […]
Senior Reflects: Biomedical Art and Visualization Major Emily Higgins
Emily Higgins is a senior Biomedical Art and Visualization major, with minors in Art History and Biological Sciences, from Randolph, NJ in Morris County.
Could you please share your favorite moment with a faculty member or a favorite experience in one of your classes?
One of my favorite class experiences was going to the cadaver lab at Cooper Medical School in Camden. I was able to draw from in-person observations, as well as being exposed to a professional medical setting as a freshman.
Could you please share your favorite social memory?
Some of my favorite memories come from Outdoors Club, like going camping for the first time, to seeing wild horses at Assateague Island, to eventually joining the executive board and helping plan club trips.
What are your career aspirations?
Medical Legal Illustrator.
How did the people or programs at Rowan help to support you with your professional growth or career aspirations?
I had several professors over the years offer practical advice for entering the workforce, and professors who went out of their way to help support their students’ professional growth and personal well being.
Do you want to give a thank you shout out to your family, friends, advisors or mentors?
I would like to say thank you to my parents, my sister Trish, and my partner Danny for their continuous love and support over the past four years. I’d also like to give a big shout out to the friends I have made while at Rowan, including the BMAV crew + co., friends from freshman year D-Pod, and countless others who I hold very near and dear to my heart.
Who is your favorite professor and what class did you take them for?
My favorite professor was Ron Mathias, who I had for a few classes within my major including Introduction to Figure Anatomy for the Artist and Digital Rendering Techniques. Ron no longer works as a professor here, but keeps in touch with former students and is always available to give us advice about our art and practical advice for our futures as well.
What advice would you give to incoming freshmen or transfers about making the most out of their college experience?
Join some clubs and don’t be afraid to put yourself out there. Everyone else is just as nervous about making friends as you are, so reach out to others with compassion. You can reinvent yourself into whoever you want to be, and can choose to take a step in the right direction at any point, no matter how many mistakes you have made in the past.
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Story by:
Caitlyn Dickinson, senior public relations and advertising major
Photos by:
Brian Seay, sophomore sports communication and media major
Senior Reflects: Biomedical Art & Visualization Major Hannah Knight
Today, we speak to graduating senior Hannah Knight. Hannah is a Biomedical Art and Visualization major with minors in Art History and Biology from Shamong, NJ (Burlington County). She transferred from Rowan College of Burlington County and currently lives off campus. She shares more about her experience at Rowan and gives advice to incoming students.
Could you share your favorite moment with a faculty member or a favorite experience in one of your classes?
Being in and working thoughout the night in Westby Hall, specifically painting in the studio after mourning a death.
Could you share your favorite social memory?
Going to bingo or The Pit for events. Walking down the Boulevard and to the High Street Gallery.
What are your career aspirations?
Help the future of health care and science via biomedical arts.
How did the people or programs at Rowan help to support you with your professional growth or career aspirations?
I work with professionals in the field who can give me real-world advice.
Do you want to give a thank you shout out to your family, friends, advisors or mentors?
To Doc for keeping me in high spirits, Ryan Berardi for always understanding, and Amanda Almon for starting BMAV here at Rowan.
Who is your favorite professor? What class did you take them for? And why is this person your favorite?
Nancy Ohana. She teaches figure drawing and constantly reinforced freedom, diligence and the process of art.
What advice would you give to incoming first years or transfers about making the most out of their college experience?
Take an art class that you’ll actually enjoy, not just the “easy” ones. Go to RAH events because they’re pretty cool most times, and be kind to everyone.
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Story by:
Bianca Torres, senior music industry major
“Your Major is WHAT?” 10+ Unique & Interesting Majors at Rowan University [VIDEO]
Real Insights from Real Students on Their Majors
#PROFspective: Senior Biomedical Art and Visualization Major Amanda Rosa
Amanda Rosa, a senior Biomedical Art and Visualization major and Dance/Biology minor from Freehold, NJ (Monmouth County), sums up her Rowan experience.
On your busiest day, what personal, academic, non-academic and social responsibilities are you juggling?
