Our next speaker will be Bang Wong, Creative Director of the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard. He will speak about the visual representation of science for communication and research.
Event Details
Location: MassArt, 621 Huntington Avenue, Boston
Room: Tower Building, Room 312
Date: Tuesday, October 26, 2010
Time: 6:30 P.M. to 8:00 P.M. (we suggest arriving a little early to get a good seat)
RSVP: Not required for this event, free and open to the public.
Abstract
Researchers at the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard generate a staggering amount of data each day. The challenge is to benefit from this data deluge without being overwhelmed. Visually representing data offers insights that can lead to new understanding, wether the purpose is communication or data analysis. No other approach conveys as much information. This presentation will draw on examples from Broad’s Data Visualization Initiative, aimed at establishing processes for creating informative visualization models. It will also highlight the DNAtrium, an exhibition space that relies on large-scale media wall and multi-touch smart tables to enable people to explore the human genome.
Speaker Biography
Bang Wong’s work focuses on the visual expression of scientific concepts. He is currently the creative director of the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard and an adjunct assistant professor in the Department of Art as Applied to Medicine at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. In 2001, Bang founded ClearScience, a design firm that concentrates on the visual communication of science. At the Broad, he led the effort to design and build the DNAtrium, a museum space dedicated to the exploration of the human genome. Through unique exhibits and content, the museum showcases how genomic science is propelling progress in biology and medicine. Working with researchers, Bang is looking for ways to enable discovery by visually representing large-scale data sets. He established the Data Visualization Initiative at the Broad to create processes for informative visualization models, provide functional prototypes, and build a community of people who apply visuals in their research. As a contributing writer to Nature Methods, he writes a monthly column on applying principles of art and design to scientific figures and data visualization. Bang received a Masters degree in Immunology and a Masters degree in Medical and Scientific Illustrations both from Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. He blogs at bang.clearscience.info.
Parking and Driving Directions
Directions: By car | By T | Campus map (PDF)
Parking: Parking is not longer available in the Ward Street lot. We suggest on-street parking if you can find it. Otherwise, there is paid parking available at the Museum of Fine Arts parking garage (expensive). If you’re driving, take a close look at a Google Map of the area, things are tricky the first time you drive around this area.