Ahna Skop, a professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, will give the talk "Too creative for science?" on Nov. 5 at 5:30 p.m. in the Johnny Carson Center Atrium. Hosted by the School of Biological Sciences and the Johnny Carson Center for Emerging Media Arts, the event is open and free to the public.
Skop is part of the Department of Genetics and an affiliate faculty member in Life Sciences Communication and the Division of the Arts. She mentors both scientists and art students in her lab and also serves on the board of the Wisconsin Science Museum, where many of her science-art collaborations are on display.
In 2008, she was named a Remarkable Women in Science by AAAS, and in 2015 honored as a Kavli Fellow from the National Academy of Sciences. In 2018, Skop received the first Inclusive Excellence Award from ASCB and HHMI. In 2019, she served as a AAAS IF/THEN Ambassador for Women in STEM. Her science and art have been featured by Apple, The Scientist, USA Today, Smithsonian, PBS.org, NPR, and Science magazine.
Skop's creative outreach includes Genetic Reflections: A Coloring Book, a collaborative project designed to inspire young students and the public to explore the beauty of genetics through model organisms and art. She is also the lead author and curator of Lab Culture: A Recipe for Innovation in Science, a new community cookbook and online project that brings together more than 120 scientists from around the globe, sharing personal stories and favorite recipes to humanize scientific culture and celebrate its diversity. She also enjoys cooking and baking—including scientific cakes. She manages a food blog, foodskop.com, and her social media sites (@foodskop).