On my busiest days, I juggle at least three classes, rehearsal or practice with my ballroom partner, sorority obligations with Theta Phi Alpha and looking for my future job!
Did you ever have a moment of uncertainty within your major? How did you get through the challenge?
I did have a moment of uncertainty with my first two majors, and then I switched to my current major, which is Biomedical Art and Visualization. This major is challenging, and sometimes I questioned if I was good enough to finish and continue it. I got through it by talking to my teachers, asking them what they thought and going to them for continual guidance.
Tell us about one moment that made you feel like Rowan was the right fit for you.
I chose Rowan because it was close to home and I needed a place where I could drive home if needed. It was just far enough away that I could stay on campus, but close enough at home was in striking distance. I really felt at home at Rowan during my sophomore year when I found my current major because not many schools offer it.
Tell us about your transition into college and how you pushed through any challenges.
My transition into college wasn’t as hard as I thought it was going to be. In high school, I was in a college-prep program where we took many AP classes. The humanities program at Howell night prepared me well for college. My biggest challenge was finding the right major for me. It took two tries but eventually, after a lot of research, I found the right one.
What advice would you give your high school self about choosing a college?
Come in open-minded. I was positive that I wanted to go to school out of state, but I’m glad I gave Rowan University the chance. Think about what’s gonna be best for you, and your family. Now I’m lucky enough to have my brother joining the Rowan family in the spring. You may not always end up going to the college that was your first choice but don’t worry: you’ll find the good in wherever you end up.
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Story by:
Loredonna Fiore, junior public relations and advertising major
Photography by:
Quintin Stinney, sophomore radio television and film major
Beyond the Classroom: Biomedical Art and Visualization Major Emerson Harman on Starting Queer Voices Project
Today’s “Beyond the Classroom” features Emerson Harman, a freshman who has already joined numerous on-campus organizations. They also launched the “Queer Voices” Project, aimed at spreading awareness and showing the presence of the LGBTQIA+ community at Rowan.
Freshman Wisconsin native Emerson Harman has not hesitated to get involved on campus in this first couple of months of the semester. They’ve already joined Rowan’s Wind Ensemble, the Biology Club, the Biomedical Art and Visualization club and PRISM. Being part of all these organizations already is a huge head start for a freshman, and the crazy part is that none of these is even Emerson’s most impressive accomplishment at Rowan so far.
Emerson started “Queer Voices,” which involves interviewing (and photographing) Rowan faculty and students who are a part of the LGBTQ+ community and uploading the content to the Queer Voices website. Emerson meets with students, faculty and alumni to ask various questions relating to Rowan’s LGBTQIA+ community and other related topics.
Emerson says the “whole goal of [the project] is to raise awareness and presence of the LGBT community on campus.”
Emerson is hoping that word of mouth will help grow Queer Voices into something bigger. It is only November, and they already have content on the website from seven faculty members, nine students and two alumni.
“It started off with just faculty … and then it grew, and other students heard about it and were like, ‘Hey, can I get involved too?’” Emerson explains.
With the current state of the pandemic and social distancing still being enforced, it is not an easy time to make new friends in a new place. When Emerson was asked about how difficult this is, they did not act like it was a huge issue.
“I think there has been a lot of good programming from the university itself for new freshmen. Even though most things are virtual, I’ve still been able to meet a lot of people both in my dorm and in classes,” Emerson says.
Emerson decided to go to Rowan all the way from Wisconsin because of their major. Emerson is a Biomedical Art and Visualization major, which is only offered at three schools in the country, Rowan being one of them. It is likely that the atmosphere and culture in Glassboro is much different than that of Dodgeville, Wisconsin, but Emerson has seemingly adjusted quickly.
“It feels like a small university but at the same time it’s obviously not. It’s really close to a lot of major cities too which is nice,” Emerson says.
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Luke Garcia, junior music industry major
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Quintin Stinney, sophomore radio/TV/film major
9 Biomedical Art & Visualization Majors Tell Us Why Their Major Excites Them
From new mediums to emerging technologies, 9 Edelman College of Communication & Creative Arts students in the Biomedical Art & Visualization program share why they are passionate about their major.
“Learning new techniques and nuances of drawing and illustration that I was entirely unaware of prior. That and the steady and consistent addition of new mediums to explore and develop skills with.” – Isaiah Reese, senior, first-generation college student, Biomedical Art and Visualization major with a Biology minor from Newton, NJ (Sussex County)
“I love that I’m getting a great education in the sciences and methods of educating others, while also still be held to the esteem of a studio artist. Though I’m not a studio art major, I’ve still been taught all of the same skills you would expect a studio art major to have. This way I can make beautiful anatomical and scientific drawings as well as traditional fine art.” – Rose Price, senior, first-generation college student and Biomedical Art Visualization major with a minor in Biology, Sicklerville NJ (Gloucester County)
“The BMAV program is much more diverse than you would expect. Students are able to choose their topic of choice to research and to build their portfolio. There might be a student who enjoys studying scientific processes next to you and another student who likes exploring prosthetics on your other side. A student sitting across from you might like studying animals and another likes examining medical conditions. I am never bored in class because there is always something interesting to learn and do. Everyday is exciting and worthwhile.” – Terry Nguyen, junior, majors in Biomedical Art and Visualization and Music, Pre-medical minor from Moorestown, NJ (Burlington County)
“The atmosphere in our major is what excites me most. We are a small family, so we support each other. We all have our different interests and learn from each other as well.” – Mariele Ford, junior Biomedical Art Visualization major with a minor in Biology, Brigantine, NJ (Atlantic County)
“The future of my possibilities [is] in the arts.” – Hannah Knight, senior, transfer, first-generation college student and Biomedical Art and Visualization major with a minor in Art History and an associate degree in Biology from Medford, NJ (Burlington County)
“The thing that excites me the most about my major is the ability to portray what I want while it’s still very informational and well-researched. Creating infographics about animals or plants is definitely what captivates me the most. But not only that, but the ability to also use newer technologies such as 3D modeling and even a chance to experiment with VR excite me to no end!” – Sofia Monaco, junior Biomedical Art and Visualization, CUGS in Game Media Design from Cherry Hill, NJ (Camden County)
“All the possible choices I will have for jobs in the near future and the fact that you build your own way.” – Diana Lahr, sophomore, first-generation college student and Biomedical Art and Visualization major from Elmer, NJ (Salem County)
“I am excited to learn more about the anatomy of humans as well as plants and animals along with how to properly illustrate and explain them. I am also excited to be able to communicate these aspects of life with others.” – Harley Modestowicz, sophomore Biomedical Art and Visualization major, Franklinville, NJ (Gloucester County)
“What excites me most about Biomedical Art is how much I realize I’m being prepared for my future. I feel as if all my classes are geared toward strengthening my talents as an artist and creating artwork just as I would when dealing with clients in the future.” – Veronica Cava, junior Biomedical Art and Visualization major, Marlton, NJ (Burlington County)
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#Rowan2020 Instagram Contest Winner Megan Miller
Today we feature #Rowan2020 Instagram contest winner Megan Miller. Megan is a recent graduate with a bachelor of fine arts in Biomedical Art and Visualization from Cherry Hill, NJ (Camden County). Megan lived on campus during her freshman and sophomore years and lived off-campus during her junior and senior years.
Please tell us about your favorite moment with a faculty member or a favorite experience in one of your classes?
My favorite experience in a class was my Surgical Illustration class. Being able to go into surgery and stand right next to the doctor was incredible, especially being able to see what happens during a surgery first-hand.
What was your favorite or most meaningful personal moment at Rowan?
My favorite personal moment from Rowan was being on the Rowan University Swim Team and winning our fourth straight NJAC title and third straight Metropolitan Conference Championship!
How did being a student-athlete enhance your Rowan experience?
Being a student-athlete was the best decision I could have ever made when coming to Rowan. It took up a lot of time and was a lot of hard work, but all the amazing memories and friends that were made along the way made it all worth it. I would do it all again in a heartbeat. Rowan Athletics just feels like a giant family, and I can’t wait to come back and continue to support them as an alum!
What are your career aspirations and how did the people or programs at Rowan help to support you with those aspirations?
I aspire to be a medical illustrator. Being a medical illustrator will allow me to see and experience things I would never have the opportunity of seeing while being able to draw. I’ve always found the medical world very interesting but loved drawing and wanted to go to school for it. I was lucky enough to find out that Rowan has the Biomedical Art and Visualization program, which combines the medical world with drawing.
Do you want to give a thank you shout out to your family, friends, advisors, or mentors?
I would like to shout of my parents for always being my # 1 supporters. I also want to thank my friends, I wouldn’t have been able to make it through the past four years without them!
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Rachel Rumsby, rising sophomore communication studies and public relations double major
Meet #Rowan2024: Wisconsin’s Emerson Harman Majors in Biomedical Art & Visualization
Today we feature incoming freshman Emerson Harman from Dodgeville, Wisconsin. Emerson is a Biomedical Art and Visualization major with minors in Biology and Technical/Professional Writing.
What is one activity, club, sport or hobby that you did in high school that you’d like to continue with at Rowan?
I am really looking forward to joining Rowan’s fencing team!!! I’ve never fenced before but I’ve always wanted to. For something I’m continuing, I’m looking forward to participating in some of the music ensembles.
How or why did you choose your major?
I chose Biomedical Art and Visualization because it perfectly combines my passion for both art and science by allowing me to visualize scientific topics.
What is something you’re looking forward to next year at Rowan?
I am really looking forward to both the academic and social aspect of college. I’m very excited to be educated in something I’m passionate about, but I’m also looking forward to joining organizations and ensembles, and everything else that college has to offer. College is a time where I’ll have the most freedom and resources to help me out, and I am excited to utilize those.
Why did you choose a university that is out-of-state or out-of-country for you?
Initially, I chose Rowan purely because it has my major, Biomedical Art. There are about three colleges in the country that have this, and I when I visited it felt the most like home.
Why Rowan?
Recently, I’ve really gotten to know the campus and appreciate everything that Rowan does for its students.
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First Year Voices: Biomedical Art & Visualization Major Doug Jones
Today’s we feature Doug Jones, a Biomedical Art & Visualization major who commuted from home in Monroeville, NJ (Gloucester County) until COVID-19 shut down the campus.
How do you create the “away at school” feeling if your home is close to Rowan?
I create the “away at school” feeling through planning my day around my schoolwork.
What advice do you have for future freshmen looking at colleges right now?
Don’t overwhelm yourself. The bigger and more well-known school may be appealing, but the smaller and lesser-known school will make the transition to college life much easier.
What are you most looking forward to next year at Rowan?
The thing I am looking forward to the most would be getting back to more art classes.
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Rowan at Home: Glimpse into Biomedical Arts & Visualization with Emily Higgins [VIDEO]
Welcome to Rowan at Home, our new series to give you a glimpse into Rowan University, our campus culture, and the lives of our students, while we’re practicing social distancing to protect society from the spread of COVID-19. Today’s story features Emily Higgins, a junior isolating in her house in Morris County, NJ. Emily is a Biomedical Art and Visualization major who normally spends a lot of time in Westby Hall, which is her home away from home at Rowan University.
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Music by: Tommy Bell, junior music industry major
#PROFspective: Biomedical Art & Visualization Major Veronica Cava
Today, we speak with Veronica Cava, a freshman Biomedical Art and Visualization major who lives on campus in Mimosa Hall. Veronica will share her #PROFspective with us on what it’s like to be a Rowan University student and how she’s getting the most out of her college experience as a Rowan Prof. Name: Veronica CavaMajor: Biomedical […]
Ask the PROS: 10 Best Aspects of Rowan [VIDEO]
Find out why Rowan Peer Referral and Orientation Staff (PROS) are #RowanPROUD! Video by: Mitch Weiman Senior advertising major Like what you see? Register for a tour or open house. Related stories: Not “Just Rowan” After All Finding Myself at Rowan What I Wish I Knew: On Campus Living [Video]